2021 EDIT: To my amazement, to my relief, I still love 'Angel' by L.A. Weatherly, over a decade later. It's so fun and exciting and action-packed and tense and romantic and addictive. Oh, this is a very romantic YA book, that feels real and authentic, hardly cheesy. The romance is bountifully, beautifully, sweet. Drinkable. Willow and Alex are one of my favourite couples ever, and Alex is one of my favourite fictional bad boys ever. I still love a lot of the characters, and their realistic and natural thoughts and actions. The book can teach us about the extremes of fanaticism, cults, cult-like thinking and brainwashing, as well; which can turn rabid and deadly. As a bonus, I like that it makes clear that not all angels in its story are evil. Also, 'Angel' is written with such passion; more than that, it is just exceedingly well written. Recently I've read too many books that have too many typos to have reasonably been published in their final state - is editing and proofreading a dying skill? But I could not find a single typo in 'Angel'. Not one.
One of, if not the best, angel YA books ever (no competition, there, mind you, but still). Not even the knowledge of the impending love triangle in the sequels could quell my enjoyment of 'Angel'.
Why couldn't it have been titled 'Angel Burn' in the UK, though?
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
I love this book to pieces. Is it perfect? No, far from it. But quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, because there is something truly special in 'Angel'.
It is like a mixture of 'Mission Impossible', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', and a magical girl story. And it is not as stupid as it sounds.
I could tell as I was reading this spectacular and original angel story that L.A Weatherly was really passionate about writing it. She felt potential in her ideas and didn't waste them.
It starts with the risky concept of this: What if angels were actually harming humans, not helping them? What if they'd come from another plane of existence and only meet us for the purpose of feeding off our energy? All in the guise of love and enlightenment? What if they cause human diseases, with no one being the wiser due to something called "angel burn", which affects the human mind as well as the body?
Ms Weatherly thought of the different angles and depths in which her concept could reach. She also explored the different voices she could use to carry the narrative. Some parts are told from the first person perspective of the main girl Willow, some are told in third person - but are connected to the main boy Alex, and some follow the thoughts and actions of the villain, Raziel the angel.
I loved practically all of the characters. Willow not only has one of my favourite names, but she has an adorkable charm to her. She can fix cars, is psychic, and she tries to make the best of things despite her sad and lonely home life. She is not a pushover either - there is an assertiveness and need to do what's right in all her sweetness. She can come across as Mary Sue-ish sometimes with her powers, but they happen for a reason and she has limits. She reacts to her situations and to her powers like a normal teenager would, with so much to think about and contemplate.
In reading about Willow I could see why Alex would fall for her, tough boy that he is. He is just as adorable and complex. He is a teenage angel hunter from the CIA who observes things from all angles. He is witty though distant, which is unsurprising due to his upbringing and family history. His defiance thaws as he spends more time with Willow, the girl he was originally sent to kill because she is an "angel" and therefore must die. But is she just like them? Of course not, she's lovely.
So falling in love with your sworn enemy has never been more safe... except there are angels who want Willow dead because of one's psychic vision predicting she will be their downfall.
Alex protects her, and not because she might be a weapon to use against the angels. And Willow learns to protect herself.
The relationship these two kids have is so cute, despite all the danger and death that has surrounded them externally since they first met. They are adorable as their own characters and therefore they are more so when together, despite being practically opposites. The realisation that they both love each other builds up (without frustration on my part... mostly) towards the moment when they hide out in a beautiful and secluded setting, and it doesn't feel cheap or forced. Just natural.
The emotional connection Willow and Alex have is squee-worthy, and it is a romance I actually love enough to want it to be the main focus in a story.
I don't even mind that said story is 500 pages long.
Yes, 'Angel' by L.A Weatherly had that much of an impact on me.
But there is plenty of plot and action to keep more cynical readers entertained as well. Everything is always moving forward, and it is written like that even during the flashbacks to Alex's past. There are lots of little human quirks in the sections with Willow and Alex.
So go on, give 'Angel' a go. You might not end up loving it as much as I do - like I said it is not perfect, as some side characters are one-note (though I liked Jonah). But it is a diamond in the rough in the YA market and in the angel book market.
I think it's underrated, and in need of more attention.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Note: I don't like the UK cover. Is the girl really meant to be Willow? She looks nothing like how she is described in the book. And the cover looks miserable as a whole and doesn't really match the tone of the story. Also, why 'Angel' in the UK and not 'Angel Burn' as in the US? 'Angel' sounds too generic, and it doesn't demand to be read by casual browsers. In my opinion it is not the best marketing job the British could have done for their edition of this YA novel.
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