A Temptation of Angels Review

Overall rating: 6.5/10

I had high hopes for this book, since I’ve only have good experiences from reading a book that has a recommendation by MTV and also Seventeen.  Even the title lured me in; who could resist such an enticing, apparently forbidden promising title? Well, I’ll save all of my issues with this book till the end. 

Summary: This book takes place during the Victorian era, in London, England. Helen’s parents are killed in her home by villainous, mysterious beings; her mother forces her to escape without them. Only leaving her with a necklace with a very interesting pendant on it, and a note that has the address to a stranger’s house. The main plot revolves around solving the mystery of who the killer is, why, and how to stop it from continuing. 

Characters: The beginning, the very first few pages in fact, dives right into the action that’s predominate periodically throughout the story. The story is in the third person, through the perspective of the main character: Helen Cartwright. You are quickly introduced to the next most important characters: brothers Darius and Griffin. Darius is the typical character that seems to posses a mysterious, or tragic, past. Which is true, as you’ll discover early on in the book. As a consequence of his horrific experience, it’s very hard to gain his trust, but he’s protective of the ones who have earned it. Griffin’s outward personality is the complete opposite of his brother’s. He’s very friendly, and I dare say even nurturing. When I was about 1/5th of the way through the book, that song by kevjumba and Nigahiga “Nice Guys Finish Last” popped into my head. However, as I discovered later in the book it should of been “Bad Guys Finish Last” or “Nice Guys Finish First”, which ever you feel is more appealing.

Problems: I found that the book was a bit deceiving. On the back cover it promises a love-triangle; unfortunately, it wasn’t much of one. You don’t even meet the other guy till 1/3rd of the way through the book, and even then it’s not much of one. It only starts getting a bit heated, or conflicted, towards the end. Which is a big disappointment! Another thing, the title, A Temptation of Angels, seems as it would promise something forbidden, something of great, perhaps tragic, desire. Of coarse, this book failed to live up to the title. There was very little to none of such temptation! Now, the biggest problem I had with this book are the characters. None of the characters were dynamic; they lacked that essential depth required to really feel connected to a character, and not once did I feel empathetic of their emotions. It might just be the fact that it is in third person, but I felt like an outsider looking in on them. I subjectively think that only some select writers can effectively pull off 3rd person without leaving out interaction between the characters and the reader. Otherwise, I’d feel left out, in a sense, like I did with this book. For example, I had no idea why Helen was attracted to one of the brothers; he was as boring and static as hell. In addition, you can add the other brother and almost everyone else -though I did like Anna and her father-.

Similar book(s): I thought this book was tremendously similar to The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. They both posses a new, secret world; which have been kept secret to the public. Both have enemies that must be fought to preserve humanity, or all the beings in the world, and they have strange weapons. It made me think, “Did Michelle Zink (Author of A Temptation…) first read the City of Bones and modeled her book after that one?” 

Conclusion: Nevertheless, it was still a somewhat enjoyable read. I have experienced reading painful books where I’m forced to put the book down, and maybe, if the book is lucky, I’ll try picking it up again in a year or so. However, I can assure you this book is not one of thosebooks, but it came awfully close. The book has its problems, but some may be able to overlook it; if so, then please try reading it and tell me what YOU think!