Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Walker Childrens 
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352




Summary:  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: So I don't normally read too many mermaid books. I don't know why I don't because the few I do I tend to enjoy them quite a bit. We are introduced to Tempest who is getting ready to turn 17 years old. For as long as she can remember her mother always told her on her 17th birthday she would be faced with a huge decision to make. Tempest is a half mermaid. She has the decision to stay a human and continue on what she knows or to go to the water and become a mermaid where she will stay. The decision is ultimately hers. 


Tempest's mother left years ago and she hasn't seen or heard from her since. She knows her mother had a higher calling; a job to do but Tempest still does not understand why she had to go and leave the family, including her two brothers and her father. 


As her 17th birthday approaches Tempest life starts to change. Her relationship with Mark (her boyfriend) is starting to change. She doesn't feel as connected to him as she once did, partly because she can't tell him her secret. She is starting to feel cold all over and can't seem to get warm, she even grows gills!!! What in the world is she growing gills for? She's half scared she's going to wake up one day and have a tail. That would be hard to explain in school! Tempest even starts to feel weird while surfing (the girl lives to surf). 


Enter a mysterious boy named Kona that Tempest meets on the beach. He's nothing like any boy she's ever met before. She feels drawn to him, he feels familiar. 


Kona and Tempest get to know each other a bit better, and become friends. One day while on the beach, Kona gets into an accident (if we can call it that?) and gets thrown under water and Tempest goes after him without thinking. She ends up under the water into "their world". In other words, the mermaid (and other creatures) world. While she's there, she learns that time passes differently there, and she learns more about what her life could be like if she chooses this path. She learns that everyone in the water "knows" who she is and what she is capable of.  She also learns about the evil sea witch who wants to kill her! She wants to use Tempest to her own advantage! 


I'm going to stop there on the summary. I don't want to give away any major spoilers. I loved this book so much. I loved seeing Tempest in her life in the human world but I also liked seeing her life in the mermaid world. I liked learning the little facts she learned throughout the book about her family.  The ending was kind of abrupt and I wish I knew what happened afterwards though. I'm still happy with the way things turned out. Tempest Rising was an awesome debut. 


Overall:  I loved the beauty of this book. The way it was told was pure beautiful. It was relaxing, yet exciting. It was very peaceful, yet I devoured it quickly. Tempest Rising was everything plus more that I was looking for in a mermaid book. 


Cover: Isn't this one of the most beautiful covers you ever seen? I think so. I love everything about it. I love the way we can see the tattoo on her back. I love seeing the top of her tail. The colors are so pretty. I also like how we can see her hair and half of her face. They got this cover right. 

What I'd Give It: