Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

TEMPEST RISING by Tracy Deebs

Pub. Date: May 2011

Publisher: Walker & Company
Format: Hardcover , 352pp
Age Range: Young Adult

Source: Publisher (ARC)

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.

I haven't read too many mermaid books but TEMPEST RISING is one of the best that I've read in a while. Deebs took me on an extraordinary adventure as Tempest was faced with a choice that could possibly change her world forever. This was simply a delicious page turner!

Tempest finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place as she tries to cope with the constant changes affecting her body and her feelings about being a mermaid. One of the things I loved about this book was how the protagonist already knew she was half mermaid - even though she didn't know the extent of her abilities. I believe this brought even more excitement to the book. Now, what can I say about the two guys vying for her attention? I loved both of them. The chemistry between the two love interests was intense. I didn't know who to root for. But in the end, everything worked out for the best and that's all I could ask for.

There were so many elements that I enjoyed about this book. From the characters, to the undersea world, and the heart-breaking choices and decisions that had to be made, TEMPEST RISING was a fantastical debut. I can only hope that I’ll get to see more of Tempest in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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Sensational 7 Q & A with Tracy Deebs (Author of Tempest Rising)!

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to hang out with your favorite author(s)? In an attempt to get a better understanding of authors, my Sensational Seven Q & A takes a closer or more personal look at these authors to give you a glimpse of the personalities behind the writing of your favorite books.

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson

TRACY DEEBS collects books, English degrees, and lipsticks. She has been known to forget where-and sometimes who-she is when immersed in a great novel. She is a writing and literature professor at Austin Community College.


www.tracydeebs.com

TEMPEST RISING is in stores today!

If you were given a chance to travel back in time, what year or place would you go / Why?

I’m pretty much a modern conveniences kind of girl and can’t imagine living anywhere without indoor plumbing, so I would say the farthest back I’d be willing to go is the 1920s (pre-depression). It was such a glamorous time, filled with great music and fashion and a lot of really cool advancements. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be a flapper …

Describe your novel in seven words or less?
Dark, mermaid, surfing, destiny, choices, love triangle
 

Please share with us about your favorite book and fictional crush to date?

I have two favorite books: J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street. Both are beautifully written stories about characters on the fringes of their world, unable to do what others expect of them.

My fictional crush … is Will Hunting (from Good Will Hunting). If you want someone from a book, then Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye :)

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be / Why?

Hermione Granger because she is brilliant, brave and always gets the job done :)

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be – please explain?

Things Like This Don’t Really Happen to People
My college roommate, and best friend to this day, is fond of saying my life is a soap opera. Literally. If it’s strange, bizarre, crazy, awful or just completely unbelievable, it’s happened to me. So much so that when I was asking another friend of mine what my bio title should be, her answer was the above. Seriously. My life is just plain nuts, but after all these years, I’m finally used to it :)

How would you describe yourself/life in seven words?

Fun, optimistic, empathetic, stubborn, smart, passionate, hot-tempered

Bonus:

**Is there any additional info you would like to share with your readers about what’s next for you and your books?**

My next YA novel, The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams, hits shelves in January 2012. I wrote it with two of my closest writing friends, Shellee Roberts and Emily McKay, and had an absolute blast doing it. It’s the story of four small town Texas girls who become international exchange students in search of life, love and Facebook fame, and who start the IKC page to tally points for kisses on their journey.


Thanks for stopping by Tracy!

For more information about Tracy Deebs and her books, please visit her website here.

Monday Madness (77): Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

What is Monday Madness?

It’s the phenomenon affecting all book lovers as we count down the hours in hopes of getting our hands on highly anticipated books on release day. So, come join me throughout the week where I will be featuring Author Interviews, Reviews, Guest Posts, and Contests for great books.

TEMPEST RISING by Tracy Deebs

Pub. Date: May 2011

Publisher: Walker & Company
Format: Hardcover , 352pp
Age Range: Young Adult

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.

Want More?

Take a sneak peek inside here!

Order TEMPEST RISING

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