Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Angelfire
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Pages: 464
My Copy: NetGalley
From GoodReads:

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

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.

This is my first time writing a review for a book that left me speechless. I know! Me, a book blogger, how shameful! Whatever expectations you have towards Angelfire should be forgotten as they certainly don’t do this book justice. The pretty cover and intriguing blurb don’t even begin scratch the surface of all that this book is. I read it in 24 hours and if you know what’s good for you, you will too!

The world that Moulton creates in this novel is mesmerizing! It can be a little overwhelming at first with the abundance of lore and background information but stick with it. The pieces flow together as the book progresses; when everything finally clicks you’ll find yourself in awe. I really enjoyed the way Ellie’s story develops. As her memories of her past slowly come back to her, the reader gets to discover them at the same pace. Because of this, I felt like I was along for the ride in this tale instead of watching from the sidelines. Granted, at times the gaps were a little frustrating as I was dying to know everything at once. But good things come to those who wait so be patient and enjoy the ride!

Ellie is an incredibly strong heroine but she’s also a very vulnerable one. She gradually uncovers the truth about her identity while facing all of the challenges that come with being a seventeen year old girl. When she’s not saving the world she’s busy studying for exams, dealing with her jerk of a father and falling in love. In her battles against evil, Ellie has two phenomenal weapons: Khopesh blades that burn with angelfire. These swords are so cool and badass, I got shivers every time she called them.

Will is Ellie’s sworn protector and guardian. He’s a pretty tight lipped character and doesn’t give away much. Every now and then his true self shines through. Readers need to pay close attention to Will. He drops subtle hints and clues; if you’re not paying attention you’ll miss them! His tall-dark-and-handsome persona captured my heart. Not to mention his unyielding devotion to Ellie. Will has a constant internal battle raging within him but all that gets put on the back burner when his heroine is in distress. I always feel a little weird when I develop a crush on a guy in a YA book. Luckily for me, he’s a fictional character so the age difference between us doesn’t matter! Right? He’s also over five centuries old…

Moulton sure knows how to torture her readers! I couldn’t contain myself, I HAD to know what Ellie is. Unfortunately, that revelation is saved until the very end. Cruel and unusual punishment! –No, but in all seriousness, the finale is well worth the wait and wouldn’t be as sweet without the build-up. I don’t think that I could have taken my time with this novel even if I had tried. On the downside, I’m stuck impatiently awaiting the second installment when the first hasn’t even been released yet. Let me reiterate that good things come to those who wait and wait I will for Angelfire #2.

Quote:
“He stopped laughing when I had finished hacking off his head.” – page 225

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Courtney Allison Moulton’s Website Author’s Blog CAMoulton on Twitter

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This book counts towards The Story Siren’s 2011 Debut Author Challenge that I’m taking part in (My Challenges).

       

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