Book Review: Vortex (Tempest #2) by Julie Cross

Vortex (Tempest #2) by Julie Cross

Release Date: January 15th 2013

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback
Pages: 435
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 RC and 2014 SSC

Summary from Goodreads:

"Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, after an accidental run in with Holly—the girl he altered history to save—Jackson is once again reminded of what he's lost. And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has changed and someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again."

Review:
** Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk**

I'm currently finding it very hard to figure out my thoughts on this one, just because it's been weeks since I actually finished reading this. So I'm going to do something different - I'm going to try out a pros and cons list.

- Pros -

• I liked the plot overall. Vortex took our character's in a new direction. Instead of focusing more on the romance in Tempest, Vortex very much focused on the time travel, and the mysteries behind it, and the government corporations all getting in on the action. And I liked that. 
• I like what they did with Holly. In Tempest Holly was our protagonist Jackson's love interest, and the main driving force behind everything he did. In Vortex, for reasons I won't go into, she's his enemy. It was hard to wrap my head around it at first, because you've also got Jackson still hung up on the old Holly, and the majority of his actions revolve around protecting her, but once I started to think of her as a completely new character, I could appreciate what Cross has done with her.  
• I liked Stewart and Kendrick. I loved Kendrick as the new best friend, and Stewart was an interesting character. You start out maybe not liking her so much, but she grows on you and in the end, you're glad Jackson has her. The only downside is that I don't remember Stewart in Tempest AT ALL, so I have absolutely nothing to compare her to in terms of character growth
• I LOVED the ending. Very wacky, very strange, but very well done. 
• There are still so many unanswered questions, which I can't wait to find out about in Timestorm. Why was Jackson's Dad abducted from the past? Where did Courtney come from and how is she doing what she's doing? Emily is still mysterious, I need more information on her. Healy said Thomas wasn't the guy he's been sending to try to convince him to do what he wants - so who is it? Is it Holly? Emily? Also Stewart seemed at bit off at times, does she have a deeper role? AND ADAM, WHY DID HE HAVE TO DIE??? There are so many questions raised that make my anxious to get my hands on Timestorm so I can get my answers. 

- Cons -

• I suffered majorly from book amnesia, so I had a hard time remembering what actually happened in Tempest. Which in turn made it harder to understand everything going on in Vortex, because background information was missing.
• A lot of information about the intricacies of time travel went completely over my head. There were a lot of explanations about time travel, alternate universe's, and Jackson's role in all of this, but most of the time I just couldn't completely understand what was happening. It's very complex, and I think since I didn't have my head completely wrapped around it, it made it harder to completely understand plot points
• I'm still not sure exactly who Eyewall are. Eyewall are Jackson's enemy, but even after all the focus on Eyewall in this novel, I still have no idea who they are or what exactly they do. Which isn't great, considering the major role they have in all the action. I wasn't entirely sure in the end if they were as bad as what we're supposed to think they are. Hopefully their purpose is explained more thoroughly in Timestorm.   

So overall, I really, really enjoyed this. Vortex impressed me in taking the story in a new direction, and avoiding second book syndrome entirely. It's fast paced, full of action, and there's a bit of romance thrown in there, but it's completely different to the romance in Tempest. I'm excited to get my hands on Timestorm and finish this story, in what I'm sure is going to be a fitting finale. 

Sidenote - is this sort of review something you enjoy reading. I like the pros and cons list, I think it's actually easier to write out my reviews, but is it something you enjoy reading? Let me know in the comments!