Tempest by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest

Author: Julie Cross

Pages: 334

Release: January 17^th, 2012

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-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.

My Thoughts:

Tempest is a book that I had been admiring on people’s blogs for a while now and even before picking it up there were a couple things that excited me about it. First, it is in a male POV; how often as readers do we get a YA book in a male POV? I can answer that for you, not often enough! Second, it’s a time travel book and I very seldom read any books of this topic, but give my admiration to the authors who can because I think time travel can be a really confusing topic if not done right.

One of the things about Tempest that I enjoyed was the way the story unfolded. You don’t go into the story knowing much about Jackson but through his travels through time you learn so many things about his life and then as you continue reading, those things become sort of twisted around. It makes for the book to be continuously interesting and it didn’t have very many slow places or dull moments.

I found Tempest to be a very enjoyable read. I loved the characters and even found myself a little envious of Holly and Jackson’s relationship at times. I felt connected to the story and was brought along on a crazy rollercoaster of emotions while reading this. It’s a fun book that is worth your time but not unforgettable.

In Short:

Rating: 4/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Purchase

Would I read it again?: Maybe

Teaser Tuesday #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!


1. “The first thing I noticed...after waking up in a pile of snow and hitting the start button on the stopwatch... was the Twin Towers, standing tall in the distance. Like some giant up in the sky had just set them right back in place. I suppressed a shudder at the sight of them and stood up.”


2. “All the money in the world couldn’t buy a perfect snowfall on Christmas Eve. Adam would probably call me careless later, but I had to see this again. Relive it.”


Page 108 of Tempest by Julie Cross
















That first teaser really struck me hard. When I first read it, I got cold chills! 
I’d really like to read your Teasers so leave me your links in the comments and I will check it out!
P.S. I am LOVING Tempest so far! 

Crossed by Ally Condie

**ATTENTION: THIS REVIEW IS OF A SEQUEL AND MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM PRIOR BOOKS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**

Title: Crossed

Author: Ally Condie

Pages: 367

Release: November 1^st, 2011

Synopsis:(from Goodreads)In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts:

Crossed is a really great addition to the Matched trilogy, but while it may be important to the series, it leaves you wishing you would’ve had more. The story is completely about a journey and please don’t get me wrong, it’s a great journey, it really is! However, I would have loved to have more of a solid destination point to the novel.

Let me try to explain better: Crossed is about Cassia trying to find Ky and vice versa. I was under the impression that when she found him, the story might stabilize a little, but there was just more traveling and more moving through the whole thing. It lacked a lot of action and was sort of anti-climactic. It kind of reminds me of the game, The Oregon Trail because the whole game is about surviving the journey and that’s pretty much it. Just keep traveling and stay alive and that is very much how Crossed is.

Also we, as fans of the Matched trilogy are even jipped on our obligatory mushy reunion scene with Ky and Cassia. Simply put, it doesn’t really happen. So, is it a good book? Yes, but as a fan you might feel disappointed. Is it worth reading? Yes, but only if you really liked Matched. I think this book was an okay read and I don’t regret it. I do believe that Reached(the next in the series) will be much more exciting from how Crossed ends, so I am looking forward to that.

In Short:

Rating: 3/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Purchase (just to have it to complete your series)

Would I read it again?: No