YA review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest by Julie Cross (Tempest #1)

won from My Keeper Shelf

Synopsis from Goodreads
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.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveller.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Amazon  US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK(£4.43) | The Book Depository US/UK | Fishpond

 7.5/10

* * * 

Tempest was a good book, don't get me wrong, I did like it. I just thought it lacked sense of direction.



First of all, it's not paranormal romance YA, so it will be a fab read for teenage boys, but it's still gender neutral enough that female population will like it the way we adored Insignia by S.J.Kincaid.

Secondly, it's a bit like a puzzle, - you think this and that piece will go well together and make sense but they are completely wrong...

In 2009 not so long ago Jackson discovered that he can jump in time, not far behind and not completely so his body stays in present time, but still his half-jumps are scary and exciting and kept as secret from his girlfriend Holly while he and his geeky genius friend, Adam, work on their theories of how control his abilities... until two strangers knock on Holly's door. They seem to know about Jackson's abilities, and in following scuffle Holly gets fatally shot.

Panicking and not knowing what to do Jackson jumps but this time completely and two years back. He doesn't know how to return to his present year, impersonates his 17-year-old self and slowly starts to find out the whole conspiracy surrounding his life and the life of his father.

There are a lot of mysteries in this book, and I found that the time-travel theory was its weakest link. Time branches, project Tempest, CIA, Jackson suddenly discovering his phenomenal abilities, his attempt to get close to 17-year-old Holly who doesn't know him yet in this time...

Add the unknown villains who might not be villains, visions of post-apocalyptic future from a ghost girl and opposite visions of utopia from his so called relatives, well... that's why I called it a puzzle.

I think I'll be reading book two, Vortex, but I hope it will clarify the issues that were bothering me in Tempest. Overall, not bad, but could have been better.

* * * 

Книга хоть и неплохая, но всё-таки ей не хватало направления и цели. Очень всё было запутанно, куча различных секретов, туманная теория путешествий во времени. Ну понамешали всего, что возможно. Много - это не есть хорошо, дамы и господа. Иногда всё-таки нужно сюжет подчищать и рояли в кустах оставлять на потом.

Джексон узнаёт в 19 лет, что может прыгать во времени. Не полностью, так как тело его остаётся в настоящем, и никто не помнит его прыжки в прошлое, но он и его друг, ботаник и компьютерный гений, Адам, начинают строить теории о том, что его способности могут значит и как их надо использовать, - всё это втайне от его возлюбленной, Холли.

Однако звонок в дверь, два незнакомца, которые кажется знают о том, что может делать Джексон, короткая борьба и смертельно раненая Холли, заставляют парня запаниковать и полностью прыгнуть на 2 года назад в 2007 год. 

Теперь он понятия не имеет как вернуться и, главное, как спасти Холли. Ему приходится присвоить личность самого себя на 2 года младше, понемного раскрывая настояшую личность его отца, таинственный проект ЦРУ Тэмпест, личности злодеев, которые на него напали и целый заговор по изменению будущего в центре которого находится он сам...

Интересно, увлекательно, но чего-то не хватает. Будем читать продолжение, вердикт пока не ясен.