Saturday 21 October 2017

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!