by Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Source: ARC sent by publisher My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
My Review:
Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but the sequel is even better by far! I had a hard time with Tempest's final decision in the first book (I suppose it's not a spoiler since it's in the blurb for this book), but now that the decision (seemingly) was made, I really enjoyed the story told from the ocean world better than the story on land in the first book.
The author has a built an amazing world under the sea, and I'd much rather read about that than Tempest's everyday life on land while she struggles with her new status as a mermaid. I feel like that maybe has been done a lot, but the great mer-world hasn't really been done in this way before.
Remember how I thought Tempest had made her final decision to live as a mermaid, it turns out the decision is not so final yet. Wow, is she confused. She's not only confused about whether she wants to live on land with her family or live at sea and save the mermaid world from disaster, but she also can't decide between her selkie boyfriend, Kona, and her human boyfriend, Mark. I really couldn't believe how much she goes back and forth between the boys. It's a true love triangle because I had no idea who she would choose. She really wasn't being fair to either of them though. If one boy made any kind of a mistake, she jumped ship and ran to the other.
I also thought that both boys weren't really the same characters they were in the first book. I wasn't sure I really agreed with this aspect. Kona seemed so great in the first book and he did some weird, possessive things in this one. Mark seemed shady the first time around, but now he's perfect. Hmm...no wonder Tempest is confused.
There is so much action in this book, it's a real page-turner. I read the first half in one sitting, which is a rarity for me. Tempest is such a strong female character. She doesn't take anything from anyone without a fight. There is also a ton of romance in this book. Probably more than I've seen in most other YA books. The author has a great style of writing her romantic scenes that I really liked.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5 (which one? haha)
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I enjoyed this installment even more than the first book. Non-stop action and romance.
If you think this book sounds interesting, you might want to read my reviews of other books in this series:
Oh yes this was the one that had me confused with the Nicole Peeler books too. Both mermaids, both with tempest in titles :)
ReplyDeleteIt's rare to find a sequel that you enjoy more than the first book in a series. Can't wait to read it! I loved reading Tempest Rising and can't wait to read this one!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get my hands on this book! Loved the first one and your review makes me want to skip out of work early and get to the store. :)
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