Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Series: Halo, Book One

Publisher: Atom

Format: Paperback

Published: 2010

Number of Pages: 485

Book: Bought

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Urban Fantasy, YA

Is love a great enough power against evil?

Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel to warrior; Ivy the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio.  But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone – especially herself...

Review:

I think the main reason I got this book was because of the cover.  And the beauty of the cover was definitely there in the writing.  The way Alexandra writes is so beautiful it’s untrue – definitely one of the most lyrical stories I’ve read.  So, when I finished the book and read a little about the author, I was absolutely stunned that she’s only eighteen years old, and was only seventeen when she actually wrote it.  Some of the words she used and the way her sentences just flowed... I’ve seen adults that aren’t nearly as intelligent as she obviously is.  I loved her way of writing, the way I could actually see everything in my head.  Somehow, Alexandra managed to get in enough description to create pictures in my mind without completely overwhelming me.  I have no idea how she did that, but it absolutely took my breath away.

The storyline was awesome too.  I’ve only just gotten into the angel genre (mainly because of the latest series of Supernatural), but this one was gorgeous.  Three angels are sent down to do God’s work and to rid a town of Agents of Dark.  They start with little things – charity, community service, volunteer work – slowly trying to bring the town love and get them closer to God.  Both Ivy and Gabriel have been on earth before, so this mission is nothing new to them.  For the young, very human angel Bethany, this is her first time, and she’s desperate to savour all the human experiences she can before she goes back home to Heaven.  She falls in love, and thinks her world is perfect.  That, of course, is when the Dark Forces pop up and everything suddenly gets a whole lot more dangerous and ominous...

I really liked this book, and the fact that I could see everything going on inside my head.  The only problem was that I didn’t really feel like I knew the characters as much as I’d like to.  All of them had such potential, and yet I don’t feel they reached it.  It annoyed me, especially as I could see them clearly in my imagination. 

But I loved the storyline, and the fact that these angels hadn’t fallen, unlike other angel books that have been out recently.  The suspense took a while to really kick in, a lot of the book being about Bethany getting used to earth, and then her love for Xavier.  It dragged on a little, and some of the things Bethany said and did during the romance with Xavier bugged me a little.  But I really liked seeing everything for the first time through her eyes: it was all so new and wonderful for her.  It was just little things – sand under your feet, tastes, smells – that you often don’t really notice as much, because you’re so used to them.  Bethany was naive, but at times I felt that made her a little defenceless.  However, I loved how she had no clue about simple slang, and that her elder sister, Ivy’s explanation for MILF was absolutely hilarious.  Her inexperience made for more than one funny moments throughout the book.

Before reading Halo I saw some negative reviews, most complaining about the slow pacing and the fact that Bethany is kind of clingy.  Well, yes the story is not the fastest, and yes, Bethany is a little clingy.  It didn’t put me off reading the book, and I honestly didn’t care all that much about the pace.  As I’ve said before, the writing was so beautiful, the pictures so vivid, the plot so brilliant that I couldn’t care less.  Sure, the minor characters were sometimes two-dimensional, and, yes, the book was a little preachy and religious.  I still couldn’t stop reading, especially after the suspense really kicked in.

Overall, a good read, that definitely has the potential to be great.  I can’t wait for Hades, and just hope that we learn more about the characters. 

Star Rating:
3¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Blood of Gold (Seeker Series, Book One) by B.V. Larson

Angel by L. A. Weatherly

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

A-Z Reading Challenge (Hosted by Book Junky)

Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)