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emariegrace's review against another edition
4.0
Wow.
I mean.
Wow.
Wooooooooooow.
I need the second one pronto.
(unfortuantely I have no money and have to wait till my birthday or something IDK.)
JAKE THOUGH.
AND BRIELLE.
AHH.
SO MUCH LOVE.
I mean.
Wow.
Wooooooooooow.
I need the second one pronto.
(unfortuantely I have no money and have to wait till my birthday or something IDK.)
JAKE THOUGH.
AND BRIELLE.
AHH.
SO MUCH LOVE.
theliteratureladies's review against another edition
3.0
I’ll start this review off by saying I tried to find this series to read years ago when I was in high school. From what I could tell at the time, it was going to be right up my fifteen year old self’s alley: a protagonist who’s a ballerina, a mysterious (and, yes, very good-looking) new boy in town, and some supernatural craziness going on. And I was so disappointed because I could not find them to read anywhere. So, I never read them… until this past summer. I stumbled across the entire series available on my Libby app. I decided it was as good a time as any to see if these books lived up to my high school expectations.
In Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore, we meet Brielle Matthews, a dancer returning to her home in small-town Oregon who is reeling from a very fresh tragedy in her life – one that leaves her numb, cold, and full of fear. As she attempts to settle back in, she meets the new boy in town, Jake, who seems to be the complete opposite of her – warm, bright, and fearless. She can’t help but be intrigued. As she and Jake get to know each other, she finds herself thrust into a whole new realm – one of angels and demons, light and dark, hope and fear.
There’s a lot going on in this trilogy. Dittemore tackles some substantial, weighty subject matter. You know, like angels-and-demons-kind-of weighty. There’s also great grief, loss, murder, illness, alcoholism, abuse, and human trafficking. All the light, fluffy stuff. At times, I felt like there was a little too much going on; but, at other moments, I thought Dittemore was tying everything together pretty well. She definitely handles those tough issues delicately – in a way that doesn’t play any of them down – but keeps it appropriate to her young-adult audience.
Despite all that dark stuff, there’s deep love and friendship interwoven throughout the trilogy. And a lot of hope. Dittemore stands staunchly on the faith over fear, and that is a consistent theme in the books. Faith, trust, and hope even in – especially in – the midst of difficult circumstances. These are Christian fiction, and she is very direct about that faith being placed in God and nothing else. It is always encouraging for me to be reminded of that – God’s goodness and His control over everything – in my own life.
I admit I was a little skeptical about the whole angel/demon/celestial warfare part. It could be pretty easy to get that pretty wrong from a theological standpoint; but, in my opinion, Dittemore got it right. She conveys some heavy biblical truths about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare clearly and carefully. I applaud her for tackling such subject matter and bringing it up in YA fiction.
I was most certainly entertained and very invested by this series; I read the trilogy in less than a week. I was thinking about the books when I wasn’t reading them, curious as to what would happen next. The characters are likeable (a little boxed into their defining characteristics in the first book, but they branch out some in the sequels); the plot is interesting; they’re clean, with a good dose of romance, some fitting humor, and a lot of intrigue. I would recommend to those wanting a YA read not filled with bad language, bad role models, and flippant sex.
In Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore, we meet Brielle Matthews, a dancer returning to her home in small-town Oregon who is reeling from a very fresh tragedy in her life – one that leaves her numb, cold, and full of fear. As she attempts to settle back in, she meets the new boy in town, Jake, who seems to be the complete opposite of her – warm, bright, and fearless. She can’t help but be intrigued. As she and Jake get to know each other, she finds herself thrust into a whole new realm – one of angels and demons, light and dark, hope and fear.
There’s a lot going on in this trilogy. Dittemore tackles some substantial, weighty subject matter. You know, like angels-and-demons-kind-of weighty. There’s also great grief, loss, murder, illness, alcoholism, abuse, and human trafficking. All the light, fluffy stuff. At times, I felt like there was a little too much going on; but, at other moments, I thought Dittemore was tying everything together pretty well. She definitely handles those tough issues delicately – in a way that doesn’t play any of them down – but keeps it appropriate to her young-adult audience.
Despite all that dark stuff, there’s deep love and friendship interwoven throughout the trilogy. And a lot of hope. Dittemore stands staunchly on the faith over fear, and that is a consistent theme in the books. Faith, trust, and hope even in – especially in – the midst of difficult circumstances. These are Christian fiction, and she is very direct about that faith being placed in God and nothing else. It is always encouraging for me to be reminded of that – God’s goodness and His control over everything – in my own life.
I admit I was a little skeptical about the whole angel/demon/celestial warfare part. It could be pretty easy to get that pretty wrong from a theological standpoint; but, in my opinion, Dittemore got it right. She conveys some heavy biblical truths about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare clearly and carefully. I applaud her for tackling such subject matter and bringing it up in YA fiction.
I was most certainly entertained and very invested by this series; I read the trilogy in less than a week. I was thinking about the books when I wasn’t reading them, curious as to what would happen next. The characters are likeable (a little boxed into their defining characteristics in the first book, but they branch out some in the sequels); the plot is interesting; they’re clean, with a good dose of romance, some fitting humor, and a lot of intrigue. I would recommend to those wanting a YA read not filled with bad language, bad role models, and flippant sex.
theliteratureladies's review
3.0
A clean, thought-provoking YA novel that I remember wanting to read YEARS ago and never got around to. I enjoyed it.
votesforwomen416's review against another edition
4.0
*SYNOPSIS*
Brielle has just returned to her small town of Stratus, Oregon, after a life-changing disaster in Portland rocked her world. Broken-hearted and unable to shake bitter cold, she goes back to high school in an attempt to normalize herself.
Here she meets the new boy, Jake, who's kind and charismatic and has the warmest hands she's ever felt. He tells her of an alternate reality: one with angels and demons and spiritual warfare. And only Brielle can see it.
As the mystery of what happened that night in Portland becomes unraveled, Brielle must question all that she believes - but how is she to judge what is really happening in her life?
WHAT I LIKED
-Brielle. She was a strong female character, but not so overly strong that she came across as unrealistic. Her gifts had good explanations, and she sees what is happening in her life in a way that feels very realistic to what someone in her shoes would feel.
-Jake. He's just so sweet and - not perfect, but pretty close. That's the kind of boyfriend I'd want someday. (Just sayin'.) He understands better than Brielle what is happening, and I liked the way he ran off in the middle of a conversation to go pray.
-The writing was gorgeous! Sure, the dialogue was somewhat unrealistic, but it made sense with the writing style of the story. I'm not complaining.
-The mystery's pacing was great, and the unreliability of Brielle's narration in not knowing what was going on made the twists really come out of nowhere.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of God. It openly advertises itself as a "Christian book", complete with angels, demons, supernatural signs, and other such things. But God himself (especially Jesus) seems incredibly absent. This was troubling, especially with the premise being what it was.
That was about all I didn't like!
There's my review of this book. It was really a sweet story and I need to get my hands on the rest of the books in the trilogy. I totally recommend it! Just take it with a grain of salt if you're looking for Christian fiction with Jesus all over it.
Brielle has just returned to her small town of Stratus, Oregon, after a life-changing disaster in Portland rocked her world. Broken-hearted and unable to shake bitter cold, she goes back to high school in an attempt to normalize herself.
Here she meets the new boy, Jake, who's kind and charismatic and has the warmest hands she's ever felt. He tells her of an alternate reality: one with angels and demons and spiritual warfare. And only Brielle can see it.
As the mystery of what happened that night in Portland becomes unraveled, Brielle must question all that she believes - but how is she to judge what is really happening in her life?
WHAT I LIKED
-Brielle. She was a strong female character, but not so overly strong that she came across as unrealistic. Her gifts had good explanations, and she sees what is happening in her life in a way that feels very realistic to what someone in her shoes would feel.
-Jake. He's just so sweet and - not perfect, but pretty close. That's the kind of boyfriend I'd want someday. (Just sayin'.) He understands better than Brielle what is happening, and I liked the way he ran off in the middle of a conversation to go pray.
-The writing was gorgeous! Sure, the dialogue was somewhat unrealistic, but it made sense with the writing style of the story. I'm not complaining.
-The mystery's pacing was great, and the unreliability of Brielle's narration in not knowing what was going on made the twists really come out of nowhere.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The biggest problem I had with this book was the lack of God. It openly advertises itself as a "Christian book", complete with angels, demons, supernatural signs, and other such things. But God himself (especially Jesus) seems incredibly absent. This was troubling, especially with the premise being what it was.
That was about all I didn't like!
There's my review of this book. It was really a sweet story and I need to get my hands on the rest of the books in the trilogy. I totally recommend it! Just take it with a grain of salt if you're looking for Christian fiction with Jesus all over it.
rebelbooks101's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
This book was okay for the most part. I did enjoy it. The characters were entertaining. I found one of my new favourite book boyfriends which was a bit surprising because this wasn't my favourite book ever and it did take me a while to get through. Some parts I did get bored and I wouldn't want to read it and know what happens next sometimes. At one point I was debating putting it down and trying again later but I am glad I pushed through. The second half of the book was a lot more entertaining than the first half which made me fly through it. I am excited to read the next book, hoping it's similar to the second half of this one and I also saw we get to see from jake's pov in the second one which I'm excited about since I love him! Overall this was a decent read and I do plan on reading the next book to see what happens next.
lisa_the_bookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
This was an engrossing, exciting, captivating story :D It had a bit of a "Twilight" feel to it - but in a good way. If you can imagine that.
The whole thing about angels and demons was beyond interesting. Usually when books have an extra point of view - not one of the mcs' - I jump it. I was expecting to skip the demon Damien's pov as well, but nope. Too interesting. #extrapoints
I'm always a little ... careful ... reading about the supernatural in fiction ... supernatural which is real. I want it to be rightly portrayed, and in this case, I feel that it was. Obviously we don't know the details about angels' and demons' lives and much of this came out the author's imagination but the idea was right. It shows the spiritual realm + the unseen battles going on. And it's interesting, because while this wasn't "real", it is "real". (i.e. This is fiction - but such things could be taking place. I believe such forces DO EXIST. ) We don't actually know all this could happen, but it brought a good kind of awareness. Do I usually think about what is going on in the sky? #nope. And as a story - as a plot - as characters - these were fascinating and unlike anything I've read before.
Brielle was a nice character. It was interesting that a lot of important information about her was in her past. The story started here - but the backstory was oh, so important. It was a great character arc about brokenness and believing and healing. And she was a talented girl - and I like heroines who ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING. Who have specialty. And Jake was just perfect. Sweet and good and selfless. (So maybe you'll complain about too much perfection but this time I don't care ;D)
I liked those little side details along the way. About school and the classroom and her home and dad and the food and donuts and cars and photos and bedrooms ... it made it feel so everyday and real and relatable. I could visualize it so well. It brought a wonderful realism to it.
This dealed with choices and healing and brokenness and truth and eyes being opened. Great themes. And I think the themes were really symbolized and personified in Jake's and Brielle's gifts. It was pure awesome.
And the view of God + the spiritual was different that usual - because most of it was from the angels' and demons' perspective. That was really new and ... good.
The major conflict/problem had to do with human trafficking. A harsh subject but to me - a kind of awareness-raising, interesting, different, eye-opening kind of issue/conflict. And that is just how I saw it. It wasn't as if the author was blatantly trying to make her readers aware of this - it just naturally flowed out of the story. And so I am pleased. But it's a mature issue, so maybe a 13+ recommendation? If you/the potential reader is under that age use your own judgement :D
The interactions, the dialogue, the plot, the conflict, the action, the flashbacks, the mystery, the daily life, the supernatural, all wove together beautifully to create a wonderful and engaging story - slightly intriguing and a bit disturbing in a good way. It left many thoughts behind.
4 1/2 stars. I highly recommend :D
The whole thing about angels and demons was beyond interesting. Usually when books have an extra point of view - not one of the mcs' - I jump it. I was expecting to skip the demon Damien's pov as well, but nope. Too interesting. #extrapoints
I'm always a little ... careful ... reading about the supernatural in fiction ... supernatural which is real. I want it to be rightly portrayed, and in this case, I feel that it was. Obviously we don't know the details about angels' and demons' lives and much of this came out the author's imagination but the idea was right. It shows the spiritual realm + the unseen battles going on. And it's interesting, because while this wasn't "real", it is "real". (i.e. This is fiction - but such things could be taking place. I believe such forces DO EXIST. ) We don't actually know all this could happen, but it brought a good kind of awareness. Do I usually think about what is going on in the sky? #nope. And as a story - as a plot - as characters - these were fascinating and unlike anything I've read before.
Brielle was a nice character. It was interesting that a lot of important information about her was in her past. The story started here - but the backstory was oh, so important. It was a great character arc about brokenness and believing and healing. And she was a talented girl - and I like heroines who ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING. Who have specialty. And Jake was just perfect. Sweet and good and selfless. (So maybe you'll complain about too much perfection but this time I don't care ;D)
I liked those little side details along the way. About school and the classroom and her home and dad and the food and donuts and cars and photos and bedrooms ... it made it feel so everyday and real and relatable. I could visualize it so well. It brought a wonderful realism to it.
This dealed with choices and healing and brokenness and truth and eyes being opened. Great themes. And I think the themes were really symbolized and personified in Jake's and Brielle's gifts. It was pure awesome.
And the view of God + the spiritual was different that usual - because most of it was from the angels' and demons' perspective. That was really new and ... good.
The major conflict/problem had to do with human trafficking. A harsh subject but to me - a kind of awareness-raising, interesting, different, eye-opening kind of issue/conflict. And that is just how I saw it. It wasn't as if the author was blatantly trying to make her readers aware of this - it just naturally flowed out of the story. And so I am pleased. But it's a mature issue, so maybe a 13+ recommendation? If you/the potential reader is under that age use your own judgement :D
The interactions, the dialogue, the plot, the conflict, the action, the flashbacks, the mystery, the daily life, the supernatural, all wove together beautifully to create a wonderful and engaging story - slightly intriguing and a bit disturbing in a good way. It left many thoughts behind.
4 1/2 stars. I highly recommend :D
rigel's review against another edition
3.0
Just a basic angel Christian mythology book, nothing special. Just be aware that the last ¼ of the book gets very preachy and that throughout the entire book Brielle believes that being patronized is sweet and a good thing. A.k.a. she's not a very strong female MC.
lyndsayp93's review against another edition
4.0
Very emotional book. It brings in very real issues of human trafficking and the miss conception of God. Overall very powerful messages and excited to read the next book!
angelwolf45's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic.
This book is about a girl named Brielle and she moves back to her dads place after going to the city to follow her dreams goes bad. When she moves back home she meets a new boy and things and her final year of high school is not going to be what she expects.
This book was just amazing with the fact that it has angels in it and demons. This is the first in a series and it was amazing.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters in this book. It was a different read for me considering that I have not read too many books that had angels in it.
It was the second book, i think, that I have read that has angels in it and I really enjoyed it.
I liked where she took the story and that it was a christian fantasy. I was blown away by the book.
This book is about a girl named Brielle and she moves back to her dads place after going to the city to follow her dreams goes bad. When she moves back home she meets a new boy and things and her final year of high school is not going to be what she expects.
This book was just amazing with the fact that it has angels in it and demons. This is the first in a series and it was amazing.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters in this book. It was a different read for me considering that I have not read too many books that had angels in it.
It was the second book, i think, that I have read that has angels in it and I really enjoyed it.
I liked where she took the story and that it was a christian fantasy. I was blown away by the book.