Review: Tempest Rising By: Tracy Deebs + Giveaway! (Blog Tour)

Title: Tempest Rising
Author: Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers, 352 Pages (May 10th 2011)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 3.5 Stars - Tempest Rising, a fast paced story from author Tracy Deebs that takes readers on a quest with one teenage girl as she finds out that some choices are harder then others. With sun, sea and sand, Deebs has created a world on land and under water filled with descriptive settings and characters you’ll relate to.

Mermaids aren’t something we get a chance to read about all that often. They are a mythological creature that has been around for so many years that it’s easy to see how many people would be fascinated with them. In Tempest Rising Deebs has taken the myth and given it her own twist, making more than just the story and the whole idea of mermaids intriguing. It’s easy to say that I’m always on the look out for something new and different. I tend to say that often in current reviews, but it’s the truth. I’m happy to have been introduced to many different things lately and Tempest Rising is one of them.

Deebs characters are interesting, mysterious, endearing and sometimes frustrating. All of these traits, even the frustrating parts are the makings of a good and often great character. For instance, let’s talk about Tempest. She’s facing some pretty harsh choices at a young age and it affects everyone around her. Just because her hard choices have to do with being a mermaid doesn’t mean that people won’t be able to relate to her. She’s strong, caring… and knows what she wants and doesn’t like to be backed into a corner or pushed around. Yes, she makes some wrong decisions, but don’t we all? I liked Tempest because in the end… and NO there will NOT be ANY spoilers… she’s a strong girl who wants to be happy and wants those around her to be happy too. Again, something we all want and can relate to.

There are many characters that join Tempest on her journey of self discovery and help her along the way. We have Mark, her on-again, off-again boyfriend who knows she’s not being 100% honest with him. And then there’s the new guy Kai who she’s drawn to and doesn’t understand why. He’s extremely mysterious and otherworldly and it’s not until pretty far into the story that we find out more about him and well… read the book and you’ll know what I mean.

I do have to say that I was reading an ARC copy and there were a few rough parts here and there that I had to reread to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story that Deebs has created. I mean the underwater scenes were some of my favorite parts and I found myself waiting for the next one.

All in all, Tempest Rising was a welcomed break from the usual paranormal in YA. Deebs writing and characters will have you feeling the waves crashing on you and sand between your toes. I’m not sure if this is the first in a series or trilogy. It works well as a stand alone, but I could see the option of another book(s) to follow. If you are a fan of mermaids or are on the look out for something a bit different then I would recommend this book to you, Happy Reading.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

ONE person will win an ARC Copy of Tempest Rising!!
Good Luck!

Rules and how to enter:

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter.

Please complete the form provided to enter.

Giveaway open: US ONLY, sorry!

Giveaway ends: May, 27th, 2011

Thank you to the publisher who made this giveaway possible.

Check back later for an interview with

author Tracy Deebs!

As always, winners will be chosen via Random.org. If you have any questions, please check my policy page or feel free to email. Thanks for entering and good luck to everyone.