Review: Angel Angst
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2012
How do you choose between your soul mate and the love of your life? Liz faces this very dilemma in Until Next Time, the first book in Amy Lignor's The Angel Chronicles series.Best friends and soul mates, Matt and Emily are sent to live in human shells after years of training in Heaven, but are utterly unprepared to deal with emotions and its effect on one's actions. Matt's shell, Daniel, is an angry loner with major Mommy issues, while Emily takes on the life of Liz, an orphan who practically raised herself. Even though Liz and Daniel live in the same small town, they cannot remember anything about Heaven outside of Heaven and have a hard time establishing their relationship even though there is a strong connection and Daniel is clearly her protector. Without a clear idea of why they have such a strong pull toward each other, Liz meets a handsome stranger on a stormy night and recognizes an attraction to him, as well. When a murder is committed, Daniel and Liz are separated while she helps her handsome new friend come to terms with his past.And the journey back into his past is where this story heats up. I enjoyed the beginning and having a bond form between Liz, her friend Faith, and the two strangers enter their lives, but once they attempt closure on past issues, the novel became difficult for me to put down. What the past was for Liz and her group is not revealed for quite some time, so there is a lot of suspense and intrigue as you attempt to figure out what will happen to them.Faith, the loyal friend who is with Liz from the beginning, has a relationship with Liz that is more familial than friendly. It is one of the strongest relationships in Until Next Time. The girls describe each other as sisters and their bond is evident.Even though I felt the strong connection between Matt and Emily in Heaven, I just did not feel the intensity of their connection while in their human shells. Daniel seemed obsessed with Liz, but while she clearly cared for him, it did not appear to have his level of intensity. Not knowing who Daniel really was couldn't have helped the situation, but the playful, caring bond was clear even when Emily and Matt argued. While Liz seemed willing to do anything for Daniel, it seemed to come from an apathetic sense of obligation. Also, since we see Daniel less than the other characters, it is harder to relate to him. Why his feelings come off as different than Liz's are explained at the end, but at that point I was much less interested in him.The concept behind Until Next Time is intriguing and I really enjoyed the suspense of figuring out what was going to happen. Stronger evidence of the intense feelings between Daniel and Liz, however, would have helped me get into the story a little more. That being said, I enjoyed the novel thoroughly and am looking forward to seeing which lives are given to Daniel and Liz in the second book of the series.I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.