Mundie Moms

Friday, February 4, 2011

Book Review- Fallen Angel

By Heather Terrell
Published by Harper Teen
Released on December 28th, 2010
Source- ARC from Harper Teen
2.5 stars- I Really Wanted To Like It More Than I Did

Heaven-sent?

Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys—or anyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael.

Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totally into Ellie. It’s no wonder she is instantly drawn to him. But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hiding something, too. They’ve both discovered they have powers beyond their imagining. Powers that are otherworldly.

Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.

In this electrifying novel, Heather Terrell spins a gripping supernatural tale about true love, destiny, and the battle of good versus evil (quoted from Goodreads).

I have been looking forward to reading Fallen Angel ever since I read the intriguing synopsis and when I received it to read as a review I was extremely excited to enter the world Heather created. I ended up having a hard time with this story, despite the fact I desperately wanted to love it. It's not that the mythology wasn't unique, as it was. I was fascinated by Heather's angels as they are traditional fallen angels with a unique and intriguing history.

The two main characters, Ellie and Michael have a strong connection to each other and end up having a lot more in common with each other than Ellie first thinks. She has bizarre dreams and it's until Michael enters them, does she realize they're dreams at all. Through Michael, Ellie learns more about what they really are, as Michael teaches her how they're able to really see each other-through their blood. Their blood lust for one another really turned me off from the story, as I had a hard time with fallen angels thinking their were vampires. I also wanted to feel more connected with Ellie and Michael, but I felt liked they needed more depth to them. Don't get me wrong, I liked how together they discover their history and learn what their destiny is, but it wasn't enough make me feel I really got to know them.

The plot is a mix of action and at other times one I couldn't get into. I liked that there some of the story's action comes from the traditional "bad boy" which also uncovers more of the plot and Ellie and Michael's destiny together. During this time Ellie learns her history and that of her parents. I found some of old world or old fashioned language a little hard to follow. I understand why it was in the book, but I think it took a little bit away from the story, since Ellie and Michael's families want to blend in and not stand out. Ellie herself uses some phrases that seem a bit odd coming from a sixteen year old in the 21st century.

I like the history Heather included into the story, as those were the most intriguing parts for me. I liked finding out more about Ellie and where she came from and what she is. Despite being turned off from the blood lust these angels have, I was fascinated with Heather's angel mythology. Even though I spent much of the story wanting to like it more than I did, the action at the end of the story (no matter how quick it was) redeemed itself just enough that I will pick up it's sequel, Eternity when it's released.

The Vyne Blog Tour- Guest Post by author Daniel Wells

Today we have The Vyne author, Daniel Walls with us today, as part of his book tour hosted by Teen Book Scene. Be sure to click here, to visit the rest of the stops on the tour.

What is it like writing books from a male POV? Are there any books that you enjoy & would suggest to us to read with a male's pov?

That’s an interesting question. As you can probably tell, I didn’t set out to write a book about some steamy hero who swoops in to save the princess. I prefer my heroes to be a bit more grounded in reality. Still, even though Asher is not a “man’s man”, the book is from the boy’s point of view (a male point of view). And being a male myself, you’d think this would be easy. But really, it wasn’t.

Scar plays such a pivotal role in the story that I couldn’t just have the POV be from Asher’s perspective. So I purposely continued to switch up the POV throughout the story, to get a little more insight being each of their motives. As the story moves on though, the reader begins to lose touch with Scar more and more. I had to purposely do this to help extenuate her failing state. (Wait! Am I giving away too much? Oh well, at least this is just Book One.)

As for others I’d suggest: I honestly like the characters in books written from a female POV better (Golden Compass, Bloody Jack, Twilight…). For some reason they just seem a little more raw and believable. As for boys, I always felt that if Asher could be half as interesting as Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye), I would have someone people just might be interested in reading about (even if they don’t particularly like him right away).
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Thank you Daniel for joining us today!

Here's a brief synopsis for Daniel's book, The Vyne-

By Daniel Walls
Published by Two Harbors Press
Released on January 3rd, 2011

For as long as he can remember, Asher has possessed unexplainable abilities, which his widowed father has forced him to keep hidden. But when an elusive girl named Scar enters his village, Asher's life is forever transformed.

Bound by despair, the teens plot to run away. However, when a mystical medallion finds its way into Asher's hands, they soon learn that running is not an option, it's imperative. Asher is thrust into the pursuit of a legendary treasure, believed to possess the power to save the world from the prophesied apocalypse. And the key to unlocking this power lies within the secret of his curse.

While hunted by dark forces, Asher realizes that Scar has secrets of her own; she is not the girl he thought she was. Time is running out as he struggles to find the strength to let go of his feelings and summon the courage to embrace his destiny.

A chilling, heart-wrenching tale of colliding worlds and forbidden love, The Vynereinvents steampunk-fantasy for a whole new generation (quoted from fantastic fiction).

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