Review: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Alex is not your typical teenage kid. He's an assassin, an elite killer sent to stop the world from being invaded.

Willow is not your typical teenage girl. Not only is she a gifted mechanic, she also has psychic capabilities.

Living in a small town with her Aunt and mentally void mother, Willow is shocked to discover that Alex has been sent to kill her. And he's not the only one who wants her dead.

Alex is the best of the best, so why doesn't he follow orders? Something about this mission isn't right. Willow may seem like the enemy, but she doesn't act like one. In fact, it's almost like she doesn't realize who, or what, she is.

When Alex decides, against his better judgement, to save Willow instead of kill her, they are plunged into a cross-country journey to flee the enemy and find a way to stop them for good. Along the way, something neither of them expected, or wanted, happens. They fall in love.

Now Alex must do whatever he can to keep Willow safe. In this war, the enemy is deceivingly beautiful, the victims are oblivious to their destruction, and the odds are impossible.

***

The Pros: This was a highly intense, fast paced, must read book. The story was fascinating and disturbing. The characters were entertaining and the dialogue was just about perfect.

I read this book in a day, which is not a huge feat for me, but the book is over 400 pages long. I stole every spare second to finish the story because I just couldn't stop.

The Cons: There was a lot of taking the Lord's name in vain and using it as an expletive. Multiple times on nearly every page, and it went past irritating and became offensive. There was a little more swearing than I appreciate. Alex tends to drink more than I think is appropriate for a seventeen-year-old boy.

The Middle Ground: This book is dripping with romance. The attraction between Willow and Alex is almost instantaneous, but they both fight it for a while. Once they realize it's a losing battle, the walls come down and the flood gates open. Most of the time it's sweet and perfect, but sometimes it's just irritating.

I try not to include spoilers, but this is probably a spoiler. So stop reading if you want to be surprised.

The enemy is Angels. They have come to earth to feed off of humans, feed off their auras and energy. The humans are then grateful they've been touched by an angel. After, they have Angel Burn, a condition where their body deteriorates via cancer, MS, and a slew of other medical conditions (including instant death by massive heart attack or stroke). At first, I was wildly uncomfortable with the idea that angels are evil. But the further into the story I got, the more I realized that these beings may look like "angels," but they're really a sort of alien. There is no mention of them coming from heaven. They're not, in any way, connected to God or heaven or religion. Oddly, that made me feel a lot better.

Bottom Line:

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Fantastic supernatural read. Especially if you're into a good mix between action/adventure and paranormal romance.

This book was provided by the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. I received no compensation for my time or review. Pin It