Book Review: Finding Sky (Joss Stirling)

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?

Ladies and gentlemen, you'd want to read this book. You ladies will sigh and swoon over and enjoy the romance between soulfinders - and the gents can note down a few pointers from the Benedict boys. I was yearning for good YA romance novel when I started Finding Sky and I got exactly what I needed. It was the cure to and signalled the end of my reading break!

When I mention 'good YA romance', I'd like to emphasise on 'good'. I don't favour romances without substance and am often critical of those whose transition from attraction to love is lightning quick - Finding Sky is neither of those. Although primarily a book about soulmates, you won't find the characters falling head over heels in love in the span of a few pages. The romance isn't sappy or boring, nor plain or forgettable. It highlights the most important aspects of romance in a way that is real and tangible to every reader - trust, comfort, acceptance. The romantic tension arrives in a different form; I welcomed the break from the usual and the stereo-typical.

The narrator, Sky Bright, is one of the few characters I can personally relate to. Joss Stirling has captured exactly how it feels to move out of your comfort zone; believe me, I have been there myself. Her descriptions of Sky's thought and emotional process is spot on, never straying or exaggerating from just the precise feeling or thought. The author's description of trauma is vivid, real and true. Without the jargon to weigh it down, it is portrayed in a way that is accessible to every reader. Interestingly, the themes and motifs of this book is channelled through Sky, so in that sense she is very diverse character indeed. Of course, a special girl needs a special boy - enter Zed Benedict. Zed is a peculiar boy - he is broody, mysterious and a bad boy at the beginning. But as the book progresses and the reader unravels what it is that makes Zed so mysterious, we see a complete change in him. This turnaround underscores the concept of a soulfinder and results in a courtship between him and Sky -a courtship so romantic it easily surpasses many YA romance books out there.

Finding Sky is written impeccably well. The literary devices - particularly the metaphors and similes - used are fresh and brilliant. The contrast between the British usage and American usage of English words and phrases are also distinct and well-highlighted. Towards the end, it falters, but it can be explained through Sky's adaptation of the American usage, given that she is in fact already across the pond.

I have minor complaints - for instance, the tension in the plot is present but could be stronger. There are also quite a few sub plots I wanted to be explored further (not to mention a few more kisses between Sky and Zed), but I am hoping for a sequel because although it ends neatly, I am not quite ready to let it go!

With an emotional and psychological edge to a very interesting concept of meeting one's soul mate, this romantic debut will delight many of you readers out there.

Four Stars!


* Copy received for review. Thanks to Liz and Oxford University Publishing.