ARC Review: Angel by L.A. Weatherly

I was very skeptical when I first saw the blurb on the back of the book. "L.A. Weatherly reinvents the Angels!" In what other way can these creatures of light be re-written? Surely, it has been done before!

Then I read the first five pages. Clearly, I was wrong.

Title: Angel
Author: L.A. Weatherly
Pages: 512

Summary:

In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he's found one that might deserve mercy. Alex is a ruthless assassin - of angels. Forget everything you've heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel...until he meets Willow. She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow...with devastating consequences.

Forget about what you know about Angels. Forget about them being nice and kind, the saviour of human beings. Forget all of that. Because in this book, Angels are anything but kind. They are cruel, heartless beings feasting on human energy to survive.

Angels live in a world like ours, but it's slowly dying. The energy on which they feed on, ether, isn't enough to sustain life much longer. And so came The Invasion. And when the angels came, the destruction of humans and the world began. Beautiful creatures of light, and yet after they feed, the humans get angel burn, developing diseases at an alarming rate, and sometimes, insanity.

A very clever take on Angels, don't you think?

The female lead, Willow, grew up fatherless, with a mother who might as well not be there, contented to stay within the world of her dreams. As a result, Willow had learned how to look after herself at a young age. At seventeen, she was the Queen of the weirdos at school, having a weird fashion sense and only a friend who doesn't believe she has the ability to give readings. But Willow is the real thing. She sees things. She's a psychic. But little does Willow know that she's more than that.

Because Willow is an angel. A half-angel, that is. She's the one anomaly that never should have happened.

Killing angels has been Alex's job. It was the one thing he knew how to do ever since he was little. It was what he was raised to do. And Willow is his next target.

Told in the alternating views of Willow and Alex with a help of a third person POV, I especially admired the feeling of thrill and the sense of danger and urgency you get while reading. The suspense sustained throughout the novel will keep you from reading, anticipating each and every move Willow and Alex make as they make their escape from the clutches of the Angels.

Action-packed and emotionally charged, Angel is a book that you shouldn't miss! It's full of twists and a plot that will keep you guessing to the very end. L.A. Weatherly provided a much needed make-over to the creatures that we have learned to love in our novels.

The healthy amount of action and adventure is a perfect backdrop for the romance that slowly blossomed between Willow and Alex. I really admire authors who can write a combination of romantic scenes that can make you squirm with delight and situations that will leave you at the edge of your seat at the same time. L.A. Weatherly has managed to do that in a very stunning way.

The fact that it wasn't love at first sight between the two leads made the story more believable. They hated each other because of who they are, but as they spend the days together, brought into each other's paths by the circumstances, they gradually found themselves falling for each other. One of the many points that I love in the story was how both Alex and Willow had learned to accept who and what they are. They have learned to see past their differences and gave each other a chance.

The character building and background of both Willow and Alex was solidly written as we get glimpses of their lives told throughout the story. They both had to grow up even before they had the chance to enjoy their lives, and have faced hardships no kid their age shouldn't have. I very much admire the strength of character they both portray.

Between both characters, I feel for Alex more. He was brought up to be an AK (Angel Killer) and nothing else mattered other than that. The Angels took everything from him literally. They killed his mother, then his father and his brother. His desire to rid the world of these abominal creatures kept him from having a normal childhood, let alone a normal life. He never even knew what school is like, what it felt like to go to proms and attend classes. He's seen a lot in his young life, and like Willow, had that "old-before-his-time" look. He's the character I sympathize with the most.

The story definitely has enough room for a sequel, with the major conflict yet to be resolved fully. I am very much looking forward to the next book! And with that, I am giving this five butterflies!

My rating

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:

I very much like the cover of the ARC, but I am not feeling the cover for the finished copy. Although the cover was a very visual image of a dark version of an Angel, its not something I find attractive.