Liv's Reads

The premise of this story was unique in that the good angel is not the bright angel but the demon. Sadly, this book was not for me. It had good points and is far from the worst book I've ever read but it was a struggle for me to stay interested. Mainly because of the main character Taylor.

Taylor is a socially awkward girl that is a freshman in college and has had recurring dreams of a black snake with red eyes for many years. Something about Taylor just wasn't appealing to me. She felt flat without much personality other than she was unusual. The author kept harping on the fact that she was weird and didn't care if she fit in. Usually that would make a character unique and appealing since she would stand out, instead it made her boring. She accepted the world of angels way to easily. Too easily. Even for someone who had beliefs that were against the "norm", she fell into the thrall of the bright angel too quickly. The love story between her and the bright angel Gabriel happened way too fast. I didn't feel the connection. Yes, there was intrigue on both sides but nothing to justify falling head over heels.

The dialogue between characters just didn't flow for me. It didn't seem natural and I was annoyed by Taylor's lack of personality and spark. She keeps being referred to as "special" and "the one" and although we learn what makes her unique, she accepts this way too willingly. Maybe I missed it, but I wanted to know more of the origin of the black snake dreams. Was this special power connected to her mom? There was mention of a brother but no development which made me mentioning him pointless in my opinion.

I did like the two angels Christopher and Gabriel. I think the story would have been better off having them as main characters and Taylor as a minor. I enjoyed the stories of the beginning of angels and demons and wanted to learn more about their world and histories. Once again, i thought there could have been more development of these two characters and less focus on Tay and Samantha and her popular, social good looks or their other dorm friend whose name escapes me.

Overall, good premise. Not for me. Would've preferred a stronger main character. This is book one of a series and don't know if it evolves and picks up but doubt I'll find out. Always difficult to invest time in a story where the main character is not your favorite.