Review: Vortex by Julie Cross

Vortex

by Julie Cross

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.

Hardcover, 358 pages

Published January 15th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published January 1st 2013)

Other installments in the series:

RATING: 

3/3 Smarties

A Long Story...Short!

Tempest was great, much greater than I thought it could be. Vortex was...SO much better. It was amazing! Breathtaking, a 2013 favorite - I'm sure! Everything Cross did right with Tempest got even better with Vortex. And the few things that bothered me in Tempest were improved with Vortex. Which leads us to...? Exactly - the perfect time-travel, action novel.

Review for You:

Let's start with all the things I already loved in Tempest. First, there was the time travel aspect itself. I mean, it's for sure confusing, but I'm pretty sure that will never change because time travel is just a topic that the human mind (well, mine, at least) will probably never fully understand. Also, it's like...impossible, you know?

But the way Julie Cross wrapped the time travel in her book full of Action and Spy and Security Service Stories is - I think - what makes the story so addicting. The best books are always the ones that are so interesting and seem so much better and more interesting than your own life that you just want to jump right between the pages and stay there forever, right? That's what this series does to me.

In Vortex, that Action novel aspect expanded a LOT. I don't want to spoil anything, but Cross really takes it up a notch and makes it so much more...real, if you know what I mean.

The author also has the kind of writing style a story like this needs. It's easy to follow her descriptions and understand the story. She sacrifices poetic phrases, metaphors and that sort of stuff - her novel is plot based and not writing based and I was fine with that. 

If you read my review of Tempest earlier this month you might remember that I was highly unsatisfied with the characters, the realtionships and the development - that completely changed in Vortex. It's like Julie Cross heard my complaints :) The number one aspect I had to critisize has been worked on by introducing amazing, three dimensional, very deep new characters, building on the old sidekicks and actually making them important to the story and also by giving Jackson, the MC, a bit more time to develop emotions...

Finally, there is that cliffhanger. Oh, how it's working its way through my brain...for hours, there was almost nothing else I could think about. It's actually even worse than the one after Tempest...

All in all, there's nothing left to say but - wonderful. Really! There is nothing to complain about with this book!

Review for me:

Favorite Quote:

"...if you give people everything they want, why would they need you anymore?"

What I want to remember from this book:

That what's the past is the past and what's gone is gone. You can never have it back.

When I want to reread this book:

Maybe when the next one comes out.