Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, while the blurb really interested me, I have been unable to get into the book.

Magical rosaries? Interesting.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(Publication date: Sept 29 2017)

3.5 stars

Characters
I don't like Catherine that much because she's always insulting people. For example, Stephen, her ex. Although sometimes he can be quite stupid, he is actually kind. He tells Catherine about how Christopher is doing when he doesn't turn up at school and even provides shelter for Catherine and Christopher when they run away from home.

As for Christopher... *sigh* hello sexy. He's Italian, and always includes Italian words in his sentences, which I find so. Hot!
I scowled at him. "You're just playing with me, aren't you?"
"Sí."
"See what?"
"I said yes in Italian. So, what do you say? Will you go out with me?"
"No, which is no in Engleeesh."

Romance
No no no no no. Christopher and Catherine have known each other for such a short time and they're already saying "I love you" to each other? No. How did that happen? Where did the chemistry go? #notfeelingthefeels

Setting
New Zealand? YAS.

More thoughts
-I'm very curious, where did Christopher's lip ring go? He "pocketed" it and never put it back on.
-I like that this story is told in multiple POVS!
-Can't wait for the second book to come out :D

I enjoyed the book but I think it could have been even better. Theplotline is good and the characters are great. This is the second time I am seeing this book though can’t remember when the first was. I would recommend this to others because you will want to know what happens. There are parts that could have been changed or omitted and it would have been just as good or better.

Maybe She’s a Stella Maris…a Pure Angel
Stella Maris was an interesting book in that it had a completely new premise to add to the angels and demons genre. I have to admit that I was a little bit unsure at first; while I was intrigued by the idea of magical rosaries that can only be activated by a race of beings called Merges (descendants of fallen angels), the start of the book was a bit Image result for Rough Kiss GIFtoo slow and repetitive for my liking. I started to wonder if I would ever get hooked on the characters or the story line…I was even considering not finishing it, since it felt like a chore to pick it up each night. But then, something happened, and suddenly I was hooked, and finished the second half of the book in one sitting. The something that happened was a passionate kiss by the lockers between Cathy and Chris, and the revelation that they were supernaturally attracted to each other, but shouldn’t be. It was that moment, when the book stopped focusing on explaining the rosaries, and stopped revolving around the cringe-worthy sexual double speak between the characters, and started focusing on the relationship between Cathy and Chris, that it really took off! Because the chemistry between them is as hot as the fire that Chris can ignite with his rosary.

Stella Maris is a little bit angels vs. demons, and a little bit Romeo and Juliet. Cathy and Chris have a forbidden love, that is too Image result for girl controling waterpowerful for either one to resist, despite the fact that Chris’ family despises Cathy since she is the bearer of a water rosary, while their family uses fire rosaries. There is also the unresolved question over whether or not someone in Chris’ family killed Cathy’s twin sister, who was found burned almost beyond recognition a few years before the events in the book take place. Chris has several demons in his family (to include his grandfather, and possibly his father), and he worries that he may also be one, while Cathy descended from a mythological race of Merges, the Stella, or pure angels. Quite a lot of baggage for a brand new couple to contend with!Image result for boy controling fire

The book ping pongs between Chris and Cathy wanting to be together, then pushing each other away to keep their own families safe, culminating in a choice for Chris in saving his grandfather or Cathy after they engage in an epic battle of magic, despite him pleading with them both not to hurt each other. It ends on a cliff hanger, promising a more action packed second installment, full of teenage angst, star crossed love, and family feuds. I would recommend this book, as long as readers keep in mind that they will have to get through a bit of a rough start, but then it becomes quite enjoyable!

❝ Mum poked her head out of the kitchen doorway, giving me a frown. She looked similar to me, just with short black hair and sky blue eyes. Mine were a strange mix of brown, green, and gold. Mum likened them to mood stones, since they constantly shifted between colors. She said they went brown when I was angry, green when I was sad, and gold when I was happy, the latter not happening much after my twin was found murdered.❞



I honestly really, really wanted to like this book. I didn’t like it very much once I saw how the main character, Catherine, reacted to anyone and everyone–I didn’t like her personality very much–but I tried to push through it. I liked the premise of the book and the cover is gorgeous, but it just didn’t cut it for me. I only made it through about a third of the book before I gave up. So, just to be clear: This is a DNF review at 35% through the book!

That being said, I can talk about the book a bit, but this won’t be a very long review (if you ignore all the quotes I’m about to drop). Let’s get into the characters first:

Catherine, as I said, was very explosive. She tended to overreact frequently and go right for an insult. I didn’t like it very much because it happened in her interactions with just about everyone she ran into. It ended up being just way too much from her. I’ll give some examples/quotes:

☆ “Don’t ever touch me again!”

☆ “I’m not your girl,” I snapped, “because if I were, I’d be your sister, you inbred freak.”

So, while I didn’t like Catherine’s personality very much, I at least found her tolerable. It was when I met Christopher that I started to have my doubts about finishing the book. But really, it was after I read a couple of chapters from his point of view that I just had to call it quits.

❝ I didn’t have any friends in this class… actually, I didn’t have any friends other than Nicky. It was because people thought I was rude. I just found it hard to talk to people who would much rather I’d died instead of Vesna.❞

With Christopher, the problem was that he was written to be just overly-sexual. He only ever noticed girls for their bodies. I couldn’t understand his instant infatuation with Catherine, and it really ended up feeling kinda… creepy and stalker-ish. Here are some examples/quotes ( “//” are for paragraph breaks, just to save space):

☆ “Chris won’t give me my pencil back” // Christopher held it out again. “I’m trying to, but she won’t take it,” he said, looking like he was forcing back a smile. “And I’m more than willing to give it to you,” he whispered the last part, his tone suggesting something he wanted to give me something entirely different.

☆ She was wearing blue jeans and a Def Leppard T-Shirt, obviously having a thing for Metal, which I liked a lot. Not because of the bands, but because the shirts hugged her breasts perfecto.

☆ Her voice was gorgeous, the slight wobble reminding me of the way Belinda Carlisle sang. And she certainly was Heaven on Earth, just not sweet-looking like Belinda. She was much, much sexier, the girl an instant hard-on.

☆ “Sorry for scaring you,” I lied, her wide-eyed look making little Christopher stand to attention. Well, he wasn’t little. I unashamedly adjusted myself, causing her eyes to drop to my package. “It’s all for you, cara.”

☆ “What the hell is wrong with you?” she spat. // “You are.” I smirked. “You gave me hard-on-itis.” // She grimaced at me. “Firstly, who says things like that? And secondly, I have no interest in your Italian salami”–she indicated to my groin–“so back off.”

☆ It sent a wave of arousal through me, so intense that I wanted to spin her around and shove her up against the lockers, kissing the hell out of her.

☆ While her long white hair gave her the aura of an angel, only her pouty lips negating her innocence. They looked like they were made for kissing, not to mention other, dirtier things.

☆ A hot girl with a chest that defied gravity, smiled at me. She was standing under a tree with another girl, blatantly eying me up, her smile a definite come-on.

❝ That rosary,” she said, indicating to it, “is a weapon against evil. Each bead on the chain has individual powers. Combined with your energy, they create magic-like occurrences.”❞



As for the actual plot, I thought it was really interesting and that’s what kept me reading as far as I did. I genuinely wanted to know more about the different rosaries and the Merges that used them. I also wanted to know what would happen with Christopher’s grandfather. Unfortunately, the plot was also dragged down by constant info-dumps. Every time something about the Merges came up you could expect pages of information to be thrown at you all at once. It made the story feel inorganic with how all this information was volunteered (usually from someone whom Catherine didn’t trust very much).

I would say that if you didn’t mind the main characters’ personalities that this book could be enjoyable. Unfortunately, I just don’t think this wasn’t for me.

Stella Maris was released on September 29th, so feel free to check it out if you’re interested.

I always enjoy Maritas books, i'm soooo glad that she came out with a new paranormal book. I'm really picky when it comes to what I read so i'm glad she brought me out of my shell with this one.

First book I read that author, but after finishing this book I'm sure won't be the last. I liked this story,And I'm not a big fan of books of this genre, but that captivated and held my attention.this book is a fast, funny, interesting read

DNFing at 25%

"He was both Heaven and Hell rolled into one sinful package, a paradox I couldn't even come close to unraveling."

Have you ever started reading a book that you felt on the fence about right from the get-go? You debate furiously with yourself whether to continue on, or, stop reading it altogether. This has been my experience with Stella Maris. After going back and forth with whether to continue or not, I've decided to call this a DNF.

While the premise itself is fascinating (and the main reason why I juggled with continuing on or not), the accompanying and expected details simply didn't flow with the main idea.

Stella Maris is about a girl named Catherine, who discovers that there are powerful beings walking the face of the earth--herself being on of them. When she is given a magical rosary, she begins to understand that there is more to the battle of "good vs. evil," and many of them attain their own magical rosaries.

Set in the 1980's in New Zealand, Catherine crosses paths with the intolerable Christopher, and Italian teen belonging to a family of Seraphs. While this remains a secret, Catherine unravels the secrets behind his "bad boy" exterior, when he accuses her of being a Maris.

Fire vs. water, angels vs. demons, good vs. evil.

For me personally, it's hard to read a book about angels, and not include the element of Biblical accuracy and respect along with it. Seeing how angels are celestial agents of God, reading angelically-depicted character's dialogue that uses the Lord's name in vain is ridiculous. Sure, this is a fantasy book, where artistic license is allowed. I get that and am for that--but don't bite the hand that feeds you! Don't disrespect that which you are trying to render!

Another issue I have is the blurred lines between the angelic and demonic. Christopher, a character I assumed to be demonic, turns out to be a seraph which is a type of fire angel. I don't even understand what purpose a fire angel would serve, seeing how they are so similar to...a demon?

Lastly, I really didn't like the over-sexualization of these "beings." Christopher is downright crude. From the moment he lays eyes on Christina, he is constantly trying to seduce her.

These three areas I discussed were what made me decide to DNF.

Vulgarity: Lots.
Sexual content: Too much for something discussing angels!
Violence: Minimal.

I will not be assigning a star review as I did not finish reading this book.

A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

A perfect coming of age, paranormal novel.

Now, wait. Hear me out. I’m not saying this is the perfect book. There are some things I object to, but I’m picking because this book is genre-perfect. When you're a teenager, looking to satisfy your book-cravings you aren’t looking for literary perfection. You’re looking for a means to escape and this is it.

The beginning of the book drops you in as Catherine returns to school, two years after the murder of her twin. There she meets book-crush, Chris Laboure, gifted with similar supernatural powers based around using the legendary rosaries.

Ok, so there are a couple of things making the book less than perfect. The beginning is repetitive. There are characters I couldn’t care less for; some of them are just annoying. Catherine is often mean without it coming across as sarcastic or funny. Why does her ex want to date her, even with a supernatural pull? I don’t know. The teenage characters talk in adverbs which is lazy. These should be dropped. Their actions show their age to us.

I’m also not sure about the use of such a faith-based superpower. It made me a little uncomfortable. Are only Catholics in this secret, supernatural world? I would have of preferred more good vs. bad, with a touch of faith. Will this put others off the book? Maybe.

That aside, the voice of this book is cute and teen-like. The plot is interesting. There is a perfect amount of ‘magic’. A third through I stopped noticing the bothersome bits losing myself in the story.

I would have loved it as a teenager. Read it. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

This book was a love-hate book at some points, but otherwise this was an excellent read and I would recommend this to anyone who likes magic and fantasy!

Thank you netgalley for an arc for my honest review.

Stella Maris was a bit repetitious at the beginning but the premise was interesting and intriguing and kept me engrossed. I loved this world the author created and I'm looking forward to delving into it once again and catching up with these characters.

If you're a fan of paranormal reads I definitely recommend it. It brings something different to the table that lovers of the genre will not only find interesting but also enjoyable.