Scan barcode
A review by roannasylver
Good Angel by A.M. Blaushild
5.0
“Humans are good.”
“I know that, Blue. We literally exist to serve them.”
“Yeah, but...” Iofiel was all at once too overwhelmed to think. “I love them.”
* * *
So, this was my original review: "...Phoebus staring up at ceiling, bemused and overwhelmed with So Much.jpg" (Because I don't know how to put images/GIFs in my reviews like Fancy people do.) I stand by it. I knew this would be a BIG one too, hence it taking a while. And it is.
Seriously, I'm overwhelmed with this still (which goes nicely with the quote I picked up top). There's so much to love in it, and even more to ponder. A sweet, adorable, good-hearted angel MC who just loves and loves and loves with her entire being, and revels in her name, "the beauty of God." Iofiel tries so hard. Everybody does, actually, and that makes it one of my favorite... sub-genres, I guess, where it's a story about a wide array of people doing their best in an awful situation and how everyone reacts differently to trauma and horror, and no response is *wrong* (except for, obviously, the actual antagonist perpetrating the trauma, but even THEY THINK they're doing the right thing - when villains legitimately think they're the heroes, that's the best kind of story).
Like Claudie's review said, there are kind of two... modes to this book. The first, relatively light, (kind of shoujo anime-esque, I thought) slice-of-life storyline about an angel in angel college who decides to actually major in demon-ing, and everybody dealing with that, and Moral Ambiguities - and the Ambiguities of interacting with one's friends... and how hard it is to parse out exactly what kind of relationship you have with someone. (As a bi ace aro-spec nerd who also just really really really loves their friends, it's *difficult* to be sure exactly what kind of feelings and/or attraction you have for someone, so that was great to see.)
Interestingly - and this is something I've never actually seen in any fiction before - asexuality and aromanticism are presumed to be the default (for angels at least; not sure about demons). I was super intrigued at this point, and a little worried, because... this is hard to articulate. (I DON'T feel like being aro/ace was 'othered' here in the same way as it usually is; this is an example of Sometimes Tropes Can Be Well Done And Not Damaging - to *me*). But sometimes in being aro/ace-inclusive, even with inhuman characters, people can come across as putting down allo and especially queer sexuality - specifically, with a real-world (and particularly religious!) history that so often paints queer relationships or sex as "dirty/impure/immoral," I could easily see a story about asexual angels falling into that really Unfortunate Implication. But, for me at least, it really didn't. Asexuality and aromanticism is explored here, and the feeling I got is that it's not about being "pure" or better, experiencing attraction doesn't seem to lead to an angel's "fall," because it also doesn't factor into an angel's... function. Like they weren't "programmed" for that, the Powers Above didn't think they needed it, so they don't know how to handle it really - angels are kind of made (and replicated) to act like functions or programs, which naturally gets into questions of Free Will along with orientation. So there is just a Lot to think about here, and I thought it was done really well - though I'm honestly still kind of rolling it around in my brain, and someone else's interpretation is absolutely as valid as mine. Complex stuff.
I also appreciated the blurring of "good" and "evil" here along with trying to sort out friends-and/or-lovers; we're shown repeatedly that demons and Hell aren't... "evil," per se, just an alternate way of operating/existing, and we only think they're the Bad Guys because they're opposed to Heaven, who loudly trumpet that they're the Unquestionable Good Guys, and Anything Different Is Bad. (At least this is the vibe I got.) I loved Archie, and Santiago and really every student character, angel and demon. They're super endearing and I just very much wanted them all to be okay.
And I really, REALLY loved Lucifer. Aside from Iofiel herself, he's probably my favorite - which is somehow surprising and unsurprising at the same time. He's fascinating and funny and charismatic (and hot as Hell, I'll say it) and genuinely kind to Archie... and I'd take his side way faster than Michael and his ilk. Which is probably the intent, so. Total success.
So I loved pretty much everything in the first stage, Iofiel at school discovering herself and the world. And then there's the mood-whiplash when the holy shit hits the fan and everything turns super tense and scary. This CAN be disorienting and if you're not expecting it, might be kind of shocking. (I actually like 'mood whiplash' stories and being taken through the emotional wringer, but what works for me might not for you!) It gets dark, and... this is the Apocalypse we're talking about, it's going to be rough.
Something else from Claudie's review that I also really felt, and one of my only disappointments here: when everything started to get real, and we started to see that Heaven really didn't have everyone's best interests in mind, for angels, demons, and humanity... everyone just kind of accepted it. The demon characters kind of shrug and go 'yeah, that's how it goes, we're enemies, so being friends now didn't really mean anything, sorry.' And the angels are the same. (Iofiel resists this, of course! That's why she's the MC. :D And she's Bound in some ways that prevent her from doing much about it, but... still. Figure it out, guys!) *But man, oh man,* I was hoping for a Good Omens-esque teamup, everybody throwing aside their dogmatic orders, raising the middle finger to Ineffability, and fighting together, canceling the Apocalypse, angel and demon alike. Good Omens is one of my favorite books for that very thing; it's weirdly important to me, and I really kind of expected/hoped to see that here.
I'm honestly still hoping we get that, very much. And because there's at least one more book coming, I think there's a chance we will. But it would have been amazing to see a hint of that here, instead of Iofiel all alone at the end.
I'm giving this five stars because I genuinely loved every character (who we're supposed to - and I'm legitimately proud of Iofiel for the growth she's shown in this book alone), I loved the worldbuilding and concepts - and while not everything happened or got explored that I wanted... I'm more hopeful than I usually am that it will be in the second book, which I'll absolutely be picking up. The plot really seems to be heading that way at least. And yes, that cliffhanger was diabolical and I want more immediately. Good Angel, good book.
“I know that, Blue. We literally exist to serve them.”
“Yeah, but...” Iofiel was all at once too overwhelmed to think. “I love them.”
* * *
So, this was my original review: "...Phoebus staring up at ceiling, bemused and overwhelmed with So Much.jpg" (Because I don't know how to put images/GIFs in my reviews like Fancy people do.) I stand by it. I knew this would be a BIG one too, hence it taking a while. And it is.
Seriously, I'm overwhelmed with this still (which goes nicely with the quote I picked up top). There's so much to love in it, and even more to ponder. A sweet, adorable, good-hearted angel MC who just loves and loves and loves with her entire being, and revels in her name, "the beauty of God." Iofiel tries so hard. Everybody does, actually, and that makes it one of my favorite... sub-genres, I guess, where it's a story about a wide array of people doing their best in an awful situation and how everyone reacts differently to trauma and horror, and no response is *wrong* (except for, obviously, the actual antagonist perpetrating the trauma, but even THEY THINK they're doing the right thing - when villains legitimately think they're the heroes, that's the best kind of story).
Like Claudie's review said, there are kind of two... modes to this book. The first, relatively light, (kind of shoujo anime-esque, I thought) slice-of-life storyline about an angel in angel college who decides to actually major in demon-ing, and everybody dealing with that, and Moral Ambiguities - and the Ambiguities of interacting with one's friends... and how hard it is to parse out exactly what kind of relationship you have with someone. (As a bi ace aro-spec nerd who also just really really really loves their friends, it's *difficult* to be sure exactly what kind of feelings and/or attraction you have for someone, so that was great to see.)
Interestingly - and this is something I've never actually seen in any fiction before - asexuality and aromanticism are presumed to be the default (for angels at least; not sure about demons). I was super intrigued at this point, and a little worried, because... this is hard to articulate. (I DON'T feel like being aro/ace was 'othered' here in the same way as it usually is; this is an example of Sometimes Tropes Can Be Well Done And Not Damaging - to *me*). But sometimes in being aro/ace-inclusive, even with inhuman characters, people can come across as putting down allo and especially queer sexuality - specifically, with a real-world (and particularly religious!) history that so often paints queer relationships or sex as "dirty/impure/immoral," I could easily see a story about asexual angels falling into that really Unfortunate Implication. But, for me at least, it really didn't. Asexuality and aromanticism is explored here, and the feeling I got is that it's not about being "pure" or better, experiencing attraction doesn't seem to lead to an angel's "fall," because it also doesn't factor into an angel's... function. Like they weren't "programmed" for that, the Powers Above didn't think they needed it, so they don't know how to handle it really - angels are kind of made (and replicated) to act like functions or programs, which naturally gets into questions of Free Will along with orientation. So there is just a Lot to think about here, and I thought it was done really well - though I'm honestly still kind of rolling it around in my brain, and someone else's interpretation is absolutely as valid as mine. Complex stuff.
I also appreciated the blurring of "good" and "evil" here along with trying to sort out friends-and/or-lovers; we're shown repeatedly that demons and Hell aren't... "evil," per se, just an alternate way of operating/existing, and we only think they're the Bad Guys because they're opposed to Heaven, who loudly trumpet that they're the Unquestionable Good Guys, and Anything Different Is Bad. (At least this is the vibe I got.) I loved Archie, and Santiago and really every student character, angel and demon. They're super endearing and I just very much wanted them all to be okay.
And I really, REALLY loved Lucifer. Aside from Iofiel herself, he's probably my favorite - which is somehow surprising and unsurprising at the same time. He's fascinating and funny and charismatic (and hot as Hell, I'll say it) and genuinely kind to Archie... and I'd take his side way faster than Michael and his ilk. Which is probably the intent, so. Total success.
So I loved pretty much everything in the first stage, Iofiel at school discovering herself and the world. And then there's the mood-whiplash when the holy shit hits the fan and everything turns super tense and scary. This CAN be disorienting and if you're not expecting it, might be kind of shocking. (I actually like 'mood whiplash' stories and being taken through the emotional wringer, but what works for me might not for you!) It gets dark, and... this is the Apocalypse we're talking about, it's going to be rough.
Something else from Claudie's review that I also really felt, and one of my only disappointments here: when everything started to get real, and we started to see that Heaven really didn't have everyone's best interests in mind, for angels, demons, and humanity... everyone just kind of accepted it. The demon characters kind of shrug and go 'yeah, that's how it goes, we're enemies, so being friends now didn't really mean anything, sorry.' And the angels are the same. (Iofiel resists this, of course! That's why she's the MC. :D And she's Bound in some ways that prevent her from doing much about it, but... still. Figure it out, guys!) *But man, oh man,* I was hoping for a Good Omens-esque teamup, everybody throwing aside their dogmatic orders, raising the middle finger to Ineffability, and fighting together, canceling the Apocalypse, angel and demon alike. Good Omens is one of my favorite books for that very thing; it's weirdly important to me, and I really kind of expected/hoped to see that here.
I'm honestly still hoping we get that, very much. And because there's at least one more book coming, I think there's a chance we will. But it would have been amazing to see a hint of that here, instead of Iofiel all alone at the end.
I'm giving this five stars because I genuinely loved every character (who we're supposed to - and I'm legitimately proud of Iofiel for the growth she's shown in this book alone), I loved the worldbuilding and concepts - and while not everything happened or got explored that I wanted... I'm more hopeful than I usually am that it will be in the second book, which I'll absolutely be picking up. The plot really seems to be heading that way at least. And yes, that cliffhanger was diabolical and I want more immediately. Good Angel, good book.