Bethany is an angel sent from heaven - literally. She and her siblings, angels Gabriel and Ivy, are sent to Earth to combat the dark forces Lucifer has put around the globe. The devil's minions are spreading havoc and destruction and masking it as a series of tragic accidents. Bethany's mission is to restore peace and harmony to the human race. However, everything changes when she meets Xavier Woods. They fall in love, which is forbidden and basically unheard of - an angel can never be with a human, since they can be recalled to Heaven at any time. As Bethany and Xavier grow closer, Bethany must decide whether to tell Xavier more about herself than any other human knows. However, dark forces may use Xavier against Bethany, whether he knows she's an angel or not. The best thing for Bethany to do would be to let Xavier go, before it's too late - but he may already be in too deep...
I was expecting a lot from this book. It's a popular book, so I figured it'd have to be good to receive that much attention. Also, the summary appeared quite interesting. The perspective of an angel - a full one - instead of a part angel or human? I've never read a book from that angle. However, I have to say I was disappointed. The problem started at the beginning. It just didn't catch my interest. If a book doesn't capture my attention near the beginning, it's pretty much a guarantee that I won't be as involved with the rest of the story, either. I felt detached from Bethany. Her emotions didn't reach me. It's like the emotional bond that connects me to a book's main character had been severed with this novel. I need to be connected to the characters to be interested in picking it up again. I wasn't as interested in reading this book after putting it down. Most books make me want to read again; this one didn't.
Something that impressed me was the language used in Adornetto's writing. She wrote this book in grade 12, so I usually don't expect eloquent writing or rarely-used words. However, both were present. It's not often tat I come across a word I don't know the meaning of, and usually when I do, it's from a much more experienced author. I even asked friends the meanings and they didn't know either; we ended up doing a Google search. Surprisingly, I was not at all annoyed by taking the time to figure out these meanings. I enjoyed adding new words to my vocabulary.
I don't like foreshadowing. I much prefer a mystery. Unfortunately, this story had a lot of foreshadowing. I like it better when I feel as though I'm experiencing what the main character is experiencing at the same time. When foreshadowing is utilized, it's like the character knows the future; for whatever reason, I don't like it. For example, when Jake Thorn was introduced, Bethany's internal dialogue informed the reader, right off the bat, that he would make trouble for her and Xavier. Then, Jake was all nice and everything before doing anything that could be construed as menacing or devious. I'd have much preferred if the reader could've believed, just until his evil personality surfaced, that maybe he was good. Then it would have been a surprise when it turned out he wasn't. I love surprises that make sense in books. Obviously, if it comes out of the blue and makes no sense, then I don't like that. But something like this Jake situation? I would've omitted the foreshadowing.
Overall, this book didn't meet my expectations. I suppose I should stop setting them before I start a book, but it's more of an unconscious feeling than anything intentional, so not much I can do about that. It was a good book, there's no doubt about that, but not to the extent that some of the reviews about it crow. I would rate this novel three stars. I will read the next book in the series, though, so I didn't find it so uninteresting that I'll avoid anything by Alexandra Adornetto. I would suggest readers who enjoy romance, religion, and comedic naïveté pick this book up.
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