Growing up has its difficulties for everyone and it’s tricky to know what’s normal if you’re not! Stella certainly has no hesitation filing herself in the ‘unusual’ drawer, but it’s only when she discovers she’s not unique, that what has merely caused some extraordinary blips in an ordinary life, acquires a whole new dimension. Forced to haul in resources she didn’t know she possessed, she’s … thrust into the violence of a situation for which nothing could have prepared her. In a world of uncertainties one thing’s beyond doubt – this hero stuff just isn’t her. Normal, or as near as damn it, is what she’s after and if that means smothering her instincts, building her shielding and adjusting her expectations well, so be it. At least she’ll know, should she slip off the wagon occasionally, it’ll be through choice, not chance and to suit herself. However, isn’t it a fact, just when you think you’ve got yourself sorted, life turns round and bites you?
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A very fitting title for this book. It was definitely strange but kind of captivating at the same time. Really enjoyed reading this one.
I love the way this was written, the humour has me laughing out loud at some parts. Stella is a wonderful character, I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Relatively Strange! What a great name for the book written about a young jewish girl, named Stella, who was relatively strange living in London during a time where being strange was not really tolerated except in her immediate family where they did accept her strangeness, but tried to teach her to curb it and keep it hidden.
I opened this book and read the first 2 sentences and well that was it, my interest was piqued and I knew I just had to read it.
I was genuinely surprised as I read this story, it was fresh and exciting with great characters who were strong and quirky, and they were balanced nicely by the bad guys who were very bad!
Following stella as she grew, feeling her way through her life as she developed her telekinesis, mind reading and ability to fly was a joy. Boy how I would love to be able to rise into the air and fly. The characters were all relatable, and the world she built around young Stella was believable and changed as she grew. I was drawn into this story and did not want to put it down. I found my own life got in the way of reading.
Marilyn’s writing style was fluid and easy to read, I did not have to stop and think too much about what she was writing about. I loved that. She wrote the book in the first person, through Stella’s eyes, she was strange growing up in a world of people who were ‘normal’, never an easy undertaking.
When she is 16, she is part of an event that changes her world, and the story begins to change and become more dark and serious. She also finds out that there are others that are just as strange as she is, and she is able to put her abilities and talents to good use.
I really enjoyed how this book made me giggle, feel sad, feel angry among many other emotions, as the story unfolded. The story is quite unique, I can’t remember reading anything quite like this before which is very refreshing. The most memorable part of this story is where Stella and her friends had to work together to achieve their end goal, and none of it was easy
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I would recommend this story for young readers, teens through to young adults. Having said that I am a mature reader and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I was gifted a copy of this book by the author Marilyn Messik via Voracious Readers Only.
This story was definitely not what I was expecting. Somehow in the synopsis, I missed the ‘psi’ part of the story, so the first line’- “I was five when I flew for the first time, sixteen when I killed a man.”- totally caught me off-guard. However, I stuck with it and was really glad I did. Some reviewers have complained about the slow pace and step-by-step approach of the story; that didn’t throw me off too much. Maybe because in my earlier years I was an obsessive reader of biographies, I don’t know.
The characters here were well-developed, original, and as relatable as one would expect someone with ESP to be. I think Ed was my favorite character with his quietness, courage in the face of (for him) immobilizing fear, and his compassion. There were a couple of times when I could have strangled Glory and Rachael for their irritated, snappy personalities. There was some action, though not your typical suspense/thriller type of action, and a bit of mystery. One thing I enjoyed that I didn’t expect was the addition of Jewish/British slang. There were several moments where this addition provided a bit of much-needed humor.
So those are the things I liked about the book, and even though I did give it a 5-star rating there were things I could have done without. First of all, I don’t think Ms. Messik has ever met a comma she didn’t like and is of the opinion that if one is good, six is better. There are times that the sentences were so long, with so many commas that by the time I got to the end I had to go back because I forgot what the beginning of the sentence said. And I don’t know if this one is a personal habit of Ms. Messik, a deliberate quirk, or a British author thing, but many words that should not have been capitalized were. For example, every time Stella mentions her mother or father it’s “Mother”, “Father”. Now if she were using that for their name it would be understandable, but when it is “my mother”, etc, it is considered a common noun and is lowercase. Now most readers wouldn’t even notice this, much less be bothered by it, but it is one of my quirks. So make of it what you will.
All in all, I enjoyed the story enough that I will check out the next one in the series.
I was immediately attracted by the pretty cover where I saw little Stella with her pretty face.
I particularly want to thank the Netgalley website and Satin Publishing for allowing me to read this book.
It features Stella who grew up in North West London with a fairly average education. Her family has the gift of protecting her a little too much, is she paranoid? Yet she doesn’t make any fuss. She is going to face the harsh medical reality and with horrible consequences that she will learn that she is not a hero.
A book read in one go, so much so that I have hung on to the story, so moving in certain passages, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters. Can’t wait to read more. I hope to release the entire series one day.