Book Review: Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly

Vampires and werewolves are so last year. Nowadays, angels and demons appear to have dominated YA bookshelves, from Laini Taylor's "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" to Susan Ee's "Penryn and the End of Days" series. One of the most thrilling paranormal series I've read in a while is L.A. Weatherly's "Angel" trilogy, which is chock full of romance, action and excitement--what more could you ask for? "Angel Fever" is the climactic finale to the series, whisking us away for one last angel-butt-kicking adventure.

Things don't seem good for the Angel Killers. Millions of people live in Edens, "refugee" camps set up by the angels who use them as feeding grounds. Raziel is more powerful than ever, tightening his hold on angels and humans alike. Yet in the face of these hellish odds, Willow and Alex aren't giving up, recruiting and training new Angel Killers for the perfect moment to strike the angels and rid humanity of the parasitic creatures forever. But when a game-changing revelation sends Alex on a separate journey, one that leaves Willow bereft and confused, each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. With the end of the celestial battle drawing near, the stakes are higher than ever--but will love and humanity survive?

Clearly one of the most important things an author must do when writing the final book of a series is wrap things up, tie loose ends and leave nothing dangling--yet, at the same time, keep things fresh and exciting, so it's not all about checking off the things that had been built up in the previous books. I think Ms. Weatherly does a great job with this in the storyline of "Angel Fever," giving her readers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy while maintaining the excitement until the very end. She does this by introducing new challenges and revelations for Alex and Willow, allowing for the developments of both the plot and the characters. I especially loved seeing more of Willow's mom, since she'd kind of been a rather quite character in the first two books. That being said, however, I do think that the middle parts of the novel were a little too static in terms of the storyline, but luckily not enough to make me lose interest completely and yawn and stuff my Kindle under the covers. Another thing that strikes me in retrospect was that the storyline was a tad bit predictable. I mean, it's quite obvious that Alex won't die--it was just a matter of when he was going to pop back up. Another example is how Willow saved the world (again, this much is obvious). Okay, maybe it wasn't predictable, but it wasn't as dramatic as it could be. Other than that, though, a definitely satisfying conclusion!

Moving on to the characters in "Angel Fever." Let's start off with Willow. As the heroine of the novel, I think Willow's a pretty good protagonist in that she's not the whiny, annoying type. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands, and, on a more personal level, finally completely accepts her identity as a half-angel. What's more, I found that I kind of respected Willow in the novel. Even when she's dealing with confusion and heartbreak in the aftermath of Alex's supposed death, Willow remains honest with herself for the most part, and I found myself going "you go girl" with the way she handled Alex's reappearance. As for Alex, I had pretty conflicting feelings for him. Sure, his love for Willow is clear and sweet without being overly cloying, but he was kind of a coward, breaking a pretty important promise to Willow, which made me question just how much he trusted her as an equal in their relationship. But I suppose the plot wouldn't have been as exciting or emotionally driven if it hadn't been for his jerk move. So I guess you're off the hook, Alex.

The rest of the characters were fairly great as well. Seb is a pretty likable guy, and his unrequited love for Willow makes him a sympathetic character. I'm glad Ms. Weatherly gave him a happy ending though, because, I mean, it's about time! Raziel, in my opinion, was just an okay bad guy. Yeah, he's undeniably evil and cruel and all that, but I felt like he was just that--evil and cruel. Nothing more. He does seem to show some kind of longing or nostalgia for Miranda, Willow's mom, but not enough to make him become one of those bad guys you sort of empathize with. All I'm saying is that he could've been a much more interesting antagonist had be had more dimension to him. Speaking of Miranda, I really found her character interesting to read about, as I'd said before, since she'd been a side character for the first two books. I just wish we had seen more of her, maybe through more interaction with Willow.

All in all, Ms. Weatherly fulfills her readers' expectations for a good conclusion to her "Angel" trilogy, giving us an exciting storyline and dynamic protagonists. I'd recommend this series for anyone looking for a fun, celestial read--it's worth it!

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Review: Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

With Christmas fast approaching and the temperature dropping in all its wintry glory, it's really the perfect atmosphere to just curl up in a nice, warm bed with a good book. I was in the mood for some heartwarming romance as well as for some heartstopping action, and, luckily for me, L.A. Weatherly's "Angel Fire", the sequel to "Angel Burn", was ready to read on my new Kindle Fire (!!!). "Angel Fire" picks up right where the first book left off, and hardly ever drops the ball. (Warning: spoilers for "Angel Burn" in the synopsis!)

Willow and Alex are still both on the run, fugitives from their failed attempt at stopping Raziel and the other angels from literally taking over the world. A half-angel and an Angel Killer, or AK for short, isn't the most likely pair, but together, connected by an unbreakable bond of love and trust, they travel to Mexico City to seek refuge. When Alex discovers a group of fledgling AKs, he knows it's up to him to whip them into shape--and fast. The Seraphic Council of Twelve has come to moderate the angels' reckless feeding on the humans, and Raziel is plotting to get rid of them so that he can truly have his way. On top of this, Seb, a mysterious half-angel who's been looking for another of his kind his entire life, shows up one day, and it's only a matter of time before Willow and Alex's life together is put to the ultimate test.

It's always interesting to see how characters change and develop--or don't--in sequels. I do have to admit that I found Willow kind of flat, just like she was in "Angel Burn". Sure, she's nice and likable, but there wasn't anything that made her a particularly awesome or engaging heroine. There's no flaw to her--except for her humanity (wait, that didn't come out right, did it?)--and really she just doesn't change much at all. I think this was one issue I had in the previous book as well. Willow's not too boring, just very static and not very interesting. Alex, on the other hand, was more of a dynamic character than his girlfriend--again, just like in "Angel Burn". I loved how some of the chapters were presented from his point of view, because I felt like I got to know him more as a person rather than simply a strong, romantic hottie from Willow's eyes. Instead, I saw the struggles he faced with all the problems he was presented with: Willow and Seb, Kara, leading the AKs, his past. I definitely think that the person I find myself leaning to more (and this is not because he's male) is Alex, and it's a shame because Willow is a likable character, just boring.

Another character that spiced things up a little bit is Seb. I was a little unsure about how I felt about this obvious love triangle between him, Willow and Alex, but I think Ms. Weatherly did a good job with making sure that their relationships didn't fall into one of those ridiculously annoying triangles where the girl just can't make up her mind and ends up playing with them both. Seb didn't overstep his bounds, and I liked how he's a fresh character--and a half-angel, no less. There were times when his charm and wit did fall flat a little and he became your typical caring guy, but it wasn't too bad.

The plot of "Angel Fire" was quite engaging throughout the entire book, with interesting twists and turns. However, I found myself skimming over a lot of the parts--they simply weren't necessary. There was too much of the characters' thought process, when it would have been a lot more fun and fast-paced if Ms. Weatherly had skipped over or condensed some of this and continued with the next event in the plot. Nonetheless, the storyline wasn't boring, it was just a little slow-paced at some parts. The actual plot was fun and full of action, and I could really visualize what was going on throughout the chapters.

All in all, "Angel Fire" is a decent sequel, with an interesting storyline and cast of new characters that helped spice things up a little. I love Alex and Willow's relationship, which was sweet and believable and didn't fall to the trap of the typical YA romance love triangle. Worth a quick read!

Rating: 3.5/5 (I know I'm being picky with all these half-ratings, but it's what best relays my thoughts!)

Book Review: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

It seems that angels are the new vampires. There was "Halo" by Alexandra Adornetto, the "Fallen" series by Lauren Kate, the "Hush, Hush" series by Becca Fitzpatrick, and "Sweet Evil" by Wendy Higgins, just to name a few. I'm pretty sure there are a buttload more out there in the literary world. The one thing that never disappoints me is the cover. Angel books never fail to have beautiful, breathtaking covers that grab your attention from the get-go. "Angel Burn" by L.A. Weatherly, the first book of the "Angel" trilogy, was certainly no exception. It makes me wish I had golden hair that shone in the sunlight and floated in some gust of ethereal wind. Putting aesthetics aside--they do say "don't judge a book by its cover"!--I loved the new take on angels. But I'll get back to that in just one second.

Alex Kylar is an Angel Killer, or AK for short. He's been trained ever since he was young to track, fight and kill. In a world where angels are not benign celestial creatures but fierce hunters who feed off humans, the AKs are the only thing standing between angels and humans. And then there's Willow. Sixteen-year old Willow Fields has never fit into school. Some things about her just don't make fitting in easy. Her mom is lost in her own world, her dad left before she was born, and her aunt constantly complains about having to provide for the two. On top of all that, she's a psychic, though she doesn't know where such a power comes from. When Alex is sent to assassinate his next target, he has no idea that he's about to discover that nothing is as it seems.

As I was saying before, Ms. Weatherly's spin on angels was fresh and made for an interesting, unique story. The entire idea of having angels as malicious leeches who sucked away human life forces was something I hadn't encountered in a book before, and I liked the Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-esque romantic tension between Alex the Angel Killer and Willow the Clairvoyant. The intricacy of the battle between AKs and these heavenly beings also allowed for great background stories behind the two protagonists.

Speaking of which, I found Willow to be a fairly likable character who's a genuinely sweet girl with a slightly tough edge to her. I liked the quirk of her interest in engines and mechanics, though I felt like it was kind of thrown in there to make her seem more special. The more tomboy/eclectic side of Willow could have been developed and exploited a little further so that she became even more likable and realistic. She just seemed a little too perfect to me. The same goes for Alex. He did have a more dynamic character, with a caring, vulnerable side on one hand and the bad-ass assassin on the other, but he just seemed a bit too idealized. Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of a perfect, attractive, truly kind boy, but what about his flaws? That being said, if the 'flaw' was being a jerk who's actually sweet on the inside, I think that would've made him a little too much of a stock character, but it'd be interesting to see what kind of human shortcomings each of these protagonists had.

The relationship between Willow and Alex seemed a tad too 'struck-by-lightning-I-love-his-eyes-and-I'm-being-sucked-into-his-soul' from the very beginning, but it really developed into something sweet and believable. I went "awwww" as I imagined the two together in some scenes! Though I do have to admit that I cringed when Alex called her "baby" at one point.

"Angel Burn" is one of those YA novels that brings you on an easy, enjoyable ride. It's definitely worth checking out when things are too stressful at school or in life in general, and I'll be sure to check out the sequel "Angel Fire", which, thankfully, is already out! Check back sometime for that review.

Rating: 4/5

P.S. I couldn't resist--isn't the cover amazing? Interested to see how it turns out!