ANGEL FEVER Blog Tour: This and That with L.A. Weatherly + Giveaway!

Coffee. No question

Movies, though I really love watching a good series, too – we’re currently ensconced in Game of Thrones.

Fall (my birthday is in the fall!)

The Hunger Games.

Print, but I often buy the e-book too, for travelling

Fantasy

Chocolate. In fact, I might have some right now.

 M&Ms (how is this even a question?)

Backstreet Boys (though neither is a favorite, if I’m honest!)

Hmm, let me see, now... (wakes up from very pleasant musing.) Let’s go with chest. BUT ABS ARE GOOD TOO.

 Mac

Kisses

Sunset – I’m not a morning person!

Truth (I’m a wuss!)

Classic

Thank you so much for visiting Teen Readers' Diary L.A.! We definitely have the same picks, except I am an 'N Sync gal since I grew up with 'N Sync fangirls :D

Angel Fever (Angel #3) by L.A. Weatherly

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Candlewick

Release Date: November 26th 2013

Blurb:

As half-angel Willow strives to save the world from her parasitic otherworldly kin, romance and tension heat up to a climactic finale.

In the devastated remains of the world, millions of people live in "refugee" camps provided by the angels who have all but enslaved humanity. As this angelic stranglehold tightens, Willow and Alex are recruiting and training new Angel Killers while struggling to hold ground on the celestial battlefield. But Willow continues to have feelings for Seb, and her love and resolve are tested as a shattering revelation sends Alex on a separate journey. Now that the final battle versus the angels is about to begin-and the fate of the world hangs in the balance-each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. Will love endure? Will the human race survive?

You can purchase Angel Fever at the following Retailers:

  

Author Bio

L. A. Weatherly is the author of the bestselling Angel series, as well as almost 50 other books for children and teenagers. She’s originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and lives in Hampshire, England with her husband. Her books have been translated into over 10 different languages.

Follow her on these sites
  

3 Winners will receive a Copy of Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly

5 Winners will receive a Surprise ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

3 Winners will receive a Willow Fields and Alex Kyler ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

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Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

 

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Kindle Edition: 255 pages

Release date: May 21st, 2011

Publisher: Feral Dream
Goodreads Rating: 4.39

Goodreads Summary: It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel. Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

I’ve been on a roll with self-published books lately due to their sheer awesomeness. Indie authors just proved that their works can be better than some of those published by major publishers. So after reading Shelley Crane’s masterpiece of a series called Significance, I had to search for others I knew the majority of YA readers and I have been missing out on. Apparently, my search has led me to Angelfall and boy was I glad that it did! 

In other words, my mind was blown away by this book. There are A LOT of bad and overrated angel books out there while there are some good ones (Unearthly,Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Angel), but honestly none of them has truly stuck with me. Angelfall easily tops my list for the best angel book I’ve ever read. 

Six weeks after the angels descended and wiped out the world, seventeen year-old Penryn is determined to take her little sister and mother to safety. The three of them takes the risk of facing the world beyond the confines of their old home one night, despite the danger of getting caught by street gangs or worse, the angels who brought upon the apocalypse. When Penryn witnesses the angels cutting off the wings of one of their own kind, she steps up and saves the wounded angel. She loses her little sister in the process when the others strike back by taking off with her. Now Penryn will do anything to save her helpless sister, even if that means sticking with the angel she saved, Raffe, to help her take her sister back. 

I was amazed how Susan Ee created a world where angels are the enemies as they have evidently succeeded to take over the world. Because dystopia has been a huge trend since The Hunger games, numerous authors have created their own dystopian world as well and I’m vastly grateful for that. Being a post-apocalyptic buff that I am, I’m more appreciative when an author thinks out of the box and provides readers with a distinctive atmosphere while preserving the dystopian theme in the story. That is precisely what Susan Ee did. 

The atmosphere was creepy and there were some gory scenes that I didn’t mind one bit. She wrote her characters in a way that I can almost feel like I’m inside their skin. Which leads me to my most favorite thing or rather person in the story—Penryn. I seriously love everything about her! Starting from the name… well I like my main characters’ name unique because that’s what makes me remember them, besides Penryn sounds cool which suits her. Penryn has learned how to cope and survive for the three of them in six weeks since the angels arrived. She’s smart and practical and willing to do whatever it takes to save the people she loves, even if her own life’s at stake. 

Raffe is a breath of fresh air from the other heroes I know. I love that he’s not so protective and he’s definitely not someone who acts like he’s hundreds of years old. He’s sarcastic and has an enigmatic personality. And weirdly, he’s agnostic. I especially enjoyed his banter with Penryn and the slow-building relationship they share.

The last few pages literally left me breathless. All I wanted to do was give Penryn and her family and the humans more strength and hope. Raffe also deserves a hug and reassurance. His kind is the reason why Earth is in chaos, but he’s the exception. 

Angelfall is the kind of book that I only spent a few dollars in but would willingly spend more for a copy. And saying I’m looking forward to reading the next book is cliché and a huge understatement. Oh and I will read anything by Susan Ee after this one.

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Review: Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

   

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand 

Hardcover: 403 pages

Release date: January 17th, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Bought

Buy it on: Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary: 

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose-the task she was put on earth to accomplish-is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of  the terrifying new reality that she must face: someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

I would have put this book on my "favorites" shelf on Goodreads, but it wasn't worthy of the position. It was still deliciously good, but not amazingly great. Hallowed continues the story of the first book, where Clara's purpose is still not determined. She has visions occurring during her dreams, but at first she doesn't tell people about it. You get the vision: someone she love will die. It's one of the big revelations here in the book. The story also focuses on Clara's relationship with Christian. The book was a real tearjerker I tell you. After you find out who's going to die, you'll cry buckets of tears. The book's just so emotional and all that.


I really liked the book, everything in it, but the part where Ms. Hand pushed Tucker out of the spotlight and lets Christian take the center stage with Clara. Yes, Tuck isn't Clara's leading man here in the book. That's what I felt. And it didn't do me any good. I was left wanting more, well, more of Tuck. Every scene they have together just makes me so smitten. I melt with their sweetness. They are so good together that I can't even picture Clara and Christian beside each other. I love that Ms. Hand pours me answers to the questions my brain has gathered after the first book. I was simply mind-blown. I was giddy about Clara's parents, and I just can't tell you it's making me go nuts. The book will expand Clara's background I say to you. You'll feel happy that you're going to get some answers to your questions. I also love the new characters in the book. Billy, she's just a sweetheart. (I know, the name's weird.) You'll go gaga over this installment, even if it has flaws.


I recommend this to Unearthly fans, and those of you who have been waiting for a good angel story.

Amazing! Loved it.

Patrick

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Hardcover: 453 pages

Release date: February 15th 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins
Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes and Noble
Goodreads Summary: When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. 

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

It took me a longer time to finish this due to procrastination and perhaps a little lack of interest. It turned out to be different from what I expected. The premise was intriguing and the cover compelled me to give it a shot.

I have a neutral feeling towards the book. I don’t love it but I don’t think it’s too bad either. I have no problem with the writing and I liked the idea of reapers and angels. Ms. Moulton executed a good way of retelling the angel folklore while giving a twist to it. It’s also comforting to know that the author believes in God as much as I do. What redeemed the book for me is the action-packed plot. Almost half of the book was gripping and full of action. I’m glad I finished it and went against my earlier judgment.

Ellie was a kind of person I could connect to. She’s a normal teenager coping with her normal life while being the Preliator that protects the humankind. Little did she know that turning seventeen would change the constants in her life, finding out about her numerous lifetimes and real identity. I admire Ellie for her resilience despite the pressure she’s facing. Trying to prevent the end of the world is especially hard if you have a jerk dad. Fortunately, the dark and brooding Will, her guardian for five hundred years, was there to protect and look after her. One of the few other things that made me continue reading this is the mystery behind these two characters. I liked that their constant interaction brought Will’s tough guy façade to wear thin. His resolute fidelity with Ellie was really admirable. There were also flashbacks of Ellie’s past lifetimes, revealing the causes of some of her deaths.

It’s quite disappointing that Will and Ellie aside, the characters lack development. Ellie’s mom is likeable, but other than her, no one really stood out in a good way. Her father’s horrible, that I can very much confirm. I hope Ellie’s bad relationship with him gets resolved in the next books.

The story wasn’t very remarkable either. There were times that I almost gave up on the story (especially on the first part) and thought of it being cliché. The romance was forbidden, which wasn’t surprising either. I also found the ending too plain. There are questions left unanswered and I admit that I was expecting a cliffhanger.

Regardless of its flaws, I still feel like giving the sequel a chance. I want the answers to my questions and I hope that I will get them in the last two books of the trilogy. If you loved Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Fallen by Lauren Kate, I recommend this novel to you.