Review: Should appeal to readers who like the genre
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2012
God versus the Devil, good angels versus bad angels; this is the ultimate good versus evil story.It's book 1 in Grace's The angel series, the first two of which have had the film rights optioned. Book 1, and I presume the rest in the series, are aimed very much at the young adult reader. I imagine the film will have a much broader appeal but I could be wrong as I don't know much about movie targeting and what brings in the money.Megan lives in the suburban beach town of Clearwater, Florida, and is pleased that she's finally old enough to be a junior counsellor at summer camp. She's bouncing with excitement on the bus trip because she'll be reunited with Seth, the boy she loves. She has no inkling that she'll be a very different person by the time camp is over. One worry that will be solved for her by camp end is why she sees people who shine. Who'd have thought she could see angels! It's a relief to know that it's real and not caused by a brain tumour. Book 1 sets the scene for what I anticipate will be an epic battle for Megan, chosen by God to fight evil incarnate in the form of bad angel Judas.One of the things I like about this book is that it's a full length novel. Many series take advantage of the electronic format to deliver shorter books.I was disappointed that it finished on a cliffhanger. That's obviously the hook to get me to buy the next installment but as a reader I prefer the books in series to be complete. If I enjoy the first one I don't need a cliffhanger to entice me into wanting to read the rest.I also like the message Grace is sending: be brave enough to stand by your principles and beliefs. Not easy when you're a teenager and want to be accepted by your peers.My one criticism is that at times I found the language and dialogue stilted.But it's not hard to see why a film is in the works. With CGI magic the visuals should be terrific.I imagine the book will appeal to readers who like the genre.