Still(Still # 1) by Camilla Monk Book Review

It always started like this, a pulse inside me, like a warning before the tide surged, roared… and froze everything. 

Twenty-year-old Emma just landed in Rome, to find the father who walked out of her life more than a decade ago and was too busy eating pizza to call. Traveling with her is a secret she’s carried alone since childhood: sometimes, around her, time stops. People and cars freeze, rain hangs still in the air and there’s only her left in the silence.

To make things worse, instead of her dad, Em runs into a past she’d rather forget in the person of Lily, her step-sis. Kind, Harvard honors student Lily: the perfect daughter Em never was. As the two of them reconnect, Em starts to pick up some creepy vibes from Katharos, the mysterious archaeological foundation Lily works for—and more specifically the ancient stone table they’re digging up near the Coliseum…

Faust, the blind hobo Em keeps running into, might be the key to piercing Katharos’s secrets. Actually, he might even have something to do with that time-freezing thing. With Lily’s life on the line and no one else to turn to, Em chooses to trust this unlikely ally, but behind his charming smile and lunar antics, the guy comes with some serious fine print…

Still is a mysterious, breath-taking novel that is far from interesting—it’s more than that—it’s very fascinating, well-written and a timeless piece that you will love from beginning to end.  

It took me three hours to finish this book—after I find myself creating a review and emailing the author to ask permission—all in just half-a-day. Yup, that’s how good this book is. I’ve got a very bad habit of reading a book until I finished it, with no regards even if I’m at work, or inside the fast-food chain—especially if I find the book very interesting—and this book is far from interesting—it’s more than that, it’s very fascinating, well-written and a timeless piece that you will love from beginning to end.

Well, the story was written in the eyes of Emma, a teen who flew to Rome to look for her dad. Apparently, she met her step-sis there named Lily, who is a smart kid, appreciated and loved by everyone around her, unlike Emma. So, I think it is safe to say that Emma is unwanted, and just like any normal teenager, she wanted to be loved and appreciated, too… Unfortunately, Emma is not your typical teenager—there were moments in her life where she felt the things around her stood still, like the time around her stopped. Yeah—the title itself depicts one of the mysterious scenes in the story—and that is where, my dear friends, the story begins.

The author had an ability to describe the characters and the setting flawlessly that reading this book feels like you are walking into her book. So, let’s talk about the characters, the characters were a handful, but given that they all exist for a reason and they play important roles, I assure you that you won’t get confused or get lost.

In terms of the plot, well, the author was able to highlight some mythology in the story, and unfortunately, I didn’t know who is Faust, and according to Google, Faust is a character in a German legend that made a pact with the devil. So, I’m thinking that the author tweaks the history of Faust for this book and relates it to Greek mythology. Uhm, I’m not sure, really. (feel free to correct me, guys, even to our loving author— feel free to!) And if I’m correct about that, the author had skillfully created a new Faust—and it’s perfect.

And speaking of Faust, this is the only story that I was able to read that one of the protagonists is a hobo. A blind hobo that is well, I’m not sure if I can call him handsome or hot because, from the former books I read, the criteria for getting hot is being naked. lol Just kidding! Hahaha. This book is free from those bed scenes and honestly, a blind hobo who takes good care lot of cats is already good-looking for me. What kind of man these days do take good care of cats? Lol. Haha 😊

Another thing I would like to appreciate in this book is that yes, there were some innuendos, playful jokes but still, there is no sex or fuckery in this book. I mean, yes, I read erotica books but this book—this novel just proves that a book doesn’t need sex to be good for crying out loud! That is one of the best things about this book, and with that, I would gladly recommend this book to everyone. 

DISCLAIMER: I requested for an ARC of this book in NetGalley and I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review. The description and the cover of the book had caught my attention.

Still by Camilla Monk received a rating of five–heavenly book goodness! I highly recommend this book.  It is worth a read and I assure you, you would love to read it again, and again.

So let me share with you my favorite quote from the book:

“Time can’t be stolen, only given.” -Faust, Still by Camilla Monk

I don’t know but for me, the quote has some deeper meaning, like in a relationship, no such thing as a stolen time works like, “I went here in your office to stole some of your time so we can be together.” Yeah, that maybe sound cheesy but nope, the time together was not stolen, it was given to you because he prioritizes you… Can anyone of you get my point? Just a matter of priorities… Wait, why am I explaining this to you? lol.

   Book Title: Still

   Author: Camilla Monk

  Published Date: February 28, 2018

  Publisher: Yaypub

   ISBN: 1980383146

  Buy on Amazon

Camilla Monk is a virtually unknown author who somehow tricked a bunch of people into publishing books about ostriches and killer platypuses.

A French native who grew up in a Franco-American family, she taught English and French in Tokyo before returning to France to work in advertising. After ten years spent building rickety websites for financial companies, she now lives and writes in Montreal, where she keeps a close watch on the squirrels and complains of a daily basis about the egregious number of Tim Hortons.
Her writing credits include the English resumes and cover letters of a great many French friends, and some essays as well. She’s also the critically acclaimed author of a few passive-aggressive notes pasted in her building’s elevator.

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