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faiththompson416's review
4.0
*SYNOPSIS*
Brielle has just returned to her small town of Stratus, Oregon, after a life-changing disaster in Portland rocked her world. Broken-hearted and unable to shake bitter cold, she goes back to high school in an attempt to normalize herself.
Here she meets the new boy, Jake, who's kind and charismatic and has the warmest hands she's ever felt. He tells her of an alternate reality: one with angels and demons and spiritual warfare. And only Brielle can see it.
As the mystery of what happened that night in Portland becomes unraveled, Brielle must question all that she believes - but how is she to judge what is really happening in her life?
WHAT I LIKED
-Brielle. She was a strong female character, but not so overly strong that she came across as unrealistic. Her gifts had good explanations, and she sees what is happening in her life in a way that feels very realistic to what someone in her shoes would feel.
-Jake. He's just so sweet and - not perfect, but pretty close. That's the kind of boyfriend I'd want someday. (Just sayin'.) He understands better than Brielle what is happening, and I liked the way he ran off in the middle of a conversation to go pray.
-The writing was gorgeous! Sure, the dialogue was somewhat unrealistic, but it made sense with the writing style of the story. I'm not complaining.
-The mystery's pacing was great, and the unreliability of Brielle's narration in not knowing what was going on made the twists really come out of nowhere.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of God. It openly advertises itself as a "Christian book", complete with angels, demons, supernatural signs, and other such things. But God himself (especially Jesus) seems incredibly absent. This was troubling, especially with the premise being what it was.
That was about all I didn't like!
There's my review of this book. It was really a sweet story and I need to get my hands on the rest of the books in the trilogy. I totally recommend it! Just take it with a grain of salt if you're looking for Christian fiction with Jesus all over it.
Brielle has just returned to her small town of Stratus, Oregon, after a life-changing disaster in Portland rocked her world. Broken-hearted and unable to shake bitter cold, she goes back to high school in an attempt to normalize herself.
Here she meets the new boy, Jake, who's kind and charismatic and has the warmest hands she's ever felt. He tells her of an alternate reality: one with angels and demons and spiritual warfare. And only Brielle can see it.
As the mystery of what happened that night in Portland becomes unraveled, Brielle must question all that she believes - but how is she to judge what is really happening in her life?
WHAT I LIKED
-Brielle. She was a strong female character, but not so overly strong that she came across as unrealistic. Her gifts had good explanations, and she sees what is happening in her life in a way that feels very realistic to what someone in her shoes would feel.
-Jake. He's just so sweet and - not perfect, but pretty close. That's the kind of boyfriend I'd want someday. (Just sayin'.) He understands better than Brielle what is happening, and I liked the way he ran off in the middle of a conversation to go pray.
-The writing was gorgeous! Sure, the dialogue was somewhat unrealistic, but it made sense with the writing style of the story. I'm not complaining.
-The mystery's pacing was great, and the unreliability of Brielle's narration in not knowing what was going on made the twists really come out of nowhere.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of God. It openly advertises itself as a "Christian book", complete with angels, demons, supernatural signs, and other such things. But God himself (especially Jesus) seems incredibly absent. This was troubling, especially with the premise being what it was.
That was about all I didn't like!
There's my review of this book. It was really a sweet story and I need to get my hands on the rest of the books in the trilogy. I totally recommend it! Just take it with a grain of salt if you're looking for Christian fiction with Jesus all over it.
rebelbooks101's review
slow-paced
3.0
This book was okay for the most part. I did enjoy it. The characters were entertaining. I found one of my new favourite book boyfriends which was a bit surprising because this wasn't my favourite book ever and it did take me a while to get through. Some parts I did get bored and I wouldn't want to read it and know what happens next sometimes. At one point I was debating putting it down and trying again later but I am glad I pushed through. The second half of the book was a lot more entertaining than the first half which made me fly through it. I am excited to read the next book, hoping it's similar to the second half of this one and I also saw we get to see from jake's pov in the second one which I'm excited about since I love him! Overall this was a decent read and I do plan on reading the next book to see what happens next.
lisa_the_bookdragon's review
5.0
This was an engrossing, exciting, captivating story :D It had a bit of a "Twilight" feel to it - but in a good way. If you can imagine that.
The whole thing about angels and demons was beyond interesting. Usually when books have an extra point of view - not one of the mcs' - I jump it. I was expecting to skip the demon Damien's pov as well, but nope. Too interesting. #extrapoints
I'm always a little ... careful ... reading about the supernatural in fiction ... supernatural which is real. I want it to be rightly portrayed, and in this case, I feel that it was. Obviously we don't know the details about angels' and demons' lives and much of this came out the author's imagination but the idea was right. It shows the spiritual realm + the unseen battles going on. And it's interesting, because while this wasn't "real", it is "real". (i.e. This is fiction - but such things could be taking place. I believe such forces DO EXIST. ) We don't actually know all this could happen, but it brought a good kind of awareness. Do I usually think about what is going on in the sky? #nope. And as a story - as a plot - as characters - these were fascinating and unlike anything I've read before.
Brielle was a nice character. It was interesting that a lot of important information about her was in her past. The story started here - but the backstory was oh, so important. It was a great character arc about brokenness and believing and healing. And she was a talented girl - and I like heroines who ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING. Who have specialty. And Jake was just perfect. Sweet and good and selfless. (So maybe you'll complain about too much perfection but this time I don't care ;D)
I liked those little side details along the way. About school and the classroom and her home and dad and the food and donuts and cars and photos and bedrooms ... it made it feel so everyday and real and relatable. I could visualize it so well. It brought a wonderful realism to it.
This dealed with choices and healing and brokenness and truth and eyes being opened. Great themes. And I think the themes were really symbolized and personified in Jake's and Brielle's gifts. It was pure awesome.
And the view of God + the spiritual was different that usual - because most of it was from the angels' and demons' perspective. That was really new and ... good.
The major conflict/problem had to do with human trafficking. A harsh subject but to me - a kind of awareness-raising, interesting, different, eye-opening kind of issue/conflict. And that is just how I saw it. It wasn't as if the author was blatantly trying to make her readers aware of this - it just naturally flowed out of the story. And so I am pleased. But it's a mature issue, so maybe a 13+ recommendation? If you/the potential reader is under that age use your own judgement :D
The interactions, the dialogue, the plot, the conflict, the action, the flashbacks, the mystery, the daily life, the supernatural, all wove together beautifully to create a wonderful and engaging story - slightly intriguing and a bit disturbing in a good way. It left many thoughts behind.
4 1/2 stars. I highly recommend :D
The whole thing about angels and demons was beyond interesting. Usually when books have an extra point of view - not one of the mcs' - I jump it. I was expecting to skip the demon Damien's pov as well, but nope. Too interesting. #extrapoints
I'm always a little ... careful ... reading about the supernatural in fiction ... supernatural which is real. I want it to be rightly portrayed, and in this case, I feel that it was. Obviously we don't know the details about angels' and demons' lives and much of this came out the author's imagination but the idea was right. It shows the spiritual realm + the unseen battles going on. And it's interesting, because while this wasn't "real", it is "real". (i.e. This is fiction - but such things could be taking place. I believe such forces DO EXIST. ) We don't actually know all this could happen, but it brought a good kind of awareness. Do I usually think about what is going on in the sky? #nope. And as a story - as a plot - as characters - these were fascinating and unlike anything I've read before.
Brielle was a nice character. It was interesting that a lot of important information about her was in her past. The story started here - but the backstory was oh, so important. It was a great character arc about brokenness and believing and healing. And she was a talented girl - and I like heroines who ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING. Who have specialty. And Jake was just perfect. Sweet and good and selfless. (So maybe you'll complain about too much perfection but this time I don't care ;D)
I liked those little side details along the way. About school and the classroom and her home and dad and the food and donuts and cars and photos and bedrooms ... it made it feel so everyday and real and relatable. I could visualize it so well. It brought a wonderful realism to it.
This dealed with choices and healing and brokenness and truth and eyes being opened. Great themes. And I think the themes were really symbolized and personified in Jake's and Brielle's gifts. It was pure awesome.
And the view of God + the spiritual was different that usual - because most of it was from the angels' and demons' perspective. That was really new and ... good.
The major conflict/problem had to do with human trafficking. A harsh subject but to me - a kind of awareness-raising, interesting, different, eye-opening kind of issue/conflict. And that is just how I saw it. It wasn't as if the author was blatantly trying to make her readers aware of this - it just naturally flowed out of the story. And so I am pleased. But it's a mature issue, so maybe a 13+ recommendation? If you/the potential reader is under that age use your own judgement :D
The interactions, the dialogue, the plot, the conflict, the action, the flashbacks, the mystery, the daily life, the supernatural, all wove together beautifully to create a wonderful and engaging story - slightly intriguing and a bit disturbing in a good way. It left many thoughts behind.
4 1/2 stars. I highly recommend :D
rigel's review
3.0
Just a basic angel Christian mythology book, nothing special. Just be aware that the last ΒΌ of the book gets very preachy and that throughout the entire book Brielle believes that being patronized is sweet and a good thing. A.k.a. she's not a very strong female MC.
lyndsayp93's review
4.0
Very emotional book. It brings in very real issues of human trafficking and the miss conception of God. Overall very powerful messages and excited to read the next book!
angelwolf45's review
5.0
This book was fantastic.
This book is about a girl named Brielle and she moves back to her dads place after going to the city to follow her dreams goes bad. When she moves back home she meets a new boy and things and her final year of high school is not going to be what she expects.
This book was just amazing with the fact that it has angels in it and demons. This is the first in a series and it was amazing.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters in this book. It was a different read for me considering that I have not read too many books that had angels in it.
It was the second book, i think, that I have read that has angels in it and I really enjoyed it.
I liked where she took the story and that it was a christian fantasy. I was blown away by the book.
This book is about a girl named Brielle and she moves back to her dads place after going to the city to follow her dreams goes bad. When she moves back home she meets a new boy and things and her final year of high school is not going to be what she expects.
This book was just amazing with the fact that it has angels in it and demons. This is the first in a series and it was amazing.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters in this book. It was a different read for me considering that I have not read too many books that had angels in it.
It was the second book, i think, that I have read that has angels in it and I really enjoyed it.
I liked where she took the story and that it was a christian fantasy. I was blown away by the book.
meero's review
4.0
I liked the writing style, I LOVED Jake, and Brielle was a fine heroine, this would have been 4.5 if the end hasn't annoyed me so.
bstaats's review
4.0
Today I have my review for Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore as part of the blog tour for Shannon's debut novel! I've been really excited for this one ever since I discovered it on Goodreads a few months back. And I'm so glad that it lived up to my expectations!
Reasons to Read:
1.Shannon's effective way of writing:
I quickly noticed how precise the language Shannon uses is when I started reading Angel Eyes; not only does it flow so well, but it's as if each and every word has been carefully thought over and selected so as to best convey the meaning and imagery she's picturing. It brings the entire story to life, and completely immerses you in Brielle's frame of mind. And this is something so rare and skillful, that Shannon easily deserves praise for being able to achieve this (and do it so well, I might add).
2.THERE ARE ADULTS:
Hurray for parental involvement! This shouldn't be such a novelty in a YA book, but it is. Brielle has a handful of caring, attentive adults in her life who do pay attention to her and try to help her in any way they can- yet still recognize that she's an independent young woman. And I think you can sort of count Canaan and company as adults as well, and it's nice to see a couple teenagers that aren't completely on their own.
3.Fresh take on angel mythology:
But how different can it be, right? Angels have been done over and over in YA. And Shannon Dittemore uses part Biblical interpretation and part imagination to conjure up a new type of angel we haven't really seen in YA before. Angels are involved in the story, but they don't really take up center stage- they have their own role to play, which is actually based on other characters.
4.So much more than a paranormal book:
Similarily, since the angels in Angel Eyes aren't the focus of the story, it follows that there are other more important elements involved. Angel Eyes isn't just about weird paranormal activity, a battle between angels and fallen angels, or falling in love; it deals with grief, faith, doubt, and free will. And something kind of cool about that idea of free will is that it comes up in a couple different ways; it's a struggle for many of the characters, those who try to reconcile what choices they are able to make and those who have lost their freedom because of others who have taken that right away. It's fascinating and beautiful, and something that really raises some thought-provoking questions.
Angel Eyes is an interesting book because of the perspective Shannon took with writing it; she very clearly poured so much of her own experience into the book, and her own convinctions heavily influences the story. That might be difficult for some people to swallow, but I think it's intriguing to read a book from an author with this very different perspective. Angel Eyes is definitely influenced by religious thoughts, in this case Christian ideas, in the same way that many other books that include religious aspects are based off some of the author's own ideas and questions. And that's something I personally enjoy reading- but I can also see how it might be too heavy or uncomfortable for some people who strongly disagree with it. Is it preachy? No. I don't find it preachy whatsoever. It's the story of a girl with struggles surrounding faith and doubt, which is something just about every person will experience in their life. The difference is that not everyone will come to the same conclusion as Brielle- but I don't think that's a bad thing, to have a book written with this in mind.
I can, however, see how there are a number of archetypes included which are overly familiar to YA Books; the broken girl and the new boy who are driven together for some strange, supernatural reason. Love that blooms a tad too quickly for my taste, but I did appreciate that Jake was so sweet. He may tease, but he's thoughtful and genuine. He treats Brielle as an equal, but recognizes that she has needs and tries to help her with those as well.
E-galley received from publisher via Net Galley for blog tour.
Reasons to Read:
1.Shannon's effective way of writing:
I quickly noticed how precise the language Shannon uses is when I started reading Angel Eyes; not only does it flow so well, but it's as if each and every word has been carefully thought over and selected so as to best convey the meaning and imagery she's picturing. It brings the entire story to life, and completely immerses you in Brielle's frame of mind. And this is something so rare and skillful, that Shannon easily deserves praise for being able to achieve this (and do it so well, I might add).
2.THERE ARE ADULTS:
Hurray for parental involvement! This shouldn't be such a novelty in a YA book, but it is. Brielle has a handful of caring, attentive adults in her life who do pay attention to her and try to help her in any way they can- yet still recognize that she's an independent young woman. And I think you can sort of count Canaan and company as adults as well, and it's nice to see a couple teenagers that aren't completely on their own.
3.Fresh take on angel mythology:
But how different can it be, right? Angels have been done over and over in YA. And Shannon Dittemore uses part Biblical interpretation and part imagination to conjure up a new type of angel we haven't really seen in YA before. Angels are involved in the story, but they don't really take up center stage- they have their own role to play, which is actually based on other characters.
4.So much more than a paranormal book:
Similarily, since the angels in Angel Eyes aren't the focus of the story, it follows that there are other more important elements involved. Angel Eyes isn't just about weird paranormal activity, a battle between angels and fallen angels, or falling in love; it deals with grief, faith, doubt, and free will. And something kind of cool about that idea of free will is that it comes up in a couple different ways; it's a struggle for many of the characters, those who try to reconcile what choices they are able to make and those who have lost their freedom because of others who have taken that right away. It's fascinating and beautiful, and something that really raises some thought-provoking questions.
Angel Eyes is an interesting book because of the perspective Shannon took with writing it; she very clearly poured so much of her own experience into the book, and her own convinctions heavily influences the story. That might be difficult for some people to swallow, but I think it's intriguing to read a book from an author with this very different perspective. Angel Eyes is definitely influenced by religious thoughts, in this case Christian ideas, in the same way that many other books that include religious aspects are based off some of the author's own ideas and questions. And that's something I personally enjoy reading- but I can also see how it might be too heavy or uncomfortable for some people who strongly disagree with it. Is it preachy? No. I don't find it preachy whatsoever. It's the story of a girl with struggles surrounding faith and doubt, which is something just about every person will experience in their life. The difference is that not everyone will come to the same conclusion as Brielle- but I don't think that's a bad thing, to have a book written with this in mind.
I can, however, see how there are a number of archetypes included which are overly familiar to YA Books; the broken girl and the new boy who are driven together for some strange, supernatural reason. Love that blooms a tad too quickly for my taste, but I did appreciate that Jake was so sweet. He may tease, but he's thoughtful and genuine. He treats Brielle as an equal, but recognizes that she has needs and tries to help her with those as well.
E-galley received from publisher via Net Galley for blog tour.
hasmazlom13's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5