Julie Cross (1)

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I remember being really disappointed when the movie Jumper came out a few years ago because it just didn’t live up to the potential of the idea (and presumably the book by Steven Gould which I haven’t read). Ditto for The Butterfly Effect. Well disappointment is the last thing I feel having just devoured Julie Cross’ debut, TEMPEST. It is so exciting, exhilarating, and emotionally absorbing that I’m not even the least bit surprised the a show more movie version is already in the works.

Unlike the two movie I referenced, TEMPEST takes the idea of a college guy with a newly discovered ability to manipulate time and space and runs with it. The whole concept of time travel in this book is meticulously well developed but explained gradually and fluidly so that the information is dispensed without the reader even realizing it, and yet by the end, I fully understood how everything worked. Loved that.

I also loved the character of Jackson. Every single thing about him was believable. From his commitment phobias stemming from a childhood loss, to his quick thinking and suspicious nature, and his somewhat reckless behavior with his abilities. I bought everything so completely, that I’d believe this was a work of non fiction if it weren’t for the time travel. Jackson’s girlfriend Holly was really the only character who I found to be a bit lacking, but considering how strong everyone else was, that’s barely a criticism.

As the first book in the trilogy, TEMPEST does leave a number of questions unanswered and it’s clear that there will be an overarching story that spans the series, but the ending is very satisfying. There’s enough mystery, romance, intrigue, and action here to captivate any reader. And it’s all told from the perspective of a humorous and disarming protagonist whose transformation over the course of this book has me completely invested in his story, which I can’t wait to continue in the next Enemies of Time book on January 17, 2013.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. Mild sensuality. References to sex show less

Oh, how I loved Tempest! I received this during an insane week at work and, because my free time was so limited, I read the majority of it in one sitting the day before I had to send it off to the next person on the tour. Our time together was much too short, but this is one read I’ll be glad to revisit.

Jackson was a great narrator. It was refreshing to have a male POV and he delivered the awesome with his charm, wit, and adoration for his girlfriend, Holly. Time traveling aside, he came show more across as a very normal guy and Julie Cross made him believable with his flaws and insecurities, too. I absolutely fell in love with him!

We all should know by now that I’m a sucker for a good romance and Tempest offered just that! Though Holly and Jackson were already in an established relationship (woot!), time traveling allowed a look into how they came together. Jackson’s interactions with the younger 007 Holly were absolutely sweet, while the scenes with 009 Holly gave a feeling of familiarity and ease… Oh, and sexy times (woot again!)! Because of the shooting that kicks off the story, there was also a lot intensity as Jackson tried to deal with his guilt and worry. All of this made for a very happy me.

The most surprising aspect of this book was how full of heart it was. While it delivered on the action and excitement I anticipated, I was taken back by the multiple times I found myself getting weepy. Jackson goes through quite the emotional journey in regards to Holly, not knowing who to trust, and his family. His ability allows him to experience some eye-opening situations, bring closure to things he wishes he could have done differently, and mature.

As enjoyable as Tempest was, it definitely felt like an introduction to something much, much bigger — in a good way. I can find it frustrating when details to the “big picture” are scarce and I can’t get a feel for the direction the story is going, but Cross managed to fill this book with a thrilling adventure, while at the same time setting up and offering a glimpse of what’s to come. Without giving away any details, at one point Jackson sees two very different futures and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together to those points. It’s going to be epic!

That ending? Let me go sob into my pillow. So perfect, so right, and yet absolutely heartbreaking. ARCs for books that I love always leave me feeling anxious for the next one, but the wait for this one already seems especially long… 2013?! Yikes. I will be waiting with a certain degree of misery to find out where the story goes next, but I have no doubt that Julie Cross will deliver with an equally amazing sequel. show less

This was my biggest disappointment of the year so far.

I absolutely loved Tempest. I found Jackson to be one of the more interesting YA heroes I'd encountered in some time, and I enjoyed his journey. The time travel was coherent, the romance was lovely, and there was a great best friendship, father/son relationship and brother/sister relationship. What's not to love? Vortex was enjoyable, if not quite as much. If nothing else, time travel remained coherent, and multiple really interesting new show more characters were introduced.

Then came this total disaster. Where to begin?

First, in this book Jackson's relationship with Holly just became completely incoherent. He loves her, but he thinks he shouldn't be with her, but maybe he made a mistake erasing their relationship, but maybe he didn't. Who knows? Mostly, he alternates between navel-gazing, making out with her, and pushing her away. I enjoy pre-destined love stories, and I liked the idea that in any reality Jackson and Holly would always end up loving each other, but I felt like this concept just went a little too far. Jackson just jumped from Holly to Holly. Sometimes he cared which one he was with, sometimes he didn't as long as she was a Holly. In the end, he insists he loves the Holly he's with, and that what he does, he does for this version and not another, but then he leaves her to go be with a different Holly, and seems basically OK with this.

In general, I thought Holly was pretty profoundly screwed over in this third book. We find out that she's traumatized because she was raped by a fellow agent. In Vortex it looked like maybe it was consensual but she regretted it. In Timestorm it becomes clear that a fellow agent drugged her, she fought back, and she was overpowered. There's no reason for this whole rape plot except to point make it clear that the other agents are really, really evil. It felt cheap, particularly since in the end Holly's trauma is resolved by one amazing night with Jackson, and then he leaves to go be with another Holly who was never raped in the first place. I am sick to death of novels using rape in this way.

This is a book where actions were basically without consequences. Major characters died, but it was fine! They were returned to life via time travel shortly! Characters Jackson loved chose to leave, but they never stayed away for long. When Jackson erased relationships, the people he erased either magically remembered caring about him, or became instantly fond of him again anyway. Only two characters stayed dead, and they were dead at the beginning of the first book anyway.

And then there was that incoherent ending. When Jackson went to World B, did he erase World B's Jackson entirely? Did World A continue to exist, complete with all of the horrors Adam and Holly found out about, just without Jackson? Because it looks an awful lot like our hero was tricked into leaving behind people he loved in order to essentially kill another version of himself, replace him in his life, and live happily ever after while his friends died in agony. Lovely. And that's leaving aside the fact that it really bothered me that the climax of the book involved the hero believing he was saving the world, but actually being tricked entirely.

All that said, I think Cross is a skillful writer with good ideas, and I will actually at least try reading whatever she writes next. The relationships remain interesting and complex, and female characters like Kendrick and Stewart were refreshingly different. show less

Tempest is exhilarating. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of Jackson’s time-traveling life. Julie Cross’ writing is perfect for the type of story she tells: it’s rife with emotion and beauty, but it’s still a breeze to read. Tempest is any easy book to pick up, but it’s definitely not an easy one to put down. I was immediately sucked into Jackson’s story.

Jackson jumps around on the timeline so frequently it’s almost difficult to keep track. Luckily, Cross does an show more excellent job of explaining the mechanics of Jackson’s specific type of time travel, and carefully inserts paragraphs to help the reader figure out exactly when Jackson is. More on the note of time travel, though, Jackson’s method is something completely unique, and it’s kind of mind-blowing in its complexity. It makes logical sense, though; Cross does a great job of making the time travel believable. The story is played out in a kind of jumbled fashion because of the time travel, but it’s more stylistic than confusing. Think Memento, but easier to follow.

In terms of characters, Tempest also succeeds. Jackson is a guy’s guy; he has weaknesses, but he’s genuine and thoughtful. Holly, Jackson’s girlfriend, is a bit of a damsel in distress in 2009, but the Holly from 2007 is totally lovable. It’s interesting to see how a person evolves (or perhaps in Holly’s case, it’s the opposite) over time. All the characters in Tempest, from the “science geek” Adam to Jackson’s mysterious father, are superb. It’s easy to invest in them, and even easier as the story progresses and secrets are revealed.

It’s easy to see why Tempest has been optioned for film—it’s got a thrilling, neat feet to it that will be perfect for the big screen. Until then, the novel does a great job of telling a fantastic story on its own. Readers who are into science fiction/fantasy, but who also like some emotion in there, will love Tempest. It’ll hook you right from the start! show less