Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

A contemporary paranormal romance out just in time to ride the wave of the newest creature craze: mermaids! 

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 Kona, 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've been after this book since I first saw it on somebody's wishlist a while back, so when I opened up my Bloomsbury parcel and saw it on the top of the pile, I literally danced around the room. 

I like mermaids, but I always find that books about them come on either side of the spectrum, they are really fun (like Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs) or really dark (like Siren by Tricia Rayburn) and I couldn't really decide which side Tempest Rising was, I have concluded that it's sort of somewhere in the middle.

Despite the fact that I didn't find this very original (half mermaid has to choose between land and sea...) I really connected with the story. At first I found it hard to get into but I really got absorbed a few chapters in (maybe that was something to do with a certain sexy surfer) and while there were a few slow parts after that, something always happened just when you begin to notice it. I connected with the characters too, I could understand Tempest's struggle to choose between her family and friends on land and the sea, as well as her struggle to choose between Kona and Mark.

I liked Mark, I really did, he was a bit forceful, a bit harsh but pretty much the typical sixteen year old boy, no magical, mythical powers and I sort of felt sorry for him when Tempest got feelings for Kona... Ahhh Kona, he really is sexy and mysterious... I really liked Kona! I loved Kona! Though I did have a problem with the rate of their relationship... it seemed like they were professing their love for each other after two days.

I never had a moment where I felt like rolling my eyes at the corny or cheesiness and for a book about mermaids, I found it pretty realistic. 

One issue I did have was the climax and the ending. I didn't really find the climax that climatic, there is a big fight and suddenly it's over... it didn't suck me in. Deebs left the ending open for a sequel but I don't know if there is one yet and I'm gonna be annoyed if there isn't.

All in all, not a perfect book, but pretty darn great!

Overall rating: A-

Stand alone/series: Unsure

UK Paperback Release: July 4th 2011 

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 352

Book obtained via: Sent by Bloomsbury