4. kol 2014.

Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak

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Book summary:
An opium-addicted beauty.An infamous poet living in self-imposed exile.An ancient treasure about to fall into the wrong hands.
Melanie Karsak's Chasing the Star Garden takes readers on a thrilling adventure from the gritty opium dens of gaslamp London to the gem-colored waters of the ancient world. Lily Stargazer, a loveable but reckless airship racer with a famous lover and shattered past, reluctantly plunges into a centuries-old mystery in a romantic adventure best described as Dan Brown meets Mary Shelley.
It all begins on one of the worst days of Lily’s life. She just lost the London leg of the 1823 Airship Grand Prix. To top it off, a harlequin fleeing from constables shoved a kaleidoscope down her pants, told her to fly to Venice, then threw himself from her airship tower. What’s a girl to do? For Lily, the answer is easy: drink absinthe and smoke opium. 
Lily’s lover, Lord Byron, encourages her to make the trip to Venice. Lily soon finds herself at the heart of an ancient mystery which has her running from her past and chasing true love and the stars along the way.
         This was one of those books I kept seeing around and every time the cover really blew me away. So you can only imagine my happiness when this book appeared free on Amazon. I grabbed it right away and jumped into this world.

          I cannot say that at the start this book seemed like something that at the end I'd enjoy much. It started off with a heroine who wasn't someone to be admired. Even though she was an admirable airship racer still she lived a life with many sins. Not to mention when Lord Byron jumped into this story (Yes, that Lord Byron) I didn't know what to expect. But slowly I got to meet Lily better and hear her story which then made me feel for her and understand her behavior and action. She wasn't one of the ladies you read about in Romantic poetry, those that are only muses, but Lily is rather new age woman. She is capable and really good at what she is doing. Just that makes her different and really accessible character.

         As this story went on I found myself more and more intrigued by it. It was so amazing how suddenly astrology mixed in all this, together with old Greek legends and myths. It all made a really nice whole which didn't lack explanations. It seemed real in my eyes. There is also that dose of romance which was different but still love was built up and not there out of sudden.

        Only thing that I had problems with here were those "adult parts" at the start. It did fit the characters but somehow it felt off for me.

Rating: 4 stars. 

Until the next time,

Broj komentara: 28:

  1. This sounds really good! Even if the heroine is a bit annoying at the beginning, I'm glad she eventually came through and had some character growth. :) I love the sound of the originality in this story, and can't wait to possibly give it a try. Thanks for sharing Tanja, and, as always, BRILLIANT review! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

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    1. It was nice to see her grow and understand her better. Thanks, Zoe :)

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  2. It reminds me of The Cuckoo's Calling. The cover, I mean. Maybe it's the colours :D YAY for a free read! ;) Lord Byron? REALLY? LOL! I'm glad that Lily had this new edge to her. And good thing you got enticed with the book soon. YAYYYY! Astrology is super fun imo ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the books so much, lovely!

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    1. Hmm, yeah I see it too. Yes, one and only :D Thanks, Siiri :)

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  3. Wow, I must say the novel's cover is really eye-catching with a certain beauty to it. Glad to hear Lily really stood out as a modern character!

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  4. This is the first time I'm hearing about this book, but it looks intriguing. I like the sound of Lily as a character. She seems like an easy character to root for. Also astrology? How interesting!
    I'm glad you enjoyed this, Tanja!

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    1. Yes and they are really following starts, consolations and stuff! :) Thanks, Nick :)

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  5. LOVE that cover Tanja, I can see why it immediately intrigued you! I'm glad that despite a bit of a rocky start, you ended up enjoying this one overall and got to know Lily a bit. I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology as well, so I'm excited elements of it are woven through as well. Fabulous review!

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  6. I agree, that cover is divine. Whoever took a shot of that, and then edited it to absolute perfection deserves an award, or better yet, a promotion, lol! And there's astrology in the mix! Astrology is such a fasincating subject, and I always do a little celebratory jig when it's incorporated in a book. I hope this still is available!!

    Faye at The Social Potato Reviews

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    1. I totally agree. We should do something about that. Thanks, Faye :)

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  7. The mythology and astrology combo sound like a match made in heaven, and I do love slow burn romance. Plus, you're right! That cover is hard to resist. Great review, Tanja!

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  8. It's nice to see that in a whole you had a great time even if you didn't expect that. I heard great things about this one and I love the cover.

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  9. haven't heard much about this one, but it sounds like a read that keep you on the edge of your seat

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  10. I do admit the cover is awesome. And free? WOOT. Also, I'm glad you ended up liking this book even if it wasn't of your liking at the beginning. Well, I'm curious about those 'adult' parts. LOL
    Lovely review, Tanja! :)

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    1. Sadly it's free no longer :( Yeah, you know what I mean :D Thanks, Lola :)

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  11. GAH. I keep moving this book up my TBR, then forgetting about Lord Byron, and shoving it back down, LOL. MUST remember Lord Byron! Thanks for the reminder, Tanja! Great review ;)

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    1. LOL You must remember Lord Byron *hypnosis* Always, Jess ;)

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  12. ohh the cover looks really pretty! i like it, really! :)

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  13. Yes! What a gorgeous cover! Trust me, I would read the book solely for the cover. The MC being annoying is slightly irritating, but to make up for that, you seem have found the story interesting. And hahaha, Tanja! "Adult parts"? Hahaha! Guess I'll have to find that out on my own. Nice review! And yes, sadly, I *hides* do *covers face with hands* not *super anxious* know *scared* Lod Byron! Ok. That's it. You can kill me now.

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

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  14. The cover is really gorgeous! The blurb sounded confusing to me and I didn't really get what was going on from there. But if you say its good it must get clearer plot wise. I will go check it out and see if it is still free!

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