For a debut novel, and for a novel in general, I really felt this was a very enjoyable read. The cover is really nice too :D
Ok, to be honest, this book starts out a little slow for me. The first half of the novel dragged a bit but it eventually picked up. Around two thirds into the book a lot of stuff happens and it actually gets better and better. (I had been waiting for a huge fighting action scene and I finally got one!, yay :D) I was considering giving this 3.5 stars but I will leave it as four because of what happens in the second half of the story.
I've read some other people's reviews, and their issues with the main character Camille, who is at first presented as a spoiled, rich, sophisticated socialite. On the contrary, I didn't actually find Camille that stuck-up and arrogant, considering she has been raised in a family of very rich, but rather cold people.
I really liked the concept of angels in this story, and how the author turned it on its head... it was much more interesting this way. It had a reasonable amount of paranormal elements which was great. I also really liked all the descriptions of each setting etc. and of all the lavishness of where the galas and balls are set.
The first half, I felt, had a little too much overuse of the word 'sad' and 'sadness'. A little too much. And also of the words '..eyes widened...' Also I wasn't sure if it was just me, but there was quite a considerable amount of grammatical errors in the story; though they didn't detract from the content of the story, they irritated me a little.
I also love how Camille and Xavier connect so much and are passionate about music; it was a really integral part of the story. I thought that Camille's and Xavier's connection might have been a bit sudden at first but their relationship really grew on me. And all the explanations and history behind why Camille is an angel and all that was really cool, especially as some of it was rooted in actual history.
For me, the 2nd half was way better than the 1st half of the story, because more stuff happens in there than in the other half. The 1st half is more of Camille and Xavier and everyone, which was great and all but there wasn't much action or anything but it was a gradual build-up kind of thing.
And I also really liked how there was enough depth and information about the angels in the end to keep me satisfied but also hooked to read and discover more about them. There was also some real, raw, deep emotion at the end which was different.
The relationship between Camille and her younger sister Noelle was really nice to read about: a kind of love-hate relationship which borders most definitely on the love side. They were both interesting characters. I also liked (sorry about all the 'I liked') how Camille really grew in the story and matured. I found that there was a good amount of characters and all the main ones were relatable and rounded out well.
The events that lead to the ending had my mouth falling open repeatedly; there were a lot of plot twists, I just couldn't predict the end (which was good), and I really can't believe how the author thought up all that. It also got really dark near the end with all the good vs evil. The ending was like oh my god. I didn't expect it and was a bit shocked but I think it was a good ending, ties everything in yet definitely leads to a second novel; there's just so much more I want to know! I like the epilogue as well. You can see there really is more brewing behind everything and all is not as it seems.
Overall I really really liked this book, which did kinda surprise me but in a good way. I just loved the second half of the story and there was also a bit of humour at times between the characters which lightened things up a bit. I also totally liked the ending; it makes me want to read more and know what happens next!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP/Lovers of Paranormal)