Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly

Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick press for the early look at this book.

My summary:

Willow Fields is different. Her mother is living in a fantasy world. They live with Willow’s aunt who never lets her forget how hard that is or how expensive that is. Never having the money for more than thrift stores and basics, Willow is self taught to fix cars. She doesn’t care that she’s different. Oh and she’s psychic. When the most popular girl at school asks for a reading, Willow isn’t sure it’s a good idea. But she feels the need to make a choice in Beth and decides to help her. A choice that Willow will regret.

Alex is seventeen and has been killing angels for years. He works alone now though he was trained by his father and used to partner with his brother. Both are dead now, killed by angels. These aren’t the kind and loving angels that most people think of when they think of angels. No these are the kind that feed off human aura and leave them mentally or physically ill. Now, Alex works for a secret department of the CIA trying to battle the threat of the angel invasion. He gets text messages that tell him where an angel has been sighted and he takes them out.

When the two worlds of Willow and Alex collide, the secrets that are hidden in both of their lives start to link out. What is really wrong with Willow’s mom? Why is she so psychic? Who is sending Alex the text messages about where the Angels are. How do they know how to find them? Should he trust them completely?

My thoughts:

4 stars – a great read

Characters – this book is a great example of rich full characters that are strong in their own right. Willow is comfortable with herself. She doesn’t need anyone to save her or protect her. Alex is troubled but content with his life. He’s good at what he does and is happy to do it. Together they make for a great story. I love the strength of both of them. I love that we can see inside both of their heads. The author alternates between Willow’s and Alex’s point of view. There are a couple of other characters that we see their point a view too.

The setting of this book is realistic. It moves around with the characters from New York to Colorado and a few other places. The world is built to make sense of the angels existing right in the world around us. Devote angel believers are all around and the non-believing just scoff. It makes perfect sense in a modern world. I was surprised to see that the angels were not the good guys in this book. That’s really different. They aren’t even from God but from a different world. I found that interesting and different. The twist as to why Willow is psychic is also completely plausible. The world just felt comfortable and real. I enjoyed that.

The plot is fast moving and interesting. While there was an immediate attraction between Willow and Alex, it wasn’t developed quickly. The tension and angst between them was perfect. There wasn’t the fall into each other’s arms thing going on. The story moved their relationship forward, which was refreshing. Things didn’t come easy for them and they struggled a lot. There were only one or two little things that bugged me. I won’t say too much so I don’t spoil anyone but the ending drama was confusing to me. Still not sure about one little thing. Maybe I need to ask the author. Hmm.

Anyway, if you like the paranormal romance, then you will love this book. It’s fast and fun. If you read my review, you know I sometimes have to take stress breaks when my characters are in danger. I did have to do that once in this book but I quickly came back to finish.

Pick this one up – you won’t regret it. Enjoy the read.