Book Recap: Tempest by Julie Cross (ARC)

Cover Inspection:
Aside from being beautiful, I think the cover is appropriate
as it depicts one of the important scenes in the book.

SUMMARY (book description based on 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-traveler. 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.


BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.5
Plot	3.5
Writing	3.0
Characters	3.0
Ending	3.5
Overall Rating	3.5 Superior! (93% to 96%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
The story is set in New York in the year 2009. This is the home base year. The time/year changes as the main character travels in the past and in future.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Jackson Meyer, the main character of the story, is the narrator. He is nineteen years old as the story opens. He is rich, being the son of a CEO of a pharmaceutical company. He is intelligent, sweet, caring, but impulsive. He was told that their mother died of childbirth. He had a twin sister, but she died of Cancer when they were fourteen years old. So now, it's just Jackson and his father living in their luxurious apartment in New York. Jackson is in a relationship, however, he is afraid of commitment. Oh! And he can time travel too!

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
The book is about Jackson Meyer, a boy who can travel in time. He is only starting to get acquainted with his new found talent, and is practicing going back and forth in time with his genius friend Adam. One day, Jackson and his girlfriend Holly were in Holly's dorm room. Then some men came in. Jackson did not really who the men were. Everything happened so fast until Holly was killed. Naturally, Jackson panicked, and finds himself traveling back in the year 2007. He tried going back to 2009, but for some reason he can't. In simple words, he's trapped. What Jackson did was find out more about his ability. It appears that it's a genetic thing. As he pieces the puzzle together, he eventually finds out that the CIA is involved. He also tried to find Holly, and finds himself falling in love with her all over again. Jackson does not know who to trust. All he knows is that he must find a way to get back in 2009, and save Holly even if it would mean changing their history.

LOVE:
I love the fact that a boy is narrating this book. Jackson's voice is real. At times he can be insensitive and impulsive, but deep inside, he truly cares. His relationship with Holly feels real. Theirs is not one of those instalove romances. It's gradual and natural. It's also very, very sweet how careful Jackson is with the younger version of Holly. I loved how he would not allow himself to take advantage of Holly, even if he really, really wants to. I liked how the author fused a sweet romance with the CIA and genetics. The latter part of the book was very exciting.

NO LOVE:
There's nothing I did not love about this book. I loved everything, even the sad ending.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I like Adam, Jackson's genius friend. He's a minor character, but I love that he tries to help Jackson with his powers even if helping Jackson may cost him his life.

FAVORITE LINE:

After all, pain and grief are nothing compared to regret.

MUSINGS:
For me, this book is about sacrifice. Throughout the book, the reader will see different kinds of sacrifices that people do for those they love. Some are grand. Some are negligible, but that does not make it less of a sacrifice. It's beautiful and sad. I can't wait to see the movie. I'd bring a box of tissues as I'm sure I will cry. This book actually touched my heart.

DOODLES:
none yet

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Julie Cross

SIMILAR READS:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: moderate
violence: moderate
sexual content: moderate
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 13+

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.