Review: What a unique concept.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2012
The GoodA Tasty Recipe...I was completely in rapt fascination when I started reading Until Next Time. It had such a unique concept that made me perk up with interest right away. Angels, warriors, experiencing human life for the first time, getting familiar with human behavior and emotion. All great ingredients for an exciting recipe.Oh, the Complexity...Matt and Emily have been created to be both angel warriors and to experience human life while bringing back their gained knowledge to their caring family of angel mentors. But once Matt and Emily are thrown into human shells with pasts, not all goes as expected. Matt may have been created to be Emily's soulmate, but as a human, Emily can't help but fall for the irresistible Jason, a man with a troubled past. It doesn't help that neither angel can remember their real identities while in their human bodies. But Matt wont give up. He knows Emily is the only one for him. And through their individual adventures, Emily and Matt try to hold on to their faith, even as humanity gives them every reason not to.Though, in the beginning, the complexity of this story was a bit confusing, I easily fell into the gist of things after the first few chapters. I really did enjoy Lignor's take on the angel genre. I can confidently say I have never read a book like this one before. The storyline was original, the characters were realistic, and the angst and heartache were almost unbearable. Until Next Time will make you feel something, that is for sure.Emily/Liz...Emily was an engrossing character that I couldn't help but be both happy and sad for. She knows a life of mischief and friendship in Heaven, then is placed into another world to find out that human emotions and actions can test ones faith like nothing else. It was fun watching her (in her Liz shell) and Jason grow closer, even if they both struggled with their feelings, in different ways. But in the back of my mind I wanted to scream at Liz (who is really Emily) that she was destined for Matt (who is in the shell of Daniel). But Emily/Liz does the best she can with her circumstances, even when confronting Jason's past. Confused yet? LoL. It is actually quite simple once you read the book.Let's Hear it for the Boys...In the beginning, it is easy to tell that Matt loves Emily very much. But his willingness to do anything for her borders on obsessive and dangerous. Matt was very unpredictable and it actually brought more tension to many scenes. But the problem is, once Emily is turned into Liz, you completely fall in love with Liz's choice for a mate, who happens to be the human Jason. Jason is so sweet my teeth hurt just thinking about him. He is kind, gentle, and compassionate. I hate to say it, but I hope Emily and Jason get their happily ever after. Maybe Matt can find someone else to complete him. Jeeze, I just feel bad for all of them. What a mess.And then we have Charles. Now he was a character. With him being Jason's best friend, it was only obvious that he would end up with Emily/Liz's best friend, Faith. I loved Charles nonchalant attitude and breezy ways. And Faith was the perfect spitfire to tame him. I only wish the main couple of this book could have had an ending like Charles and Faith's.The BadI was greatly drawn to this story from the beginning. But I felt that as the book went on, it lost some of its spark. Nothing really big happens until the end, and I just wish there was more going on throughout the whole story.I actually found the fact that the Angel pair kept leaving their human bodies and going back up to Heaven (with full memories of both lives) to talk to their mentors very irritating. I felt like it detached me from caring about their human lives. If it's that simple to go back to Heaven, then why should I worry about what happens to them on earth? It made their human endeavor seem more like a game rather than a real experience.The whole plot was a little off to me. I wasn't sure where the story was going, and when we finally got there, I wasn't as satisfied as I hoped to be.The SnugglyThis was a pretty clean book. You can expect some sexual tension for sure. And the actual sex is done off-screen. The romance was nice but kind of sad. It's not a happy ever after kind of romance, but I did like the relationships between the characters. It was very sweet. I had this urge to keep saying, "Aw[...]"OverallI can't say I didn't enjoy reading Until Next Time. It was an enjoyable read with interesting characters. And the ending only makes me want to beg for book two to come out now. But I can't deny that there were a few things that could have been better. I was conflicted on what kind of star rating to give this book because it had both intriguing and annoying elements to it. So I settled for 3 stars because I do believe some people will find this book amazing. I just feel for me it wasn't as close as a fit as I would have liked. So recommended for those who find this concept interesting.QuotesSomeday I know that I'll have to choose between the one I was made for and the one I made a promise to down there... but not today. "You already know I love you," I answer. "I've said that to you since we were ten-years-old."His blue eyes sparkle. "Like you love him?"Thankfully, I don't have to answer that... yet. Luckily, Gabe and Mike appear out of nowhere causing me to jump out of my chair. "Jesus! What is it with you guys? Can't you cough, or something?"~Michael raised his hand in the air. "I don't care who did what. I don't care where it happened, or even if permission was granted-- which I'm quite sure was not!" Emily sat up straighter as Michael's glare shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. "What I want to know is why a very great man is now... crawling up my robes?"Emily stared at the lizard that was now sitting on Michael's shoulder. The reptile gazed at her and shook its small head back and forth. He blinked one of his large eyelids then stuck out his tongue.