Thursday, December 27, 2012

Review: Breath of Angel


Breath of Angel by Karyn Henly
The Angelaeon Circle # 1
277 pages –Fiction, Fantasy, Young adult
June 21, 2011- Waterbrook Press
Facebook: yes
Twitter: @karynhenley
Source: Personal Collection
Purpose:  Received book 2 for review
Goodreads Summary The stranger’s cloak had fallen back, and with it, a long, white, blood-stained wing. When Melaia, a young priestess, witnesses the gruesome murder of a stranger in the temple courtyard, age-old legends recited in song suddenly come to life. She discovers wings on the stranger, and the murderer takes the shape of both a hawk and a man. Angels. Shape-shifters. Myths and stories—until now. Melaia finds herself in the middle of a blood feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the earthly realm. When Melaia becomes a target, she finds refuge with a band of angels attempting to restore the stairway. But the restoration is impossible without settling an ancient debt—the “breath of angel, blood of man,” a payment that involves Melaia’s heart, soul, and destiny.

My thoughts: I don’t have a complete opinion as of yet. This is the first of a series. Sometimes that gets me really excited to continue. Sometimes not. This was not a book that I had heard a lot about before I received book 2 for review.  After reading it, I am left intrigued with the possibilities but I don’t feel overwhelming on one side versus the other.  Is this a bad thing? No, it’s just a wait and see kind of thing, I am interested in continuing, but in no real rush to do so. (Perhaps that is why Book 2 is just now making it to the reading pile?)
I wouldn’t like Breath of Angel if it was a stand-alone title. There are too many things left unsettled. But it works well for the beginning of a series. The action picks up and more of the story starts unraveling at the end of the book. The bigger issues is not resolved in Book 1, but everything comes together nice enough.  The characters are connected in more ways than what they knew. Yet, I fell that there are more secrets to uncover.
I can’t say that I have made up my mind about the main character, Melaia. Overall, she’s likable and handles the burden of her destiny fairly well. But characters who fail to listen and find trouble constantly always irritate me. She doesn’t have the full story or all the information that she needs so she’s not in a position to make a wise decision. Since she’s not likely to force people to tell her  what they know, she has to listen to somebody.
Jarrod is rough and keeps things close. He is full of knowledge and skills but he’s not always willing to share. Trevin is the bad boy who shouldn’t be trusted but is. I am not surprised at all of his betrayal (regardless of the reason).  Secretly, I am glad that he turned out to be good guy. Though this is not your typical angel story, I enjoyed the rich history that comes with it.

3 Stars ***

What’s Next? Eye of the Sword

Always Shine,
Starr K

No comments:

Post a Comment