A review by 666prada
Everyday Angel: Three Novels by Victoria Schwab
4.0
my main goal in life is to read every novel written by v.e. schwab, so when i heard that her first middle-grade trilogy is getting published again, i obviously had to pick it up. i'm definitely not the target audience at 19, but i still enjoy these types of stories occasionally, and basically i started reading this with the intention of reading one or two chapters, and then i found myself halfway through the first book.
basically the three books follow aria, a new guardian angel who has to help three girls in order to gain her wings. she doesn't know much about where she comes from or what happens afterwards, she just knows what she has to do and of course has some pretty cool abilities. i wasn't sure about how this would play out, but schwab came through once again and delivered three amazing and memorable books that i wish i had as a kid. i think there is a lot in these, that could help children and make them feel seen.
★new beginnings -4.5*
this story focuses on gabby torres. she is 12, and her brother got sick, so they had to move to a completely new place, and she has to start a new school. she wants to make new friends who wouldn't befriend her "out of pity", or look at her different because of this, so she keeps her life a secret.
this was an amazing start to the series. it showed a difficult situation and that just because your problems aren't necessarily "as serious", they are still valid, and you are allowed to feel these things. it's a very bittersweet story that i absolutely loved. and the brother-sister relationship was really cute.
★second chances-4*
the main character of the second installment is caroline, who goes to an all girls prep school, where she is constantly bullied by the local 12 year old mean girls, whose leader is her next-door neighbor best friend turned enemy.
honestly it was wild to see these twelve year olds targeting someone so early and pretty much making nearly everyone at their school fear them. and the other kids just followed them like sheep. i mean, i'm sure this happens a lot, because children can be cruel, i just personally have never seen it so early, and it was sad to read about the petty things they did, yet caroline still wanted to belong to their group again.
i think it was a realistic portrayal of what they go through even if it's a bit irrational, kids be kids. and i was glad to see that lily wasn't just reduced to the mean queen bee, but she had depth and problems too that explained why she did these things, yet her behavior wasn't completely excused by the end. i liked this book too, but i wasn't a fan of caroline in general, rip.
★last wishes-4*
this book follows mikayla, who is a dancer and won multiple trophies, and basically all her time is consumed by dancing and very strict rules, and the need to be perfect. her parents are also having financial trouble, so her main goal is to get into a prestigious dance academy.
last wishes perfectly explored the perfectionism that some children experience and the bad things it can lead to. there is a lot of pressure on the main character and she has a lot of doubts about what she should do. i was also happy to see what happened to the other two girls and the way aria's story concluded was well done too.
overall this trilogy is a prime example of good middle-grade, and i think it could help a lot of kids who feel alone or lost, or deal with similar problems, so i hope it'll reach a lot of people eventually. and obviously schwab's writing is splendid, as usual.
other books by victoria schwab
Cassidy Blake
1, City of Ghosts ★★★ and ¾
2, Tunnel of Bones ★★★★ and 1/4
The Dark Vault ★★★★ and 1/2
Monsters of Verity
1, This Savage Song ★★★ and 1/2
2, Our Dark Duet ★★★★ and 1/2
Villains
0,5, Warm Up ★★★★ and 1/2
1, Vicious ★★★★★
2, Vengeful ★★★ and 1/2
Shades of Magic
1, A Darker Shade of Magic ★★★ and 1/2
2, A Gathering of Shadows ★★★
3, A Conjuring of Light ★★★★
basically the three books follow aria, a new guardian angel who has to help three girls in order to gain her wings. she doesn't know much about where she comes from or what happens afterwards, she just knows what she has to do and of course has some pretty cool abilities. i wasn't sure about how this would play out, but schwab came through once again and delivered three amazing and memorable books that i wish i had as a kid. i think there is a lot in these, that could help children and make them feel seen.
★new beginnings -4.5*
I think Marco's being sick, is a loud problem. So loud it makes every other problem seem quiet. And because they're quiet, you think they're less important.
this story focuses on gabby torres. she is 12, and her brother got sick, so they had to move to a completely new place, and she has to start a new school. she wants to make new friends who wouldn't befriend her "out of pity", or look at her different because of this, so she keeps her life a secret.
this was an amazing start to the series. it showed a difficult situation and that just because your problems aren't necessarily "as serious", they are still valid, and you are allowed to feel these things. it's a very bittersweet story that i absolutely loved. and the brother-sister relationship was really cute.
★second chances-4*
Putting one person down to lift someone else up. That was something bullies did.
the main character of the second installment is caroline, who goes to an all girls prep school, where she is constantly bullied by the local 12 year old mean girls, whose leader is her next-door neighbor best friend turned enemy.
honestly it was wild to see these twelve year olds targeting someone so early and pretty much making nearly everyone at their school fear them. and the other kids just followed them like sheep. i mean, i'm sure this happens a lot, because children can be cruel, i just personally have never seen it so early, and it was sad to read about the petty things they did, yet caroline still wanted to belong to their group again.
i think it was a realistic portrayal of what they go through even if it's a bit irrational, kids be kids. and i was glad to see that lily wasn't just reduced to the mean queen bee, but she had depth and problems too that explained why she did these things, yet her behavior wasn't completely excused by the end. i liked this book too, but i wasn't a fan of caroline in general, rip.
★last wishes-4*
Because sometimes people had to make the wrong decision first, so they could make the right one later.
this book follows mikayla, who is a dancer and won multiple trophies, and basically all her time is consumed by dancing and very strict rules, and the need to be perfect. her parents are also having financial trouble, so her main goal is to get into a prestigious dance academy.
last wishes perfectly explored the perfectionism that some children experience and the bad things it can lead to. there is a lot of pressure on the main character and she has a lot of doubts about what she should do. i was also happy to see what happened to the other two girls and the way aria's story concluded was well done too.
overall this trilogy is a prime example of good middle-grade, and i think it could help a lot of kids who feel alone or lost, or deal with similar problems, so i hope it'll reach a lot of people eventually. and obviously schwab's writing is splendid, as usual.
other books by victoria schwab
Cassidy Blake
1, City of Ghosts ★★★ and ¾
2, Tunnel of Bones ★★★★ and 1/4
The Dark Vault ★★★★ and 1/2
Monsters of Verity
1, This Savage Song ★★★ and 1/2
2, Our Dark Duet ★★★★ and 1/2
Villains
0,5, Warm Up ★★★★ and 1/2
1, Vicious ★★★★★
2, Vengeful ★★★ and 1/2
Shades of Magic
1, A Darker Shade of Magic ★★★ and 1/2
2, A Gathering of Shadows ★★★
3, A Conjuring of Light ★★★★