Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Halo is an interesting book. Bethany, the youngest of three angels sent from heaven to disspell the darkness dominating earth, falls in love with a human boy. Against the rules, yet somehow allowed, their love is forced to face...not much.

Let's start with the positive. The writing is very good. Descriptions are not at all too long, and give an avid idea of what is happening at all times. There's a lot of potential for this book from the beginning. Unfortunately, it's a steady decline throughout the novel.

From the first day at school Bethany isn't much of an angel. She's rude, distracted, and self-centered. While her siblings immerse themselves in projects, she doesn't even try to do what she was meant to. Gabriel expresses his doubts about her selection for the mission, and he's completely right, she shouldn't have been sent. Even if she is this young angel who connects more easily with human nature, she should at least attempt to help! Not only that, but from her first day at school she is very much human. Her angelic nature doesn't come out in her personality at all, and she's just another awkward teenager.

The angel rules aren't followed either. There are many inconsistencies in the book, and details that are later ignored. For instance, in the beginning it is explained that angels do not sweat because they have an unlimited energy source. Only a few chapters later however, she describes her sweat making her hair stick. Then she goes for a run and is out of breath at the end, which isn't supposed to be possible! These little details distracted me from the story.

Lastly, the love story. At first it isn't bad. But I wasn't surprised to find out that Ms. Alexandra was only 18 when she wrote this book. The love story is desperate and rushed, with no real chemistry between the two before they're making undying confessions of love. Bethany also chooses very abruptly to reveal that she is an angel, before there is really any cause to do so. Further on she turns into a complete Bella when they break up for a week, and that is the point in which I lost all respect for her.

There wasn't a lot of action, and I got pretty bored. The action finale is extremely short for the length of the book, and Bethany is unconscious for most of it, so really it wasn't well organized.

It wasn't a terrible book, but as far as the angel theme goes, it's one of the worst I've read. I won't be looking into the next books in the series.

Two Stars

Rosalie Williams

Halo on Goodreads

Kindred by Erica Stevens

Kindred is a self-published series by Erica Stevens. It is available free on the Amazon store for your Kindle.

Cassie is a beautiful vampire hunter who wishes to be normal. Devon is one of the oldest vampires in existence, and they feel an immediate pull towards each other. Both are desperate to keep each other out of the world of death and violence that each of them are firmly entrenched in.

Stevens is a good writer. Her other series have been some of my favorite self-publishers, and I did follow the Captive series to completion. But first, I must start with the bad. Like most self-publishers, there are quite a few editing mistakes. Some of the worst are the improper uses of "then" and "than." Alongside those are the basic misspellings, mis-placed punctuation, and awkward wording that doesn't quite make sense. Although these may seem minor, the writing is what makes a book, and the editing errors detract from the plotline, and make it seem much more amateur, unfortunately. The last thing I have to mention is how short they are. Barely above 200 pages, the books go by in a flash. Like most self-publishing series, the rest cost around $3. I was dismayed to find that the next is also only 200 pages. This detracts a lot, in my opinion, from the author themselves. It feels like buying mini-stories, and she's doing it to stretch out the series and make more money from it.

Aside from my revision rant, the storyline was interesting and fun. The characters aren't a total bore, and the dialogue flows nicely. Although it is another of those instantaneous love/infatuation stories, I'm a sucker for those, so I did enjoy it. Unfortunately there isn't much substantial to say. It isn't the most original story, but it's still good, like a retold classic.

Three Stars

Rosalie Williams

Kindred on Goodreads

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

The final book in the Across the Universe trilogy, Shades of Earth takes place on the distant planet once thought to be far from reach.

The series began with Amy awakening to be trapped on a space ship where corruption and secrets abound. Initially, she is told that they are fifty years from planet landing, and will be an old woman before she ever sees her parents again. Through numerous challenges and discoveries, her relationship with the future leader, Elder, strengthens and weakens. Though they clash on many ideals and even fight over the death penalty, in they end they come to love each other.

Shades of Earth was by far the best book in the series. Beth Revis did a fantastic job of describing the new planet, and the world both in space, and on the planet is colorful and intriguing. It is fantastic the way all the loose ends and mysteries from the first two books wove together to finish off the series. There is enough of a world here to write an entire new series based on the planet, and I sincerely hope she decides to do an extension series.

The first two books really established Amy and Elder as characters, but it isn't until the third book, when they are faced with the most dangerous decisions, does their character really come to fruition. As a couple they gain a lot more substance, and they no longer seem so immature.

This is definitely the best book in the series, and I enjoyed it immensely. The claustrophobia of the space ship is finally alleviated, and made the finale much more meaningful.

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Shades of Earth on Goodreads