Titles: Angelfire, Wings of the Wicked, Shadows in the Silence, Novella: A Dance With Darkness
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Number of Books: Three Books, One Novella
Review: Four stars
This series wasn't some "Oh my god, this was amazing!" series, but it was good. I read Angelfire and fell in love. It took me a while to get into Wings of the Wicked, but I ended up reading in a few hours once I did. I was excited to pick up Shadows in the Silence, but yet again, I didn't feel the incentive to pick it up. Eventually, I picked it up and loved it. I went out to lunch on the day I was finishing it, and ended up reading under the table while everyone was talking and chanting "No. No. No!" again and again. So yes, they were compelling and fun, but they didn't scream "Read Me!"The main character is Ellie. Her world is shaken up, turned upside-down, and left sideways over the course of the series. Yet through it all, Ellie stands up strong, solving, or stumbling on, one problem after another. Did I mention Ellie is an archangel in a human body? Well, she is. Evie is able to slay any demon with her sharp tongue, but she's not made to be a fighter, at first. By the end of the series I'm pretty sure I was screaming "Yes! Yes! Yes! Kick their butts!" at her. Evie that kind of heroin. She picks up on abilities easily, partially because she remembers them from her millions of past lives. Evie doesn't care what
anyone thinks, and isn't afraid to say so. Even when she's been ordered to stay away from the male protagonist, Will, she does as she wishes and doesn't take no as an answer. Despite what she's told, Evie knows that love makes her stronger and gives her another thing worth fighting for.
With each book, the plot starts slow, but picks up almost immediately. In short, it's like a freight train out of control. Each twist and turn in the plot bring new focus and meaning to the story. Relationships are made (and destroyed mercilessly by the author, thanks a lot). Not once is there hesitation. Events occur that many authors don't like to venture into. Characters die. You will most likely cry/scream/throw the book against the wall or some combination of the three while reading this series. It's really good and is painful in all the right ways. The heroine is not helpless and, while Evie does accept help, more often than not, she doesn't need it. Yet it's amazing that she has friends and loved ones (sobs) who are willing to throw themselves in front of her in the face of danger. It's well paced and doesn't once feel forced or cheesy. The reluctance keeps me from giving it a five, but everything else builds up to this story getting, and deserving, a strong four stars!P.S. I couldn't help but squeal when I noticed that the necklace Ellie is wearing on Shadows in the Silence looks exactly like one I got at the Renaissance Fair a couple years ago!
Author Bio:
I was born in Austin, Texas on August 18, 1986 and grew up in Michigan. In the first few years of my life, my family bounced around several states until we finally settled in mid-Michigan. I was a Girl Scout who dabbled in gymnastics and volleyball until I discovered horseback riding and it quickly consumed my heart and soul. When I discovered the Goosebumps books in the third grade, I decided I wanted to be RL Stine when I grew up.
I own a horse (a Swedish warmblood mare named Pia) and my passion is hunter/jumpers. My other passion is photography, and if you don't see me on a horse, you will probably see me with a camera in my face. I collect 1980's My Little Ponies and Breyer model horses, own over 400 movies, love playing Pokemon and MarioKart, and dream about sneaking into the polar bear exhibit at the zoo some day.
When I was sixteen, I wrote a one-act play about violent vampires for my creative writing class that became my first novel. For NaNoWriMo in November 2008, I wroteANGELFIRE and signed with a literary agent in February of 2009. In November 2009, we sold the trilogy to Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. I am now represented by Rosemary Stimola of the Stimola Literary Studio.
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Synopsis:
First there are nightmares. Then come the memories. Now she must hunt.
Ellie can’t shake the terrifying dreams about monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her. Then she meets Will and feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. When they meet on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie’s power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Will holds the key to Ellie’s memories, whole lifetimes of them, and she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.
Her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. In order to survive, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives, the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, and truths that may be too frightening to remember.
Angelfire is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.
You Can Find Them At:
New series to read!
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