Oct 29, 2010

Review - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

I spoke about Halo in a quickie review post a while back. Today, I have my full review. Hold on to your suspenders kids...


From the Publisher:
Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings.

But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.


Reivew:
First off, props to Adronetto for being so young and getting a book published. She's 18! When I was 18 I couldn't figure out what pairs of jeans to wear to the movies. Good for her... I think this book has good bones, but there were SO many things that went wrong that it basically ruined the story for me. Overall....too long! Why, oh why, do we need to hear half of this stuff going on with external and expendable characters. We read about the most nonsensical things that totally distract the reader. This happens too often for me. Around page 300 is where the conflict starts to happen. Yes, page 300.

The main issue I have with this book is the character Bethany. Some people call it the "Bella Syndrome" and I couldn't agree more. Bethany is an angel with zero self control, zero self esteem, and just as pathetic as Bella.  She's an angel sent from Heaven, and the first time a cute boy (Xavier) walks by, she tosses everything out the window, and basically aborts her mission from God. (huh?) I would have bought the romance between Bethany and a human if it wasn't so forced. Bethany is desperate, pitiful and useless. She even gets drunk the first time she steps out of the house along. Harsh I know...

Bethany's BFF, Molly, and her constant pining for Gabriel (yes, that angel) was over the top. When we weren't reading about Bethany's love for Xavier we were reading about Molly's scheme to win over Gabriel. Ugh! It was hinted that Molly thought she knew Gabriel before they met. Are we being set up for book 2? Every time Molly comes up with another scenario to get Gabriel's attention, Bethany puts in little attempt to sway her friend. Hello (knocks on door) is anyone buying this? I was always asking....what in the world do Molly and Bethany have in common? Why would they ever be friends? Just another premise I didn't buy. 

I like that Adornetto explains the hierarchy of angels and their divine purpose. I would have read more about this. What was Bethany's divine purpose? She couldn't focus on anything but Xavier for 5 minutes for us to find out. Cover art - amazing! 

I think a lot of teens will read this book, and for that, yay! It's a large book and if a teen can get through it, I hope they move on to better reads.  

Nutshell: read first 50 pages then skip to 300. You won't miss a thing. I will be giving this book away in the near future...

1 out of 5 stars