Tempest by Julie Cross!

I was really looking forward to reading this book, mainly because of the awesome front cover! I also liked the idea of the story, so when I actually read it I was a little disappointed by it. It wasn't as good as I was expecting, and I had no interest in reading it at all; the only reason I finished it was because I don't like leaving books half unread. I would give this book 2 stars; I don't think I'll be getting the sequels.

From Goodreads

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Favourite Character: I really don't have one.

Least Favourite Character: Possibly Jackson himself.

Positive Aspects: I managed to finish it, so it didn't bore me so much that I had to stop. I liked Jackson's sister, but she doesn't count as a main character since she's dead, which is a shame, since she was the only character I actually liked! The novel had an interesting concept, and I like the cover.

Negative Aspects: There's a serious lack of character development in this novel; I didn't connect with any of the characters, and because of that I really didn't care what happened to them. The events in the novel were quite unrealistic; by the end of the novel Jackson decided to follow in his dad's footsteps and become a CIA agent, which he manages to do remarkably quickly for a 19 year old. He also manages to fight off the 'enemies of time' successfully after just one self defence lesson.
I also found the plot confusing - Jackson is constantly jumping to different times, and it's hard to keep track of 'when' he is. This jumping seems pointless to me, because nothing he does in the past can change the future anyway. I also don't like his relationship with Holly; he doesn't really treat her like a girlfriend, more someone that he can pick up and drop whenever he feels like it.

Overall I didn't like this book, and won't be reading the sequels. It's a shame, because it was a really good concept and I think it could have turned out much better.