Thrilling Secrets and a Glowing Book Review of Joss Stirling's Latest Novel

Christmas is nearly upon us - literally, in 25 days we will wake up, have a cup of tea and some biscuits, and open the presents in our stockings.

But the real question is, what is the best present that you can get your fellow book nerd?
If you want to find out, then I would recommend you carry on reading this blog post, since I have the answer to the question that has no doubt been bugging your brain.

So, in October, Joss Stirling announced to her many fans - me being included - that alas, she had finished writing her novel, Glow (2017) - the second novel in her Peril (2017) trilogy, and was on the look out for 50 Super Fans to proofread the novel for her, offering advice on what they thought of the story.

Me being the mega Super Fan that I am, volunteered myself as tribute (I hope you are proud of this Hunger Games reference) and asked to proofread the novel, which I had been bursting with excitement to read.

The day came when I received Joss's email, which held a copy of Glow that I was yet to proofread, and I encountered a mixture of emotions. Excitement. Curiosity. Intrigue. And then like any good book worm does, I started proofreading the novel.

Now, for those of you who are going to read the novel - which I dearly hope is all of you - I obviously don't want to give too much away, so I'm only going to give you hints to spark the curiosity that is no doubt already growing in your mind, since you are reading this post.

What I enjoy about the Joss Stirling novels, is that they always start off with a prologue that takes us into the past of a character featured in the novel we are about to read, whether it be the main character or a close friend or family member. It gives us an insight to the past of the main character that the story is about. How they have grown to be the person they are now.

After reading an endearing prologue this time featuring Meri's childhood through Theo's eyes, during a time when he was attending her parent's evening, the story picks up where the previous story ended - on the Tean boat.

When we last finished reading Peril, we were left with Meri and Kel, on-board a boat, that was taking them to the Tean kingdom that was Meri's birthright.

Some time had passed between where Peril ended and Glow began - Meri was learning her way around how to be a leader of her Tean followers and Kel was getting used not being the most liked member on the boat.

I found it interesting, the representation of the boat being on cold and bitter waves, which helps to shape up the future prospect of the story being on unsteady waters, so to speak.

While Meri and Kel may be madly in love for each other, what us fans knew from the previous story is that many people are against the idea of a Tean and a Perilous being in a relationship together, and while Meri had managed to get Kel on the boat with her, this doesn't stop the actions and the opinions of the other Teans on board, who are still strongly against this relationship and what it is standing for - how the way Perilous and Teans are currently living should change.

Needless to say, it isn't long before Joss takes us on a roller coaster of twists, turns and loop-di-loops throughout her story - which we all know we love so much, and is one of the many reasons why we read her books. I can honestly say, there are many plot turns, pretty much all of which, I did not see coming.

What was also interesting, was how this story takes the reader through different cities and towns, allowing us to see how the future has changed in this dystopian, climate changed world.

I also imagine that the way Joss wrote of Meri's life - a young girl, soon to be the ruler of a kingdom she is continuously learning about, who has many plans for change - is no doubt close to what this situation would be like in real life. The emotions, thoughts and actions that Meri had to take were very realistic and fascinating to read.

As always, the character's in Joss's books are relatable, life-like and gripping to read. Joss is moving with the trends, bringing in her own slang that teenagers in different groups or clicks would use, in her version of the future life of this world.

We meet characters from the previous book who we possibly thought we would never see again and we also make new friends and plenty of enemies in this novel.

One this is for sure though. You will not be disappointed and in some ways, I feel this book is even better than the first one in the book series.

For those of you going Christmas shopping - or just want to simply treat yourself to a book - get your bag and purse ready, as this novel hit the stores today and is ready to be added to your bookshelf!

The third and final novel in this trilogy has already been announced that it will be called Flare and Joss is hoping for this novel to be out at some point in Spring 2018.
For further updates, be sure to follow Joss Stirling on her Facebook or Twitter account.
Meanwhile, for some awesome pictures, why not follow her on Instagram?

Finally, to conclude this exciting blog update, I also came across some very exciting evidence. It turns out, Joss Stirling will also be treating us bookish fans to her first psychological story!
Due to be out in February 2018 - according to Amazon - her first psychological thriller, called Don't Trust Me (2018) will no doubt be the cause for a bubble of bookish chatter and excitement early next year.

Joss Sitrling's Glowing Novel Peril - A Book Review

Back in June, the Joss Stirling community was bubbling with excitement from Joss's announcement that she was making a break in the dystopian genre with her novel, Peril (2017).

That enthusiasm has returned once again in the bookish world with Joss Stirling's latest social media update that she is asking her superfans to contact her if they are interested in proofreading the second novel in her dystopian series, Glow (2017) which is due out in December, ready for Christmas.

Therefore, for you book lovers who have not yet had a chance to read the fascinating Peril novel, or who may be new to Joss Stirling's novels (the most well-known of which, is the Finding Sky (2010 - 2016 series), here is a book review to introduce you to the book.

Peril was released on the 13th July 2017 and is set in the future where global warming had hit the world hard, with areas of England being flooded.

When you first start reading the book, you are introduced to the character, Meri Marlowe.
Meri isn't like any ordinary girl, she is what is known as an Atlantean (otherwise known as a Tean). People who can see a colour called peril in the UV spectrum, while also having special powers.
Meri has been on the run with her guardian, Theo for years, avoiding an unknown danger. A danger that they only knew to keep a careful eye out for, in case of suspicious activity - neither of them knew who or what the suspicious activity actually was.

Meri's 18th birthday was arriving soon and she and Theo had finally settled down in Wimbledon, feeling a sense of safety and relief. Everything seemed to be going to plan - Theo had a good job and Meri - the quiet and shy girl everyone knew of as Mouse, at school - was going to climb out of that shell and make some friends.

However, everything seemed to change when she met Kel Douglas, a Perilous.
Perilous are people who have glowing peril coloured patterns across their skin that can only be seen my Perilous and Teans, which flare up when their emotions are heightened - for instance if they were to get in a fight.

Perilous and Teans are mortal enemies, due to the history of their ancestors. However, when Meri and Theo first meet, neither of them know about each other's superpowers and things head off to a good start. Meri and Theo get along and really start to like each other and begin dating, but when they realise who each other really are, things take a vicious turn.

Meri was back on the run and Theo was stuck making a tough decision.

Theo is the bodyguard for the Prince of the Perilous, however, when he finds out the truth about his girlfriend, he must make a tough decision: does he side with his friends, for the sake of their kind's brutal history, or does he side with his girlfriend, who could simply be the innocent party?

The story not only takes us on an action packed adventure, but also on a chain of events, filled with mystery, friendship and most importantly, love.

Joss leaves the story ending open - while it ended in a happy and exciting way, the plot is also left open so that the story can continue in the following novel Glow. However, just because you have to wait for Glow to be released at Christmas to find out what happens next, don't let that put you off, as the story most certainly will not disappoint you and it has definitely proven to all of us loyal fans - or even fans of dystopian fiction - that Joss can write dystopian (although none of us really had any doubt in that)!

What I love about this book, is while it is set in the future day, Joss Stirling creates a future that is relatable and isn't too different from the world we know.
Meanwhile, Joss doesn't go overboard when she creates characters with superhuman abilities either. They are people who the readers can easily relate to and enjoy getting to know.

What I also enjoyed when reading this story, is that throughout the novel, at one point you will be reading about Meri and then in the next section you will be reading the story from Theo's point of view, meaning you can see both sides of the story.

A lovely personal touch that Joss also added to the published novel, is that at the very beginning of the book on the dedications page, she also gave thanks to her superfans team who proofread the novel for her, listing all of their names.

So whether you are looking for a book to read, a book to ask for as a birthday present, or a book to add to your Christmas list (if you're wondering, yes I have already started writing mine), then I would highly recommend this novel!

Book Review: Summer Shadows

I am very sorry to say that this is the final book review to Joss Stirling's savant series.

For any of you who have read this book series, you will understand how disappointing it is to hear that there will be no more books, but as they say all good things must come to an end.

Summer Shadows (2016) is a fantasy novel set in the savant world centred around Summer Whelan.

Summer is best friends with Misty Devon and Angel Campbell who us readers met in the previous two novels Misty Falls (2014) and Angel Dares (2015).

Summer has always been a very quiet and thoughtful character in the past couple of books, a person who doesn't say a lot, but when she says something, she means it with her heart and it holds a lot of meaning.

When you first start to read this book, you are introduced to an amazing Benedict wedding (I am not going to say whose wedding this is, I'm leaving it as a surprise) that will get you smiling. In this first chapter the plot already starts to build up creating mystery, making you want to know more.

You immediately start to feel sorry for Summer, a 17-year-old savant who has not yet found her own soulfinder unlike her two best friends. While she is deeply happy for her friends that they will both live a happily ever after with their boyfriends who they adore, that streak of jealousy is lingering with her and she can't help but to feel disappointed that she doesn't feel she can live a normal savant life even if she were to find her soulfinder.

You may be wondering, why doesn't Summer feel she can live the normal savant life, but this is because of her home life which she had been keeping a secret from all of her friends.

Summer lives a demanding home life with a mother who is a rare type of savant that the entire community is warned of. She is known as a vampire savant who feeds off of the emotions of other people.

While we haven't specifically heard of this term before, in the first savant book, Finding Sky (2010) Sky was captured by Daniel Kelly. His son Sean is one of these species of vampire savants who was feeding off Sky's emotions when they were heightened due to the fear that she was experiencing. This can have an emotionally draining effect on the person and in serious cases, it can permanently damage the person.

Due to Summer having to care for her mother and needing to take on more responsibility compared to the average teenager, her home life can be pretty stressful. With having to help run her Dad's social and business gatherings, while being bought up by a Nanny who acted like the only true parent in her life, it is clear she has had a tough upbringing.

With the constant demands building up, Summer's only escape that she has been hoping for, is to go to Oxbridge University. A place where she can study literature and no longer has to live with the home demands. However, unsurprisingly her Dad does not want her going to a university too far from their home in London.

The real reason why Summer is needed to help with her mother so much is because of her savant power. She has an extraordinarily strong gift to be able to read people's minds, however when she releases her powers to its full extent, she can take over the person and make them do what she wants. This means, when her Mum starts to cause trouble, she is the person who is able to help the most to control and stop her.

While Summer is experiencing her own problems at home, trouble is also occurring in the Benedict household with Victor, who has run-away to Afghanistan to try and rescue his soulfinder who is in prison, for a crime that she didn't commit.

Since Summer is the only person who can help find Victor through tracing him with her powers (the only savant that currently the Benedict family know of, since Victor is able to hold such Strong shields), Summer's help is very much sought after. However, the only way Summer can convince her father to let her leave for a few weeks in order to find Victor, is to agree that she would apply to a university in London rather than leaving home. So this is exactly what she does,

Summer leaves for Afghanistan with Saul and Will Benedict along with Lucas, Scott and Hal Robinson who are undercover specialists, all of whom are savants except for Hal.

The journey of searching for Victor starts off rocky, with Summer and Hal often annoying each other extremely easily, however due to the need for team work so that the mission could be a success, Summer and Hal had to learn to rely and trust each other. This turned out to be easier than expected with Summer secretly liking Hal, with his good looks and boyish charm.

Hate can easily turn into love, especially in the savant world and sparks start to fly when Summer realises that Hal is not only a savant but also her soulfinder. The question is, with Summer's home life, will she accept Hal into her world and does Hal truly love Summer?

On Summer's journey, a bigger danger occurs with her being kidnapped by a savant gone bad, while another threat to the savant community will leave you clinging to your book, not willing to put it down.

I will admit, there was a main scene in this book, towards the end when I did spill a tear. Joss Stirling managed to up the level of danger and spin plot turns in many directions in this final novel. 

I was sad at the end, having to put the book down, but the ending to this amazing story will leave you happy at the way author Joss Stirling chose to finish the series.

For any bookish lovers who enjoy a story filled with romance, adventure and fantasy, you must give these stories a try and if you have started to read the savant series then you mustn't miss out on this grand finale!