Review: Want by Stephanie Lawton

If you want vampires and werewolves, faeries, fallen angels or zombies, you won’t find them here. I know a real-life monster.

Julianne (Juli)’s only wish is to get into New England Conservatory. When her old piano teacher has stroke and his job is transferred to his nephew, Juli thinks that this is a sign. Her new piano teacher, Isaac, is graduated from New England Conservatory. Isaac doesn’t show any emotional feeling at first, but as they spend more time together, he starts to smile and talk more about his past to Juli. But they can’t ever be couple because Isaac is ten years older than her, thus their environment won’t ever accept them. Especially Juli’s mother.

I constantly feel bad for Juli. She is broken, almost beyond repair. Because of her mother, Juli has low self-respect and she is defensive with everyone. And her involvement with Isaac doesn’t help. At first, I thought Isaac would be the one who saved Juli. But then I realize that Isaac is just as broken as his student. Their relationship… it’s not the healthy kind. It’s I-want-you-I-need-you-let’s-die-together-to-escape kind. Somehow their relationship keeps remind me of Wuthering Heights. Fury, possessiveness, fierce love, artistic needs, and things flying. Not a good combination.

I’m not a fan of Isaac. He’s hot one moment and cold the next second. Sometimes he yelled at Juli and he has tendency to run away when things get uncomfortable. I think Juli and Isaac fall in love because they are similar. Way too similar. Together, they shatter each other to bits and pieces.

I like this book because the characters are very real. I was not smitten with Isaac but his friend Dave definitely earned a special place in my heart. Dave is amazing and I love how much he cares for Isaac and Juli. I’m so glad that there is someone who deeply cares about Juli, because seems like everyone else in the story is busy with their own problem. Dave is the light and hope for Juli. It makes me think that sometimes, what you want and what you really need is different.

Want is recommended to fans of mature YA. The story is very emotional and I found myself crying in some parts. The ending, though not perfect, is great and believable. If you’re ever in need of something emotional, heart-wrenching, and realistic, then this is the book for you!

He says much, much more through the piano than he ever does with his spare words. Perhaps this is why he never wants to play for me; he knows I’ll sense whatever it is he doesn’t want to let out. It’s true—there’s something he’s hiding behind the teacher’s critiques and praise.

I leave my body then, transported into the world of heartbreak he creates with his fingertips. I’m suspended in air just like the dust motes, not even aware of breath or heartbeat. For once, I feel…whole? Whatever this is, I want to hold onto it as long as I can.

 Website * Goodreads * Inkspell Publishing * Barnes and Noble

I rate this book: 

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Many thanks to Stephanie and Enchanted book tour! :)

Haul from the Hummingbird (#1)!

Sunday morning, rain is falling
Steal some books, share some love...  

Familiar with the lyrics? Yeah, it's Sunday Morning by Maroon 5! Um, the original lyrics is a bit different and I change it this time to fit this post. I like Maroon 5 even before they start singing song about moves and Jagger. Wait, I start talking about nonsense things again. *banging my head against the wall* So today, I present you a new feature in Catch the Lune: Haul from the Hummingbird! 

Haul from the Hummingbird is a new feature to replace the old In My Mailbox meme. Even though I've been considering to join another meme, I finally decide to do my own feature. What do you think of this new button? I loved my old IMM button but I like this new button too! Plus, hummingbird just sounds cute, right? :)

Here are the books the hummingbird brought to me this week: 

(click on the book cover to bring you to the Goodreads page!)

  
Special thanks to publishers and authors! ♥

Right now, I'm reading Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris. Even though I won't review it in my blog, Southern Vampire Series has always been one of my favorite vampire series! :) I also received Taste from the amazing author, Kate Evangelista. Seems like a lovely read! The Sweetest Dark sounds amazing, many thanks to Random House Publishing. The cover somehow reminds me of a bird nestle LOL! I know that it makes no sense. :P  The embarrassing thing about Glitch is, I accidentally requested the title twice on Netgalley, and the publisher accepted it twice too! Thank you so much, St. Martin's Press! ♥ 

What did you get this week? Come on, leave the link! :) 

Have a great week everyone!


PS: Have you entered the giveaways in my blog? Both are INTERNATIONAL with awesome prizes waiting for the lucky winners! Are you the lucky ones? Well, you would never know until you enter! Just fill out the rafflecopter and cross your finger! x)

Interview and Giveaway: The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle

Hi amazing people! Like I told you yesterday, today I have the super amazing Krista Holle, author of The Lure of Shapinsay, in Catch the Lune! Krista's debut novel, The Lure of Shapinsay, is a touching and romantic story about selkie. It is a book that I had pleasure reading it, and I know that you're going to love this book too! You can read my review of this book here. Done reading the review? Now you can proceed to the interview, watch the beautiful trailer, and participate in the amazing giveaway! ♥

The Interview

Welcome to my blog, Krista! I'm so ecstatic to have you in my blog! Please tell us a bit about yourself. 

Thanks, Hilda! I’m married with four awesome daughters. There’s also a neurotic cat in the picture who compulsively steals the family’s socks. I’m also a critical care nurse, but my passion is writing. I love collecting seashells, reading, and watching movies, but I’d rather write than just about anything. Like the cat, it’s a compulsion for me and the reason I’ve dubbed myself “one sick cookie.” 

Where and how did you get the muse to write The Lure of Shapinsay? 

I was first exposed to selkies with the release of the movie The Secret of Roan Inish back in 1994. Then again with the children’s picture book The Seal Prince. For those who aren’t familiar with selkies, they’re beautiful seal men and women from the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. The men are notorious for magically luring women to their deaths beneath the sea. 

In the story, Kait falls in love to a selkie man to the point that she’s willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. Would you follow her act if you were her? 

You must understand that Kait was under the influence of the “Lure” and incapable of acting rationally. So yes, if I encountered a beautiful selkie man, I’d lose my head too. Hopefully I’d live to tell the tale, but if not I’d have a glorious death. 

In The Lure of Shapinsay, the characters are speaking in Irish slang (well, I think they speak in Irish slang. I’m sorry if I’m wrong! :) ). How did you learn about the old slang? 

The dialect is actually an old mixture of Scottish and Norse—the real dialect of the Scottish Orkney islands. I wanted my story to have an authentic feel so I researched Orcaidian stories actually told in the old dialect. 

What do you think would be the best theme song for The Lure of Shapinsay? 

I love Brandon Flower’s “Crossfire”. It tells of a relationship caught between heaven and hell. This is Kait and Eamon’s relationship. There’s a sweetness at being together, but the odds of a land/sea relationship working are pretty slim. It’s agonizing at the same time. 

Brandon Flower - "Crossfire" 

Watching your dress as you turn down the lights
I forget all about the storm outside
Dark clouds roll their way over town
Heartache and pain came a-pouring down like hail, sleet and rain, yeah
They're handing it out

And we're caught up in the crossfire of Heaven and Hell
And we're searching for shelter

Lay your body down

Imagination-escape round!

If you were a Greek Goddess, who do you think you would be? 

I’d be Daphne so the beautiful Apollo would only have eyes for me. 

If you could have a relationship with paranormal creature (like vampire, werewolf, or selkie men!), what creature would you most likely to have relationship with? 

Selkies of course! All three creatures have the potential to kill you, so if I’m going to die, I want to have a smile on my face. 

You constantly had dreams about a guy you have no idea whom, and then one day you suddenly bumped into him. What do you think he would say to you? 

“You’re going to think this is crazy, but I just saw a portrait of a woman from the 18th century and you look exactly like her!” 

Which one do you prefer: instant love or instant hate? 

I adore love stories, so it would have to be instant love. I’m a romantic at heart. 

Thank you for answering the question amazingly, Krista! Not that I expected less from you! ;) I think it's very interesting that Krista chooses Daphne - we all know that it's a sad love story! To add sprinkles of awesomeness to this interview, here is the book trailer for The Lure of Shapinsay! :)

Review: The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle

3.5 stars

It is not a secret that I have a thing for star-crossed lovers. Even though I sure won’t like to experience it myself, books about star-crossed lover always intrigue me. The pull is even stronger when it’s a paranormal story. So when I was presented to a chance to read a love story between a selkie and a human, how can I resist?

The Lure of Shapinsay presented a lovely story set in 1848, in an island named Shapinsay, off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Among village people, the folk of selkie men and women are passed through generations. The village people acknowledge selkie’s existence but they refuse to have anything to do with the creature. It’s not strange to find men boasting that someday they would catch a selkie woman in their net and take her as a wife, while village women are secretly dreaming of an encounter with beautiful selkie men. Kait Swanney is not one of the women. She is ignorant of the story about the selkie men’s beauty, thinking that their beauty won’t have the power to charm her. Never crossed her mind that later, she has to face a selkie men seeking for revenge.

Eamon is a very young selkie man. He mistook Kait as the murderer of a newborn selkie. He intended to take Kait’s life as the payback, but much to his surprise, he found Kait fascinating to watch. Kait’s love and yearning to the sea confuses Eamon greatly. Just like Kait who is lured by his beauty, Eamon is slowly but surely captivated by Kait’s devotion to him. Eamon is willing to give up everything for Kait, but will his selkie body survive his decision? What if their love story is fated to be another romantic tragedy?

Selkies are creatures who live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land. Selkie men are gorgeous creature and they have seductive power over human women. The Lure of Shapinsay stays faithful to the legend and I can see how great Eamon has lured Kait. I don’t think that Eamon lures Kait in purpose since he’s too young to really understand the selkie men’s power, but it’s clear that Kait is on the verge of losing her mind because of Eamon. I honestly can’t tell the difference between the effect of the lure or true love anymore in this book. It seems like Kait is affected by a form of fanatical, obsessive love which makes her willing to sacrifice her life just to be with Eamon. Even though Kait’s devotion to Eamon is quite touching (and crazy, I must say), I can forgive most of her actions because they are the result of Eamon’s magic.

In the last half part of the book, I was annoyed by Eamon’s stubbornness. His idealistic view got on my nerves, especially when he knows very well that nothing can be gained if he’s dying. Seem like the proud side of him is a characteristic of a selkie man. Eamon’s young age plays a big part in this story because without his lack of experience and reckless tendency, we won’t have this engaging love story.

Eamon and Kait’s story is sweet and moving. You can’t help but rooting
for this couple from the beginning. I also really like Tipper, the old woman who helps the couple a lot. Sadly, the other side characters are just dropped in the end, like Kait’s brother Blair or Magnum, the guy whom Kate expected to marry. It would be much better if the other characters still make appearance throughout the book.

The Lure of Shapinsay is a great book that I encourage you worth checking out. If you’re a fan of romantic story, then this is a must read! Fans of folktale and mermaid will also enjoy the story. I like Krista’s writing, so I will make sure to take a peek at her new book when it comes out!

“Your cheeks are flushed,” Eamon observed with a relaxed smile that lit up his face like the sun. He awkwardly pushed a blonde straggler behind my ear. His fingers lingered behind my neck as if they were always meant to be there. “Aren’t ye well?”

“It means I’m happy,” I said with a broad grin. “Your cheeks are splotched pink too.”

Eamon touched his cheek like it couldn’t be true then gave me a bewildered look. “Then I must be happy too.”

 Website * Goodreads * Amazon

 I rate this book:

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

A little note about The Lure of Shapinsay! 

Make sure to stop by tomorrow because I will post my interview with Krista! Find out how Krista got her inspiration to write this book and her fantastic answers to my Imagination Escape round! ♥ Plus, she's awesome enough to provide a GIVEAWAY of prize pack of The Lure of Shapinsay! Don't miss it. Tomorrow, only at Catch the Lune! Oh, and I know I start to sound like a bad TV host. Sorry, can't help it. :P