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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
I don’t know what it is with angel books, but I seem to have no luck with them. [b:Hush, Hush|6339664|Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)|Becca Fitzpatrick|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311064637s/6339664.jpg|6525609], [b:Embrace|12288524|Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters, #1)|Jessica Shirvington|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324095249s/12288524.jpg|13505950], and [b:Illuminate|12690572|Illuminate (Gilded Wings, #1)|Aimee Agresti|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327103176s/12690572.jpg|15854169] all fell flat for me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just meant to stay away from books about angels and instead stick to reading about vampires, demons, and other unholy creatures. I’m determined to find some good YA angel reads, though, because I’m sure that they do exist; I just haven’t found them yet.
While not perfect, Immortal City was definitely a step-up from the other angel books that I’ve read. I really liked the concept of angels as celebrities; the “A” in “angel” is even capitalized in the book. Speer creates a glitzy, immersive world in which television networks like ANN (Angel News Network) bring viewers the latest Angel-related updates, and SaveTube features thrilling Guardian Angel rescues caught on camera. It’s very easy to buy into this vision of Los Angeles; the only real difference is that its most famous citizens happen to have wings.
I found Maddy’s aloofness toward all of the Angel hype refreshing. Unlike her friend, Gwen, who lives and breathes everything Angel, Maddy can’t be bothered with any of it. Maddy is a pretty grounded heroine, but I wish that she’d been a little less generic. My main problem with both her and Jackson was that they seemed to be cut straight out of a YA character template with minimal customization. He’s a rich, ultra-famous superhuman being whose every move is scrutinized by the media, and she’s the humble mortal girl who can’t imagine ever catching the attention of someone like him. With such an original setting, I’d hoped that the two lead characters would be just as unique, but in the end, I thought that they were rather conventional.
For me, the most intriguing part of this book was the mystery surrounding the murdered Angels. I really enjoyed reading about David Sylvester, the detective investigating the killings. I can picture him with his own spin-off mystery/crime series. Whenever the story shifted to Detective Sylvester, the book took on a dark, gritty quality, adding an interesting aspect to what is mostly an urban fantasy novel.
The pay-for-protection system that enables those humans with the cash to spare to hire their very own Guardian Angels poses quite a thought-provoking ethical question. Is it right to only save the lives of those who can afford what is essentially a luxury service? Any Guardian who rescues a human without a protection policy is punished severely. This issue plays a pivotal role throughout the novel and leads to a few surprising revelations.
Although Immortal City wasn’t a complete cure for my angel book blues, I loved how innovative the world was. It’s very easy to become absorbed in the details of the Angels’ glamorous lifestyles. This book is definitely worth a read if you’ve tried other angel books and are looking for a completely different take on them.
I don’t know what it is with angel books, but I seem to have no luck with them. [b:Hush, Hush|6339664|Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)|Becca Fitzpatrick|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311064637s/6339664.jpg|6525609], [b:Embrace|12288524|Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters, #1)|Jessica Shirvington|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324095249s/12288524.jpg|13505950], and [b:Illuminate|12690572|Illuminate (Gilded Wings, #1)|Aimee Agresti|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327103176s/12690572.jpg|15854169] all fell flat for me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just meant to stay away from books about angels and instead stick to reading about vampires, demons, and other unholy creatures. I’m determined to find some good YA angel reads, though, because I’m sure that they do exist; I just haven’t found them yet.
While not perfect, Immortal City was definitely a step-up from the other angel books that I’ve read. I really liked the concept of angels as celebrities; the “A” in “angel” is even capitalized in the book. Speer creates a glitzy, immersive world in which television networks like ANN (Angel News Network) bring viewers the latest Angel-related updates, and SaveTube features thrilling Guardian Angel rescues caught on camera. It’s very easy to buy into this vision of Los Angeles; the only real difference is that its most famous citizens happen to have wings.
I found Maddy’s aloofness toward all of the Angel hype refreshing. Unlike her friend, Gwen, who lives and breathes everything Angel, Maddy can’t be bothered with any of it. Maddy is a pretty grounded heroine, but I wish that she’d been a little less generic. My main problem with both her and Jackson was that they seemed to be cut straight out of a YA character template with minimal customization. He’s a rich, ultra-famous superhuman being whose every move is scrutinized by the media, and she’s the humble mortal girl who can’t imagine ever catching the attention of someone like him. With such an original setting, I’d hoped that the two lead characters would be just as unique, but in the end, I thought that they were rather conventional.
For me, the most intriguing part of this book was the mystery surrounding the murdered Angels. I really enjoyed reading about David Sylvester, the detective investigating the killings. I can picture him with his own spin-off mystery/crime series. Whenever the story shifted to Detective Sylvester, the book took on a dark, gritty quality, adding an interesting aspect to what is mostly an urban fantasy novel.
The pay-for-protection system that enables those humans with the cash to spare to hire their very own Guardian Angels poses quite a thought-provoking ethical question. Is it right to only save the lives of those who can afford what is essentially a luxury service? Any Guardian who rescues a human without a protection policy is punished severely. This issue plays a pivotal role throughout the novel and leads to a few surprising revelations.
Although Immortal City wasn’t a complete cure for my angel book blues, I loved how innovative the world was. It’s very easy to become absorbed in the details of the Angels’ glamorous lifestyles. This book is definitely worth a read if you’ve tried other angel books and are looking for a completely different take on them.
Oh I love me some yummy yummy angels. Full review to come
this book was really good/ it was slow to start but in the end it got faster. this book liked to keep you on your toe. it was a very good read
I skimmed this book after a few chapters of boredom, so feel free to ignore my review if you feel I am not qualified to give it. This was boring, and Maddy was a mess. Her romance with Jackson seemed forced and rushed. Her role in this novel is ambiguous, and as far as I could tell, none of the larger problems that plagued the world, like the greed of the Angels and the discrimination of the people, were resolved.
This book was an interesting easy read; it was a very interesting concept well executed and with fairly likeable characters.
The main characters are Maddie and Jackson; Maddie is a girl living in a city dominated by the fame and fortune of Angels and while all of this is going on in her city she is not interested in the Angels; Jackson is a rising star in the ranks of Angels who happens upon Maddie while she works in her uncles diner. The two characters come together despite their differences and the find common ground in finding the angel killer that is loose in the city.
The storyline was very imaginative and unlike any books I’ve read before, it did slightly remind me of the Sookie Stackhouse series but based on a different supernatural species. The pacing was good although I thought left a lot to the last minute did have an epilogue let I think will lead into the next book in the series.
3.5 stars a fun and new read and a series I will probably continue with
The main characters are Maddie and Jackson; Maddie is a girl living in a city dominated by the fame and fortune of Angels and while all of this is going on in her city she is not interested in the Angels; Jackson is a rising star in the ranks of Angels who happens upon Maddie while she works in her uncles diner. The two characters come together despite their differences and the find common ground in finding the angel killer that is loose in the city.
The storyline was very imaginative and unlike any books I’ve read before, it did slightly remind me of the Sookie Stackhouse series but based on a different supernatural species. The pacing was good although I thought left a lot to the last minute did have an epilogue let I think will lead into the next book in the series.
3.5 stars a fun and new read and a series I will probably continue with
I really enjoyed this new spin on the "Angels" storyline. I loved Jacks, and surprisingly Maddy (as I've found that some female lead characters can be annoying at times). I originally downloaded this ebook as a sample, but found by chapter 2 that it would be a book I'd want to get through in it's entirety. I couldn't put the book down, it was a very entertaining read! The only negative thing I'd have to say is that I wish the ending would've been a little more satisfying...But I can't wait to see what more is in store in the future for these characters and citizens of Angel City!
3.5 stars
GoodReads Synopsis: Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect--everyone except for Madison Montgomery.
Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.
Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson
My Thoughts: Scott Speer envisioned and delivered a completely different take on Angels…these are Celebrity Angels for hire. It was a completely bizarre concept that was laid out in the first chapter where someone was saved by an angel, or rather “their” angel. Yes folks, you can buy a guardian angel, the problem is that very few people can afford them! There is the “Angel Lottery” where you might be able to win a guardian angel, but your chances are about 1 in 6 Billion. But yet the public at large is fascinated by the Angels and there are whole networks that devote their airtime to covering what they wear, who and how they saved someone, etc. Yep, the Guardian Angels business is BIG BUSINESS in the Immortal City.
Maddy kind of irritated me throughout the book. For the same reasons she irritated Jackson. She was melting into tepid pools one minute then pushing him away the next. It got to be a bit much. Then Jackson was so utterly clueless about his life in relation to the lives of real people and he just couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it…or maybe didn’t want to even try.
Speer’s concept was fascinating and well thought out. I think he fell a little flat in the character department. I feel they could have been a little more fleshed out and well rounded. The mystery portion of the story was really interesting and I just didn’t see the bad guy, hindsight being 20/20, I should have figured it out. Speer gave us a hint at where the story may go from here and I will definitely check out the next installment.
GoodReads Synopsis: Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect--everyone except for Madison Montgomery.
Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.
Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson
My Thoughts: Scott Speer envisioned and delivered a completely different take on Angels…these are Celebrity Angels for hire. It was a completely bizarre concept that was laid out in the first chapter where someone was saved by an angel, or rather “their” angel. Yes folks, you can buy a guardian angel, the problem is that very few people can afford them! There is the “Angel Lottery” where you might be able to win a guardian angel, but your chances are about 1 in 6 Billion. But yet the public at large is fascinated by the Angels and there are whole networks that devote their airtime to covering what they wear, who and how they saved someone, etc. Yep, the Guardian Angels business is BIG BUSINESS in the Immortal City.
Maddy kind of irritated me throughout the book. For the same reasons she irritated Jackson. She was melting into tepid pools one minute then pushing him away the next. It got to be a bit much. Then Jackson was so utterly clueless about his life in relation to the lives of real people and he just couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it…or maybe didn’t want to even try.
Speer’s concept was fascinating and well thought out. I think he fell a little flat in the character department. I feel they could have been a little more fleshed out and well rounded. The mystery portion of the story was really interesting and I just didn’t see the bad guy, hindsight being 20/20, I should have figured it out. Speer gave us a hint at where the story may go from here and I will definitely check out the next installment.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LOVED this book. It was really good! Especially for this being his first.
This was really cool I really enjoyed this story! I can't wait to read the rest of this series!