Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Review: Angel Burn (Angel Trilogy #1) by LA Weatherly

Release date: May 24, 2011
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.
My Thoughts: Is it weird when you're reading a book and you keep thinking that the main character's name doesn't fit her?  I can't even explain why I feel this way, I just know that every time Willow's name was mentioned I did a mental head shake and thought "Nope."  Ultimately it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, it was just one of those things that kept popping up as I was reading.

Names that don't fit aside, I liked this book.  I have a weakness for books where the usual rules don't apply.  I honestly loved the idea of angels who aren't all light and fluffy and full of good will.  No, sir.  They're predatory and hungry and they've infiltrated every strata of our society as they prepare for the future.  I like that image.  I like the thought that not only are they gorging themselves on unsuspecting mortals, they're manipulating those they feed on so that they embrace them whole-heartedly.  That's creepy and shiver inducing.

I liked Alex.  I like that for the most part he thinks through his actions and has a level head.  He's deadly and he's been trained to survive.  Without him Willow would have been shark bait from the get go.  Despite fending for herself and keeping both her and her mother safe, she's remarkably ill equipped to be out on her own.  She doesn't think like a person on the run and only Alex's survival training keeps them moving in the right direction.  Speaking of running, I really enjoyed the road trip aspects of the book.  The way Alex and Willow came to a slow understanding of one another as they're cooped up together and Alex's acceptance of who Willow is set against the cross country scenery worked for me.

Although the book slowed down a bit when Alex and Willow made it to their mountain hideaway, it picked up again and the action was non-stop from that point right up to the end.  Yes, there were a lot of questions left unanswered but as the first book in a trilogy I expect that.  I liked the mythology that was laid out, I found the characters interesting and I want to see what Willow and Alex do next.

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