Review: An Okay Read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2013
(This review can also be found on my blog and goodreads).This was one of those books that I thought was going to be better than it was.  Don't get me wrong; it's not bad by any means.  It's just an okay read.Lila, a college sophomore, has two dreams.  In one, she went out clubbing for her friend's birthday, and the girls were drugged and taken to a remote location to be raped.  This dream lead to a vision where both of her best friends were dead.  In the other, she stayed with her boyfriend and all was hunky dory.  Which dream was the right one?I admit that the title of this book is what drew me in.  I liked it.  Did I think it had anything to do with the book?  No, not really.  Lila refers to herself as the bitter angel about twice in the book.  This is never really explained why she calls herself that.  I never really found her bitter, and I have no idea what an angel has to do with anything.  Maybe it's just me being dumb.The cover of this book is interesting.  I don't really know if I like it or not simply because I can't figure out what's going on with her lips on the bottom part of the cover.  I've stared at this cover long and hard and still can't figure it out.  I'm still perplexed!The world building was alright except for how Lila and her boyfriend decide to act on a nightmare Lila had.  I could understand Jay's, Lila's boyfriend, reluctance, but I've never known anyone to do what Lila did based on a nightmare.  I also didn't get how Lila woke up with Trigger's t-shirt if she just dreamt about what was happening.  That part really left me stumped.  Other than that, I had no problem setting up the world in my mind.  In fact, Lila's world was even a little bit scary!For the majority of the book, I found the pacing to be a little bit too slow for my liking.  I felt that some of what was in the book wasn't really necessary such as Lila's mental letter for Jay.  For that bit, I just skipped the whole thing.  The pacing was good for the very beginning of the book and the last twenty-five percent.I admired the way Lila wanted to protect her friends no matter what, and I liked the way she kicked butt.  I just wish we had more of a glimpse into her background.  I think a back story would've helped out a lot.  I liked Jay, but I didn't love him if that makes sense.  I liked the way he was good to Lila, but there wasn't anything special about him.  As for Lila's two best friends, Heather and Nilah, I wish they were featured more in the book instead of just the beginning.  I thought Trigger was a cool character.  Maybe I just have a thing for nerds, haha.  I felt that he really grew as a character in this book.  I thought Alpha was a great baddie.  I really, really hated him!!  The author did a good job on him!  I wish that it was explained better why Alpha did what he did.The dialogue was okay.  Sometimes it felt a bit forced especially between Jay and Lila.  Lila's internal dialogue is what had me laughing.  I loved how sarcastic she was and how she always had a fighting spirit and would coach herself.  There is some swearing and scenes of violence though if you're not into that sort of thing.Overall, Bitter Angel by Megan Hand is an okay read albeit a bit slow.  The last twenty-five percent of the book is what really saved it for me.  I was expecting a book where there's a lesson to be learned, not one where the main character decides to act on some random nightmare she has.  The synopsis is a bit misleading I think.  I did enjoy the ending between Alpha and Lila though, and as I've said before, I loved Lila's sarcasm.  I also enjoyed reading the author's acknowledgements as well!I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ due to violence and language.I'd give Bitter Angel by Megan Hand a 3.5 out of 5.(I was provided with a free ecopy from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).