Tuesday 17 January 2012

Tempest - Julie Cross.

Published: 5th January 2012
Format: Hardback
Publisher: MacMillan
Pages: 432
Buy this book: Amazon UK
Synopsis [Amazon UK]
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 catapults 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.



The cover...
I absolutely adore this cover.  I think it captures the relationship between Jackson and Holly perfectly.  It is also relevant to the main occurrence in the book too.
How did I find out about this book?
I bought this book for the Debut Author Challenge that I am participating in.
What is this book about?
This book is about a boy named Jackson who finds out that he can time travel when he turns eighteen.  He starts to test out his powers upon meeting a friend named Adam.  They come up with their own way of describing time travel with references towards baseball to make it easier for Jackson (therefore making it easier for the reader to understand too).  The book focuses on the relationships in which Jackson has with his girlfriend and his father and how these relationships react to the knowledge of Jackson's time travel abilities.
My opinion...
The fact that this book was of a male's point of view but written by a female was refreshing.  I liked how the author was still able to portray Jackson as the teenage boy that he should be whilst still adding that feminine touch.  I found that I couldn't wait to find out if Jackson was able to save Holly and find out what his father was up to. 

It seems like the characters in the book reacted positively towards Jackson's time travel and managed to believe him quite quickly (this is in reference to Holly, Adam and Jackson's twin sister Courtney).  I would like it if someone made a bit more of a fuss about it.  However, I can see why Jackson chose Adam and why he reacted in the way that he did due to his science-geeky ways and having already studied time travel.

The author uses italics perfectly to demonstrate what Jackson is thinking and how he is feeling about a particular situation, even if it is only one word.  I would use my favourite example here but I think it might spoil the book a little (if you want to check it out it's the last few lines of page 400).

I've only recently found out that this is the first book of a trilogy.  This makes me intrigued as it ended in a way that made you want to say to the author 'No you can't do that! What happens next?' and as I didn't realise it was a trilogy at the time I was even more shocked!  I would love if the ending of Book 1 was challenged in some way. 

I think this book was a great start to a trilogy and I can't wait to see where the author takes Jackson next.
If you enjoyed this book: what to read next...
Until Book 2 is released I suggest reading The Time Traveler's Wife.  It is another book full of the wonders of time travel and how it can make or break a relationship.

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