Tempest Rising (Tempest, #1) by Tracy Deebs

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.


Review:


Mermaid books--well, mythology books of any sort--are a type of guilty pleasure for me, so when I picked up this novel the other day, craving the comfort of a good read, I couldn't have been more excited. 


Deebs tackles the whole concept wonderfully, and not just one aspect of it. The development was done well and subtly, not taking center stage. The characters are thought out and memorable, especially our lovely Tempest. And may I just say I love her name? The writing was without flaw. The descriptions of the sea life were pretty darn good. 


With Tempest Rising came more than I was hoping for; romance, action, angst, suspense . . . really, there was not one thing I didn't like. The swoon-worthy setting wasn't exactly discouraging, and the plot was as sturdy as plots can get. Major brownie points. A promising debut from Deebs, I can't wait to see what she'll throw our way next. 


Grade: A+

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