Book Review: Tempest by Julie Cross.

Product details:
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Book.
Hardcover, 432 pages.
Release date: January 5th 2012.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Jackson Meyer is hiding a secret. He can time-travel. But he doesn't know how he does it, how to control it or what it means. When Jackson, and his girlfriend Holly, find themselves in fatal danger, Jackson panics and catapaults himself two years into his past, further than he's ever managed before, and this time he can't find a way back to the future. All the rules of time-travel he's experienced so far have been broken and Jackson has no choice but to pretend to be his younger self whilst he figures out a solution. Jackson is tearing himself apart with guilt and frustration, wondering if Holly survived. He's also become the target of an unknown enemy force and it seems even his dad is lying to him. Jackson is racing against time to save the girl he loves, but to do that he must first discover the truth about his family and himself. And stay alive.

An action-packed thrill from start to finish, Tempest, the much anticipated debut novel from author Julie Cross, is an exhilarating blend of time travel and romance that will leave readers wanting more!

Cross hits the ground running in this book which introduces us to Jackson Meyer.  Jackson is pretty much your average nineteen year old guy. When he’s not in college, he’s hanging out with his girlfriend Holly, or partaking in a favourite hobby of his which involves jumping through time. He’s also from a mega rich family, oh and did I mention that he can jump through time? So, maybe not such an average guy.  Still, Jackson doesn’t really let his time travelling adventures get in the way of his every day life. It’s all just a bit of fun to him. That is, until one day he and Holly have some unexpected visitors and Holly ends up getting shot.  Boom! Suddenly time travel is not just a fun pastime, as Jackson finds himself jumping through time trying to find answers about his family, his ability to time jump and most of all, to save Holly from the enemies that are following him through time.

Tempest has a great premise. It’s exciting and fast paced as could be with lots of plot twists and some heart-wrenching moments. I have to say though that while I loved the idea of Jackson’s time jumping, when it actually happened (quite frequently as it turns out), I got a little confused. I found the rules of time travel in Tempest somewhat complicated, even though Cross details everything pretty well. If you asked me to explain the rules to you in any great detail now, I wouldn’t do a good job of it.  This was definitely a book that demanded my full attention, and even at that I found myself flipping back and forth through the pages to get everything straight in my head. Maybe it’s just me, and you’ll figure it all out in no time!

One of the big selling points of this book is that it’s narrated from a male point of view, making it stand out from the majority of other books in the YA market. For me though, this book was not all about the characters as I felt that besides Jackson we didn’t really get to know them all that well. I was pretty intrigued by Jackson, though, and he displayed character traits that endeared me to him. While I warmed to him as the story progressed, his love interest, and the girl of his dreams, Holly, didn’t totally work for me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike Holly. There was just nothing really standout about her character for me. Maybe there is a whole lot more to her than we found out in this book, but until I find out if that’s true, the jury’s out on Holly. The same can’t be said about Jackson’s family though! Talk about family secrets!  There’s Jackson’s dad who I want to know a whole lot more about, and his sister Courtney who was my favourite character in the book.  Jackson’s relationship with his sister is sweet and touching, it shows the very best of him, and it brought a tear to my eye once or twice.

 Tempest is a solid start to an intriguing new series. Jackson has to make some tough decisions throughout the book, and I want to find out how that all works out for him.  This is a book that will be loved by many, both male and female alike and with its interesting premise, complex plot and older teenage characters, it will have major crossover appeal. The movie rights for this one have already been snapped up by Summit Entertainment and I cannot think of a book that will transfer better to the big screen than this one will.  Tempest was made for the movies!