Jasmyn (German Edition)

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And why would he wear a wedding band as an engagement ring? And many other incidents. But overall, this book is worth reading and I highly enjoyed it.

It left me with a hunger to delve into the fantastic world of Magic once again and visit Germany. First-person narrator Jasmyn Gracey loses her husband Liam, a writer on occult subjects, to an aneurysm shortly before the novel opens.

Translation of jasmine in German

At his funeral dead swans fall from the air, harbingers of much strangeness to come. Bell skilfully depicts Jasmyn's grief, isolation and growing bewilderment as she learns that nothing in the past year has been as it appeared. Liam, a charming, daredevil thrill-seeker, stole the enchanted voice of the swan and concealed it before his death.

Now other-worldly powers seek its return and Jasmyn, accompanied by Liam's brother Ben, travels through England, the US, Germany and France in search of the "swansong". Bell's strength lies in fusing fairytale and psychological suspense in a compelling modern narrative, combined with effective characterisation - Jasmyn's loneliness and vulnerability are well-handled.

Her weakness is occasional wooden dialogue and a lack of focus in action scenes. That said, Bell charts original territory with considerable charm.

Jan 24, Jason rated it really liked it Shelves: You have a deeply depressed widow, Jasmyn as the main protagonist. She is a broken woman of 27 years of age that loses her husband after only a year of marriage. First she is plagued by weird and strange feelings, like being followed. Then the dead black swans, black roses, mysterious men, and piles of bones all turn up and her life heads into the unknown and 4 Stars This is a dark adult fairy tale that itself is based around a fairy tale. Then the dead black swans, black roses, mysterious men, and piles of bones all turn up and her life heads into the unknown and bizarre.

This is a fast read and fans of Catherynne M. Valente and even Neil Gaiman will find a lot to like in this fairy tale. The plot is very intriguing and filled with several cool twists and turns, and even though the ending becomes a bit apparent, it is still satisfying. Alex Bell writes well and her prose is competent and descriptive: I tore my eyes from the castle and glanced around at the surrounding trees, picking them out in the darkness. When a branch rustled somewhere close I turned my head sharply, for a moment genuinely expecting to see a huge, ornate sleigh come around the corner, complete with black horses and swans.

But there was nothing there and, in another moment, everything was still. The castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are right out of most fairy tales and makes this one that much more interesting and real. I enjoyed the twists and found the ending to be better than I thought that it would be.

The line between the real and the fairytale for Jasmyn made this book a lot of fun to read. I would have never thought that Swan Knights would be cool, but they were. I recommend this book to both adults and the YA crowd and look forward to reading more from Alex Bell. Jul 07, Trupti Dorge rated it really liked it Shelves: And that certain something is very unique and mystical.

The book jumps into action immediately, without wasting any time, at the end of the first chapter itself. Everyone dismisses them as a consequence of some natural disaster or a disease? Jasmyn comes to know things about her husbands past which she never knew existed. Jasmyn is very different from the many fairy tale retellings I have read.

And the end is as dramatic and grand as any action packed fantasy movie. Read it if you enjoy fast paced mysteries and fairy tales. But yes, this book will make you want to finish it in one sitting. First posted at http: I would also have appreciated, more interaction and a little more development between the characters due to the nature of the story. Because in the end it just felt like something was missing. But even so, i found the story so addictive that i have to give it a solid four stars.

Apr 16, Saya rated it it was amazing Shelves: Nom nom good book, loved. Jasmyn feels like a thriller book but with folklore and fairy tale woven through it. It relies heavily on Germanic fairy tales, as one would expect, particularly the folklore around swans. It is very easy to read - you can read upwards of pages at a time. The plot twists are enjoyable and many of the strands at the beginning are tied nicely in a bow by the end. This was a nice bit of escapism for me. Thanks, Scott, for the recommendation! Mar 07, Miss Staschia rated it it was amazing.

Feb 08, Meg rated it really liked it. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised when I read this. I remember feeling so bad for Jasmyn suddenly becoming a widow then all these unusual things start happening around her. Through twists and turns, legends and things to be found, I was very much hooked until the very ending. There was one point If you've read it you know what I mean when I had to put the book down for a good few minutes to process what I had read.

I would recommend this book for those who enjoy reading fantasy and mys I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised when I read this. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy reading fantasy and mystery. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'd seen this book around for some time and had been tempted by it - and I knew a number of my friends had read and enjoyed it. So when I learnt it was going out of print, I decided to finally buy it. However, it was one of those books that did not live up to expectations and was disappointing.

As my other half pointed out, it sounds like Alex Bell is young and still learning, finding her voice. For most of this, I was bored. In the end, I only kept reading because I wanted to see if my theory w I'd seen this book around for some time and had been tempted by it - and I knew a number of my friends had read and enjoyed it. In the end, I only kept reading because I wanted to see if my theory was right.

Three words sum up this book for me: Casual - because Jasmyn is a poor narrator and we end up with a running commentary of her day-to-day business, in that casual way you talk to those you're closest with. Frivolous - because of all the extraneous bits of information that just seemed to be in the story in a poor attempt to flesh the characters or plot out e. Jasmyn's albinism, Jasmyn seeing a faery as a child, the Violectra, the bones, the roses being black, etc. And flat - because, well, the book lacked depth.

It was a very slow start.

I felt like the first 80 pages had just been spent in Jasmyn's flat, doing nothing but grieving and wishing. Even when the plot got going, there was a surprising lack of suspense or mystery. Her flat had been broken into and turned upside down - and yet I didn't feel in any way emotionally invested. This was not one of those un-put-downable books. In my opinion, the first person POV was a mistake. We the readers only know what Jasmyn knows - and as Jasmyn knows so very little, it makes for a very one-level novel. I didn't feel like I could sink my teeth in to the fairy tale or fantasy, because most of the time we were just being strung along.

Also, the blurb gave away the main plot point that of Liam having stolen Jasmyn from Ben so it was like being strung along to reach a conclusion that I already knew. I also have a few problems with Ben's character and the relationship between himself and Jasmyn towards the end of the book: I suppose it makes for a more interesting tale but it doesn't exactly tie in when we discover that, okay yes, he's been hurting, but he's loved her all along.

As soon as the enchantment lifts, she of course falls in love with him again. BUT the fact that he WAS acting like a murderous, cold-hearted bastard is conveniently forgotten altogether. Can he even have a relationship with a human? If so, how would it work? Would they have to move to Germany to live near the lake? Because the enchantment didn't cover friends and family, they will all now think that Jasmyn has switched brothers again. That's going to make for interesting family reunions.

All in all, I felt it was a disconnected, dull novel that, although surprising in its dark twists towards the end, generally lacked depth or interest. A good idea that was not well executed. I don't think I'd recommend this. Die Geschichte ist dabei durchgehend aus der Sicht von Jasmyn geschrieben und so verfolgt man sie auf Schritt und Tritt, wie sie Liams Geheimnis auf die Spur kommt. Bis auf diesen Aspekt fand ich die Beschreibungen der Personen jedoch sehr realistisch.

Es gab zwar einige Aspekte, die weniger gut waren, jedoch macht vor allem das Ende wieder einiges wett. Jan 19, Ebony rated it really liked it.

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Jasmyn by Alex Bell is a book of myths and fairytales - fantasy in its purest form. The story starts off being about a young widower, Jasmyn Gracey, who over the course of a week is approached by various odd individuals, all asking about her recently deceased husband or for reasons unknown to her, know exactly who she is.

After some bizarre run-ins with dead swans, a black horse, and apparitions of human bones, Jasmyn finds herself joining forces with her estranged brother-in-law Ben, in order to Jasmyn by Alex Bell is a book of myths and fairytales - fantasy in its purest form. I found the plot in this novel to be good, and the story and characters kept me engaged throughout. The novel itself is not a particularly difficult read, but it is a very enjoyable one if you are fan of the fantastic with a bit of a taste for the macabre.

Despite that, I was still interested in seeing exactly how Bell managed this information, how it was parceled out to us, and what clues she left along the way.

"jasmine" translation into German

Gotta love a bit of smoke and mirrors in the plot. There were elements in the book that are fairly fairytale-like in themselves: Jasmyn's albino complexion, her ethereal violin, her connection to her music, her perfect romance with her deceased husband Liam. I did like how other elements in the book the black horse, the black swans, the red eyes etc did not have the typical color associations they would other tales. The novel was fairly fast-moving, and I enjoyed seeing things unravel from Jasmyn's perspective.

My favorite moment in the book is the grand reveal, which is done quite well. Jasmyn has revealed so many of her memories to you in the beginning, and you've gotten to see how tightly she's held on to those moments, and how they've defined who she is. The moment when the life she believes she'd lived and the life the world has seen are merge with reality was really well done. The ending was more or less what I imagined it would be as this is at its heart a fairytale , but there were moments where the ending was left in doubt. One of the things that I liked about the book, was that every character took in stride the existence of the fantasy world that had bled into their own.

It happened, they accepted it, and moved forward. There were moments where the plot could have been a bit tighter, or perhaps the elements of the story less transparent, but overall, I'd recommend this book. It was a fun read for Saturday afternoon. Feb 21, Ryan rated it really liked it. Sadly in an effort to share her genius I suggested that someone read it and they either chose not to return the book or agreed with me in my assumption of genius and greedily chose to not return the book.

Why this is relevant, well someone asked me for a referral and I immediately started digging through my books looking for it. When it failed to appear to my whims of discovery I kicked down to B-Noble, mind you at the time I had forgotten the authors name and the exact title. So here I am at B-Noble walking up and down the aisles looking for this book when I finally give up and decide to go see what had just come in for my reading pleasure. Alex Bell, whom I though was a man until I did some research is actually a 25 year old nice pillow built mommy from England.

"jasmine" in German

Jasmyn being the main character happens to be the run of the mill Albino violin player, recently a widow. During the course of mourning things start getting weird. It is fantastic, magical, and nearly seamless as I often find myself stopping a few sentences in to reread what just passed in front of my face. Jasmyn, who is oblivious to it all, must come face to face with her deceased husbands extra-curricular life.

The story starts more natural and then seems to descend into this fairy tale style that is grand and kicks you in the teeth. As if there are two stories side by side and every so often they violently cross leaving the reader wondering which path they are still on. Andeutungen werden gemacht, dass sie ihren Mann gar nicht gekannt hat. Je mehr Jasmyn der Sache auf den Grund geht, umso seltsamer wird es. Was hat Ben mit alldem zu tun?

Warum hassen so viele Menschen Liam und sind froh dass er tot ist? Die Legende von Schwanensee mal etwas anders verpackt.

Mir hat es gut gefallen, auch wenn ich mich nicht so ganz mit Jasmyn identifizieren konnte und sie mir auch niemals wirklich sympathisch wurde. Manchmal nervte das schon etwas. Er war mir dennoch wesentlich sympathischer als die doch etwas zickige Jasmyn. Jun 01, Mardel rated it really liked it.

Jasmyn is about a young woman, named Jasmyn, who has recently lost her husband Liam. She is completely devastated by the his death, so devastated that she can barely cope. On top of this, for some reason, her mother-in-law can't seem to stand Jasmyn, and her brother-in-law Ben doesn't seem to like her much either. Everytime she speaks with him he treats her like Jasmyn is already self-concious because of her looks she looks different than other people , so this is especially hard fo Jasmyn is about a young woman, named Jasmyn, who has recently lost her husband Liam.

Jasmyn is already self-concious because of her looks she looks different than other people , so this is especially hard for her to handle. Very odd things begin to happen - black swans fall out of the sky, dead, at her husbands funeral. Someone breaks into her house and trashes it. She sees an odd person at her grandparents house. There's more, but they would be spoilers.

She slowly begins to come out of her grief a bit and starts to wonder what's going on. Jasmyn ends up having to team up with Ben to try to find something. She begins hearing things about Liam that she can't believe. Ben continues to treat her like she's dirt. Jasmyn begins to fight back. The book begins with a slow build up - as you read you get a very good feel for Jasmyn's all emcompassing grief, and then you see her begin to come out of it.

In fact, throughout the book, from beginning to end, you will find complete devastation about the death, to disbelief to rage and anger about why she was left with no husband. As the build up of the story continues, every once in a while you get hit with a spooky happening, or something occurs that frightens Jasmyn. Until finally in the last section of the book all hell breaks loose. I liked reading this book.

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I usually like more action in the novels I read, but I liked the way things were laid out here. I found a few times that things felt a bit repetitive, but those were examples of Jasmyn questioning what was happening. I tend to get impatient while reading lots of internal "thinking". Jasmyn is going about her business, thinking - thinking, wondering what is going on, then WHAM!

Towards the end there is a pretty big reveal. Very good ending - In fact I thought that the last section of the book totally kicked ass. Enough that I stayed up until 5 a. Dec 31, Yolanda Sfetsos rated it it was amazing Shelves: This will definitely not be the last book I read by Alex Bell. I really like the way she tells her stories. I picked it up on Friday afternoon because I wanted to read the first chapter, just to get a taste of the story. I ended up stopping after 80 pages, and only because I had to.

I got swept away in Jasmyn's story so deeply that I all I wanted to do was keep reading. Imagine that the love of your life just up and dies one afternoon? No warning, and certainly no time to say goodbye. Well, that' This will definitely not be the last book I read by Alex Bell. Well, that's exactly what happens to Jasmyn. Her husband Liam means the world to her. They've had a wonderful life together that spans back to their childhood.

So when he dies, she's devastated. Her world falls around her and she can hardly even get up in the morning because her will to live is gone. I felt her grief and pain, and was deeply saddened by her daily struggle. However, a little while after his death, she starts to feel as if someone is watching her. A rude man she doesn't know barges into her house, demanding to see Liam. She starts to notice other strange things and people that seem to spring out of nowhere. Trying to get free of her grief and take a deep breath of life, she escapes on a short holiday to stay with a friend in California.

Instead, she gets stuck in a mystery. One that suggests the man she knew and loved isn't who she thought he was, and leads her to Germany. She then finds herself in a foreign country with the brother-in-law who hates her and is keeping a lot of his own secrets. She's never felt more alone, but what Jasmyn uncovers throws her into the middle of an ancient myth filled with the magic and wonder of faery tales that all relate directly to the same mystery.

Jasmyn is an amazing, wonderous book that will make you sad. However, most recent FSF which steer clear of the wannabe Tolkien or King Author style books appear to be dominated by American authors who focus on hunky werewolves, immortal dashing vampires etc seeking the love of an ordinary human being as their eternal love blah blah the Twilight series doesn't cover how awful these books are. Hence, I gave up on the genre as I grew older. Until I read "Jasmyn" which is the type of book that will leave you pondering long after you've read the book.

I feel it incumbent upon me to warn you that I and my friends all felt it necessary to go through the pages of the book a few times to review the details. It rendered me in a semi state of awe.

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Bell's manifestation of magic into a modern world is brilliant. Jasmyn, the principal protagonist isn't a remarkable character apart from being an Albino her language and behaviour is far too formal, prissy and irritating at times.

However, the remaining characters were brilliantly depicted and vastly redeem the book. The plot was superb. There were times when I tread through the book and thought "duuuh the clues are so obvious" e. S, and when did men start wearing engagement rings? And why would he wear a wedding band as an engagement ring? And many other incidents. But overall, this book is worth reading and I highly enjoyed it. It left me with a hunger to delve into the fantastic world of Magic once again and visit Germany. Review from the Guardian newspaper: First-person narrator Jasmyn Gracey loses her husband Liam, a writer on occult subjects, to an aneurysm shortly before the novel opens.

At his funeral dead swans fall from the air, harbingers of much strangeness to come. Bell skilfully depicts Jasmyn's grief, isolation and growing bewilderment as she learns that nothing in the past year has been as it appeared. Liam, a charming, daredevil thrill-seeker, stole the enchanted voice of the swan and concealed it before his death.

Now other-worldly powers seek its return and Jasmyn, accompanied by Liam's brother Ben, travels through England, the US, Germany and France in search of the "swansong". Bell's strength lies in fusing fairytale and psychological suspense in a compelling modern narrative, combined with effective characterisation - Jasmyn's loneliness and vulnerability are well-handled. Her weakness is occasional wooden dialogue and a lack of focus in action scenes.

That said, Bell charts original territory with considerable charm. Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us. Would you like to report poor quality or formatting in this book? Click here Would you like to report this content as inappropriate? Click here Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. View or edit your browsing history. Get to Know Us. Not Enabled Word Wise: Not Enabled Screen Reader: Enabled Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item Would you like to tell us about a lower price?

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