After reading a fair share of Thomas Nelson fiction — and liking it — I jumped at the chance to read Shannon Dittemore’s debut novel Angel Eyes. I knew that there would be a religious slant in it, but I wasn’t afraid. Everything that I’ve gotten from Thomas Nelson has usually been pretty good.
While I’m not saying this is a terrible novel — in fact, it’s very well written! — it really wasn’t for me. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but from the first twenty pages or so, I just wasn’t into it. I liked Brielle, the main character, enough, as well as her love interest, Jake. Though, the whole thing was just a little cliche — new girl moves to new city, where hot guy at school falls for her, and bam! Insta-love. Drama ensues and then we’re left with a cliffhanger before the next book.
I know it seems like I’m ragging on the book, but I was hoping for something a little different. There was plenty of action, some pretty intense scenes between demons and angels, and Shannon Dittemore’s writing style wasn’t half-bad to read. I think my problem was with the angels. It seems that there’s an onslaught of new trends in YA fiction — vampires, zombies, mermaids, fairies, and now angels. So far, it’s that last one that just isn’t clicking with me and I think I need to wait for the right book.
So all I can say is to not run away from this book! If you enjoy reading about angels, then you will probably really enjoy this one. The only thing I can warn you about is that the religious aspect in the book is quite heavy — so long as you’re not afraid that, then you’ll like it. As for me, I think I might steer clear of the angel books for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of the book for review!
