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
