Tempest Unleashed

April 15, 2012
Deebs' half-human mermaid princess fights the evil sea witch and juggles boyfriends in this continuation of the Tempest series. In this first sequel, Tempest misses her family and longs to visit her home on land. She worries that her selkie-prince boyfriend, Kona, won't be allowed to marry her. Meanwhile the war with the powerful witch Tiamat heats up, with Tempest prophesied to be the only one who can defeat her. Tempest goes home and meets her old boyfriend, Mark, reviving her interest in him. When her little brother lies near death, however, it's Kona who saves the day. Returning to the sea, Tempest at last must use a newfound power to battle the sea witch. The overdone romance plot matches the overdone suspense plot, with Tempest equally drawn to both boys, each with the ability to kiss her into instant ecstasy. Deebs frequently resorts to italics for emphasis and doesn't trouble herself to achieve any semblance of realism. Tempest can bounce back into a strenuous physical fight even after losing half her blood less than a day earlier. When Tempest has lost her bikini bottoms (necessary when she switches from tail to legs), Kona just happens to have some handy. It's all standard stuff. For fans only. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

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June 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-Tempest Maguire used to be a surf goddess, catching waves every day with her boyfriend Mark, but her life changes forever when she finds out that she is part mermaid and that a prophecy states that she will save her clan by killing the evil seawitch Tiamat. Tempest now belongs to the sea. She has a new boyfriend, Kona, who is a selkie prince, and life is going pretty well, but she cannot shake the draw she still feels toward Mark, her family, and her old life on land. When her younger brother is nearly killed by Tiamat, Tempest rushes to land to be by his side. While with her family, she questions her love for both Mark and Kona; she is torn between fulfilling the prophecy and Kona and the passion she feels when she kisses Mark, and her joy at being home. The many questions unanswered or unexplained leave this sequel to Tempest Rising (Walker, 2011) open for the next installment. This title, however, falls flat. Tempest quickly becomes an annoying character who seems more concerned with which boy she should date than matters of life and death. She seems too defined by her relationships with both suitors and relies on others to make her decisions. Deebs's writing style is also at times flowery and melodramatic. An additional purchase for libraries in which the first book is popular.-Lauren Newman, Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, East Columbus, NJ

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