**REVIEW** Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

The love I expected came to me with this one!!!  I am dying for

the next book now!! 

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

Release Date:  June 5, 2012

Published By:  Walkers Children

Review Copy: Hardcover, 352 pages

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Review

  This book was beautiful, passionate and powerful!  Though I did enjoy the first book we had our ups and downs, with this one I found myself fully invested and drawn to the story.  Tempest is faced with many of the same dilemmas yet the emotion and conflict felt so much more realistic, making the 352 pages fly by.  This was the kind of Mer and Selkie novel I was looking for.

  Though I loved the vivid descriptions of the worlds in Tempest Revealed I found that the under water one became more evolved and clear in this one.  There was a deeper understanding of how things worked and how life went.  One of the most impressive things and the part that still stands out was the cave.  I won't tell you what's in it or why it is important but the cave itself and the happenings in it were absolutely amazing and had me begging Tempest to go back.  The other thing that stood out for me was the action and constant movement, even though Tempest was still being pulled two ways it wasn't as much of a stand still and more of an inner debate.

  Character growth was huge with Tempest in this one.  I mean she went from being the girl that was filled with indecision and turmoil to being the girl that did what she had to even when she wasn't fond of the situation.  Yes she still is fighting to figure out where she wants to be but now she has lived both lives and understands what it means to be both on land and in the sea.  Also the development of her abilities is gradual and she doesn't really have an idea of what she can do and I appreciate that.  Every time she figures something out it is basically a trial and error thing and she has to figure out how to actually control it and that's not easy.  Tempest has become fierce and determined in more than one way.  She is determined to protect everyone she possibly can and also not become her mother...  Ever!

  Both boys (Kona & Mark) are back in this novel, essentially returning the love triangle.  Thing is it didn't feel as forced or unneeded this time.  I think it became more of a case that I understood why Tempest loved them both and why she was torn.  They both have such specific traits and are basically opposites (minus jealousy/protective issues) and they represent to different worlds that pull at her.  I'm not sure who's team I am on but I think that decision will come down to the world she chooses to stay a part of, unless Mark miraculously becomes a Merman...

  Tempest's story is one that I now really look forward to finishing, not because I want it to be over but because I want to see where her heart will take her in the end.  Deebs has done such a fantastic job setting up the world and all of the characters that it may be hard to let the characters go but I really want to know how their story ends.  Truth be told I really think it could go either way at this point and even with the development the story and characters have made its anyone's game.  If you enjoyed Tempest Revealed like I did then there is no doubt you will love this one!!

Quotes

Yes, I had killed three people, and no matter how sick that fact made me, I had to live with it.  If I hadn't lashed out at them, if my power hadn't done that weird electric thing, I wouldn't have stood a chance.  And I could be sure that they would not have experienced the same attack of conscience at my demise that I was suffering at theirs.

Urg.  I was turning into one of those weepy, indecisive girls who couldn't do anything without her boyfriend to guide her.  Just the thought made me break out in hives.

Hmm.  Maybe I'd been a little too suspicious when he'd been touching me earlier...  I didn't think most straight guys knew who Pat Benatar was, let alone quoted her lyrics.

I'd been prepared to die helping the others escape-but I hadn't been prepared to go out in the opening battle, as the dumb blonde in the horror movie who everyone knew deserved to die because she was TSTL--too stupid to live.