Book Review: Seeking Crystal

Out of all of the Joss Stirling, Finding Sky (2010) book series, I reckon Seeking Crystal (2012) has to be my favourite.

Meet 18-year-old Crystal Brook: In her opinion, a useless savant and family screw-up.

Crystal has been through many problems in the past and hasn't had an easy life. From being an extremely tall girl (to the point where she got bullied about it at school) with a mane full of curls, who gets spots along with not being the skinniest of girls. Needless to say that being insecure about her looks is a massive problem for her.

To top it off, while she is a savant, she doesn't consider herself to be a good one, since she gets sick if she tries to do telepathy or if anyone uses it around her. Meanwhile, her gift only allows her to find people's possessions. 

If matters couldn't get any worse, Crystal's Dad passed away last year and she was closest to him than any other member of her family.

To start the novel off, we meet Crystal's older sister Diamond. A perfect looking woman who gains the attention of all men around her, with a savant gift that is always in huge demand. She keeps peace in stressful situations. She also has the great ability (of the non-savant kind) of bathing Crystal in shadow to her spotlight, since all of the attention always seems to be on Diamond.

Diamond took over from her mother in taking care of Crystal when their Dad died, since her Mum was so heartbroken and couldn't do the job herself, which meant where Diamond went, Crystal went. In this case the story starts off in Denver, Colorado and not too far into the story, Diamond meets her soulfinder, Trace Benedict. 

Crystal goes through the motions of feeling left out and a reject while Diamond is embracing the joys of meeting the Benedict clan and their other soulfinders. It is understandable that Crystal hates the fact she has barely any true savant powers along with being upset about the fact she has no idea how she'll ever meet her soulfinder without being able to do telepathy properly.

Crystal also has the "great pleasure" of meeting Xav Benedict, the 18-year-old brother to Trace, who is a massive joker, has healing powers and is also a massive annoyance to Crystal. To get away from him and the fuss over Diamond's wedding preparation plans, Crystal goes back home to Venice to start work with her neighbour the Contessa who creates costumes and masks, currently for a new movie taking place in Venice. However, her plan of escape doesn't last since, when Diamond comes back home, Trace and Xav are right behind her, enjoying their adventure to Venice.

While Crystal and Xav have plenty of arguments and take pleasure in winding each other up, it also brings them a lot closer, managing to get an understanding of each others personalities and who they truly are.

Big events take place in the story, from Xav and Crystal having to act out as lovers while being background actors in a movie, to certain characters in the story, showing their true colours and evil personalities and kidnapping Crystals friends and family.

Crystal goes on the fantastic journey of learning that she isn't as hopeless as she once thought and that everyone has a talent.

What I enjoyed about Seeking Crystal is that Crystal is such a relatable characters as everyone is self-conscious of themselves, whether it's on looks, height, weight or if you feel you are talent-less and this story shows how no matter what, true love is out there for you, if you're not happy about yourself, either put up with it or change it and that everyone is beautiful in their own way.

Another fantastic novel by the very talented Joss Stirling. Next book on my reading list is Misty Falls.

Book Review: Burning Yves

Joss Stirling's novella, Burning Yves (2015) is a brilliant short story and a perfect companion to Stealing Phoenix (2011) Joss Stirling's second novel in the Finding Sky (2010) savant series.

Burning Yves is a short story exploring how 17-year-old Yves Benedict and Phoenix Corrigan meet, from Yves' perspective. This is the perfect introduction to anyone who is considering reading Stealing Phoenix and guess what? Even better, this story is a free e-book!

What I loved about this story is that the brotherly banter between Yves, Xav and Victor is clearly evident and is highly amusing to read, keeping the story light and fun leaving a smile on my face. I also enjoyed how at the beginning of the story, the whole Benedict clan was involved, allowing the reader to see the family bond between this unique family and their loving and caring personalities towards each other.

I found it interesting reading about Yves and finding out how his genius mind works. From his fascination on train tunnels to how he handles girls; the shock when a girl gives him her number and how he tries to escape their overbearing and flirtatious behaviour - and clearly not being able to escape it.
Reading the story, I also feel greatly sympathetic towards Yves and his struggles of trying to contain his Savant power and the troubles this has caused him in the past.

With Xav being my favourite Benedict boy, I found it enjoyable reading his character in the story, from his jokey - and no doubt, at times annoying - behaviour to how he acts towards his brothers.

It was beautiful reading about Yves' savant connection with Phoenix, especially as having read Challenging Zed (2013) the reader can see how both of the brothers savant bonds differ from when they make that very first connection with their soulmate when they speak telepathically. Right from the very start, when Phoenix first tries to steal from Yves, we can see how her character appears to be on his mind and how there was always something about her which had immediately caught his attention (and I don't just mean about the fact that she had tried to freeze his mind.)

An interesting read, that was left on a cliff-hanger leaving the reader wanting more. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone considering to read Stealing Phoenix as it is a fantastic taster novella and not only that, these short story helps us readers get inside those gorgeous Benedict boys heads!

Book Review: Stealing Phoenix

Fantasy novel Stealing Phoenix (2011) is the second instalment to the fictional series of Finding Sky (2010).

Stealing Phoenix is a brilliant sequel this time set in London, following 17-year-old expert thief, Phoenix Corrigan - otherwise known as Phee - trapped in a community of thieving, murderous savants, with no way to escape.

Phee has only ever known the community as a way of life, thinking that no one with her abilities could live a normal life. Her journey of travelling around with this group of savants has been a tough one with her mother dying when she was young and her having to steal so she can continue living with these people. Meanwhile, her life is also being dominated by the ruler of the community, known as the Seer - a man to be feared and respected. With powers to control your mind and make you do whatever he wants - even to kill yourself - he is not a man to be messed with.

Phoenix's life gets intertwined with 17-year-old Benedict brother Yves, when she is on a mission to steal from him, on orders of the Seer. Yves is sensitive, caring and smart, a boy who has been bought up to be hardworking, sensible and fair - but everything he has been bought up to know is going to be put to the test when he has to win Phee over. These two characters are complete and utter opposites and clash often, yet they are perfect for each other. However, life is not all plain sailing when Phee has responsibilities and ties to the community and struggles to escape from her old life.

We also see more of the comical brother Xavier Benedict (Xav) who is staying in London with his younger brother, often making jokes and remarks. Despite his jokey attitude though, we also notice how the lack of a soulmate is upsetting him.

This fun story is a captivating read, with danger being thrown into the midst, among the romance and jokes. I always love how Joss Stirling makes fun of both English and American phases and words whether it is Yves not understanding what "Rosie Lee" is or Sky and Phee laughing at how Mrs Benedict calls trousers "pants".

I enjoyed how both of the main characters have such diverse backgrounds - Yves having had the opportunity to have a proper educated background of school and college, being surrounded by friends and family, unlike Phee who only has one friend in her community, who has no family and who never got the chance to go to school, so had to educate herself by sneaking into the library and learning what she could from her surroundings. Both of these characters gradually influence the other as the story progresses - Phee becoming more caring and trusting of her new found friends and family, while Yves becomes more of a risk taker.

In this beautiful story, Joss Stirling casts a greater understanding on the powerful bond between soulmates, as we learn from Yves, that no danger is too great that he would leave his soulfinder behind. However, this leaves the question open that when Yves runs head first into danger, could it put not only him, but his family at risk?

What is perfect about these series of books, is that the story, although it is a fantasy, it isn't too far-fetched - I read these books wishing they were reality and believing that they quite possibly could be. Who knows what extraordinary things are lurking around the corners of the world?

This is the perfect follow on story to Finding Sky with fantastic plot turns, by the end of the story I was completely and utterly in love. I would recommend all lovers of fantasy and romance to read this novel! Looking forward to reading Burning Yves (2015), the companion novella to Stealing Phoenix in Yves' view.

Exclusive Interview With Joss Stirling: Bookish Secrets Shared

Author Joss Stirling reveals the secrets behind her writing and the novel Finding Sky (2011).

Joss recently released the last book to her fictional, fantasy series, Finding Sky called Summer Shadows (2016) on 7^th July, much to the sadness of her fans.

The Finding Sky series follows the Benedict family, all of whom are savants – people with supernatural powers who are able to communicate through telepathy, each having a soulmate somewhere around the world – so to celebrate the release of this magnificent book, I asked Joss Stirling a series of questions to share with you amazing fans.

Characters are unusual people, all of which are hugely relatable in Joss’s novels, but to create such diverse and complex characters, inspiration must strike somewhere, right? “Sometimes the seed for a character starts with something I notice or find out about a person” Joss began, “but it always develops away from them and becomes a new creation. If it didn’t, I think I’d find it too restrictive. Story and character are bound together, the one changing the other, so they have to grow together.”

What had been puzzling me though, is where did this idea of savants come from? “I enjoy paranormal elements in a plot but wanted to write something that wasn’t so extreme.” Joss explained. “Once you give people powers you have to make it a secret or reality changes too much. That meant a secret society and hence the savants were born as a concept.”

Now, with Joss’s powerfully romantic stories, I obviously had to ask a question about the Benedict boys and that was, will there be another short story coming out? In answer to our question, that would be a yes! For any lovers of the comical, cutie Xavier, Joss revealed that once the story has gone through the editing process the book shall hopefully be out in Autumn.

We must not forget the action packed series Struck (2014) about the Young Detectives Agency – students trained up to be spies, going out on missions to bring down the bad guys – and I found out some interesting news. Next year we will be seeing the final book in the series released, currently called Scorched. I am burning to get my hands on this fiery final novel!

Being an author obviously has its perks, so I just had to ask Joss about travelling. Has she travelled a lot to gain inspiration for her books? “More often the ideas come after the travelling for work or pleasure. Only occasionally do I make research trips purely for writing purposes. Most notable was a trip to Venice for Seeking Crystal (2012) (it’s a tough life!).”

Of course, we must not forget how Joss Stirling also writes under two other pen names, Julia Golding and Eve Edwards, depending on the genre or target audience of the book she is writing. The first ever book she got published, was The Diamond of Drury Lane (2006) under the name Julia Golding, but Joss has been writing “all the time as a child and as a hobby through teen and young adult years” and has always known she wanted to be an author.

Book Review: Challenging Zed

Joss Stirling's novella, Challenging Zed (2013) is a beautiful short story to accompany the fictional, fantasy novel, Finding Sky (2011), giving the reader an insight to the struggles Zed had been going through before meeting Sky and how much she truly helped him.

I found reading this short story helped to give me a better understanding of the Benedict family and their relationship: how they help each other out, their personalities and savant powers, along with how Zed gets along with each of them individually.

I thought it was lovely to see a lot of the focus being made on Zed's brothers and how despite them having that normal and annoying brotherly relationship, when Zed desperately needs help and moral support from his family, they all stick together and help show their brother that they are all there whenever help is required (even when he is acting like an idiot and a jerk to his family and school teachers).

Joss Stirling also did a fantastic job of incorporating Zed's past back to when he was nine-years-old into the story, allowing the reading to truly understand how much times have change and the pain and sadness that weighs him down due to his gift, having to witness the criminal acts happening around the world.

This novel goes to proove how complex some characters can really be especially when supernatural powers are involved. The perfect combination of humour, romance and aciton. Definitely a lovely short story for anyone who has read the Finding Sky novel to read.

I am looking forward to reading Burning Yves (2015) based on the following novel, Stealing Phoenix (2011).

Book Review: Finding Sky

Finding Sky (2011) is a young adult, fictional novel, containing the perfect combination of fantasy, romance, adventure and drama.

I will admit it, I have read this novel five times and each time the story is just as captivating and exciting as the last time I read it, perfect for anyone whether you are a teenager or an adult.

Written by Joss Stirling, Finding Sky is about 16-year-old Sky Bright, an English girl who has moved with her adopted parents from England to Wrickenridge in Colorado.

Sky has a past, little of which she can remember apart from being abandoned at a service station, but it still haunts her dreams and makes her fear of what else she has forgotten when she was young.

From the age of ten, Sky got adopted by Sally and Simon and they helped her in her hour of need as she would not talk to anyone and her only comfort was music. Helping to bring her out of her shell, Sky’s new parents helped to welcome her to their family and give her a normal life with friends, but when her parents who are artists got the opportunity to move to Wrickenridge to be resident artists, it is an offer that they cannot refuse.

Sky experiences the nerves and troubles of moving: having to settle into a new school and make new friends while trying to get comfortable in her new surroundings, but things are not as normal as Sky had hoped when she meets bad boy Zed Benedict with a reputation of causing trouble in Wrickenridge. He is a boy that all girls swoon over and adore, with dangerously gorgeous looks, but when Sky finds he can communicate with her through telepathy, she thinks she is going crazy – something she has always thought as she used to imagine she could read peoples auroras to tell what emotions they were feeling. But what if she was not imagining these things?

What Sky does not realise is she is a savant – people with extraordinary powers, each of whom have a soulmate somewhere around the world who is their equal. Moving to America will either make Sky or break her.

Zed and Sky are destined to be soulmates, but with Sky fearing that no one can really love her and with troubles lying ahead, due to criminals being after the Benedict family, all of whom are savants, working together to capture criminals to send to jail, Zed has his work cut out for him.

With Sky having to learn about what the savant world has in store for her, learning about her powers, admitting her feelings for Zed and letting go of her past, it is a rollercoaster of emotions and one that takes a while to stop.

These books make you wish that the fiction were real. Hot boys, super powers, romance, humour and danger. What more can a girl ask for?

Book Review: Shaken

Shaken (2016), the third instalment to Joss Stirling’s Struck (2014) series, was without a doubt a book I was excited to read.

After reading previous books Struck (2015) and Stung (2015), I knew this book was going to be an exhilarating read. I was not disappointed.

In this gripping novel, we are introduced to 16-year-old Rose Knight. A genius American girl who get entangled in her Dad’s and brother’s criminal ways.

Rose is always the one to be dragging them out of trouble, but when her Dad is kidnapped and a regular demand of money is left on Rose’s doorstep in exchange for his life and Rose’s brother is not prepared to help, who else is there left to ask?

One of my favourite characters in this novel is Rose. Despite her having an extraordinary intelligence that anyone would beg to have, she is also the typical girl who gets shy and nervous speaking to new people and who easily gets flustered around guys. She is a character both worth envying and feeling pity for.

She is also a character who is easy to sympathise for in her lack of luck and poor fashion sense.

Now, a Joss Stirling novel obviously would not be complete without the dashing men coming to rescue! This time round we meet 18-year-old Damien Castle from London, belonging to the Cobra’s in the YDA (Young Detectives Agency) who is currently spending time with his mate Joe in America. We previously met Damien in the novel Stung (2015), a fierce while handsomely protective character.

I love Damien’s personality, how he is so protective and is a typical British gentleman, yet how at the same time he is a complete flirt and sweet talker, who won’t let anyone get in his way when it comes to the girl he likes.

I also enjoyed how Joe Masters returns to the books after his break from the series due to the problems that had occurred to him in Struck.

This time round Joe acts like the protective and defensive big brother of Rose Knight as they are next door neighbours and have been friends since they were kids – needless to say, despite Joe’s doubts that Damien would never fancy the clumsy, fashion disaster Rose, Joe still set strict rules for Damien to keep his distance.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

As a reader, we get to experience the fun moments, of Damien having an amusing time on his break away with Joe, on holiday from the YDA, there is a fantastically flirty Halloween party and Damien’s birthday party that expectedly leads to disaster. Not forgetting Damien’s Uncle Julien who is such a fun and lively character.

What I enjoy about Joss Stirling’s books, is she is supportive on all types of people, cultures and the gay community, shown in all the different varieties of characters used and Uncle Julien who is revealed to be gay in Stung.

Definitely a novel for all people to enjoy with the fun romance, jokes and the rushes of danger.