Tempest Rising

Tempest Rising (2009) Nicole Peeler

Where to start with this book?

First, the cover, which is what drew my attention. It’s got a manga Halloween feel to it, with snakes and tombstones and seals and a naked girl/woman with giant eyes. That’s not something you see every day. Excellent job there.

Next, the story. Jane True lives in a small New England tourist town. She’s all but a social pariah in town, for an incident that happened years before. An incident for which neither the town nor Jane herself have forgiven her.

Plus: there are supernatural creatures.

Plus: boinking.

The whole thing is absolutely fabulous.

The story is unlike anything I’ve come across recently, and I very much appreciated that. Jane is witty and sassy and very unsure of herself. Of course, the fact that most of the town won’t speak to her gives her reason to feel unsure.

And then the supernatural creatures. Although the cover has a Halloween vibe, the creatures seem to come from folklore rather than Bram Stoker, which I quite enjoyed. There’s such a wealth of folklore out there, it’s nice to see some of it appearing.

And the dialog. The dialog–both internal and external–is snappy and clever. And feels realistic. As do the actions of the characters. Yes, there is boinking, but the boinking is done very differently from any other supernatural fantasy I’ve read. Most unusual thing? Condoms. That’s right. Condoms for supernatural creatures. Go Jane True!

And the writing in general is just fabulous. The characters felt like real people doing real (if stupid) things and making read (if stupid) decisions. Here. Check this out.

…I wiped my nose on his shirt. I was snotty from crying and he was already filthy. It wasn’t idea but he was holding me so tight I couldn’t move my arms.
“Did you just wipe your nose on me?” he asked, finally. His voice was tight with various emotions, but “oh no you didn’t” had clawed it’s way to the top of the list.
“Maybe,” I mumbled, peering up at him.

That is a fabulous passage, and made it feel like I was reading about a real person who did real–if foolish–things.

If you’re looking for something new to read, I can’t recommend Tempest Rising highly enough.
Rating: 9/10

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