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A review by kcrawfish
Angelbound by Christina Bauer
4.0
Wow I loved this book. Lets make a list, shall we?
Why did I love it? Is it:
a. that Myla is an awesome warrior heroine who beats up evil souls for fun? (and is awesome at it BTW)
b. the fact that she literally lives in Purgatory? (I mean I know most high schoolers think they go to Purgatory High, but she literally has a class on worm-soufflé and massaging gouls' feet... EW)
c. the fact she's hilarious/sassy? (watching her fly off the handle is one of my favorite things)
d. the fact that she has an awesome, deadly demon tail that is self-aware?
e. or the not-cheesy, super-cute romance?
Ding Ding Ding! Yes. It was secret answer (f) all of the above! Plus amazing world building and a cast of rational, active characters.
I hate it when characters are dumb just to move the plot along. You know, when they don't act like any sane individual would, so that the author can spin a better story? Well that doesn't happen here! High-five!
Our main character is Myla, a quasi—which is a part demon, part human—who would rather spend her time fighting evil souls in The Arena, than roaming the halls of Purgatory High. For the most part, she gets her wish since she's part wrath demon (each demon/quasi gets their power from one of the seven deadly sins, or in her case two, which is super cool) and that means she's uber talented at fighting.
She has a best friend, Cissy, who's inner envy demon makes her annoying at times, but for the most part she's a loyal support system since Myla's life is kinda on its hinges. Myla doesn't know who her father is, or what happened to her mother during/before the war when quasi rule in Purgatory was overthrown by the gouls and Armageddon, the king of Hell.
Her mother, by the way, is a jittery, overly cautious, mass of nerves with a secret past. You can imagine how her daughter risking life and limb in the Arena is great for her considering the whole basket-case vibe. Add the fact that her daughter loves the Arena and has an inner wrath demon to boot, and you have a crappy family dynamic.
As far as the love story goes, I thought Lincoln was yummy. They had a great dynamic and an interesting build up to their relationship; the whole thing was a sweet, slow burn. They fit so well together, I was almost as "on cloud nine" as the pair of them were when everything finally clicked.
Adair. Now there's a name that makes me wanna punch someone.
I hated her so freaking much (although I'm writing this having read the second book where she becomes infinitely more annoying, so you may not feel quite as strongly by the end as I do now). She seems to have mistaken Lincoln for a fire hydrant and thinks that now she's peed on him and he's her property. Aka: she's the brattiest of all brats.
All in all this was an excellent story. I do think it could have used a better editing process, or maybe another comb over by Bauer after she'd set it aside for a while, and could look with fresh eyes. It wasn't bad, it just could have been "great" and it ended up being "really good."
I picked up the second in the series right away and definitely recommend that you do as well, reader, because in a rare turn for series books, this story did get even better in the second book. I'm on to the third now, and haven't regretted a moment yet.
It's an easy, entertaining, highly creative read.
More awesome reviews at = http://rantingsravingsbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Why did I love it? Is it:
a. that Myla is an awesome warrior heroine who beats up evil souls for fun? (and is awesome at it BTW)
b. the fact that she literally lives in Purgatory? (I mean I know most high schoolers think they go to Purgatory High, but she literally has a class on worm-soufflé and massaging gouls' feet... EW)
c. the fact she's hilarious/sassy? (watching her fly off the handle is one of my favorite things)
d. the fact that she has an awesome, deadly demon tail that is self-aware?
e. or the not-cheesy, super-cute romance?
Ding Ding Ding! Yes. It was secret answer (f) all of the above! Plus amazing world building and a cast of rational, active characters.
I hate it when characters are dumb just to move the plot along. You know, when they don't act like any sane individual would, so that the author can spin a better story? Well that doesn't happen here! High-five!
Our main character is Myla, a quasi—which is a part demon, part human—who would rather spend her time fighting evil souls in The Arena, than roaming the halls of Purgatory High. For the most part, she gets her wish since she's part wrath demon (each demon/quasi gets their power from one of the seven deadly sins, or in her case two, which is super cool) and that means she's uber talented at fighting.
She has a best friend, Cissy, who's inner envy demon makes her annoying at times, but for the most part she's a loyal support system since Myla's life is kinda on its hinges. Myla doesn't know who her father is, or what happened to her mother during/before the war when quasi rule in Purgatory was overthrown by the gouls and Armageddon, the king of Hell.
Her mother, by the way, is a jittery, overly cautious, mass of nerves with a secret past. You can imagine how her daughter risking life and limb in the Arena is great for her considering the whole basket-case vibe. Add the fact that her daughter loves the Arena and has an inner wrath demon to boot, and you have a crappy family dynamic.
As far as the love story goes, I thought Lincoln was yummy. They had a great dynamic and an interesting build up to their relationship; the whole thing was a sweet, slow burn. They fit so well together, I was almost as "on cloud nine" as the pair of them were when everything finally clicked.
Adair. Now there's a name that makes me wanna punch someone.
I hated her so freaking much (although I'm writing this having read the second book where she becomes infinitely more annoying, so you may not feel quite as strongly by the end as I do now). She seems to have mistaken Lincoln for a fire hydrant and thinks that now she's peed on him and he's her property. Aka: she's the brattiest of all brats.
All in all this was an excellent story. I do think it could have used a better editing process, or maybe another comb over by Bauer after she'd set it aside for a while, and could look with fresh eyes. It wasn't bad, it just could have been "great" and it ended up being "really good."
I picked up the second in the series right away and definitely recommend that you do as well, reader, because in a rare turn for series books, this story did get even better in the second book. I'm on to the third now, and haven't regretted a moment yet.
It's an easy, entertaining, highly creative read.
More awesome reviews at = http://rantingsravingsbookreviews.blogspot.com/