Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

May 10, 2011

Bloomsbury

From Goodreads:
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:
Tempest Rising is an unpredictable and magical tale about sea creatures and destiny that entranced me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and was really sad when I finally closed the novel. It is all about Tempest discovering her destiny and finding out who she truly wants to be along the way. I don't think I have read any YA novels about mermaids so Tempest Rising really stood out to me. This is a wonderful debut that is not to be missed!

Tempest is a girl who loves the water and her family. She will do anything for her brothers and her dad. She resents her mom, whom she knows to be a mermaid, for running out on them to return to the sea. She is mad at the sea for taking her mom away from her but she still feels drawn to it. She refuses to acknowledge the fact that she will have to make a decision to become a mermaid or stay on land with her family. She doesn't want to embrace that side of her. Tempest doesn't realize how hard it will be to ignore her mermaid side when crazy things start happening to her. When Kai shows up, it makes it that much harder for her to look past her mom's gift to her. With Kai, Tempest learns more about herself and has to make the tough decision of which side to choose. Tempest is sweet and sassy and I loved reading from her point of view!

Kai is a mysterious hunk with whom Tempest feels drawn to. She knows there is something weird going on with him and he always seems to show up when she needs him most. Kai is spicy hot and I wouldn't have been able to resist him if I were Tempest. While I found myself really frustrated when he refused to reveal things to Tempest, I knew why he couldn't explain some things to her. Tempest and Kai have so much chemistry between them! The sparks fly every time they are together! Kai is such a sweetie but he isn't all sugar. He has a spicy and teasing side to him that Tempest brought out. I loved their playful banter between each other. I loved learning about what sea creature Kai was! It was a shock and something I never would have suspected!

Tempest Rising is a remarkable story that is not to be missed! The lore of the story was unique and insightful. I absolutely LOVE mermaid stories so I was so happy when I found out about Tempest Rising. It did not disappoint me! I definitely recommend that you run to the nearest bookstore to pick it up when the novel releases!!

My Rating: