Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling

Publisher: OUP
ISBN: 978-0192735683
Release Date: 6 Feb 2014
Source: Amazon Vine

From Goodreads: Behind the ivy-clad walls of an exclusive boarding school, lurks a sinister web of corruption, scandal, and conspiracy. American student Raven Stone has noticed something is horribly wrong. First there were the unexplained disappearances. Then there were the teachers' lies. And now the death threats ...Also entangled in the disturbing turn of events is the enigmatic Kieran Storm - a fellow student with a killer intellect and a body to die for. He's heading for trouble and taking her with him. Raven can feel herself falling in love, but can she trust a boy she knows almost nothing about?

I liked this - I'm a big fan of Joss Stirling's other books so I had a good idea of what to expect and mostly it delivered. I really liked the characters and the plot (although I did find it a bit predictable I still liked seeing it all play out). And once the action really kicked in I was completely hooked - but there were a few places where I thought it slowed done a bit too much. But at the same time it does set up the book for more - I'm assuming this is a series? It definitely feels as if it could be - with great world building for both the characters and the YDA so that's good. I'll be picking the the next in the series if there is one.

Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling

For Review: OUP
Published: 1 September 2011

From Goodreads: Yves' story.

This is about getting you out...I'm stealing you.

Phoenix belongs to the Community - a gang of thieves with paranormal powers. Yves Benedict - an American student visiting London - is her mark. But Yves turns out to be more than just a target. He is her destiny. Her soulmate. But the Community owns Phoenix's past and it wants her future too.

Being a big fan of Finding Sky I was really looking forward to catching up with those Benedict boys!

This time the story is centered around Yves and his soulfinder Phoenix. Told from her point of view we are thrust into her world of thievery and danger. The Seer really is rather scary!

I loved Phoenix! She's feisty, strong and the perfect match for Yves. And Yves is just as gorgeous as I remember him from Finding Sky. In fact all the Benedict boys are rather gorgeous and I love the banter between them. How they tease each other but obviously care for each other. I love the sense of family there is in these stories.  Plus it's great to catch up with Sky and Zed and see how they are doing.

There is a bit of predictability in the sense you go into this knowing it will all work out - but the journey getting there is sooo much fun! I really hope there are many more in this series - especially for Xav and Victor (there is something about him I just love!). I'd also like to know a bit more about how they know when they've found their soulfinder. In both instances it's been Zed or Yves that's known so I just wondered if there is a reason for that. Plus is there a reason both Sky and Phoenix are English? But maybe I'm just over thinking it. 

A really, really enjoyable series and I can't wait to get my next fix!

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

For Review: OUP Published 7 October 2010

From Goodreads: When Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together.

When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?


I really enjoyed this. With so many paranormal books competing with each other, this one felt different enough to really stand out.

The story focuses on Sky, a British girl who has recently moved to the US. Having been abandoned when she was young, Sky doesn't remember much about her past - and doesn't want to. Completely drawn to Zed when she first meets him she discovers that he is a Savant, and that she is one too.

I loved Sky and found myself really drawn into her story.  She just comes across as really likeable - and very funny too!  I also really liked Zed and the whole Benedict family.  You gradually get to know them through the course of the book - at the same time as Sky - and this works really well.  The romance between Zed and Sky develops at a slow, genuine pace and as a result is particularly sweet.

I really loved the whole Savant world - that they all have their own 'powers' as well as having a Soulfinder they need to find in order to balance themselves.  It felt new and fresh, different from vampires and werewolves, and completely grabbed my attention.  I also really loved the telepathic communication  -  how it provided a connection for Sky and Zed as well as a source of humour.

The threat felt dangerous, but not as chilling as I would have liked.  Most of the conflict was provided by Sky -  in facing her past and in her accepting who she is and the role Zed plays in her life.  This was the best part of the story for me, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.  I found it really romantic and it made the whole idea of having a soul mate something I really wanted to believe in.

I really hope this is the beginning of a series - I would love to spend more time with these characters - especially those Benedict boys!.  I will be eagerly on the look-out for Joss Stirling's next book!