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!

Angelfall Review

Angelfall by Susan Ee was a book that I simply picked up on impulse. After spending perhaps about half a hour browsing books, and gradually becoming disheartened as I was not finding anything I liked, I just chose a random book and decided to read it. For an overall rating, I'd rate it as 3 out of 5.

After the angels have descended upon Earth, complete havoc and chaos was unleashed. Destroying the conventional structure of human civilization, humans are now prey for the angels. Penryn, her mentally ill mother, and her disabled younger sister try to merely survive in this dystopian world. Until one night, they witness a fight among the angels, and, unfortunately, are discovered where upon they become their target. It's up to Penryn to save her family with the help of a potentially dangerous, yet otherworldly attractive, angel.

First off, I liked that there was no love at first sight crap! Although, undoubtedly, their sexual attraction cannot be denied, they initially loathed and didn't trust each other. Over time, as they go though mutual experiences together, they begin to learn and trust one another. Subjectively, this gives the notion that  it's more realistic in its nature, since they have to (or should) work through their problems first in order to become anything more. Real couples deal with real problems. Thus, giving more weight to their relationship. With that said, I feel as if I must state that their relationship isn't exactly unique or special, instead, it's comparable to many other relationships from other books. It deviates from the love at first sight crap, but it's certainly no Anna and Etienne (Click Here for my review of Anna and the French Kiss).

The first page hooked me; it took little effort for Susan Ee to capture my attention. It seems that there is a correlation between the more books I read, and the harder it is to start reading a book and being immediately immersed in its unique waters. This book was one of the rare ones. When reading the middle of the book, my interest began to die down a bit. The plot seemed to have simmered down and get a little boring. Despite this, my interest level was peeked again to a whole new level at the conclusion of the book. Oh my, that ending! Never before have I read such a surprising ending with such a sinister twist! I absolutely loved it!

Read this book if you like surprise, sinister endings or dystopian societies. Throughout the book, if you were like me, your feelings toward it will range from interested, bored, surprised and delighted. For similar reads, I suggest The Bone Season (Review Here) or The Immortal Rules (Review Here).