Angelfire (Angelfire #1)
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published February 15th 2011 by HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
Summary taken from
Goodreads
This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.
When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.
A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.
While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.
Okay, first let me hogtie my inner fangirl and stuff her into a closet at the corner of my mind. She went all Lord of the Rings on the book (my preciousssss *cackles*) when I bought it. I need to write (or type as the case may be) without her squealing in my ear.
I honestly really and truly loved this book. It drew me in immediately. The dynamic characters and the overall plot were well thought out and cleverly written. Let's not mention the action scenes and the chemistry between Will and Ellie. Ah-may-zing. It's definitely a book I can gush and squeal over when I reread it over and over again.
The ending wasn't a big cliffhanger and yet it still left me moaning in despair that I have to wait until next year for the sequel. The one-liners in this book just killed me. They were amazingly hysterical and quirky. I nearly busted a gut laughing.
Courtney's action scenes were the bomb.com. I was awed at how well they flowed together seamlessly. It felt like I was watching a movie. They kind of got a little repetitive at times but not enough to take anything away from the book.
The mythology behind this was well explained even for those who might not be familiar with the lore behind it. The reapers are detailed and unique and very freaky. I loved it. She gave them depth and I appreciate the fact that they weren't some random beasts with no personality. Ragnuk was a bastard that I wanted to hack into a million pieces. That's a goal in writing a good book I think; making the reader feel what the characters are feeling.
On characters: Ellie. I felt a sort of a kindred spirit in her. No only do we have similar interests (Disney movies, Sailor Moon, etc.) but I love her interactions with her best friend, Kate. It kind of reminds me of me and my best friend. When I read about her parents, I thought to myself,
Finally! A mom who's not invisible and actually gives a damn! That's rare. Her dad may have been a bit of a douche, but I think that there is something hidden there. I guess we'll see.
I think that Ellie adapted to the situation as well as anyone else would have. She wanted to keep a semblance of a normal life outside of reaper hunting. Can you really blame her? I would have found it a little weird if Ellie just dropped everything and disappeared off into the world with Will (not that I'd blame her. HA!). I think we could have been great friends if she was real. Haha.
And Mr. Just call me Will. Be still my beating heart. He's tall with gorgeous eyes and a brooding, tortured personality. He has a big, shiny sword and who doesn't like a man wings? His dedication to her is - I can't even find a good enough adjective. It just warms the heart. He doesn't want her to die again. His love for her is so strong that he is willing to help her, be there for her until the day he dies. I wish I had a man like that.
You see a little more to Will in the extra scene that was revealed in
A Good Addction blog. When she dies, the only thing that pushes him forward it that he'll see her again, one day. Its tragic.
One thing that bugged me about Will is how much he with held information from her. I think that somethings might have gone a bit smoother if he had shared more information with her. I'm one of those people who like to be in the know. Like it did Ellie, this frustrated me a lot.
Their relationship is forbidden but just not in the way you'd expect. Lucifer fell from grace because he loved God. Will is in love with Ellie and bad things may come from it because of what she is. Similar situations? I think yes. I want to see how this unravels and what the consequences would be. Call me a sucker for forbidden relationships.
All in all, there weren't many things that I disliked about this book. It was good and something I would totally reread until the book itself starts breaking apart.
Frustration or no, I am absolutely on Team Just Call Me Will. Also, I can't wait to see more of Cadan in the next book. Hee. I liked him bunches, too. I want him to live in my closet. ^_^
2012 suddenly seems so far away. If the would ends next year, I will be terribly upset. I have books to read in 2013, yo.
Example: Angelfire #3: Hymn to the Fallen (Fancy titles. I love them.)
Final Verdict:
Go buy this book. Shoo! Go now. Peace! =D
