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readerxxx's review
2.0
I acquired this book from the author to review it, I did not pay for the book although the author may wish I did after I finish reviewing it.
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If I were a 13 year old girl who liked to fight over who was hotter, Edward or (the other guy, the werewolf), I might have really liked this book. The central theme centered around a "oh whoa is me" angst ridden 19 year old girl whose life was not complete until the otherworldly boy who saw that "something special in her" brought out her inner hotness.
I thought when I would write this I might address the conflict of good versus evil shown in different lights through the use of the evil angels and the good demons, but then I just realized how bored i was through the entire book.
The dialog was stilted and unbelievable. After shown a complete setting of armor that fit her perfectly, the main character's response was, "Cool."
I just found the entire book to be a chore to slog through. As bad as Twilight was, it at least had a central story line that I cared about.
In the first paragraph, I stated, "if i were a 13 year old girl" I am not, I am a 45 year old man who occasionally mixes in a light YA book, so anyone reading this review should consider the source before making a decision on this book. It may very well be a book that a 13 year old girl would like, it just wasn't for me.
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If I were a 13 year old girl who liked to fight over who was hotter, Edward or (the other guy, the werewolf), I might have really liked this book. The central theme centered around a "oh whoa is me" angst ridden 19 year old girl whose life was not complete until the otherworldly boy who saw that "something special in her" brought out her inner hotness.
I thought when I would write this I might address the conflict of good versus evil shown in different lights through the use of the evil angels and the good demons, but then I just realized how bored i was through the entire book.
The dialog was stilted and unbelievable. After shown a complete setting of armor that fit her perfectly, the main character's response was, "Cool."
I just found the entire book to be a chore to slog through. As bad as Twilight was, it at least had a central story line that I cared about.
In the first paragraph, I stated, "if i were a 13 year old girl" I am not, I am a 45 year old man who occasionally mixes in a light YA book, so anyone reading this review should consider the source before making a decision on this book. It may very well be a book that a 13 year old girl would like, it just wasn't for me.
lilacs_books's review
3.0
Okay, so I've just finished this book and I'm sorry the review is a bit late but that's because school decided to make us start next year's work early so they were working us really hard right up till the last day and I had no time to read :( Anyway, I've rated this book 3 stars because I quite liked it but it was nothing special.
I'm going to start with the thing that has been bugging me most throughout the book: all the explanations. It seemed like the author thought he was writing this book for 7 year old incompetent readers who need every little detail explaining. Almost every sarcastic phrase in the book has been explained as if we readers are stupid and it really got on my nerves. David Estes – This book is aimed at young adults, it it not? It is not aimed at children but at teens who can understand more or less everything an adult can. I've only got one quote to show what I mean but if I had time I'm sure I could find countless more, many of which are probably worse than this but it'll have to do for now:
“Gabriel pretended like his heart was broken by clutching both hands to the left side of his chest.“That hurts, Tay, it really hurts.” ”
See? Most readers over the age of ten would not need to have it explained that Gabriel was only pretending to be upset. It is obvious without the explanation and honestly, I think that sort of ruined the whole mood of the scene. It made me feel as if I was just reading a book instead of being there with the characters in the book. I'm a huge fan of sarcasm in books but only if we have to figure it out for ourselves, like in the real world.
Anyway, let's go on to happier matters. I loved the idea for the story. I loved how the author took something classic and completely changed it into something modern and interesting. It shows real creativity to do that and a bit of bravery to risk doing something that might be ridiculed by countless readers who believe that all the rules set be legends should be stuck to and only altered in the smallest of ways. So yeah, high five on that. It made the story worth reading and very unique without being too weird.
Okay so that's all for now but I might edit it it later when I'm not busy :)
I'm going to start with the thing that has been bugging me most throughout the book: all the explanations. It seemed like the author thought he was writing this book for 7 year old incompetent readers who need every little detail explaining. Almost every sarcastic phrase in the book has been explained as if we readers are stupid and it really got on my nerves. David Estes – This book is aimed at young adults, it it not? It is not aimed at children but at teens who can understand more or less everything an adult can. I've only got one quote to show what I mean but if I had time I'm sure I could find countless more, many of which are probably worse than this but it'll have to do for now:
“Gabriel pretended like his heart was broken by clutching both hands to the left side of his chest.“That hurts, Tay, it really hurts.” ”
See? Most readers over the age of ten would not need to have it explained that Gabriel was only pretending to be upset. It is obvious without the explanation and honestly, I think that sort of ruined the whole mood of the scene. It made me feel as if I was just reading a book instead of being there with the characters in the book. I'm a huge fan of sarcasm in books but only if we have to figure it out for ourselves, like in the real world.
Anyway, let's go on to happier matters. I loved the idea for the story. I loved how the author took something classic and completely changed it into something modern and interesting. It shows real creativity to do that and a bit of bravery to risk doing something that might be ridiculed by countless readers who believe that all the rules set be legends should be stuck to and only altered in the smallest of ways. So yeah, high five on that. It made the story worth reading and very unique without being too weird.
Okay so that's all for now but I might edit it it later when I'm not busy :)
suzannedix's review
3.0
If you have been waiting for another great good vs. evil Angel series, you just might be in luck with David Estes' new trilogy. Book one is the Angel Evolution. While it very much reminded me of Lauren Kate's Fallen series, this story was very interesting in its own right and put a clear twist on the tried-and-true legend of angels and demons.
Taylor is not a very girly-girly college freshman. She leaves that to her roommate and long-time best friend Sam. Yet the handsomest guy on campus, Gabriel, is suddenly very interested in Taylor. They soon begin dating and eventually Gabriel shares his big secret: he is an angel and Taylor is known as The One. She is the one human with an aura so large that the angels can harness her light to finally defeat their arch enemies, the demons. Gabriel stretches the truth quite a bit and does win over Taylor completely. What Taylor will find out much much later is that not only do the angels want to defeat the demons, they also want to wipe out the humans.
Demon Christopher Lyon and Sam also make for a sweet couple on campus and Chris eventually needs to let Sam in on the entire angel/demon history in an effort to save Taylor from the angels. The ending is very fast-paced with battle strategies and all sorts of deceptive maneuvers on both sides.
I gave this book only 3 and a half stars based on the limited and empty characterizations of the main characters. Aside from Taylor, the reader can learn very little about who these people/angels/demons really are. You are meant to take the author's word for it that they shared great conversations together and built solid relationships with one another. In the end you have no real belief as to why Taylor loves Gabriel and Sam loves Chris. It is all just taken for granted and for this story which is primarily a "love conquers all" novel, this is a big problem.
Despite the fact that the main characters are college freshman, this is a very tame story in terms of language and romance and perfectly appropriate for middle school students. I'll be curious to see if more character development is apparent in Demon Evolution, the next book in the series.
(Many thanks to the author for this free ecopy!)
Taylor is not a very girly-girly college freshman. She leaves that to her roommate and long-time best friend Sam. Yet the handsomest guy on campus, Gabriel, is suddenly very interested in Taylor. They soon begin dating and eventually Gabriel shares his big secret: he is an angel and Taylor is known as The One. She is the one human with an aura so large that the angels can harness her light to finally defeat their arch enemies, the demons. Gabriel stretches the truth quite a bit and does win over Taylor completely. What Taylor will find out much much later is that not only do the angels want to defeat the demons, they also want to wipe out the humans.
Demon Christopher Lyon and Sam also make for a sweet couple on campus and Chris eventually needs to let Sam in on the entire angel/demon history in an effort to save Taylor from the angels. The ending is very fast-paced with battle strategies and all sorts of deceptive maneuvers on both sides.
I gave this book only 3 and a half stars based on the limited and empty characterizations of the main characters. Aside from Taylor, the reader can learn very little about who these people/angels/demons really are. You are meant to take the author's word for it that they shared great conversations together and built solid relationships with one another. In the end you have no real belief as to why Taylor loves Gabriel and Sam loves Chris. It is all just taken for granted and for this story which is primarily a "love conquers all" novel, this is a big problem.
Despite the fact that the main characters are college freshman, this is a very tame story in terms of language and romance and perfectly appropriate for middle school students. I'll be curious to see if more character development is apparent in Demon Evolution, the next book in the series.
(Many thanks to the author for this free ecopy!)
hebzy's review
1.0
This book might have been ok, but I did not enjoy it. Finishing the last few chapters was a chore. I don't know what the author was trying to do with this book, but it was not engaging in the least. Characters were not interesting, the girls were quite idiotic, the lead guy was a jerk, and he thought lying was ok and he would get away with it, it made me think this might be because the author is a guy, it's giving me a real insight into how guys think in relationships. Even the jokes and humor fell on deaf ears, honestly I did not enjoy this book.
And more so I don't even know what it was trying to achieve. Was it trying to flip how we judge the world as black and white and what we think is good (angels) might actually be bad and what we think of as evil (demons) might be the good guys? Because it definitely did not do that.. I mean it was frequently explained that demons and angels in this book have nothing to do with religion, so basically these creatures are just humans with abilities and they just gave themselves the arbitrary names of devils and angels because one happened to look dark and one happened to glow in the dark. Honestly this is so dumb and weak, and not very well explained.
And what's the deal with the four leaf clover! And her mom! And why is not explained in more than 300 pages?!
I will not finish this trilogy cos it's not worth it, even if you gave me money to do it, and I do not recommend this book.
And more so I don't even know what it was trying to achieve. Was it trying to flip how we judge the world as black and white and what we think is good (angels) might actually be bad and what we think of as evil (demons) might be the good guys? Because it definitely did not do that.. I mean it was frequently explained that demons and angels in this book have nothing to do with religion, so basically these creatures are just humans with abilities and they just gave themselves the arbitrary names of devils and angels because one happened to look dark and one happened to glow in the dark. Honestly this is so dumb and weak, and not very well explained.
And what's the deal with the four leaf clover! And her mom! And why is not explained in more than 300 pages?!
I will not finish this trilogy cos it's not worth it, even if you gave me money to do it, and I do not recommend this book.
alexandriatp's review
3.0
I liked this book, particularly because it seems pretty original. It's a story about Angels and Demons but they have special powers so they're pretty cool!
I like that the book was written about a girl in college because most YA books are written about characters in high school, so it was nice to get something different. Taylor and Sam are fun, energetic girls and I liked reading their stories. Sometimes I think Taylor needed to ask more questions, but overall I liked her. Gab was fun to read about because he seems to have a lot of internal struggling happening. Chris was my favorite character. We get enough of him to be interested but not enough, which keeps him interesting.
I liked that we knew what everyone was thinking at the same time I didn't like it. It was great because we got to see the story from so many different angles, but at the same time it seemed like a chapter would be about someone particular but then we would get a sentence or two about what a different character was thinking. I might not have been following the POVs right but it confused me sometimes.
Although I liked the story, something seemed missing to me and I can't tell what it was. Maybe there was too much foreshadowing? I'm not sure. I think maybe more subtle foreshadowing would have been better. Something I would have needed to figure out instead of being told. That makes the books more exciting for me. But I do like that we were kept in the dark sometimes. Because we could really get into anyones head in this story, it was nice to not know everything that was going on.
The two different battle sides were REALLY interesting to experience - because we don't have, or I've never seen, anything like those in our world. It made me want to be in one of those places just to see everything that was happening!
I have a couple questions, but there is another book so I'll wait and see if they are hopefully answered! Looking forward to reading book two!
I like that the book was written about a girl in college because most YA books are written about characters in high school, so it was nice to get something different. Taylor and Sam are fun, energetic girls and I liked reading their stories. Sometimes I think Taylor needed to ask more questions, but overall I liked her. Gab was fun to read about because he seems to have a lot of internal struggling happening. Chris was my favorite character. We get enough of him to be interested but not enough, which keeps him interesting.
I liked that we knew what everyone was thinking at the same time I didn't like it. It was great because we got to see the story from so many different angles, but at the same time it seemed like a chapter would be about someone particular but then we would get a sentence or two about what a different character was thinking. I might not have been following the POVs right but it confused me sometimes.
Although I liked the story, something seemed missing to me and I can't tell what it was. Maybe there was too much foreshadowing? I'm not sure. I think maybe more subtle foreshadowing would have been better. Something I would have needed to figure out instead of being told. That makes the books more exciting for me. But I do like that we were kept in the dark sometimes. Because we could really get into anyones head in this story, it was nice to not know everything that was going on.
The two different battle sides were REALLY interesting to experience - because we don't have, or I've never seen, anything like those in our world. It made me want to be in one of those places just to see everything that was happening!
I have a couple questions, but there is another book so I'll wait and see if they are hopefully answered! Looking forward to reading book two!
kerrithebookbelle's review
2.0
VIDEO REVIEW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8PB4BRL2G8&context=C33886c7ADOEgsToPDskJRWR0h7G7cNJFYTzknyZxa
First off, this book was very enjoyably quick read--it took me all of two days to finish it. The take on angels/demons was very refreshing and i like how it was able to explain their existence without bringing God into it, so even nonreligious people would enjoy the book. The opening chapter was full of incredible imagery, and the first few chapters as well were full of mystery and made me want to keep reading. there was also no clear line dividing evil and good on both sides, which was very refreshing.
However, though the plot was very original and interesting, the characters sort of got on my nerves. I get that Taylor is supposed to be a sort of angry person most of the time, but her personality just wasn't consistent, and it sort of bugged me. in one instance, she says that she's flying to the battlefield with a guy she barely knows, but they claim they love each other and have for at least 4 months...doesn't add up. Same with Gabriel. I think he was supposed to be portrayed as conflicted with his feelings for Taylor and his loyalty to the Council, but to me, he came off as too wishy-washy and indecisive. Chris, however, was brilliantly written, and i liked how his personality stayed consistent.
Still, some things just didn't seem realistic. i know its a fantasy novel, but honestly, if my boyfriend told me that he was an angel, i wouldn't immediately be all cool and ask to fly with him--i would refuse to believe it, and even after he proved it, still be wary for a while. any normal person would. i understand that Taylor was supposed to be "special" but she's still a person, and that just didn't line up. Same with Sam, as well. Her absolute willingness to just leave in the dead of the night with a guy who claimed to be a demon kind of made me mad at her. any sane person would have called security, and get Chris examined. in addition, the declaration of love between them just didn't make sense. i know that the'd been together, but there was nothing to suggest that they were anywhere near anything serious.
that's really my only concern was the characters. the plot and the concept of the war were incredibly cool (except for the fact that they had scheduled battles--sounds more like a peace than a war). and the ending was a great cliffhanger to leave off at. overall, it was enjoyable. out of hope that it will get better as the trilogy goes on, i may read the second one.
also, thank you so much to the author for letting me read this for free :)
First off, this book was very enjoyably quick read--it took me all of two days to finish it. The take on angels/demons was very refreshing and i like how it was able to explain their existence without bringing God into it, so even nonreligious people would enjoy the book. The opening chapter was full of incredible imagery, and the first few chapters as well were full of mystery and made me want to keep reading. there was also no clear line dividing evil and good on both sides, which was very refreshing.
However, though the plot was very original and interesting, the characters sort of got on my nerves. I get that Taylor is supposed to be a sort of angry person most of the time, but her personality just wasn't consistent, and it sort of bugged me. in one instance, she says that she's flying to the battlefield with a guy she barely knows, but they claim they love each other and have for at least 4 months...doesn't add up. Same with Gabriel. I think he was supposed to be portrayed as conflicted with his feelings for Taylor and his loyalty to the Council, but to me, he came off as too wishy-washy and indecisive. Chris, however, was brilliantly written, and i liked how his personality stayed consistent.
Still, some things just didn't seem realistic. i know its a fantasy novel, but honestly, if my boyfriend told me that he was an angel, i wouldn't immediately be all cool and ask to fly with him--i would refuse to believe it, and even after he proved it, still be wary for a while. any normal person would. i understand that Taylor was supposed to be "special" but she's still a person, and that just didn't line up. Same with Sam, as well. Her absolute willingness to just leave in the dead of the night with a guy who claimed to be a demon kind of made me mad at her. any sane person would have called security, and get Chris examined. in addition, the declaration of love between them just didn't make sense. i know that the'd been together, but there was nothing to suggest that they were anywhere near anything serious.
that's really my only concern was the characters. the plot and the concept of the war were incredibly cool (except for the fact that they had scheduled battles--sounds more like a peace than a war). and the ending was a great cliffhanger to leave off at. overall, it was enjoyable. out of hope that it will get better as the trilogy goes on, i may read the second one.
also, thank you so much to the author for letting me read this for free :)
meljmac's review
3.0
The story was pretty good. I just didn't like how the author described and explained things that seemed kind of obvious if that makes any sense.
amandacole's review
4.0
I enjoyed the creativity of this book. I especially liked that the angels and demons weren't aligned with good and evil in the usual way. I did think some of the dialogue seemed unnatural and I'm not sure I buy that Taylor would fall for this guy so fast. Even as far as college romances go it was a bit quick. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story plays out in the next two books.
purpleraven's review
Boring. The lead female was about as dull as a nail and no real point of interest. The male characters were just as bland. Everything just seemed dull. I didn't finish it.