It's time for my stop on the blog tour for "Tempest Rising"
by Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.
My Review:
It doesn't get much better than a book about mermaids, and this one doesn't disappoint. The underwater world was so vivid and real. It seemed entirely new and not a rehash of any other teen paranormal romances.
I also liked Tempest's dry land worlds. It felt just as new and fresh as her undersea life. She was a surfer, which is a culture we don't see a lot of in YA. I loved Tempest's relationship with her father and brothers, it seemed very realistic. Also well done, was her anger towards her mother, who had left them for the sea. My heart broke for Tempest's father, always looking out to sea, waiting for his wife to return.
I didn't really think the love triangle was necessary in this book. It didn't add anything to the story in my opinion. The love story would have been much more powerful for me if there wasn't that nagging guilt happening. I was never able to lose myself in the romance, which could have been amazing.
I'm unsure about the ending. I felt a little drained by the roller coaster ride of Tempest making her "choice" at the end. It was a little disappointing for me and even a little unclear, but I'll let you decide what you think of it!
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: A fresh new paranormal with exciting new worlds to explore, along with a lot of romance!