ANGEL BURN by L.A. Weatherly

The jacket summary drew me immediately.  Something about heaven and souls, a girl with a "gift," an assassin, an impossible romance--all that's like ninja literary candy you guys.  How could I resist???  Even if it was hardcover and cost eighteen bucks (yikes!), I knew the book was going home with me.  The summary was intriguing in a vague sort of way, but still hit on a lot of the things I look for in a great paranormal read.  The cover, too, as you can see is gorgeous and I just loved the author's penname (Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly…now, doesn't that make you want to dive right on in there?)

I don't usually do this (I try to summarize as best I can on my own, using my personal brand of ninja flair ;)), but just so you can see what I'm talking about:

THEY'RE OUT FOR YOUR SOUL. AND THEY DON'T HAVE HEAVEN IN MIND…

Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars.  Willow has a gift.  She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them.  She has no idea where this power comes from.  But the assassin, Alex, does.  Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does.  He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them.  When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

My friends that is straight off the inside cover, and if it doesn't make you want to read it, then the first pages will.  The book's the first in a series, and I have to say, it was pretty good.  Burn set things up really nicely, established a clear setting, conflict, and characters with hefty doses of action and romance thrown in.  The changing POVs was a little confusing, but the plot was straightforward and well done.

The story features angels--real angels, wings and all, here on Earth--and turns everything we think we know about them upside down.  They play on human infatuation--even establish a Church of the Angels (think big, cultist community)--and then feed on their followers, leaving them enthralled but severely damaged mentally/physically.  These are not pure, saint-like creatures.  They're downright evil, and it's up to Alex and his dwindling band of assassins to save humanity before the angels take over.

A few things I liked were the romance (didn't move too fast), the idea (Evil Angels + Epic Plot + Impossible Romance = One Happy Ninja!), and the scale of the story (the scary churchgoers/fanatics reminded me of some of Charlaine Harris's best writing, definitely a plus).  Some things I didn’t like: The book was about fifty pages too long, the ending wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be, and Willow was fifteen throughout at least half of the book.  I thought that was a little too young to be getting so hot and heavy for a guy (but Alex was the same age…and they didn't actually do the deed, BUT…I guess, I'm just kind of a prude *shrugs*).

I enjoyed it but like I said: TOO LONG!  If you're into angels, you might also want to check out Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush,Hush or Nalini Singh's Angel's Blood (this last one's adult PR, so not rec'd for kids). Just finished my third novel last week (HAPPY DANCE J).

Happy reading all,

Ninja Girl