Vortex

December 1, 2012
In the sequel to Tempest (2012), Jackson Meyer is now an agent-in-training, working for a top-secret branch of the CIA. Still hunted by the Enemies of Time and reeling from heartache, Jackson throws himself into his work. With a new partner and a team of other young agents-in-training, Jackson soon finds himself back in New York City, working undercover to prevent time travelers from tampering with the present in order to rewrite the future. As if things weren't complicated enough, Jackson finds himself face to face with Holly, the love he abandoned in a different timeline in order to save her life. While this Holly may look like the girl he loved, Jackson is shocked to learn that that is where the similarities end. Jumping back and forth between timelines, Jackson embarks on a desperate and dangerous mission to learn who is manipulating the ones he loves and what they have in store for him and, more importantly, for the world. While there's plenty of action, particularly in the last third of the novel, the mind-numbing logistics of time travel bog down the narrative and will likely leave readers scratching their heads. Additionally, though some of the new characters are welcome, this novel ultimately fails to recreate the authentic, emotional connections among characters that made its predecessor feel so fresh. Disappointing. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

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January 1, 2014
Jackson Meyer is a teen agent for Tempest, the CIA's time-travel division. Eyewall, another shadowy CIA group, begins attacking the agents of Tempest, and Jackson finds his life once again entwined with Holly's, the girl for whom he changed history in Tempest. Cross allows readers to closely connect with her characters in this fast-paced sequel.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)