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erpedraja's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
I won this off of a goodreads giveaway.
the novel centers on Jackson, a 19 year old boy who can travel in time, although only a few days in the future, and only for a few minutes. One day with his girlfriend holly, two strangers appear asking him about his connections to government agencies, and shoot his girlfriend. he is then transported back two years in the past, with no idea how to get back to his own timeline.
What follows is a twisted and exciting journey through various points of Jackson's life, as he learns more about where he came from, who his family really is, and how to hone in his incredible skill. A battle between the family he knew and "Enemies of time" other time travelers who want him to join their side, emerges, giving the reader a thrilling experience.
The time jumps were a little confusing, and the mechanics behind his skill somewhat contrived- yet I have full confidence that as the series continues, the holes created by the introductory book will be filled.
I won this off of a goodreads giveaway.
the novel centers on Jackson, a 19 year old boy who can travel in time, although only a few days in the future, and only for a few minutes. One day with his girlfriend holly, two strangers appear asking him about his connections to government agencies, and shoot his girlfriend. he is then transported back two years in the past, with no idea how to get back to his own timeline.
What follows is a twisted and exciting journey through various points of Jackson's life, as he learns more about where he came from, who his family really is, and how to hone in his incredible skill. A battle between the family he knew and "Enemies of time" other time travelers who want him to join their side, emerges, giving the reader a thrilling experience.
The time jumps were a little confusing, and the mechanics behind his skill somewhat contrived- yet I have full confidence that as the series continues, the holes created by the introductory book will be filled.
trishgeee's review against another edition
3.0
This book made me very angry until I learned it was the beginning of a series.
The ending made much more sense.
Now I have to read the second one.
The ending made much more sense.
Now I have to read the second one.
roboe4life's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
boudpomme's review against another edition
4.0
4 étoiles pour l'histoire, mais si je me basais juste sur la version française ce serait 3 étoiles pour moi(la traduction était absolument atroce!)
Je vais aller directement au but sans parler de la traduction qui ne m'a pas plu du tout: ce livre m'a globalement séduit.
Jackson est un garçon de 19 ans qui peut faire des voyages dans le temps. Après l'arrivée d'une organisation essayant de le recruter, sa petite amie Holly se fait accidentellement tuer. Coincé dans le passé en 2007, il essaye par tous les moyens d'empêcher ce drame de se produire et de retourner dans son présent en 2009.
Ce livre a des similitudes avec L'effet Papillon le film avec Ashton Kutcher. Tout est raconté du point de vue de Jackson, il écrit dans son journal les évènements qui se passent lors de ses sauts dans le temps et on en apprend un peu plus sur les différentes organisations qui veulent mettre à profit son don. Aidé par son meilleur ami Adam, il va découvrir une machination qui s'est construite tout autour de lui.
Les points positifs:
*J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Courtney (la soeur jumelle décédée de Jackson) on assiste a de beaux moments entre eux, forts et touchants, c'est dommage qu'on ne la voit pas plus dans le roman.
*En restant dans la famille j'ai trouvé le père de Jackson très mystérieux, il cache encore beaucoup de secrets à son fils et j'espère qu'on en saura plus sur lui dans le prochain tôme.
*Pour ce qui est de l'histoire en elle-même, elle est intéressante et addictive, je n'ai pas pu lâcher une seconde ce livre! Action, rebondissements, découvertes et trahisons ponctuent l'histoire dans un rythme endiablé sans pause pour souffler. Je voulais absolument savoir comment l'auteur allait nous expliquer le processus des sauts dans le temps, au final sa solution aux voyages tient globalement la route.
Les points négatifs:
*Holly, la petite amie de Jackson m'a particulièrement tapé sur les nerfs, elle pleurait sans cesse et exigeait des explications toutes les 3 secondes, complètement banale je ne voyais pas ce que pouvait bien lui trouver Jackson. S'ajoutant à cela mon incapacité à éprouver une émotion vis-à-vis de sa relation avec Jackson, leur connexion m'a semblé fausse et forcée.
*Tout comme Holly, Jackson m'a parut froid et distant (en excluant les passages avec sa soeur), l'auteur n'a pas réussi à me faire aimer ces personnages et c'est dommage!
*En parlant de l'auteur, j'ai trouvé le style d'écriture de Julie Cross un peu trop abrupte, il n'y avait pas assez de descriptions ni d'explications: le livre se compose essentiellement de dialogues (bien que l'on soit dans la tête de Jackson) ce qui conduit à un manque de profondeur dans l'histoire.
Au final c'était une lecture divertissante, la fin nous laisse dans un état de perplexité et des tonnes de questions sur le futur de Jackson, se sera donc avec plaisir que je lirai la suite de cette série mais cette fois-ci en VO.
Je vais aller directement au but sans parler de la traduction qui ne m'a pas plu du tout: ce livre m'a globalement séduit.
Jackson est un garçon de 19 ans qui peut faire des voyages dans le temps. Après l'arrivée d'une organisation essayant de le recruter, sa petite amie Holly se fait accidentellement tuer. Coincé dans le passé en 2007, il essaye par tous les moyens d'empêcher ce drame de se produire et de retourner dans son présent en 2009.
Ce livre a des similitudes avec L'effet Papillon le film avec Ashton Kutcher. Tout est raconté du point de vue de Jackson, il écrit dans son journal les évènements qui se passent lors de ses sauts dans le temps et on en apprend un peu plus sur les différentes organisations qui veulent mettre à profit son don. Aidé par son meilleur ami Adam, il va découvrir une machination qui s'est construite tout autour de lui.
Les points positifs:
*J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Courtney (la soeur jumelle décédée de Jackson) on assiste a de beaux moments entre eux, forts et touchants, c'est dommage qu'on ne la voit pas plus dans le roman.
*En restant dans la famille j'ai trouvé le père de Jackson très mystérieux, il cache encore beaucoup de secrets à son fils et j'espère qu'on en saura plus sur lui dans le prochain tôme.
*Pour ce qui est de l'histoire en elle-même, elle est intéressante et addictive, je n'ai pas pu lâcher une seconde ce livre! Action, rebondissements, découvertes et trahisons ponctuent l'histoire dans un rythme endiablé sans pause pour souffler. Je voulais absolument savoir comment l'auteur allait nous expliquer le processus des sauts dans le temps, au final sa solution aux voyages tient globalement la route.
Les points négatifs:
*Holly, la petite amie de Jackson m'a particulièrement tapé sur les nerfs, elle pleurait sans cesse et exigeait des explications toutes les 3 secondes, complètement banale je ne voyais pas ce que pouvait bien lui trouver Jackson. S'ajoutant à cela mon incapacité à éprouver une émotion vis-à-vis de sa relation avec Jackson, leur connexion m'a semblé fausse et forcée.
*Tout comme Holly, Jackson m'a parut froid et distant (en excluant les passages avec sa soeur), l'auteur n'a pas réussi à me faire aimer ces personnages et c'est dommage!
*En parlant de l'auteur, j'ai trouvé le style d'écriture de Julie Cross un peu trop abrupte, il n'y avait pas assez de descriptions ni d'explications: le livre se compose essentiellement de dialogues (bien que l'on soit dans la tête de Jackson) ce qui conduit à un manque de profondeur dans l'histoire.
Au final c'était une lecture divertissante, la fin nous laisse dans un état de perplexité et des tonnes de questions sur le futur de Jackson, se sera donc avec plaisir que je lirai la suite de cette série mais cette fois-ci en VO.
readaholicliv's review against another edition
5.0
I found this story entertaining because it took an original approach to time travel. Moreover, the story unfolded in an organic manner, which is usually rare in a book that swayed back and forth in time. As such, it was also great to see Jackson, the main character, grow and change throughout the book. He went from being a snobby, rich teen to living through actions and consequences in a way that most nineteenth-year-olds would not.
sangsara's review against another edition
2.0
Quite a few dramatic cliches, some obvious YA romance fluff thrown in too, but I stayed for the time travel. Jumping in a sorta trial mode that doesn't change the past is a fun idea.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
2.0
Time Traveler's Wife + Jumper
NOTE: Provided via Amazon Vine Program.
Jackson Meyer has a unique ability: he can jump into the past. But his jumps are only a few minutes or hours into the past, and nothing he does there affects the present. His perception of his abilities change when two men barge in on him and his girlfriend, Holly, and shoot her. Now Jackson is desperately learning what is special about him and how he can use his abilities to save Holly.
I initially selected this book because it was touted to be science fiction. I love science fiction and I love time-travel stuff. But this book ISN'T science fiction. It is yet another tepid YA romance barely disguised in scifi clothing.
The characters were either unlikable or boring. Jackson is our protagonist, and I spent most of my time either hating him or feeling apathetic to him. Like Jacob in [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine #1)|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320564598s/9460487.jpg|14345371], Jackson is a spoiled rich brat that whines about how awful his life is as his chauffeur drives him to his private apartment in New York City from NYU. Oh, and he is pretty damn experienced on the dating scene (as long as it deals only with getting physical and avoiding revealing your emotions OF COURSE), super-duper smart (but NOT nerdy!), and able to learn super speshul spy stuff within a day (enough to overpower a professional CIA agent!!). Towards the end, Jackson does get a bit more likable (especially as he interacts with his sister and his past demons), but it was nowhere near enough to make me care about what happens to him or his boring girlfriend.
Oh yeah, his girlfriend, Holly. Dull as mud. Of COURSE, she is virginal and goody-two-shoes, studious, hard-working, a romantic at heart (must be from all those "romance novels" she reads *eye roll*) and all the "good" qualities in a woman. She was not interesting in the slightest.
As for Jackson and Holly, I have NO idea why these two are together. Sure, they have their "cute meet" (where she dumps a smoothie on his shoes), but honestly, their dating relationship is just that: two people dating. I felt no chemistry between them, no love, no sacrifice, no mature emotions whatsoever. Every scene with them was boring; since most of the book was Jackson trying to get back to Holly, that made most of the book boring as well. I ended up skimming a LOT of the scenes with them in it.
Adam is so stereotypical and cliched, it's embarrassing. Beyond his one role as the friend that Jackson can come to get to ANYTHING nerdy done, Adam is a blank sheet. His parents are conveniently clueless, so their teenaged son can run around and do anything without him having to explain what he is doing (typically, "shoving the parents in the closet" syndrome--the only worse way to do it was if Adam's parents were dead).
Now, Jackson's father, Kevin, is slightly more interesting. As the story progressed, I did get interested in him, and I do appreciate how Cross did NOT make him EVULZ and uncaring to his son. However, lots of cliches surround him (no spoilers).
Other characters, such as the baddies and Miss Stewart, are all sorts of cliche. We have the Dying Sister, the EVUL baddies, the Innocent Child, and even a [possible] contender for Love Interest for the next book.
The story is boring, predictable, and confusing. The rules of Jackson's time jumping are unclear and don't make sense. He can't change anything in the past when he half-jumps, but when he full jumps he does. But that past is not in the same timeline as his home base? How do they return to the same timeline? Is that a special ability? What happens to money he spends in both jumps? What are the rules for him bringing stuff into the past? Why would Jackson want so badly to meet Holly of 2007, when he is trying to save Holly of 2009? Why doesn't he try to find Adam first? Why quit school and become a janitor? Who hires a 17 year-old janitor? Who hires a 17 year-old to teach gymnastics to preschoolers? Why does Jackson avoid his father (I know the father "tried" to kill him in 2003, but if his father is a CEO, maybe he is used to assassination attacks--plus, Jackson WAS in his father's locked office)? I had so many questions about the last 50 pages or so, but I will avoid as they may be spoilerish.
As for story, I pretty much saw where it was going after the first 100 pages. There were a few surprises, but most of the surprises were just my being confused or bored with Jackson trying to woo Holly. Why is he wasting time trying to woo 2007 Holly? It isn't going to save 2009 Holly.
To be fair, there were some things I liked. The concept was very interesting (hence why I chose this book in the first place). I liked how the viewpoint character is a male instead of a female. I really grew to like Jackson's dad--he surprised me by being different than what I expected. The last half is pretty action packed, and if the first half hadn't been so slow, I would probably have liked this part better. And there are some pretty stirring scenes between Jackson and his twin (that did make Jackson not so unlikable for me). Jackson makes a choice at the end that is not expected (though I do wonder how permanent it will be). And although I know they are not targeted to the same audiences, I did like "Tempest" more than a similar time-traveling novel, "The Time Traveler's Wife".
The biggest thing that kept me going was the time traveling stuff. It was interesting (if confusing), and I did see a lot of similarities between this and [b:Jumper|47970|Jumper|Steven Gould|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304981770s/47970.jpg|3050557] (also the movie "The Adjustment Bureau"). I only wish that this book was half as good as Jumper. "Tempest" was a very disappointing book. It does what a lot of YA books are doing today: pretending to be scifi books while then spending more time on the "romance" between the protagonists than the scifi elements that drew the readers to the book. If I want to read a romance, I'll read a romance. If I want to read a scifi, I am NOT going to pick a book with unlikable, cliched characters, an incoherent plot and time traveling that takes a backseat to the romance.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Jackson drops quite a few f-bombs in this book, along with a spattering of damn's, sh!t's, and hell's.
Holly and Jackson spend the night together. A few flashbacks show them making out, getting ready to have sex, or having sex (not graphic).
Holly is shot, which sets off the events of the book. There are a few action scenes, where guys trade punches. Guns, fistfights, being thrown off roofs all make an appearance.
NOTE: Provided via Amazon Vine Program.
Jackson Meyer has a unique ability: he can jump into the past. But his jumps are only a few minutes or hours into the past, and nothing he does there affects the present. His perception of his abilities change when two men barge in on him and his girlfriend, Holly, and shoot her. Now Jackson is desperately learning what is special about him and how he can use his abilities to save Holly.
I initially selected this book because it was touted to be science fiction. I love science fiction and I love time-travel stuff. But this book ISN'T science fiction. It is yet another tepid YA romance barely disguised in scifi clothing.
The characters were either unlikable or boring. Jackson is our protagonist, and I spent most of my time either hating him or feeling apathetic to him. Like Jacob in [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine #1)|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320564598s/9460487.jpg|14345371], Jackson is a spoiled rich brat that whines about how awful his life is as his chauffeur drives him to his private apartment in New York City from NYU. Oh, and he is pretty damn experienced on the dating scene (as long as it deals only with getting physical and avoiding revealing your emotions OF COURSE), super-duper smart (but NOT nerdy!), and able to learn super speshul spy stuff within a day (enough to overpower a professional CIA agent!!). Towards the end, Jackson does get a bit more likable (especially as he interacts with his sister and his past demons), but it was nowhere near enough to make me care about what happens to him or his boring girlfriend.
Oh yeah, his girlfriend, Holly. Dull as mud. Of COURSE, she is virginal and goody-two-shoes, studious, hard-working, a romantic at heart (must be from all those "romance novels" she reads *eye roll*) and all the "good" qualities in a woman. She was not interesting in the slightest.
As for Jackson and Holly, I have NO idea why these two are together. Sure, they have their "cute meet" (where she dumps a smoothie on his shoes), but honestly, their dating relationship is just that: two people dating. I felt no chemistry between them, no love, no sacrifice, no mature emotions whatsoever. Every scene with them was boring; since most of the book was Jackson trying to get back to Holly, that made most of the book boring as well. I ended up skimming a LOT of the scenes with them in it.
Adam is so stereotypical and cliched, it's embarrassing. Beyond his one role as the friend that Jackson can come to get to ANYTHING nerdy done, Adam is a blank sheet. His parents are conveniently clueless, so their teenaged son can run around and do anything without him having to explain what he is doing (typically, "shoving the parents in the closet" syndrome--the only worse way to do it was if Adam's parents were dead).
Now, Jackson's father, Kevin, is slightly more interesting. As the story progressed, I did get interested in him, and I do appreciate how Cross did NOT make him EVULZ and uncaring to his son. However, lots of cliches surround him (no spoilers).
Other characters, such as the baddies and Miss Stewart, are all sorts of cliche. We have the Dying Sister, the EVUL baddies, the Innocent Child, and even a [possible] contender for Love Interest for the next book.
The story is boring, predictable, and confusing. The rules of Jackson's time jumping are unclear and don't make sense. He can't change anything in the past when he half-jumps, but when he full jumps he does. But that past is not in the same timeline as his home base? How do they return to the same timeline? Is that a special ability? What happens to money he spends in both jumps? What are the rules for him bringing stuff into the past? Why would Jackson want so badly to meet Holly of 2007, when he is trying to save Holly of 2009? Why doesn't he try to find Adam first? Why quit school and become a janitor? Who hires a 17 year-old janitor? Who hires a 17 year-old to teach gymnastics to preschoolers? Why does Jackson avoid his father (I know the father "tried" to kill him in 2003, but if his father is a CEO, maybe he is used to assassination attacks--plus, Jackson WAS in his father's locked office)? I had so many questions about the last 50 pages or so, but I will avoid as they may be spoilerish.
As for story, I pretty much saw where it was going after the first 100 pages. There were a few surprises, but most of the surprises were just my being confused or bored with Jackson trying to woo Holly. Why is he wasting time trying to woo 2007 Holly? It isn't going to save 2009 Holly.
To be fair, there were some things I liked. The concept was very interesting (hence why I chose this book in the first place). I liked how the viewpoint character is a male instead of a female. I really grew to like Jackson's dad--he surprised me by being different than what I expected. The last half is pretty action packed, and if the first half hadn't been so slow, I would probably have liked this part better. And there are some pretty stirring scenes between Jackson and his twin (that did make Jackson not so unlikable for me). Jackson makes a choice at the end that is not expected (though I do wonder how permanent it will be). And although I know they are not targeted to the same audiences, I did like "Tempest" more than a similar time-traveling novel, "The Time Traveler's Wife".
The biggest thing that kept me going was the time traveling stuff. It was interesting (if confusing), and I did see a lot of similarities between this and [b:Jumper|47970|Jumper|Steven Gould|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304981770s/47970.jpg|3050557] (also the movie "The Adjustment Bureau"). I only wish that this book was half as good as Jumper. "Tempest" was a very disappointing book. It does what a lot of YA books are doing today: pretending to be scifi books while then spending more time on the "romance" between the protagonists than the scifi elements that drew the readers to the book. If I want to read a romance, I'll read a romance. If I want to read a scifi, I am NOT going to pick a book with unlikable, cliched characters, an incoherent plot and time traveling that takes a backseat to the romance.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Jackson drops quite a few f-bombs in this book, along with a spattering of damn's, sh!t's, and hell's.
Holly and Jackson spend the night together. A few flashbacks show them making out, getting ready to have sex, or having sex (not graphic).
Holly is shot, which sets off the events of the book. There are a few action scenes, where guys trade punches. Guns, fistfights, being thrown off roofs all make an appearance.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
2.0
This book is an excellent example of near-perfect marketing and absolutely beautiful, striking cover design getting people to read a book because I first saw this book right when it came out, five fucking years ago and I have not for one second forgotten the cover, nor have I forgotten how badly I wanted to spend some of my birthday/graduation money on it on more than just a few--several, in fact--occasions, but convincing myself I didn't need to buy it, I didn't need that gorgeous cover on my shelves.
Thank god past-Sara didn't buy it. Unfortunately, the recent past-Sara still found the audiobook at the library one evening, knew it was free to listen to, and checked it out. Can I get Jackson's powers so I can get the time I wasted on this book back, please? Because it was quite a lot of time; it took me a fucking month to read this tiny book because it was such a slog.
I should have just dropped it after a certain point, but it was the only book I had on my phone and I kept forgetting to put something else on there and it was just barely engaging enough that I slogged through. I even fell asleep during a part near the end during a car ride and, after re-listening to see if I'd missed anything pivotal (and realizing I hadn't) I gladly just listened to E-Dubble for the rest of my vacation to get myself out of the bad mood this book left me in.
Fuck books that retcon their entire plots with endings like this book's garbage ending, 'aight? 'Aight.
Thank god past-Sara didn't buy it. Unfortunately, the recent past-Sara still found the audiobook at the library one evening, knew it was free to listen to, and checked it out. Can I get Jackson's powers so I can get the time I wasted on this book back, please? Because it was quite a lot of time; it took me a fucking month to read this tiny book because it was such a slog.
I should have just dropped it after a certain point, but it was the only book I had on my phone and I kept forgetting to put something else on there and it was just barely engaging enough that I slogged through. I even fell asleep during a part near the end during a car ride and, after re-listening to see if I'd missed anything pivotal (and realizing I hadn't) I gladly just listened to E-Dubble for the rest of my vacation to get myself out of the bad mood this book left me in.
Fuck books that retcon their entire plots with endings like this book's garbage ending, 'aight? 'Aight.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Tempest suspenseful science fiction series revolving around Jackson Meyer, a nineteen-year-old college student who has secretly been time traveling for the past year.
My Take
Poor guy. His relationship with Holly is at risk on so many levels, mostly through his reluctance to confess to her. In some respects, Jackson is very adult. In others, you are very aware he's still a young, immature kid without any real life experience.
There isn't any real logic to the start of the story. Mostly, it's Jackson running about trying things out and learning the truth about his past until the last bit of the story when he has enough information to fill in the blanks. Except Cross has simply provided new blanks that need filling.
It's interesting to read as Jackson gets more and more...politely...obstructive. Using the CIA's techniques against them. That whole scene where Holly first finds out about the CIA...her initial reactions feel right. It's afterwards that is just too easy.
It's hard to say where Jackson's "dad" falls; if he's on Jackson's side or the CIA's. If they had simply told Jackson the truth from the start, I think Jackson would have been more receptive. Instead, the way they lie and manipulate him, I wouldn't trust 'em either. Both sides have lost their sense of humanity.
The Story
Jackson finally decides to get scientific about his time traveling---with Adam's help. Only, there's a glitch on one of his trips and Jackson gets stuck in 2007. One year earlier. It does provide an opportunity to explore his own life from an older perspective. Find Holly and Adam sooner. Spy on his so-called dad. Prevent the events of October 30, 2009.
Only, Jackson keeps stepping into situations in which he believes his bulletproof. Protected. He does learn a variety of skills along the way. Some are Axelle-induced, some taught by his "dad". Some he learns through stress.
The last one he learns...to let go.
The Characters
Jackson Meyer is a time-traveling student who accidentally fell into it---the first time---when he got bored in his French poetry class. Kevin Meyer is his father. The man he thought was the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Courtney Meyer is his twin sister who died a few years back from brain cancer. Eileen Covington was the closest person to a mother for the twins. Until her murder.
Holly Flynn is the fellow student with whom Jackson has a strong connection. --I don't think he's ever really understood love and this is what takes him so long to recognize it. Jana is her best friend and a coworker at Astro Twisters, a recreational and preschool gymnastics club. Mike Steinman is the boss and Toby is another coworker.
Adam Silverman is a science geek and computer hacker who becomes friends with Jackson through Holly---in both times. He takes a scientific approach and forces Jackson to track a number of details on each of his escapes through time.
Dr. Melvin is the medical doctor who has been tracking Jackson and Courtney's health since their planned conception and experimenting on them. Agents Freeman and Edwards are some of the agents "protecting" the Meyer twins. Miss Jenni Stewart is Jackson's dad's secretary. Cal is the Meyers' driver. Chief Marshall is Kevin Meyer's boss at the CIA.
Enemies of Time (EOT) agents include Rena, Raymond, Cassidy (her eggs were used to create Jackson and Courtney), Harold,and Dr. Ludwig; Thomas is their leader, I think.
The little red-haired girl with the blue eyes...Emily...I think she's Jackson's daughter. Whether she's cloned or natural…???
The Cover
The cover has a balletic quality with Jackson and Holly arched and reaching for each other as Jackson is free-falling head down with Holly in a mirrored pose but facing up against a cloudy sky with a flicker of lightning.
The title reflects what has happened to Jackson's life and this Tempest is so much bigger than a teapot!
My Take
Poor guy. His relationship with Holly is at risk on so many levels, mostly through his reluctance to confess to her. In some respects, Jackson is very adult. In others, you are very aware he's still a young, immature kid without any real life experience.
There isn't any real logic to the start of the story. Mostly, it's Jackson running about trying things out and learning the truth about his past until the last bit of the story when he has enough information to fill in the blanks. Except Cross has simply provided new blanks that need filling.
It's interesting to read as Jackson gets more and more...politely...obstructive. Using the CIA's techniques against them. That whole scene where Holly first finds out about the CIA...her initial reactions feel right. It's afterwards that is just too easy.
It's hard to say where Jackson's "dad" falls; if he's on Jackson's side or the CIA's. If they had simply told Jackson the truth from the start, I think Jackson would have been more receptive. Instead, the way they lie and manipulate him, I wouldn't trust 'em either. Both sides have lost their sense of humanity.
The Story
Jackson finally decides to get scientific about his time traveling---with Adam's help. Only, there's a glitch on one of his trips and Jackson gets stuck in 2007. One year earlier. It does provide an opportunity to explore his own life from an older perspective. Find Holly and Adam sooner. Spy on his so-called dad. Prevent the events of October 30, 2009.
Only, Jackson keeps stepping into situations in which he believes his bulletproof. Protected. He does learn a variety of skills along the way. Some are Axelle-induced, some taught by his "dad". Some he learns through stress.
The last one he learns...to let go.
The Characters
Jackson Meyer is a time-traveling student who accidentally fell into it---the first time---when he got bored in his French poetry class. Kevin Meyer is his father. The man he thought was the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Courtney Meyer is his twin sister who died a few years back from brain cancer. Eileen Covington was the closest person to a mother for the twins. Until her murder.
Holly Flynn is the fellow student with whom Jackson has a strong connection. --I don't think he's ever really understood love and this is what takes him so long to recognize it. Jana is her best friend and a coworker at Astro Twisters, a recreational and preschool gymnastics club. Mike Steinman is the boss and Toby is another coworker.
Adam Silverman is a science geek and computer hacker who becomes friends with Jackson through Holly---in both times. He takes a scientific approach and forces Jackson to track a number of details on each of his escapes through time.
Dr. Melvin is the medical doctor who has been tracking Jackson and Courtney's health since their planned conception and experimenting on them. Agents Freeman and Edwards are some of the agents "protecting" the Meyer twins. Miss Jenni Stewart is Jackson's dad's secretary. Cal is the Meyers' driver. Chief Marshall is Kevin Meyer's boss at the CIA.
Enemies of Time (EOT) agents include Rena, Raymond, Cassidy (her eggs were used to create Jackson and Courtney), Harold,and Dr. Ludwig; Thomas is their leader, I think.
The little red-haired girl with the blue eyes...Emily...I think she's Jackson's daughter. Whether she's cloned or natural…???
The Cover
The cover has a balletic quality with Jackson and Holly arched and reaching for each other as Jackson is free-falling head down with Holly in a mirrored pose but facing up against a cloudy sky with a flicker of lightning.
The title reflects what has happened to Jackson's life and this Tempest is so much bigger than a teapot!
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Love this book, and have bought [b:Vortex|13364300|Vortex (Tempest, #2)|Julie Cross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351482316s/13364300.jpg|18593016], the second book in the trilogy before I had read 50%.
Great love scenes, although nearly no sex. Sacrifice, death, watching loved ones dying.
Actually this is a perfect mixture, and while full of action, and the hero tries to do the right thing, but does not always know what it is.
Full of twists, you never know when or where it the next step leads.
The time-travel is well done, with the world-building totally integrated in the story, the hero learning about it, as we do, and never entirely sure, if that was all and wether it is the truth or not. And nuances in the capabilities.
I think there might be a few errors in the ebook, where words where left out, but I am not entirely sure, as that might also be intentional, and did not distract me from reading, so it was not too often. Otherwise and in contradiction to these errors, I could not detect any other mistakes, which given the complicated time-jumping-logic is surprising, there was obviously a lot of work put into getting that and the timelines right.
And very well done.
After the letdown the over-hyped [b:Gone Girl|21480930|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406511734s/21480930.jpg|13306276] turned out to be, with no suspense, being to long etc. I had to read something better, and saved this one since buying it in October 2012. (the 3d, a German national holiday for celebrating the end of the 2 German countries BRD and DDR becoming one whole country again 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall).
One of the reasons for not reading it sooner was that I wanted the chance to buy and read the trilogy without waiting for the next book to be published.
Highly recommended, clear 5 stars. I just hope the next books are as good (but I guess I will find out soon).
Great love scenes, although nearly no sex. Sacrifice, death, watching loved ones dying.
Actually this is a perfect mixture, and while full of action, and the hero tries to do the right thing, but does not always know what it is.
Full of twists, you never know when or where it the next step leads.
The time-travel is well done, with the world-building totally integrated in the story, the hero learning about it, as we do, and never entirely sure, if that was all and wether it is the truth or not. And nuances in the capabilities.
I think there might be a few errors in the ebook, where words where left out, but I am not entirely sure, as that might also be intentional, and did not distract me from reading, so it was not too often. Otherwise and in contradiction to these errors, I could not detect any other mistakes, which given the complicated time-jumping-logic is surprising, there was obviously a lot of work put into getting that and the timelines right.
And very well done.
After the letdown the over-hyped [b:Gone Girl|21480930|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406511734s/21480930.jpg|13306276] turned out to be, with no suspense, being to long etc. I had to read something better, and saved this one since buying it in October 2012. (the 3d, a German national holiday for celebrating the end of the 2 German countries BRD and DDR becoming one whole country again 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall).
One of the reasons for not reading it sooner was that I wanted the chance to buy and read the trilogy without waiting for the next book to be published.
Highly recommended, clear 5 stars. I just hope the next books are as good (but I guess I will find out soon).