I’m back with another book review, my friends! I’ve been working to catch up on my Netgalley reading, and Stranger Still is another one I got from them, in return for an honest review.
If you could have any psychic ability, what would you want? I’m lazy enough that I would want Telekenesis. The ability to move things without physical effort seems perfect for me.
I enjoyed this book for the most part, even with the proofreading errors I saw. I was able to enjoy the story, regardless, but wanted to give you a small warning, in case that bothers you.
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Synopsis
Stella, the main character, has telepathic abilities. Not just the usual ones, like reading minds, though. She can “fly,” which is what she called levitation as a child. She can communicate with other telepaths over great distances, and she has some telekinetic abilities as well. She is the strongest one she knows with her abilities. On her wedding day (trying really hard not to give spoilers, promise!), she has a bad feeling about a good friend of hers, Ruth. As it turns out, Ruth is in trouble, but not in the way anyone expects. Most of the book is Stella living her life, but at the same time trying to find a way to save her friend.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of (book) in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Thoughts
I had such a hard time with this book at first, until I found out it’s actually the third book in a series! This book cannot stand alone; I had to go back and get the first two books in order for this one to make sense. I did this gladly, because this book is actually pretty good!
I did find some punctuation issues that bothered me. The author uses commas in places where other, better punctuation marks should be. This seems like something a proofreader should have caught before its being sent to the publisher. This makes me think the book was not proofread by a professional. I actually noticed all three books had these same errors. The weird use of commas actually makes this book seem stilted; I tend to read in my head like I’m reading out loud, so when a comma, or a pause, comes out of nowhere, my head hurts a little bit.
I’m not a fan of the fact that I didn’t know this book was the 3rd in a series. Once I found out, I made the decision to go back and read the first 2 before finishing this one. I’m hoping that allows this book to make more sense. I did notice that once I read the first book, I was able to go back and read the third book, and have it make more sense.
The Humor in Stranger Still
This book is written in first person, and she has an excellent way of finding humor in odd situations. I like that. The main character, Stella, is very well-written. She’s relatable to the reader, because she never tries to sound better than she is. As she states in book 1, she’s not better, just different. Her parents accepted her abilities to a point, and this feeling of acceptance helped Stella grow up into a well-balanced young lady. Her husband, while not as accepting of some of Stella’s abilities, doesn’t try to control her into not using them.
The Strange Series
I did find that once I finished the first book in the series, this one made more sense to me. I still plan on going back and reading book number two, but I wanted to get my review of this book done before I did that. I didn’t want my opinion of this book to be colored too much by the other two stories. This book is a completely different story, but some of the facts build on one another, so unless the reader is aware of the stories in the other two books, this one won’t make much sense.
I’m not sure about the timeline of this book, because the author makes it sound like this book is set in modern times, but the main character was born in the early 50’s, and some odd 25 years later gets married and pregnant. I have no idea how old Stella is, so this seems a little incongruent to me. I wish this timeline was a little more solid in my mind. Maybe the other 2 books will help ease my discomfort.
Recommendation
The character Stella is relatable, and very well written. Even the supporting characters are written so well that I really feel like they’re people. I just had such a hard time getting past the grammatical errors, that I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I would have liked to.
About The Author
Marilyn Messik currently owns a copywriting consultancy service where she advises businesses of all sizes on their communication. She has also been a fiction writer for several publications, including a parenting magazine. She currently lives in the UK, where she divides her time among writing, publishing, and assisting companies with their website text.
Conclusion
Have you read Stranger Still, or any other book in The Strange Series? What did you think? I really hope I gave this book the justice it deserves, because it is a very unique story, with relatable characters and well-written settings. I will be finishing book 2, and when I’m finished, you may find a review of all three books here soon!
Until Next Time, Friends!
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