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A review by kitsuneheart
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
2.0
Please note: This review takes the text of my old podcast and just prints it out. It's been a few years since I read the book. My opinion apparently has not changed....
Angels. Demons. True love. Twilight fans will love this book.
That should not be misconstrued as a compliment.
Let me clarify something. I have read all of the Twilight books, but for the encyclopedia. I read them because, as a hopeful future YA librarian, I believe it is my duty to be familiar with the books that are most prominent in the teen community, even if those books have a somewhat...less than stellar reputation among literary critics. While my undergrad years were spent on high literature as an English major, an MLIS degree is far more focused on the wants and needs of patrons, instead of pure literary excellence. After all, as an undergraduate, I never saw the most popular books of that time period (Harry Potter, for example) included on any syllabus except the college-wide English prerequisites, but they undoubtedly had a bigger fan circulation rate than "Frankenstein," even if I was assigned that book at least three times. I need to know about these popular books so I can direct patrons to further reading, and sneering at a book isn't exactly conducive to the patron-librarian relationship.
So. The plot.
After centuries of basically sitting around and watching humanity like it was the latest reality television program, God decides that enough is enough and, since he already promised that he wouldn't do that flood thing a second time and the Creator of All really shouldn't break his promises (even if he really wants to), he settles on sending down his angels to the beleaguered peoples of Earth. He picks out the areas of greatest conflict for their influence, like the Middle East and sites of recent natural disasters and the uber-preppy and affluent seaside town of Venus Cove.
Yes. Because Angels can find just as much to do in Iraq, where soldiers are being blown up on a daily basis, as they can in a little surf-side town. Personally, I think resetting this book in the Middle East would have been awesome. But that is Adornetto's choice, I suppose. It's a bad and perhaps even offensive choice, but it's hers.
Three angels are sent to the town: Gabriel (archangel, messenger of God, and, hey, he was way important in the founding of Islam, why isn't he helping in the Middle East? You know, being a representative of multiple religions and all. Seriously, can't they bring in some other...oh...okay...yes, her story, I know.... sigh....), Ivy (a healer and den mother), and Bethany (the new kid). While on Earth, their task is to help the people of Venus Cove and try to renew their faith, while also learning what it is like to be human. Only when they truly understand humanity is their mission done and will they be able to return to Heaven.
Bethany, being a young, recently created angel (and let's not get into the theological errors in that) is enrolled in high school, where she immediately makes friends, though she does have to keep all the “God loves you” stuff to a minimum. And way to stick with the message, authoress; you're basically saying that kids who are vocal about religion should keep their mouths shut or risk being seen as a freak, and, really, what's more important, showing how important religion is in your life or being cool? Yeah. That's what I thought). She soon meets emotionally scarred Xavier Woods, who has been distant from the world since the horrible death of his girlfriend, but who decides that he's totally over that when he sees Bethany (love at first sight, despite personal inclinations and a tragic past...who does that remind me of?). Bethany tries to resist her own feelings but, eventually, gives in and from then on, every relationship conflict they face seems...insignificant (and see my rant in the reflections about this, please).
Then Jake Thorn, a transfer student from Jolly Old England, arrives and Venus Cove, just seeing a resurgence of faith and charity, is plagued by a rash of violence, juvenile delinquency, and terrible, sometimes fatal accidents. Here is where the story really begins, and where I must leave off saying that, if you want to know more, you'll need to read the book yourself.
Reflections
Coitus interruptus.
The pulling back from conflict in this book is far too reminiscent of Twilight, and I think that causes this book a lot of harm. I was horrified when I got to the main relationship conflict. Basically, I was listening to the audiobook and locking my bike up at the grocery store when the main conflict began. I bought three items, was behind one person in line, and was unlocking my bike again when the relationship conflict was resolved.
No. Bad Adornetto! Bad! Conflict is the life-blood of a story! I know it goes against your ethics or something to cause your readers any sort of anxiety, but you can't do that! When you have a major conflict and get it resolved in under five minutes, it ceases to be a major conflict. What she basically did was change the novel's turning point into a little squabble between teens who are too hot-headed to sit down and have a reasonable conversation. And it makes Xavier, the male love interest, look like a jerk.
Also, while I was somewhat okay with Bethany as a character through much of the book, her utter obliviousness about Jake Thorn and the author's refusal to say outright what he is (please think “pitchfork”) really irritated me. While some lack of insight from a new angel might be understandable, her two elder companions don't let their most vulnerable member in on the plot, just saying that she should avoid the boy and be careful. Which is pretty much what they said about her boyfriend. A force of the Darkest Lord, sent there to kill and damn and cause general mayhem is just about on par with her love interest. Apparently, those angels have become pretty human already, seeing as they're guilty of gross negligence of their under-aged charge.
And maybe we would have been able to differentiate the treatment of the two men in the characters themselves weren't as flat and unappealing as matza in August. Angels are good. Fine, whatever. They're angels. It's what they do. But Jake Thorn literally has a scene where he says he does all those evil things because evil feels good. No, I'm not expecting Jake to have this amazing back-story where we find out he was a regular kid who died and was accepted into demon ranks or something, since Adornetto pretty much said that angels and demons can't be made from humans, but you should not have your villain explain his motives in a manner that would made a super-villain groan.
And then there's Xavier. The hot guy at school. School captain. Tragic back-story. Instantly in love with Bethany. And, convenient, he's Christian! Despite the fact that his last girlfriend was killed in a horrific accident, he still has an unwavering faith in God. I think it would have done a lot for this book if Bethany did her big reveal about being an angel and Xavier came back with “God doesn't exist.” If Xavier was an atheist and part of the conflict of this book was Bethany trying to make him “see the light,” well...there might have been some actual conflict in the book. Instead, we just have this character whose only flaw is that he isn't quite the right species for the female lead.
And, dear viewers, I think we can all see how that is going to end, a book or two down the line.
One thing I do have to applaud Adornetto for is...
At this time, though, I'm going to have to make an ad hominem argument. Adornetto is pretty out-of-the-loop in regards to teen sexuality. I am not speaking of her all-girls-school background or their continued virginity, as I know plenty of girls who went to all-girls schools, and they are nowhere near innocent, and being a virgin does not mean you hate the idea of sex; it just means you haven't made that decision yet. I'm speaking of an article she wrote for online magazine TheAge.com, entitled “Guard your virginity. Once lost, it's it's gone forever.” And, no, that wasn't an error in the file. The article has “it's” in it twice in a row and no one has decided to fix it in the year and a half since it was published. Now, you can all go read this article and come to your own conclusions on whether you agree with Adornetto or not, since we all have our own opinions on sexuality. What gets me is her claiming that sex and conversation about sex is so common among teens that “sex” the word is used (quoting now) “as a verb. After a date or hooking up at a party, friends are likely to ask: 'Did you sex him?'”
Um...no, actually. I am unfamiliar with that phrasing. Your friends are more likely to use that all-important “F-word” in place of “sex,” in that context. Because “sexing” something, in my experience, is done to determine the gender of a newborn animal. And a Google search of “did you sex him” (using the quotes) is either turning up Adornetto's article, responses to it, or people asking about animals they've recently purchased to check on gender. I also IMed a few of my friends online, including a recent high school graduate, to see if they'd ever heard the term. The closest any had heard was the phrase “sex you up,” which was in use even in my day. So, thank you, Adornetto, for that lovely bit of complete wrong. At least it isn't used in the book.
Going back to the book itself. Beyond the lack of conflict...beyond the oblivious main character...beyond the flat characters...beyond how the author is out of touch with her main audience...it's the climax that bothers me. The climax. Where
Would I read a sequel?
Sigh...I don't know. See, the sequel is long-since released. And here is one of my weaknesses: despite being atheist, I'm sort of fascinated with literary interpretations of the afterlife. My favorite book by Eoin Colfer, my favorite author, is "The Wish List," because the main character is a dead girl who is trying to secure her place up in sparkly-blue Heaven, instead of sparkly-red Hell (seriously, sparkles are important in the book). "Good Omens" makes me positively squeal for having this sort of strange interaction between angels and demons where no one is really sure what the other is doing, and they're mutually taking credit for things like the English town of Milton Keynes. I'm rabid to read Cabot's "Abandon" for it's reinterpretation of the myth of Persephone. I love the afterlife, most especially when it seems there is life.
Will I read "Hades" by Adornetto? Well, when I wrote this review, I had said only if it came out on audiobook and my library had a copy. And...sigh...it did, and they do. And the last book, as well. So...they're on request, and I already regret EVERYTHING.
Angels. Demons. True love. Twilight fans will love this book.
That should not be misconstrued as a compliment.
Let me clarify something. I have read all of the Twilight books, but for the encyclopedia. I read them because, as a hopeful future YA librarian, I believe it is my duty to be familiar with the books that are most prominent in the teen community, even if those books have a somewhat...less than stellar reputation among literary critics. While my undergrad years were spent on high literature as an English major, an MLIS degree is far more focused on the wants and needs of patrons, instead of pure literary excellence. After all, as an undergraduate, I never saw the most popular books of that time period (Harry Potter, for example) included on any syllabus except the college-wide English prerequisites, but they undoubtedly had a bigger fan circulation rate than "Frankenstein," even if I was assigned that book at least three times. I need to know about these popular books so I can direct patrons to further reading, and sneering at a book isn't exactly conducive to the patron-librarian relationship.
So. The plot.
After centuries of basically sitting around and watching humanity like it was the latest reality television program, God decides that enough is enough and, since he already promised that he wouldn't do that flood thing a second time and the Creator of All really shouldn't break his promises (even if he really wants to), he settles on sending down his angels to the beleaguered peoples of Earth. He picks out the areas of greatest conflict for their influence, like the Middle East and sites of recent natural disasters and the uber-preppy and affluent seaside town of Venus Cove.
Yes. Because Angels can find just as much to do in Iraq, where soldiers are being blown up on a daily basis, as they can in a little surf-side town. Personally, I think resetting this book in the Middle East would have been awesome. But that is Adornetto's choice, I suppose. It's a bad and perhaps even offensive choice, but it's hers.
Three angels are sent to the town: Gabriel (archangel, messenger of God, and, hey, he was way important in the founding of Islam, why isn't he helping in the Middle East? You know, being a representative of multiple religions and all. Seriously, can't they bring in some other...oh...okay...yes, her story, I know.... sigh....), Ivy (a healer and den mother), and Bethany (the new kid). While on Earth, their task is to help the people of Venus Cove and try to renew their faith, while also learning what it is like to be human. Only when they truly understand humanity is their mission done and will they be able to return to Heaven.
Bethany, being a young, recently created angel (and let's not get into the theological errors in that) is enrolled in high school, where she immediately makes friends, though she does have to keep all the “God loves you” stuff to a minimum. And way to stick with the message, authoress; you're basically saying that kids who are vocal about religion should keep their mouths shut or risk being seen as a freak, and, really, what's more important, showing how important religion is in your life or being cool? Yeah. That's what I thought). She soon meets emotionally scarred Xavier Woods, who has been distant from the world since the horrible death of his girlfriend, but who decides that he's totally over that when he sees Bethany (love at first sight, despite personal inclinations and a tragic past...who does that remind me of?). Bethany tries to resist her own feelings but, eventually, gives in and from then on, every relationship conflict they face seems...insignificant (and see my rant in the reflections about this, please).
Then Jake Thorn, a transfer student from Jolly Old England, arrives and Venus Cove, just seeing a resurgence of faith and charity, is plagued by a rash of violence, juvenile delinquency, and terrible, sometimes fatal accidents. Here is where the story really begins, and where I must leave off saying that, if you want to know more, you'll need to read the book yourself.
Reflections
Coitus interruptus.
The pulling back from conflict in this book is far too reminiscent of Twilight, and I think that causes this book a lot of harm. I was horrified when I got to the main relationship conflict. Basically, I was listening to the audiobook and locking my bike up at the grocery store when the main conflict began. I bought three items, was behind one person in line, and was unlocking my bike again when the relationship conflict was resolved.
No. Bad Adornetto! Bad! Conflict is the life-blood of a story! I know it goes against your ethics or something to cause your readers any sort of anxiety, but you can't do that! When you have a major conflict and get it resolved in under five minutes, it ceases to be a major conflict. What she basically did was change the novel's turning point into a little squabble between teens who are too hot-headed to sit down and have a reasonable conversation. And it makes Xavier, the male love interest, look like a jerk.
Also, while I was somewhat okay with Bethany as a character through much of the book, her utter obliviousness about Jake Thorn and the author's refusal to say outright what he is (please think “pitchfork”) really irritated me. While some lack of insight from a new angel might be understandable, her two elder companions don't let their most vulnerable member in on the plot, just saying that she should avoid the boy and be careful. Which is pretty much what they said about her boyfriend. A force of the Darkest Lord, sent there to kill and damn and cause general mayhem is just about on par with her love interest. Apparently, those angels have become pretty human already, seeing as they're guilty of gross negligence of their under-aged charge.
And maybe we would have been able to differentiate the treatment of the two men in the characters themselves weren't as flat and unappealing as matza in August. Angels are good. Fine, whatever. They're angels. It's what they do. But Jake Thorn literally has a scene where he says he does all those evil things because evil feels good. No, I'm not expecting Jake to have this amazing back-story where we find out he was a regular kid who died and was accepted into demon ranks or something, since Adornetto pretty much said that angels and demons can't be made from humans, but you should not have your villain explain his motives in a manner that would made a super-villain groan.
And then there's Xavier. The hot guy at school. School captain. Tragic back-story. Instantly in love with Bethany. And, convenient, he's Christian! Despite the fact that his last girlfriend was killed in a horrific accident, he still has an unwavering faith in God. I think it would have done a lot for this book if Bethany did her big reveal about being an angel and Xavier came back with “God doesn't exist.” If Xavier was an atheist and part of the conflict of this book was Bethany trying to make him “see the light,” well...there might have been some actual conflict in the book. Instead, we just have this character whose only flaw is that he isn't quite the right species for the female lead.
And, dear viewers, I think we can all see how that is going to end, a book or two down the line.
One thing I do have to applaud Adornetto for is...
Spoiler
allowing her main characters to have sex. Gasp! Premarital sex! And with an angel! I give Adornetto serious props. Books are regularly challenged and censored due to any little sexual content, so seeing an author willing to look at sex frankly is refreshing. Though I do think there will be some challenges against this book after conservative parents hand it to their teens, expecting a story with a huge focus on religion and morality, and instead their kids find the sex.At this time, though, I'm going to have to make an ad hominem argument. Adornetto is pretty out-of-the-loop in regards to teen sexuality. I am not speaking of her all-girls-school background or their continued virginity, as I know plenty of girls who went to all-girls schools, and they are nowhere near innocent, and being a virgin does not mean you hate the idea of sex; it just means you haven't made that decision yet. I'm speaking of an article she wrote for online magazine TheAge.com, entitled “Guard your virginity. Once lost, it's it's gone forever.” And, no, that wasn't an error in the file. The article has “it's” in it twice in a row and no one has decided to fix it in the year and a half since it was published. Now, you can all go read this article and come to your own conclusions on whether you agree with Adornetto or not, since we all have our own opinions on sexuality. What gets me is her claiming that sex and conversation about sex is so common among teens that “sex” the word is used (quoting now) “as a verb. After a date or hooking up at a party, friends are likely to ask: 'Did you sex him?'”
Um...no, actually. I am unfamiliar with that phrasing. Your friends are more likely to use that all-important “F-word” in place of “sex,” in that context. Because “sexing” something, in my experience, is done to determine the gender of a newborn animal. And a Google search of “did you sex him” (using the quotes) is either turning up Adornetto's article, responses to it, or people asking about animals they've recently purchased to check on gender. I also IMed a few of my friends online, including a recent high school graduate, to see if they'd ever heard the term. The closest any had heard was the phrase “sex you up,” which was in use even in my day. So, thank you, Adornetto, for that lovely bit of complete wrong. At least it isn't used in the book.
Going back to the book itself. Beyond the lack of conflict...beyond the oblivious main character...beyond the flat characters...beyond how the author is out of touch with her main audience...it's the climax that bothers me. The climax. Where
Spoiler
Bethany wins by loving Jake Thorn. That's it. Thanks a lot, Adornetto. Bethany is now a Care Bear. A minion of ultimate evil was defeated with the Care Bear Stare (though, admittedly, that is what happens in the Care Bear movies, so maybe it is a powerful and not lame at all weapon...but, then again, it's the CARE BEARS). Yes, I know it's a book with a focus on religion, and God's Love is a BIG THING in the religious community, but couldn't we have at least had her hit the demon on the side of the head with a hammer of smiting in the very end? Just have love weaken Thorn for the final attack, not completely vanquish him?Would I read a sequel?
Sigh...I don't know. See, the sequel is long-since released. And here is one of my weaknesses: despite being atheist, I'm sort of fascinated with literary interpretations of the afterlife. My favorite book by Eoin Colfer, my favorite author, is "The Wish List," because the main character is a dead girl who is trying to secure her place up in sparkly-blue Heaven, instead of sparkly-red Hell (seriously, sparkles are important in the book). "Good Omens" makes me positively squeal for having this sort of strange interaction between angels and demons where no one is really sure what the other is doing, and they're mutually taking credit for things like the English town of Milton Keynes. I'm rabid to read Cabot's "Abandon" for it's reinterpretation of the myth of Persephone. I love the afterlife, most especially when it seems there is life.
Will I read "Hades" by Adornetto? Well, when I wrote this review, I had said only if it came out on audiobook and my library had a copy. And...sigh...it did, and they do. And the last book, as well. So...they're on request, and I already regret EVERYTHING.