16 August 2012

REVIEW: TEMPEST

Author: Julie Cross
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
UK Release date: January 2012
Genre: Science fiction
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. (Goodreads)


Tempest has a very complex and interweaving plot, which jumps all over the place – literally from one time period in Jackson’s life to another. It could be a little hard to keep up with, but this wasn’t a bad thing. I loved the fact that there were so many things for Jackson to figure out and learn about his father, as well as himself. Cross must have had one hull of planner to keep track of the characters when she was writing this!

At first I was a little dubious about the time travelling concept, but the way it’s done makes it so interesting. A few chapters in and I was hooked. The sci-fi feel mixed with the CIA elements, made the plot dangerous and exciting. Jackson was constantly being chased, but no matter where or when he went he couldn’t seem to escape. It was like a complex, thrilling game of cat and mouse, packed full of action and adventure.

You could attempt to read Tempest as a standalone, but there are a lot of hints and questions unanswered, and I want to know what the future will actually turn out to be and whether Jackson can save Holly. The idea that the future can change like a ripple effect from one single event, means that the follow-on from this book could be anything, and personally I find that really exciting!

Although Jackson often had to lie and cover his tracks, I still liked him. He was funny, spontaneous, and clever, and I enjoyed his honest and real internal thoughts and reactions. Because of all the deception and uncertainty around so many characters, I liked the real moments and memories that showed us the true Jackson, like the heartbreaking card he wrote for his sister. And the fact that he was so protective over Holly made him even better in my eyes.

I kind of felt sorry for Holly, because she doesn’t know what is going on but is still involved in the conflict between the CIA and the time travellers. I liked the fact that the Holly in 2009 and 2007 are different character wise – she’s more serious and reserved when she’s older, but she still keeps Jackson on his toes. For me it shows how her character has changed, even if we haven’t necessarily seen how or why.

Tempest is a sci-fi time travelling thriller, with action, adventure and romance around every corner.

Rating: 5*

2 comments:

Vicky @ Books, Biscuits & Tea said...

I was also a bit sceptical at first and it took me a little while to get into this whole time travelling thing but once I did, I really enjoyed the story! I can't wait to read the sequel :)

Clover said...

I totally wasn't sure about this book to begin with either, but I was sucked in right from the beginning! Loved it so much.