Tempest Rising

April 15, 2011

Among the recent spate of mermaid books this easily stands as the darkest, even though romance remains the main thrust of the story.

Tempest, aptly named, must choose between life on land or in the sea when she turns 17. As seems usual in these stories, her mother was a mermaid who has returned to the ocean. Tempest experiences stormy emotions and frequent sudden bursts of anger as she faces what may not be a choice after all. If it's a choice, why has she grown gills on her neck? Tempest is an excellent surfer with a wonderful boyfriend, Mark, but when she meets Kai, a strange new surfer, she feels an instant and strong attraction. Kai turns out to be a sea creature too. He's trying to protect Tempest from an evil sea witch when lightening nearly kills him. To save his life, Tempest drags him to the sea then plunges into the ocean to follow when other creatures swim away with him. She swims to a magical kingdom where she and Kai do battle with the witch and find her mother. Deebs dispenses with the suspenseful battle quickly and returns to the romance, described in an increasingly Harlequin-esque style, and adds an intriguing, possibly sequel-ready, ending.

An exciting-enough story, seriously overdone, which many young readers will love. (Fantasy romance. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-Tempest has lived her first 16 years as a typical human. She loves her dad, her younger brothers, her gorgeous boyfriend, and her life as a surfer girl. The only flaw in her perfect existence is the hurt and resentment she feels toward her mother, a mermaid whose return to the ocean years before left the family shattered. However, the pull of the ocean increases as Tempest's 17th birthday approaches. Warned by her mother that she would have to choose between her life on land and an unknown underwater world, she vowed that she would never embrace her mermaid heritage and abandon her family. This resolution is tested by the sudden appearance of Kai, who is an amazing surfer, irresistible to Tempest (despite the gorgeous boyfriend), and can't be entirely human. He's not. He's a selkie sent to protect her from the evil Sea Witch trying to take over the Pacific and is after Tempest due to an ancient prophecy. Circumstances force her to follow Kai into the ocean (despite the vow) and she begins to understand her mother's decision. The world-building is underdeveloped and the climactic sea battle is rushed, but the descriptions of kisses are equal to the lurid prose in any paperback romance. The first-person narration gives the relationship immediacy and, overall, this paranormal romance will satisfy voracious readers of the genre.-Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2011
Grades 8-11 Tempest has always known her heritage: her mermaid mother abandoned her human family to return to the sea, and Tempest swore that when the time came to make her choice between mermaid and human, she wouldnt follow her mothers path. Though she is supposed to have three months after her seventeenth birthday to decide, the changes come too fast: she develops gills and a tail after falling off her surfboard (though the tail disappears); her longing for the sea becomes overwhelming; and strange storms happen whenever she is upset. She even thinks she hears a voice calling from the sea at night. Into this turbulent period comes Kai, a hunky surfer who knows more than he is telling about Tempests destiny. Although this series opener closely follows the standard paranormal-romance formula, Tempest is a gutsy, independent heroine with more than enough agency to save herself from danger. Mermaids may never be the trendiest creatures in literature, but that could be the appeal for readers wanting a solid, familiar, but slightly different paranormal romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)