Review- Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Title: Tempest Rising
Author: Tracy Deebs
Series: Tempest #1
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

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.

My thoughts: 

Whenever I read a mermaid book and then write a review for it, I always start it with “I think there are not enough mermaid books in YA.” And Tempest Rising is no different. There are so many different ways a mermaid book can be written and I love seeing the variety each time a new one comes out. Killer mermaids, fun mermaids, half-human half-mermaids, mermaid that sing men to their deaths and I love every single one of them!

I love with the setting of a book is in Southern California! Living in Southern California makes me feel like it’s all taking place in my backyard and I can just jump in my car and drive down to the beach to see Tempest coming out of the water! It’s a really comfortable setting.

Although Tempest is the main character of the book she is not my favorite character. She has this pre-concieved notion that mermaids are these really selfish and uncaring creatures because of the way her mother acted. She knows that she will have to decide to go to the sea or stay on land but she is determined not to give into the water. So when she starts to feel the pull of the ocean, she keeps it to herself and doesn’t even tell her father. Which is always a bad idea. Keeping serious things to yourself is a recipe for disaster.

Mark is Tempest’s human boyfriend and he is definitely one of my favorite characters! He’s this hot, rugged, surfer dude who is completely in love with her (there’s always someone in love with the main character). But then she meets Kona and there’s a little bit of insta-love (gag). Kona’s hot, don’t get me wrong but I just don’t like the whole “drawn to each other so we have to be together” scenario. I like the relationships build on friendship that take time to develop. Mark knows Tempest and he loves her completely, flaws and imperfections included.

In the end, I would rather have had Tempest choose the ocean because it felt right to her because it’s where she is meant to be instead of choosing it because of Kona. I am giving Tempest Rising 4 hearts because of the hot guys to drool over and because no mermaid story is complete without an evil sea witch. And this one is pretty awesome!