Earthbound

No Angel #2

by Theresa Sneed

Heaven used to be such a perfect place . . .

As the time draws near for the first spirits to leave their home in heaven, a group of rebellious dissenters begins to appear at every blue-planet planning meeting, demanding that all mortals are ruled by compulsory choice, instead of having the freedom to choose for themselves. Daniel is a courageous Freedom Fighter who vehemently opposes the No Choice movement. Sophie is impressed by his strong desire to do what s right . . . and by his intense blue eyes. But she also has a strange attraction to the handsome and ostentatious Coe, a leader of the No Choice movement, who has his sights on her and will stop at nothing to claim her as his own.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Young Adult

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Author Theresa Sneed graduated cum laude with a BA in education, and though she loves teaching, she is currently taking a break from it to pursue a writing career.

Her books are unique, each story taking you places you have never imagined before. She writes across four genres—mystery and suspense, fantasy, historical fiction/time travel, and realistic paranormal. All of Theresa’s books have elements of sweet romance, and while none of her books have profanity or sexually explicit scenes, each book is intriguing and white-knuckle intense—the kind you can’t put down.

The No Angel series is the story of a guardian angel with an attitude and the ever present, but misunderstood spirit world. Earth Angel is the fourth books in the series. There will be a minimum of four more to come.

The Sons of Elderberry series has one book out called Elias of Elderberry. Harry-Potterish, with the addition of fairies and elves, this book has been her best-selling, especially in Europe. Theresa anticipates another three to five books to finish that series.

Escape is the story of a 15 year old girl abducted by a corrupt sheriff in the 70’s. He keeps her captive in his cellar for five years until she escapes with his truck and his young daughter. Escape is book one in a three book series.

Salem Witch Haunt was intended to be a stand-alone book, until the shocking ending made it apparent that her characters were not finished telling their story.

All of Theresa Sneed’s books may be purchased through Amazon or links on her website at www.theresasneed.com. She loves hearing from her readers and may be contacted through her website or through her email at tmsneed.author@yahoo.com.

Reviews

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! I loved thinking about the Pre-existence and what may or may not have happened! I'd love to think that my husband and I are a "chosen" couple! I can't imagine having to choose between the awesome guy and the bad guy (what a stinker!) The only part I didn't like was the whole Sophie/Sophia. Which is it? I wasn't sure! I know I like having a body and this helped remind me why trials are so important! I stayed up late to finish it, because I had to see what was going to happen at the end. (That and I couldn't get comfortable lying down) What a cliffhanger! Any ARCs coming out soon? Please?

[Sarah Beggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Theresa!
A brilliant description of the War in Heaven and those who choose good over evil. The description of Lucifer and his many heads, as well as the epic battle, made what I have learned all my years come to life. This is the second book in her No Angel series, and I enjoyed both books, but this one, give me goosies! It touched me to my inner soul--and I wonder what will become of Daniel, Sophia AND Coe. I liked Coe by the way!
Good Job Theresa. Good Job.

[Sara Casalino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! Sophie was a wonderful character. The story was very unique and imaginative. The only thing I didn't like was that Daniel was perfect and seemed to know things that no one else did. I found that I didn't feel much of a connection to Daniel because he didn't have any flaws like a normal person. That's the only reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I also didn't like that Daniel was always saving Sophie. I'm sure she's capable on her own.

[Book Geek Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I liked Theresa Sneed's previous book, No Angel, okay. I wouldn't call it one of my favorites, but I liked it well enough to give this one a try. I put off reading it for months, and honestly, picked it up this past week only because I didn't have anything else to read. I was actually thinking that I'd read for a bit and then take a nap.

No nap for me!!! This story is excellent. It's got great characters, good dialog, lots of action, and a very interesting take on pre-mortal spirit life--including interplanetary travel, the ability to change the way you look in an instant, unique animals, and an awesome sport where teams compete in a interplanetary scavenger hunt.

Add to that the classic battle between good and evil (Freedom Fighters and No Choicers) AND the classic YA love triangle, one girl choosing between two boys (one clearly good, the other not so much) and you've got a story that will appeal to teen girls everywhere. Both boys have positive traits that make them attractive to the reader. At the end, I wasn't 100% convinced as to which boy I wanted Sophia to end up with.

Interwoven in this very likeable and modernized story, that is set in heaven before they came to Earth, this book has a positive message about choice and accountability. There were a couple of spots where I thought the "lessons" went on a little too long, but I'm an adult with defined opinions. I don't think a teen would mind it at all.

I highly recommend this book to teen girls, 12 and up, and to adults who enjoy fantasy/paranormal stories. I don't think you have to be Christian, or even highly religious, to enjoy the story.

5 stars!

[Rosalyn Eves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel--the prequel to Sneed's previous novel, No Angel--has an interesting premise (pre-earth life) and dramatic subject matter. The topic seems particularly apt for a Whitney candidate, since it deals with a peculiarly Mormon perspective on Heaven. The novel moved along at a reasonably fast pace (appropriate, since it also deals with the cataclysmic battle in Heaven that led to the expulsion of Lucifer and 1/3 of the hosts of Heaven). However, the novel didn't entirely work for me. One of the main issues, for me, is that this topic calls for an epic voice or approach (think Milton's Paradise Lost). And while Sophie, as narrator, is relatable, the tone of the novel didn't feel epic enough for me--it was much closer to a contemporary YA novel. While that works on one level (presumably most of those in Heaven would be like us, right?), it doesn't help give the novel the epic heft it needs. It also made it harder for me to see Sophie as the heroine that she was meant to be. It was also a little strange to me that Heaven looked so much like 21st century white/western culture (the characters communicate through text-speak; they care a lot about their clothes, and the general aesthetic seems very modern-day). I appreciated Sneed's attempt to understand why people would choose something other than God's plan (her view: they didn't like that some people would fail), but I would have liked to see Sophie more conflicted about her choices. She does have some questions, but they always seemed to get resolved within a few pages or so. I think more conflict for Sophie would have resulted in more tension and a stronger book.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to resist the temptation to throw this book against the wall instead of finishing it. First of all, it creates a vision of the pre-earth spirit world as more or less a giant high school where everyone is obsessed with sports, relationships, clothes, and class. Second, the protagonist was just plain irritating. She was attracted to one guy, who was obviously a good guy, but every time he tried to talk to her she just pushed him away or acted like she didn't want him. Then, when the other guy came along that she didn't like and who was obviously the bad guy, she completely went along with whatever he wanted. For the entire book--she never seemed to change or grow or mature in anyway. Plus the writing really felt very derivative of Twilight, right down to the crazy ball game.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. There is a wonderful love story that leaves you with a great surprise ending that is making me impatient for the next book due in the Fall. I wish I had a machine in my closet to instantly change my outfit and hairstyle and that I could just think myself to a different planet to visit my friend, someday I can. But the most important part of this book was the fact that it made me step back and say "I remember". I remembered why we are all here. We were all Freedom Fighters before we came to "The Blue Planet". Every person on this earth, whether they have chosen good or bad, fought on the side of our Father.

[Cherie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost didn't read this because of how lame the first one in this series was, but I had already checked it out of the library and it is not a long book, and seemed to be a love story framed in the pre-existence, so I thought I would give it a chance. Again, the premise sounded good. Two spirits fall in love in Heaven, come to the earth vowing to find each other. But it did not live up to my expectations at all and threw in so many totally made up crazy fantasy ideas that again it was hard for me to finish it. Even though the next book will deal with life on earth for these two lovebirds, I will not waste my time again.

[Jennifer Hardcastle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't even get through this book the first time I tried to read it. I wanted to read about what happened with the people,of the first book. But I tried reading it again with the idea of this being a totally different story. It turned out ok. I want to read the third book to see how it all ties in.

[Lisa]

"I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads."

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the book, "No Angel". It is very good. It takes place in Heaven. I am looking forward to reading further books in this series.