Tempest Rising

Tempest Rising
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 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. (description from Amazon.com)

This was another Fin-Tastic mermaid tale. (I know, I couldn't help myself!) Anyway, I loved how this was a really great blend of the fun and mystery of the ocean and surfing, with the darker dangers of undersea life. Tempest was a really believable character and the fact that she fought to try to keep all of her previous-to-the-change relationships really only made me connect with her more.

This was no case of "Oh. He's so beautiful...my entire life must now revolve around him" love at first sight. Yes, there was instant connection, but Tempest fought to make sure it went deeper than that. She also was really, really devoted to her family, and I loved that. Even as she explored new aspects of her life, she never forgot her younger brothers. So sweet.

I'm really, really hoping that Tracy Deebs plans to follow this up with another book, because though Tempest has made her choice about where her life is going, some pretty big plot points are not cleared up...I must know what happens!!!

2011 Debut Author Challenge Title