Time Won't Let Me Go - The Bravery

Tempest
Tempest, Book 1

Author: Julie Cross
Pages: 352
ARC Acquired from: St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley

Book Review:
Jackson, a freshman in college, has a secret that only his nerdy friend Adam knows: he is a time traveler. Adam helps him figure out something about how it all works from a scientific point of view. When he jumps, only part of himself goes, meaning that his body will sit there while he's gone only for a much shorter time span. Jackson cannot change the past, and he can't even go very far back; all he can do is learn from what he witnesses and use that in the future. Then, one day, he and his girlfriend, Holly, are awoken by two strange men with guns. They shoot Holly and Jackson jumps through time, only this time he winds up two years in the past (2007), his younger self has disappeared, and he is now, apparently, stuck here.

Review:
What a thrill ride! Time travel is, of course, completely fascinating as a concept, but it's extraordinarily difficult to do well. Actually, I have no complaints with how Cross has done this. Way better than The Lake House any day.

What particularly intrigues me are the variations in time-jumping power and the other abilities Jackson seems to be developing. I hope more is learned about these and where the powers originally came from later on. The ubermensch theme is pretty cool too, especially since people with that mindset make awesome bad guys.

I never really bonded with Jackson as a character. He's okay, but I'm not sure how much I like him. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't have any particular love for any of the characters. However, I do really love the way the characters are together, the way they interact. Cross has attained something resembling actual human interaction, which is pretty fantastic.

Jackson and Holly are definitely put forward as fairy tale level love, and they are seriously drawn to one another from the first time they meet (and from the first time they meet again...haha). However, they did not immediately declare their love for one another or anything like that. Although the degree of their affection is extreme, as are the circumstances, the relationship moves in a believable way. They have hangups and little fights. These important details are left out of too much fiction.

On a somewhat related note, I really hope all teens are not this sexually active nowadays. When Jackson and Holly first have sex, he is surprised to discover she is a virgin, even though she's not even in college yet. He thinks to himself that it had been a long time since he had sex with a virgin, which leaves me wondering exactly how much action this guy has been getting and since when?

If you like action, romance, espionage and time travel, you will not want to miss Tempest. This is the first book in a series, which I have every intention of continuing with.

Rating: 3/5

"Time won't let me go
If I could do it all again
I'd go back and change everything
But time won't let me go"