Feature and Follow

Feature and follow is set up to help find new followers and to find great blogs to follow yourself, this blog hop is hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, who both pick a blog to feature that week. This weeks feature blogs are: Bewitched Bookworms and My 5 Monkeys.

Q)  What blog are you thankful for?

A) I am thankful for so many blogs as they all inspired me to start blogging myself, so picking one is tough. However I am most thankful for http://thebookscout.blogspot.co.uk/ after reading that blog I knew that I definitely wanted to start blogging.

Seeking Crystal - Joss Stirling

'I'm coming back to get you whatever happens...'     

When fate throws Crystal Brook into the path of Xav Benedict, the personality clash is explosive. It's hate at first sight. As their families gather in Venice, a powerful enemy seizes the opportunity to attack. Xav and Crystal must unite to save their loved ones, discovering a secret that entwines them forever...


Only a few authors make it onto my favourites list and Joss Stirling did, with her fabulous soulfinders series. With an idea similar to that of soulmates, many would brush it aside with the 'oh it's just another romance novel' but they shouldn't - I do happen to love romance novels myself though - these books have a certain twist and these soulfinders have so much love and passion that they do put ordinary soulmates to shame. These are the books that make me really wish I had a hidden savant power that will be revealed - I'm secretly trying to lift a magazine off the table with my mind as I type.

Seeking Crytal is the third book in this series based on those with savant powers and like all others it delivered with a kick. There are so many things I loved it is just easier to make a list:

- The action, one of the best things in this book. I love the conflicts created in the book, and how they chose to deal with it. It's almost like a brilliant spy novel - just without all the paperwork and government checks that spies have to do. But the action is balanced perfectly with . . .

- Friendship and other characters, I loved all of the new characters. Such as, Steve, at the start I thought he was just big headed like most celebrities, but he startled me with his understanding of savants and relating to them. Every character added to the story - I epecially enjoy side love stories like Steve's and Lily's - but I enjoyed learning more about original characters (the Benedict brothers and they're parents). Diamond and Trace's first meeting was so good - no messing arond just the joy of finding each other, unlike . . .

- Xav and Crystal, I love the part where they realise they're soulfinders, that was one of my favourite parts of the novel, I kept re-reading it because it was so sweet. They were the perfect couple, Xav and his jokes and his cheery personality, colliding with Crystal who has serious problems on her mind - neither understanding each other, but somehow (even before they knew they were soulfinders) they understood each other completely. All helped along with . . .

- The location, Venice was perfect. The complicated streets reflecting the complications in all the characters lives. And Venice just adding extra romance, with the flooding and gondola's. I imagined it as a vibrant place, some areas with wide open squares whilst having twisting alleys that are easy to get lost in . . .

- Just like the entire book, it was so easy to get lost in the sheer brilliance and I read into the night. I really hope Joss Stirling writes more to complete a so far perfect series, and if she does I will hit, kick and bite anybody who gets in the way of me reading it (metaphorically of course).

4.5 stars out of 5

Never Forget Your Favourite Books

With lots of new books coming out all the time, I feel that I've forgotten about all the books I used to love reading and made me want to start blogging in the first place. So this month I'm just going to re-read all my old favourites: Ally Carter (the Gallagher Girls series and Heist Society series); Meg Cabot, and Joss Stirling.
                                           



Between the Lines - Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Delilah knows it's weird, but she can't stop reading her favourite fairy tale. Other girls her age are dating and cheerleading. But then, other girls are popular.

Delilah loves the comfort of the happy ending, and knowing there will be no surprises.

Until she gets the biggest surprise of all, when Prince Oliver looks out from the page and speaks to her.

Now Delilah must decide: will she do as Oliver asks, and help him to break ot of the book? Or is this her chance to break into happily ever after?

After discovering the book I found the plot very interesting, it seemed for me different than any other YA romance book I've read before. It's told in alternating character points of view and with the fairy tale retold between chapters. Illustrations throughout the book and coloured writing however reveal that this book is geared towards more early teens.

I love a good romance story and almost always in a romance story is conflict and trouble; but one of the characters being a fictional character trapped in a book, is a big heap of trouble. From the start you're thrown into their separate worlds: Oliver's hate for being trapped and Delilah's hate for being stuck in high school - where everybody hates her.

Oliver has friends that are as close as family, and a good life. But despite everything he isn't happy. What I like about the alternating character chapters is that you get to understand more about Oliver's hobbies, sometimes in these sort of books you only see the girls opinion of the boy and discover no personality to him. We also know that Oliver is very good looking (and to be a Prince in a fairy tale he has to be) but he is also caring and quite clever. Since he has to try so many ways to get out of the book.

Delilah has a few people that care about her: her mum and best friend Jules. Everybody thinks she has gone crazy, and with her reputation falling her mum becomes more disappointed in her. All we really know about Delilah is that she enjoys reading and is a good girl in school, for me her personality could of been developed more, as it seemed to cover the same points (her obsession with the book, unpopularity at school...).

The romance between Oliver and Delilah was sweet, and understandable, and caring, but I felt some passion was missing - only slightly because of their instant love. Occasionally I would wonder if Delilah had fallen for the fairy tale Prince Oliver.  Other characters though were developed more deeply - especially from the fairy tale book - and most characters all showed a hidden side: Jules through her scary outfits was a caring friend, Rapscullio being the bad guy and his love of art, and Captain Crabbe being an evil pirate whilst loving dentistry; showing everybody is more than what you see.

Overall this book seemed a bit young for me but had a very cute romance. The beautiful drawings were very good and fitted the fairy tale theme, and help create a feeling of reality for the fairy tale. The ending was different to what I expected but was slightly unrealistic (even though characters coming alive is unrealistic) I am happy with the ending though as it answered all questions and problems that could have occured.

3 stars out of 5

It's The Last Day Of The Month...

. . . so this is a 4 point overview of this month's books read.

Favourite Book - 'Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini'
Four words: Greek mythology, fit boys. What more could a book need? I did read 'Dreamless' and WOW this book also surpassed all my expectations and worries. Desperate for the next book in this series to come out, when I will devour it up!

Favourite Character -  Xavier - 'Seeking Crystal - Joss Stirling'
He was incredibly sweet and caring to Crystal - even before he knew she was his soulfinder! And he was really passionate, whilst being the family's favourite (without being like a spoilt mummy's boy). He charmed everybody he met, with his wit and his good looks probably helped.

Favourite Ending - 'Seeking Crystal - Joss Stirling'
My favourite book ending was 'Seeking Crystal', all of Joss Stirlings soulfinder books have been brilliant, and therefore all endings have been perfect. But this month the only reason 'Dreamless' isn't my favourite book ending is because the series isn't finished and I'm still waiting for the 'perfect' ending to that series. But 'Seeking Crystal' was another action packed romance that delivered like all other Joss Stirling books.

Favourite Book Cover - 'Queen of the Big Time - Adriana Trigiani'

It's a really pretty book cover, and is one of the main reasons I brought it.

Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton meets Lucas Delos for the first time, she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has ever seen in her life: the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.
 
An ancient curse means Lucas and Helen are destined to loather one another. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen next …

 

 

Picking up the book in the store I was reluctant to buy it, I don’t exactly know why, possibly: okay I’m not going to lie it’s a big book – probably one of the thickest on my book shelf (along with Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter) but that didn’t really deter me; what put me off was when I read  the Dreamless blurb it mentioned another boy that Helen was torn between, and I hate books were a girl is torn between boys and can never make a decision.  However a trilogy of books based around Greek mythology was too good for me to miss. I love Greek mythology in books! (For example the Abandon trilogy by Meg Cabot is brilliant.) So I had to buy Starcrossed and Dreamless; I set about reading straight away.

Starcrossed was a fabulous read but once I finished I felt sad, I can gather a few reasons for this: first the amount of death; the blood for blood idea in the book was vivid and the idea of killing anybody in your own family is horrible; next was the fact that Lucas and Helen think they’re cousins that is one of the main reasons why they are apart – and I really want them to be together; lastly is the thought of reading Dreamless after the build up of Lucas’s and Helen’s relationship I really don’t want someone to just come and break it up.

All relationships in this book are great. I wish I had a friend like Claire who is very protective over Helen and cares for her deeply (so much to push her off a roof).  All relationships in this book are about control and love: the brothers in the family have to cope with the desire to use their ‘extra skills and strengths’ not to kill each other; trying to protect someone else they love, whereas Jason has to control his feelings for Claire by suppressing them and pushing her away. I love their relationship and knew they definitely should be together.  But the most control of all is Lucas’s and Helen’s, they know so much is at stake for them and they’d do anything to be together which ultimately means that fate doesn’t want them to be together. Lucas is the perfect boy and the key to Helen’s dream to get off the island and see the world; with his flying abilities he can take her anywhere.

This story is about discovering yourself and what it takes to do that; clearly the key in this book is: love, friendship, trust, family and flying lessons with the person you love most.  But with a great, big dollop of Greek mythology it has a certain twist. A great theme in this book is what goes around comes around, and through all of the fights, warnings, disguises, nightmares and lightning bolts, this message stays the same. You kill him – we kill you. You ancestors have failures – they’re your problem now. You save my life – I save yours. And this constant circle of events feel like something the characters can’t break free of, so I have an unwillingness to read Dreamless (despite the brilliance of Starcrossed) until the next book comes out, when they can hopefully be masters of their own destiny. And Helen makes an absolute decision – I just hope she chooses Lucas.

Overall a good book, that I recommend for any fans of romances, a very addictive read - so only start if you have lots of time to have your minds warped with worrying about the characters problems. It was brilliant. I just love, LOVE books based on Greek mythology!

 

4 stars out of 5

Books!

Have got 5 new books to enjoy, read and review:

 

 

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan

 

 

Fated - Alyson Noel

 

 

Queen of the Big Time - Adriana Trigiani

 

 

Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini

 

 

Dreamless - Josephine Angelini