Tempest Rising [Paperback]

Written in first person narrative from Tempest perspective. Tempest has always known she is half mermaid, something that doesn't manifest itself until her 17th birthday. She hates the fact that she is half-mer mainly due to the fact that her mermaid mother left her and her family to return to the sea a number of years ago. Tempest holds the sea responsible, though she is powerfully drawn to it. Lovely reflective pieces of writing are inserted into the prose giving it a personal feel and providing insight into the plot.

There are lots of technical surfing terms and slang used within the narrative. Making me wonder if Tracy surfs herself and was able to write about surfing so thoroughly because of that fact.

Tempest has a wonderful circle of friends. The best of both her worlds really with her surfing crowd and the girls she goes to school with. Mark, her boyfriend, has hidden depths of emotion where Tempest is concerned he sees below the surface and past the carefully erected barriers she has around herself. Although I did think that his character altered negatively as the story progressed. I would have liked to see that part of the story handled slightly differently. Kona on the other hand, as well as being visually pleasing [ : D ] from the outset you can tell that there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Although I am totally burnt out on love triangles, the premise of this one is quite sound when you take into consideration that Tempest is trying to cling onto her human life with everything she has got. As an outsider, I could see that this was not necessarily what was best for her.

Tempest doesn't handle the two different sides of herself very well, trying with all her might to run away from the mermaid side of herself. She is very bitter about her mother leaving, and you keenly feel her hurt and bewilderment at that particular event. Tempest's feeling of hopelessness at the lack of options available to her really hit home with me. The mystery surrounding the reasons for her mothers departure add to the plot dynamics.

The writing is so sensory, encompassing all the senses making vivid pictures within my imagination. It was very easy to create Tempest's world. I have been scuba diving at an advanced level (before I had the children) and must say that Tracy's descriptions of being deep underwater bring those memories back to colourful life. The sense of wonder at the alien world beneath the sea; the feeling of exhilaration, the sensation of the weight of the water along with a sense of freedom are beautifully written into the narrative. There are interesting details and scientific explanations about sea life that add realism to the plot and expand the storyline.

I was especially envious of Tempest's house and it's location *sigh*. Tempest has the added benefit of a close knit family and a wonderful relationship with her father. So open, honest and equal.

I really enjoyed the pacing of the plot, there was always something new to learn or be revealed. I think there still is and would love the series to continue. There is a fairytale feel in places especially with the description of the castle and the recapping of actual fairy tales in order to add substance to the plot.

The inclusion of the tapestry depicting an ancient prophecy added to the storyline but I did feel Tempest was a little naive in not putting the pieces together sooner, but I do think hindsight is a wonderful superpower to have. Remorse and regret are an unfortunate side effect of life and the consequences of our decisions. The ending was lovely *sniff* not at all what I was expecting.

For me this story contained action, adventure, romance, the course of destiny, and the path of self-discovery. I would love to see what happens to Tempest next, please can we another book.

With the emergence of a mermaid book invasion, I thought it was about time I saw what all the fuss was about. So I chose Tempest Rising as a my first mermaid book. I didn't realise it wouldn't just be mermaids and I was surprised to discover water witches too, not too mention the rather hot selkie I just made my acquaintance with.
To me, this book felt like it was in two parts. In the first half you meet Tempest as she struggles to come to terms with the imminent changes brought on by her impending seventeenth birthday. Every thing appears semi normal, as long as you ignore the fact Tempest has grown a tail and now has a lovely set of gills behind her ears. The second half of the book occurs completely under water and it felt a little as though the book had moved into a fantasy world. A bit like Bedknobs and Broomsticks when the children end up in the cartoon. It felt a little surreal. Now I know that makes it sound like I didn't enjoy it, but I really did and I wasn't at all perturbed by this drastic changes of style; I just felt it gave a clearer representation of the two sides of Tempest's gene pool.
I really liked Tempest. She was a normal average hormonal teen who now had to deal with the oncoming changes turning her into a mermaid. What girl would really want that? And Tempest fights it all the way until Kona arrives...
Kona is the hot selkie and let me tell you he is a welcome addition to the story. For the first few chapters I thought Mark, Tempest's boyfriend was gorgeous until Kona put firecrackers under him, knocking him right out of the limelight. Seriously Kona was stunning. His relationship with Tempest was innocent and sensuous at the same time. I loved that he could see into her mind and always knew just what she was thinking. OK, I admit, I wouldn't want that in real life as it would appear just a little stalkerish, but in this book it really works.
There are lots of references to the ocean within this book and the language used to describe was breath taking. I honestly didn't realise there were so many ways to describe the beach, yet this author almost personified it.
The ending surprised me and left me wanting closure. So I can't wait to get my hands on the next book to find out what happens next.

I have to say, I'm pretty sceptical about mermaids in YA fiction. I'm just not sure about it, so when I recieved Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs for review last year, I wasn't 100% that I would read or review the book. But around the same time, I picked up a copy of Forgive My Fins by Tera Lyn Childs and I loved that book, so I thought that perhaps I should also give Tempest Rising a chance.

And I found myself surprised by Tempest Rising. It isn't nearly as fun or light-hearted a read as Forgive My Fins, and I found myself very confused - especially towards the end, but overall I did enjoy this book. I really enjoyed a lot of Tempest's relationship with surfer-boy Kai and also of her inner struggle to forgive and understand her mother's motivations for choosing the water over her family.

Tempest is nearing her 17th birthday and she has always known that at the time she will have a choice to make. Stay on land with her father and her younger brothers or to choose the ocean like her mother did before her. Tempest has a lot of bad feelings towards her mother for the choice that she made and Tempest is certain of how she will choose when the time comes. Even though Tempest has a real affinity for the water and could spend hours surfing the waves, she still feel as though her mother's actions were self and equal abandonment towards her and her family.

But when a hot and mysterious surfer boy, Kai, enters Tempest' life, she begins to question herself and the choice ahead of her. And it doesn't seem to be as straightforward as Tempest has been led to believe, as there is a dark force that seems after her. And when somebody Tempest cares about is attacked by this dark force, Tempest chooses the ocean. And in this choice, she discovers more about herself, about Kai and about her mother's decisions.

I did enjoy this book, I really liked the surfing towards the beginning, and I found the relationship between Tempest and Kai to be quite sweet. The mythology of the mermaids and other underwater creatures was interesting and there is this obvious big build-up to explosive events that will occur throughout the rest of the books in this series. I'm intrigued.