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Good Angel #1
Good Angel
Iofiel is an ideal candidate to become a guardian angel, and help steer humans away from sin: she's helpful, cheery, and utterly loyal. And, as the 'angel of beauty', it's not like she has anything better to do.
Heaven and Hell long ago ran out of space: there's too many humans these days, so both have come to a shaky truce – one school sheltered in the forests of Canada, hidden from humanity, where their young can study.
All seems well for Iofiel's first days at university – her Archangel roommate is a bit uptight, and dealing with demons feels weird– but when a picked on demon confesses he's too nervous to pursue his true passion of soul stealing... Iofiel promises she'll major in it with him!
So much for being a proper angel. Her helpful impulse has repercussions that shake the school, and may just change the world forever. Or just end it.
Because that's a possibility too.
Heaven and Hell long ago ran out of space: there's too many humans these days, so both have come to a shaky truce – one school sheltered in the forests of Canada, hidden from humanity, where their young can study.
All seems well for Iofiel's first days at university – her Archangel roommate is a bit uptight, and dealing with demons feels weird– but when a picked on demon confesses he's too nervous to pursue his true passion of soul stealing... Iofiel promises she'll major in it with him!
So much for being a proper angel. Her helpful impulse has repercussions that shake the school, and may just change the world forever. Or just end it.
Because that's a possibility too.
325 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2017
6 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Blaushild
6 books116 followersA.M. writes, usually about angels.
Also on Youtube as Crow Caller. Inexplicably.
Also on Youtube as Crow Caller. Inexplicably.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 20, 2019
This book is April's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
"Humans are good."
"I know that, Blue. We literally exist to serve them."
"Yeah, but..." Iofiel was all at once too overwhelmed to think. "I love them."
★★★☆☆ |The beginning of this book got me invested instantly and I loved how it ended but I struggled with the middle for about 20 days... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Iofiel is an angel who befriends an imp and makes some unangelic decisions because of it. Also, there's The Apocalypse happening at some point.
What I liked:
★Iofiel - she's curious and energetic and her feelings are So Intense..
★at the beginning Maalik annoyed me a bit but this pink eyed crop-top loving boy grew on me...
★DAMIEN AND SANTIAGO - they were amazing both as a couple and as individuals: they had marvellous chemistry and I liked little things about them like Damien's love of poetry
★Damien and Santiago being basically a married couple
★MORNINGSTAR - I know that he hates me along with all humans but every scene with him was enjoyable
★
★LUPE!
★I liked that angels were supposed to be triple-A by default (agender-asexual-aromantic) since their society is constructed differently
★this book is a meme factory and the dialogues were hilarious pretty often
★worldbuilding was great actually? I'm not big on angel stories but I liked this concept
What I didn't like:
☆Iofiel? - some of her decisions started to annoy me.. I get that she started as a naive soul but for how long you can be like this... I feel like for some time she got too little development
☆Archie - at times I felt that he was ok but I can't recall much of his personality besides being whiny?
☆I felt like a lot of stuff was repeated again and again... Like, sometimes paragraphs contained the same info as the paragraph above and some things kept running in circles...
☆most of Maalik/Iofiel? - I kinda liked them by the end but at the beginning, I felt like they had a sibling dynamics and it was awkward for a while...
☆for an agender-by-default society there weren’t much of agender angels that were central to the story
☆it may be a meme factory but still, some of the jokes fell flat... I hate when things try to be funny and end up opposite and I had some of those moments in here
☆this Apocalypse thing took a while to unravel and with all the side angel/demon school stuff I feel like I didn't 'get' everything
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September 30, 2017
“Humans are good.”
“I know that, Blue. We literally exist to serve them.”
“Yeah, but...” Iofiel was all at once too overwhelmed to think. “I love them.”
* * *
So, this was my original review: "...Phoebus staring up at ceiling, bemused and overwhelmed with So Much.jpg" (Because I don't know how to put images/GIFs in my reviews like Fancy people do.) I stand by it. I knew this would be a BIG one too, hence it taking a while. And it is.
Seriously, I'm overwhelmed with this still (which goes nicely with the quote I picked up top). There's so much to love in it, and even more to ponder. A sweet, adorable, good-hearted angel MC who just loves and loves and loves with her entire being, and revels in her name, "the beauty of God." Iofiel tries so hard. Everybody does, actually, and that makes it one of my favorite... sub-genres, I guess, where it's a story about a wide array of people doing their best in an awful situation and how everyone reacts differently to trauma and horror, and no response is *wrong* (except for, obviously, the actual antagonist perpetrating the trauma, but even THEY THINK they're doing the right thing - when villains legitimately think they're the heroes, that's the best kind of story).
Like Claudie's review said, there are kind of two... modes to this book. The first, relatively light, (kind of shoujo anime-esque, I thought) slice-of-life storyline about an angel in angel college who decides to actually major in demon-ing, and everybody dealing with that, and Moral Ambiguities - and the Ambiguities of interacting with one's friends... and how hard it is to parse out exactly what kind of relationship you have with someone. (As a bi ace aro-spec nerd who also just really really really loves their friends, it's *difficult* to be sure exactly what kind of feelings and/or attraction you have for someone, so that was great to see.)
Interestingly - and this is something I've never actually seen in any fiction before - asexuality and aromanticism are presumed to be the default (for angels at least; not sure about demons). I was super intrigued at this point, and a little worried, because... this is hard to articulate. (I DON'T feel like being aro/ace was 'othered' here in the same way as it usually is; this is an example of Sometimes Tropes Can Be Well Done And Not Damaging - to *me*). But sometimes in being aro/ace-inclusive, even with inhuman characters, people can come across as putting down allo and especially queer sexuality - specifically, with a real-world (and particularly religious!) history that so often paints queer relationships or sex as "dirty/impure/immoral," I could easily see a story about asexual angels falling into that really Unfortunate Implication. But, for me at least, it really didn't. Asexuality and aromanticism is explored here, and the feeling I got is that it's not about being "pure" or better, experiencing attraction doesn't seem to lead to an angel's "fall," because it also doesn't factor into an angel's... function. Like they weren't "programmed" for that, the Powers Above didn't think they needed it, so they don't know how to handle it really - angels are kind of made (and replicated) to act like functions or programs, which naturally gets into questions of Free Will along with orientation. So there is just a Lot to think about here, and I thought it was done really well - though I'm honestly still kind of rolling it around in my brain, and someone else's interpretation is absolutely as valid as mine. Complex stuff.
I also appreciated the blurring of "good" and "evil" here along with trying to sort out friends-and/or-lovers; we're shown repeatedly that demons and Hell aren't... "evil," per se, just an alternate way of operating/existing, and we only think they're the Bad Guys because they're opposed to Heaven, who loudly trumpet that they're the Unquestionable Good Guys, and Anything Different Is Bad. (At least this is the vibe I got.) I loved Archie, and Santiago and really every student character, angel and demon. They're super endearing and I just very much wanted them all to be okay.
And I really, REALLY loved Lucifer. Aside from Iofiel herself, he's probably my favorite - which is somehow surprising and unsurprising at the same time. He's fascinating and funny and charismatic (and hot as Hell, I'll say it) and genuinely kind to Archie... and I'd take his side way faster than Michael and his ilk. Which is probably the intent, so. Total success.
So I loved pretty much everything in the first stage, Iofiel at school discovering herself and the world. And then there's the mood-whiplash when the holy shit hits the fan and everything turns super tense and scary. This CAN be disorienting and if you're not expecting it, might be kind of shocking. (I actually like 'mood whiplash' stories and being taken through the emotional wringer, but what works for me might not for you!) It gets dark, and... this is the Apocalypse we're talking about, it's going to be rough.
Something else from Claudie's review that I also really felt, and one of my only disappointments here: when everything started to get real, and we started to see that Heaven really didn't have everyone's best interests in mind, for angels, demons, and humanity... everyone just kind of accepted it. The demon characters kind of shrug and go 'yeah, that's how it goes, we're enemies, so being friends now didn't really mean anything, sorry.' And the angels are the same. (Iofiel resists this, of course! That's why she's the MC. :D And she's Bound in some ways that prevent her from doing much about it, but... still. Figure it out, guys!) *But man, oh man,* I was hoping for a Good Omens-esque teamup, everybody throwing aside their dogmatic orders, raising the middle finger to Ineffability, and fighting together, canceling the Apocalypse, angel and demon alike. Good Omens is one of my favorite books for that very thing; it's weirdly important to me, and I really kind of expected/hoped to see that here.
I'm honestly still hoping we get that, very much. And because there's at least one more book coming, I think there's a chance we will. But it would have been amazing to see a hint of that here, instead of Iofiel all alone at the end.
I'm giving this five stars because I genuinely loved every character (who we're supposed to - and I'm legitimately proud of Iofiel for the growth she's shown in this book alone), I loved the worldbuilding and concepts - and while not everything happened or got explored that I wanted... I'm more hopeful than I usually am that it will be in the second book, which I'll absolutely be picking up. The plot really seems to be heading that way at least. And yes, that cliffhanger was diabolical and I want more immediately. Good Angel, good book.
“I know that, Blue. We literally exist to serve them.”
“Yeah, but...” Iofiel was all at once too overwhelmed to think. “I love them.”
* * *
So, this was my original review: "...Phoebus staring up at ceiling, bemused and overwhelmed with So Much.jpg" (Because I don't know how to put images/GIFs in my reviews like Fancy people do.) I stand by it. I knew this would be a BIG one too, hence it taking a while. And it is.
Seriously, I'm overwhelmed with this still (which goes nicely with the quote I picked up top). There's so much to love in it, and even more to ponder. A sweet, adorable, good-hearted angel MC who just loves and loves and loves with her entire being, and revels in her name, "the beauty of God." Iofiel tries so hard. Everybody does, actually, and that makes it one of my favorite... sub-genres, I guess, where it's a story about a wide array of people doing their best in an awful situation and how everyone reacts differently to trauma and horror, and no response is *wrong* (except for, obviously, the actual antagonist perpetrating the trauma, but even THEY THINK they're doing the right thing - when villains legitimately think they're the heroes, that's the best kind of story).
Like Claudie's review said, there are kind of two... modes to this book. The first, relatively light, (kind of shoujo anime-esque, I thought) slice-of-life storyline about an angel in angel college who decides to actually major in demon-ing, and everybody dealing with that, and Moral Ambiguities - and the Ambiguities of interacting with one's friends... and how hard it is to parse out exactly what kind of relationship you have with someone. (As a bi ace aro-spec nerd who also just really really really loves their friends, it's *difficult* to be sure exactly what kind of feelings and/or attraction you have for someone, so that was great to see.)
Interestingly - and this is something I've never actually seen in any fiction before - asexuality and aromanticism are presumed to be the default (for angels at least; not sure about demons). I was super intrigued at this point, and a little worried, because... this is hard to articulate. (I DON'T feel like being aro/ace was 'othered' here in the same way as it usually is; this is an example of Sometimes Tropes Can Be Well Done And Not Damaging - to *me*). But sometimes in being aro/ace-inclusive, even with inhuman characters, people can come across as putting down allo and especially queer sexuality - specifically, with a real-world (and particularly religious!) history that so often paints queer relationships or sex as "dirty/impure/immoral," I could easily see a story about asexual angels falling into that really Unfortunate Implication. But, for me at least, it really didn't. Asexuality and aromanticism is explored here, and the feeling I got is that it's not about being "pure" or better, experiencing attraction doesn't seem to lead to an angel's "fall," because it also doesn't factor into an angel's... function. Like they weren't "programmed" for that, the Powers Above didn't think they needed it, so they don't know how to handle it really - angels are kind of made (and replicated) to act like functions or programs, which naturally gets into questions of Free Will along with orientation. So there is just a Lot to think about here, and I thought it was done really well - though I'm honestly still kind of rolling it around in my brain, and someone else's interpretation is absolutely as valid as mine. Complex stuff.
I also appreciated the blurring of "good" and "evil" here along with trying to sort out friends-and/or-lovers; we're shown repeatedly that demons and Hell aren't... "evil," per se, just an alternate way of operating/existing, and we only think they're the Bad Guys because they're opposed to Heaven, who loudly trumpet that they're the Unquestionable Good Guys, and Anything Different Is Bad. (At least this is the vibe I got.) I loved Archie, and Santiago and really every student character, angel and demon. They're super endearing and I just very much wanted them all to be okay.
And I really, REALLY loved Lucifer. Aside from Iofiel herself, he's probably my favorite - which is somehow surprising and unsurprising at the same time. He's fascinating and funny and charismatic (and hot as Hell, I'll say it) and genuinely kind to Archie... and I'd take his side way faster than Michael and his ilk. Which is probably the intent, so. Total success.
So I loved pretty much everything in the first stage, Iofiel at school discovering herself and the world. And then there's the mood-whiplash when the holy shit hits the fan and everything turns super tense and scary. This CAN be disorienting and if you're not expecting it, might be kind of shocking. (I actually like 'mood whiplash' stories and being taken through the emotional wringer, but what works for me might not for you!) It gets dark, and... this is the Apocalypse we're talking about, it's going to be rough.
Something else from Claudie's review that I also really felt, and one of my only disappointments here: when everything started to get real, and we started to see that Heaven really didn't have everyone's best interests in mind, for angels, demons, and humanity... everyone just kind of accepted it. The demon characters kind of shrug and go 'yeah, that's how it goes, we're enemies, so being friends now didn't really mean anything, sorry.' And the angels are the same. (Iofiel resists this, of course! That's why she's the MC. :D And she's Bound in some ways that prevent her from doing much about it, but... still. Figure it out, guys!) *But man, oh man,* I was hoping for a Good Omens-esque teamup, everybody throwing aside their dogmatic orders, raising the middle finger to Ineffability, and fighting together, canceling the Apocalypse, angel and demon alike. Good Omens is one of my favorite books for that very thing; it's weirdly important to me, and I really kind of expected/hoped to see that here.
I'm honestly still hoping we get that, very much. And because there's at least one more book coming, I think there's a chance we will. But it would have been amazing to see a hint of that here, instead of Iofiel all alone at the end.
I'm giving this five stars because I genuinely loved every character (who we're supposed to - and I'm legitimately proud of Iofiel for the growth she's shown in this book alone), I loved the worldbuilding and concepts - and while not everything happened or got explored that I wanted... I'm more hopeful than I usually am that it will be in the second book, which I'll absolutely be picking up. The plot really seems to be heading that way at least. And yes, that cliffhanger was diabolical and I want more immediately. Good Angel, good book.
April 25, 2018
This book was provided for free as the April's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicbookclub.
I liked the idea of this book and it had some very interesting concepts about the purposes of angels and demons and how they work by themselves but also in coexistence. So the world building is a plus for me in this book.
But still I didn't really connect with the story or the characters.
Some of the side characters were pretty interesting and I liked the appearances of the Morningstar, that was fun.
But while I liked the creativity in creating all those different angels and demons and also the many different pronouns, I didn't like the way the pronoun use was written. I know why the author decided to handle the matter in the way they did, it just didn't make sense to me personally from the perspective.
I also had some problems with the editing and perspective changes and plot continuity.
I liked the idea of this book and it had some very interesting concepts about the purposes of angels and demons and how they work by themselves but also in coexistence. So the world building is a plus for me in this book.
But still I didn't really connect with the story or the characters.
Some of the side characters were pretty interesting and I liked the appearances of the Morningstar, that was fun.
But while I liked the creativity in creating all those different angels and demons and also the many different pronouns, I didn't like the way the pronoun use was written. I know why the author decided to handle the matter in the way they did, it just didn't make sense to me personally from the perspective.
I also had some problems with the editing and perspective changes and plot continuity.
August 19, 2017
I’m always looking for books set in university and when I saw on twitter that this one (described as “Fangirl meets Good Omens"!) was set on an university for demons and angels I was quick to jump on the chance to read and review it!
“Wait until you know what essays are.”
“I know what essays are, and I am afraid.”
At first I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. I was a bit taken aback by the main character, an angel born only a few days ago but not entirely lacking any knowledge to function since angels have some sort of starter pack in their brain, which is helpful I guess.
The worldbuilding is not too complicated but well thought of, it seems the author tried to think of every way this could work and while I ended up being a bit unsure about some details, I quickly forgot about all this and had a very enjoyable time reading Good Angel.
Plus I loved how angels and demons had very unconventional appearences! They looked scary, inhumans and very weird at times and I found that very cool.
“Iofiel really needed to remind herself that, if she was going to go around being a nice person to jerks, she could at least pick demons who hadn’t personally victimized her friends. Or herself, actually. Ugh.”
Once I was a bit more into the action, into the day-to-day routine of the university and Iofiel’s life, a bit more used to her, it was a very entertaining novel. All in sweetness, and great side characters!
It took me a little while to warm up to Iofiel, she’s a bit of a naive too-good-for-her-own-good person, but I quickly went to the “Iofiel you pure baby!! ❤ ” stage. I ended up rooting for her, stressing with her because of the dilemmas she was put in front of, and really pleased with was she decided to do in the end. She’s not perfect, she’s impulsive, too nice and a bit reckless, but she also is aware of this and make efforts to be a good friend and a good angel.
A bit more info on the other characters:
-Archie is an imp (not really a demon like his classmates) who wants to study in soul stealing. He is the first of his kind to go to university, unfortunately bullied left and right. (Art of this poor guy!)
-Maalik is Iofiel’s roomate, an archangel with an anxiety disorder. He loves to cook and is struggling with his sexuality.
-Santiago is a demon with a heart of gold, and her girlfriend Damien is passionate about poetry. (Art of these two cuties!) They were my favourite characters of the novel! ❤
-Art of the cast!
I liked the discussions around gender and sexuality, especially since angels are supposed to be aro-ace and agender. While equating this to the fact that they are not people per se made me wince (since there ARE actual people who are aro-ace and agender) it still was discussed a bit so it’s okay. Still, a lot of angels actually weren’t and had a hard time figuring themselves out, which led to interesting conversations.
“Are you wondering what a triple A angel is?” They laughed slightly. “Asexual, aromantic, agender. That havenly ideal. Unfortunately, we do tend to be a little more than a collection of labels and a species name, don’t we?”
This is a story that can go from an adorable conversation, to a frightening revelation, some chilling bits and then college life. It felt like anything could happen any time and it added to the suspense and made me want to keep on reading to know what was going to happen.
“Friends let friends read their battle strategy textbooks in peace.”
All in all, this is a very sweet sff novel with demons and angels, university slife of life, end of the world and cute/interesting interactions.
A review copy (eARC) of this book was provided by the author. Some things might change in the final copy.
Review originally posted on my blog
“Wait until you know what essays are.”
“I know what essays are, and I am afraid.”
At first I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. I was a bit taken aback by the main character, an angel born only a few days ago but not entirely lacking any knowledge to function since angels have some sort of starter pack in their brain, which is helpful I guess.
The worldbuilding is not too complicated but well thought of, it seems the author tried to think of every way this could work and while I ended up being a bit unsure about some details, I quickly forgot about all this and had a very enjoyable time reading Good Angel.
Plus I loved how angels and demons had very unconventional appearences! They looked scary, inhumans and very weird at times and I found that very cool.
“Iofiel really needed to remind herself that, if she was going to go around being a nice person to jerks, she could at least pick demons who hadn’t personally victimized her friends. Or herself, actually. Ugh.”
Once I was a bit more into the action, into the day-to-day routine of the university and Iofiel’s life, a bit more used to her, it was a very entertaining novel. All in sweetness, and great side characters!
It took me a little while to warm up to Iofiel, she’s a bit of a naive too-good-for-her-own-good person, but I quickly went to the “Iofiel you pure baby!! ❤ ” stage. I ended up rooting for her, stressing with her because of the dilemmas she was put in front of, and really pleased with was she decided to do in the end. She’s not perfect, she’s impulsive, too nice and a bit reckless, but she also is aware of this and make efforts to be a good friend and a good angel.
A bit more info on the other characters:
-Archie is an imp (not really a demon like his classmates) who wants to study in soul stealing. He is the first of his kind to go to university, unfortunately bullied left and right. (Art of this poor guy!)
-Maalik is Iofiel’s roomate, an archangel with an anxiety disorder. He loves to cook and is struggling with his sexuality.
-Santiago is a demon with a heart of gold, and her girlfriend Damien is passionate about poetry. (Art of these two cuties!) They were my favourite characters of the novel! ❤
-Art of the cast!
I liked the discussions around gender and sexuality, especially since angels are supposed to be aro-ace and agender. While equating this to the fact that they are not people per se made me wince (since there ARE actual people who are aro-ace and agender) it still was discussed a bit so it’s okay. Still, a lot of angels actually weren’t and had a hard time figuring themselves out, which led to interesting conversations.
“Are you wondering what a triple A angel is?” They laughed slightly. “Asexual, aromantic, agender. That havenly ideal. Unfortunately, we do tend to be a little more than a collection of labels and a species name, don’t we?”
This is a story that can go from an adorable conversation, to a frightening revelation, some chilling bits and then college life. It felt like anything could happen any time and it added to the suspense and made me want to keep on reading to know what was going to happen.
“Friends let friends read their battle strategy textbooks in peace.”
All in all, this is a very sweet sff novel with demons and angels, university slife of life, end of the world and cute/interesting interactions.
A review copy (eARC) of this book was provided by the author. Some things might change in the final copy.
Review originally posted on my blog
February 17, 2018
I went into this book knowing close to nothing about it. I knew it was about angels and demons and that it had aro-ace representation. As someone who identifies as aro-ace, I was very excited to read an ownvoices book with that representation. I was so ready to finally read about that aro-ace character that I’ve been basically dreaming of, one that I could actually relate to. Sadly, that didn’t happen. More about that later.
Iofiel is a (new) angel and she’s a very naive, innocent character, I think those words describe her really well. She wants to help everyone and she apparently didn’t really need much of a reason to do so even if it made life for herself difficult. She becomes friends with demons who go to the same school as she does and basically does everything an angel shouldn’t do. Still, you cheer for her all the way to the end, because her innocence and sweet-heartedness make you fall a little in love with her.
“You don’t worship evil, you just pull it around on a leash a bit until it’s learned to do your bidding.”
“Remember when you were going to be a Guardian Angel, and really liked pancakes? Those were the good days. The golden days of, like, three weeks ago.”
I have this theory that every book has a strong point, or multiple ones. The more strong points it has, the better it is. These strong points can be the writing, the pacing, the tension, the characters, the dialogue, etc. I didn’t feel like this book had any outstanding points, it was good, but nothing was that good that it really stuck to me. The characters were really likeable, the dialogue was quite fun, the writing was okay, the story overall was interesting. But it wasn’t grabbing. It wasn’t as good as I would have loved it to be.
“When have I ever made someone see how beautiful something was, though? I don’t know if appreciating things really makes them… worthwhile. It’s about getting people to agree.”
So back to my original point. In the book, Iofiel is at first described as aromantic asexual, but to me, she doesn’t really seem to be either. Or maybe better said, she is really still questioning everything about her attraction. Though there is nothing wrong with that, I would have loved to see a bit more exploration on the topic of aromanticism and asexuality. I think now this book gives a bit of a wrong image of what aromanticism and asexuality are. I can’t really explain everything without spoiling anything so this’ll have to do.
Overall, I am giving this book 3.5 stars because it is fun, but not outstanding on any topic. Everything is really fun and interesting but it’s not really impressing me on any front. I did love that there was a lot of diversity in sexualities (bi, gay, agender, ace, and more) and skin-tones (since angels and demons don’t all look human they have skin-tones in all the colors of the rainbow). I loved that it explored topics of morality and how it crossed paths from good to evil and where to stand. I would really recommend this book if you like books about angels and morally gray characters. Overall this was a very cute book and a fun read!
(I realized I had never posted my review on here. Sorry!)
Iofiel is a (new) angel and she’s a very naive, innocent character, I think those words describe her really well. She wants to help everyone and she apparently didn’t really need much of a reason to do so even if it made life for herself difficult. She becomes friends with demons who go to the same school as she does and basically does everything an angel shouldn’t do. Still, you cheer for her all the way to the end, because her innocence and sweet-heartedness make you fall a little in love with her.
“You don’t worship evil, you just pull it around on a leash a bit until it’s learned to do your bidding.”
“Remember when you were going to be a Guardian Angel, and really liked pancakes? Those were the good days. The golden days of, like, three weeks ago.”
I have this theory that every book has a strong point, or multiple ones. The more strong points it has, the better it is. These strong points can be the writing, the pacing, the tension, the characters, the dialogue, etc. I didn’t feel like this book had any outstanding points, it was good, but nothing was that good that it really stuck to me. The characters were really likeable, the dialogue was quite fun, the writing was okay, the story overall was interesting. But it wasn’t grabbing. It wasn’t as good as I would have loved it to be.
“When have I ever made someone see how beautiful something was, though? I don’t know if appreciating things really makes them… worthwhile. It’s about getting people to agree.”
So back to my original point. In the book, Iofiel is at first described as aromantic asexual, but to me, she doesn’t really seem to be either. Or maybe better said, she is really still questioning everything about her attraction. Though there is nothing wrong with that, I would have loved to see a bit more exploration on the topic of aromanticism and asexuality. I think now this book gives a bit of a wrong image of what aromanticism and asexuality are. I can’t really explain everything without spoiling anything so this’ll have to do.
Overall, I am giving this book 3.5 stars because it is fun, but not outstanding on any topic. Everything is really fun and interesting but it’s not really impressing me on any front. I did love that there was a lot of diversity in sexualities (bi, gay, agender, ace, and more) and skin-tones (since angels and demons don’t all look human they have skin-tones in all the colors of the rainbow). I loved that it explored topics of morality and how it crossed paths from good to evil and where to stand. I would really recommend this book if you like books about angels and morally gray characters. Overall this was a very cute book and a fun read!
(I realized I had never posted my review on here. Sorry!)
April 18, 2018
This book was read for Sapphic Book Club, hosted by sapphicliterature. Like usual, there are some spoilers ahead!
While I greatly enjoyed this book, I still gave it four stars instead of five. Simply because I had few problems along the journey and I rarely feel comfortable with five. I'd probably give this 4.5 if it was possible. In general, the book was really amazing. It was easy to read, and I probably would’ve read in one day if I wasn’t too exhausted with life. This was quite a surprise, to be honest, since angels and demons aren’t usually my kind of thing. But when something’s done well, it doesn’t really matter if it happens to be my usual genre.
There were so many things that were done surprisingly well. The characters were likable, I didn’t even start to hate the main character which happens far too often. Actually, Iofiel was a very sweet character who grew along the story. I enjoyed how the angels were portrayed, I could talk about them for so long, but I don’t wish to give out any major spoilers. The story was interesting. and I loved how much attention the minor characters got as well along the book. At first, I was a little wary about Archie’s character, but in the end he became one of my favorites.
I obviously enjoyed diversity a lot, especially the way the book presents asexuality, aromanticism and agenderism as the default. The angels are heavenly creatures, they aren’t expected to have sexual side, not necessarily even a gender, and I enjoyed the view the book has about it. I also enjoy how it presents the angels and demons, which isn’t necessarily the most commonly seen in popular culture. Another big part of the book is the discussion about moral, what’s good and bad, when you do wrong instead of wrong. While some themes can be super serious and important, it’s been presented in kind of sweet light.
I didn’t necessarily like how the first half of the book focused so much on school life. Of course, it’s very understandable since we get to learn about the world with Iofiel, while she learns about it as well. But then everything kind of changes when the real battle begins, and the mood of book changed. It kind of gave me a feeling that the story turned around, it became something else than what the earlier part had been promising to me. While the shift wasn’t exactly bad, I definitely enjoyed the turn and the path the story is taking, I still can’t help but feel a bit betrayed. The book was promising me something else than it truly delivered in the end. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if the casual learning about the world part would’ve been shorter and the pace would’ve been sped up a in some parts.
Another thing I don’t have completely positive feelings was Iofiel and Maalik’s relationship. In general, I found Maalik a real cool character, even if he had some parts I wasn’t fond of. And when the two started to get a little closer, I have to admit it felt a bit too cliché. Of course, clichés aren’t exactly bad, but that still bothered me. While I kind enjoyed their relationship, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where the story and basically everything develops in the second book.
In the end, this was a wonderful read. It was fun, captivating, and had so many great aspects I certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and especially angel/demon stuff with more serious topics as well.
While I greatly enjoyed this book, I still gave it four stars instead of five. Simply because I had few problems along the journey and I rarely feel comfortable with five. I'd probably give this 4.5 if it was possible. In general, the book was really amazing. It was easy to read, and I probably would’ve read in one day if I wasn’t too exhausted with life. This was quite a surprise, to be honest, since angels and demons aren’t usually my kind of thing. But when something’s done well, it doesn’t really matter if it happens to be my usual genre.
There were so many things that were done surprisingly well. The characters were likable, I didn’t even start to hate the main character which happens far too often. Actually, Iofiel was a very sweet character who grew along the story. I enjoyed how the angels were portrayed, I could talk about them for so long, but I don’t wish to give out any major spoilers. The story was interesting. and I loved how much attention the minor characters got as well along the book. At first, I was a little wary about Archie’s character, but in the end he became one of my favorites.
I obviously enjoyed diversity a lot, especially the way the book presents asexuality, aromanticism and agenderism as the default. The angels are heavenly creatures, they aren’t expected to have sexual side, not necessarily even a gender, and I enjoyed the view the book has about it. I also enjoy how it presents the angels and demons, which isn’t necessarily the most commonly seen in popular culture. Another big part of the book is the discussion about moral, what’s good and bad, when you do wrong instead of wrong. While some themes can be super serious and important, it’s been presented in kind of sweet light.
I didn’t necessarily like how the first half of the book focused so much on school life. Of course, it’s very understandable since we get to learn about the world with Iofiel, while she learns about it as well. But then everything kind of changes when the real battle begins, and the mood of book changed. It kind of gave me a feeling that the story turned around, it became something else than what the earlier part had been promising to me. While the shift wasn’t exactly bad, I definitely enjoyed the turn and the path the story is taking, I still can’t help but feel a bit betrayed. The book was promising me something else than it truly delivered in the end. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if the casual learning about the world part would’ve been shorter and the pace would’ve been sped up a in some parts.
Another thing I don’t have completely positive feelings was Iofiel and Maalik’s relationship. In general, I found Maalik a real cool character, even if he had some parts I wasn’t fond of. And when the two started to get a little closer, I have to admit it felt a bit too cliché. Of course, clichés aren’t exactly bad, but that still bothered me. While I kind enjoyed their relationship, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where the story and basically everything develops in the second book.
In the end, this was a wonderful read. It was fun, captivating, and had so many great aspects I certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and especially angel/demon stuff with more serious topics as well.
August 31, 2017
This is one of the most difficult review I’ve had to write in... quite a while. Maybe ever. I went into GOOD ANGEL knowing I had in my hands an indie novel with more than one asexual and aromantic character, from an author who was on both spectrum, and I knew it dealt explicitly with exploration and questioning through the story. Two author friends had enjoyed it. I was more than ready to fall in love.
And at first I did. Iofiel is sweet and naive and only really wants to help everyone, and Archie the poor imp is exactly my kind of character (I love Archie to pieces). Their meeting is fun, and the story takes off in fun and often unexpected ways. Between Santiago and Damien and Maalik, the surrounding cast of characters is intriguing, and I was looking forward to see their friendship evolve. Then the plot happened, and the things I loved about this story started falling by the wayside, and the things I was wary of took more and more room.
A lot of this rating isn’t so much faults in the book itself, as the fact it wasn’t for me. This is intensely personal, but I don’t deal well with determinism (your fate is decided ahead), even less so when it is combined with inherent goodness and evil. And while GOOD ANGEL started playing with these lines and blurring them early on, it quickly falls back on them as Absolute Sides. I found the way this interacted with relationships between characters to be irritating at best, and infuriating on a regular basis. I had found myself wondering if this nice group of people were more than friends of circumstances, and the second half of the novel felt like a huge confirmation of this.
There are a few other things that manage to knock this down for me--the huge mood whiplash around 75 %, along with this book committing one of my biggest writing sin (haha): narrator withholding information from the reader for a "twist" or a "surprise". That last, combined with how I already struggled with the second part, really knocked the rating down to 3 instead of 4.
And now I feel like I've only really talked about what didn't work. I mainly picked up GOOD ANGEL for the asexual and aromantic rep, however, and in that regards it does wonderful and unique things. It's not perfect (I have a lot of thoughts I want to put in a blog post), but it contains several characters that regularly discuss their (a)sexuality, question the nature of attraction (romantic and sexual both), and try out things. I did expect a little ... more ... introspection, I think? But Iofiel is quite clearly still questioning where she falls on both aro and ace spectrum. And it's also quite a different experience to evolve in a world where aceness and aroness are assumed as defaults.
In short, I wish GOOD ANGEL had stayed to the kind of storylines the first half of the book was giving me, with its lightheartedness and slow blurring of lines and building of friendships. The main problem with this book is that it promises one type of story--one at which it excels--and then it delivers another (one at which it's ok). But it's a good story, and if you're craving ace rep, this is an unique example, and I definitely recommend checking it out.
And at first I did. Iofiel is sweet and naive and only really wants to help everyone, and Archie the poor imp is exactly my kind of character (I love Archie to pieces). Their meeting is fun, and the story takes off in fun and often unexpected ways. Between Santiago and Damien and Maalik, the surrounding cast of characters is intriguing, and I was looking forward to see their friendship evolve. Then the plot happened, and the things I loved about this story started falling by the wayside, and the things I was wary of took more and more room.
A lot of this rating isn’t so much faults in the book itself, as the fact it wasn’t for me. This is intensely personal, but I don’t deal well with determinism (your fate is decided ahead), even less so when it is combined with inherent goodness and evil. And while GOOD ANGEL started playing with these lines and blurring them early on, it quickly falls back on them as Absolute Sides. I found the way this interacted with relationships between characters to be irritating at best, and infuriating on a regular basis. I had found myself wondering if this nice group of people were more than friends of circumstances, and the second half of the novel felt like a huge confirmation of this.
There are a few other things that manage to knock this down for me--the huge mood whiplash around 75 %, along with this book committing one of my biggest writing sin (haha): narrator withholding information from the reader for a "twist" or a "surprise". That last, combined with how I already struggled with the second part, really knocked the rating down to 3 instead of 4.
And now I feel like I've only really talked about what didn't work. I mainly picked up GOOD ANGEL for the asexual and aromantic rep, however, and in that regards it does wonderful and unique things. It's not perfect (I have a lot of thoughts I want to put in a blog post), but it contains several characters that regularly discuss their (a)sexuality, question the nature of attraction (romantic and sexual both), and try out things. I did expect a little ... more ... introspection, I think? But Iofiel is quite clearly still questioning where she falls on both aro and ace spectrum. And it's also quite a different experience to evolve in a world where aceness and aroness are assumed as defaults.
In short, I wish GOOD ANGEL had stayed to the kind of storylines the first half of the book was giving me, with its lightheartedness and slow blurring of lines and building of friendships. The main problem with this book is that it promises one type of story--one at which it excels--and then it delivers another (one at which it's ok). But it's a good story, and if you're craving ace rep, this is an unique example, and I definitely recommend checking it out.
May 1, 2018
This was the April Sapphic book of the month for the Sapphic book club.
I can't figure out how to properly express how much and why I love this book so dearly, but I will try. It has an amazing and fascinating world, with queer representation and a little exploration of gender and sexuality. And the characters, oh the characrers! They're all beautiful and flawed but they're trying and feel real. The protagonist especially speaks to some deep inner feelings I didn't know I had, and I can't recommend this book highly enough.
October 1, 2017
The premise for this book is what convinced me to accept the author's request to review it. Heaven and Hell making a truce, angels and demons forced together in a University setting, and then that one pair that throws a wrench in everything.
Iofiel, the angel that is one of the main characters, seemed like she'd be a really good MC for an anime. I could easily picture her as the cheerful sort transferring to a new school, dealing with an uptight roommate, and making the "wrong" friend. It was interesting to watch her get used to her corporeal form, including feelings like hunger. Someone get this angel a plate of chili cheese fries!
Iofiel's roommate, Maalik, was a bit of a pain. As described in the synopsis, he's uptight and I get that, considering all of the rules that angels have and are expected to live up to. It just wore on me after a bit, all of his strictness. Iofiel's new friend, Archie the Imp, was one of my favorite characters. He was born/made an Imp, a sort of demon but not really in most eyes, but he's doing his best: studying soul stealing, practicing magic, all the things that would make him a good demon. Despite all the problems he runs into, including non-stop bullying from his fellow students, he persists. I admired that in him.
Good Angel delves deeper into the creation and categorization of angels and demons than most other books I've seen. This book mentioned the classifications, what they looked like (multiple arms, animal heads, etc.) rather than going with the popular film interpretation of model looking human with a pair of giant wings.
This being a very diverse, LGBT+ inclusive book, I thought a particular scene between Iofiel and some of the other angels was interesting. When they were discussing sexuality, both in humans and angels, there was mention that angels had a "heavenly standard": angels are supposed to be triple A angels: asexual, aromantic, agender. It was interesting to see this "default" being discussed, much as a lot of people in the human world assume heteronormative relationships are the default. The angels discussed how a lot of them didn't follow this standard, experimented to discover who they are, and how little sins were not that bad in the grand scheme of things. There are angels questioning their gender, their sexuality, and coming to terms with that. It opens Iofiel's mind to the possibility of life outside of the cookie cutter standard that she was born with, that beings take many forms, including their outlook on sexuality, romantic spectrum, and gender.
There were some inconsistencies that didn't affect the overall story, I thought, but took me out of the reading experience for a minute while I puzzled over it, such as when Iofiel doesn't know the name of the room she's in for a meal and then a moment later uses the correct word (cafeteria). The pacing was decent enough in the getting from Iofiel's first day at the University to the coming of the End Times, though there were times when I felt it slowed down and made things drag.
An independently published novel about angels, demons, and their various roles in the course of their own lives and humanity, A.M. Baushild has crafted an interesting story that questions a lot, shows possibility, and delivers a good tale about a cast of characters that ran the gamut of alignment from, as far as I could tell, lawful good to chaotic evil.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Iofiel, the angel that is one of the main characters, seemed like she'd be a really good MC for an anime. I could easily picture her as the cheerful sort transferring to a new school, dealing with an uptight roommate, and making the "wrong" friend. It was interesting to watch her get used to her corporeal form, including feelings like hunger. Someone get this angel a plate of chili cheese fries!
Iofiel's roommate, Maalik, was a bit of a pain. As described in the synopsis, he's uptight and I get that, considering all of the rules that angels have and are expected to live up to. It just wore on me after a bit, all of his strictness. Iofiel's new friend, Archie the Imp, was one of my favorite characters. He was born/made an Imp, a sort of demon but not really in most eyes, but he's doing his best: studying soul stealing, practicing magic, all the things that would make him a good demon. Despite all the problems he runs into, including non-stop bullying from his fellow students, he persists. I admired that in him.
Good Angel delves deeper into the creation and categorization of angels and demons than most other books I've seen. This book mentioned the classifications, what they looked like (multiple arms, animal heads, etc.) rather than going with the popular film interpretation of model looking human with a pair of giant wings.
This being a very diverse, LGBT+ inclusive book, I thought a particular scene between Iofiel and some of the other angels was interesting. When they were discussing sexuality, both in humans and angels, there was mention that angels had a "heavenly standard": angels are supposed to be triple A angels: asexual, aromantic, agender. It was interesting to see this "default" being discussed, much as a lot of people in the human world assume heteronormative relationships are the default. The angels discussed how a lot of them didn't follow this standard, experimented to discover who they are, and how little sins were not that bad in the grand scheme of things. There are angels questioning their gender, their sexuality, and coming to terms with that. It opens Iofiel's mind to the possibility of life outside of the cookie cutter standard that she was born with, that beings take many forms, including their outlook on sexuality, romantic spectrum, and gender.
There were some inconsistencies that didn't affect the overall story, I thought, but took me out of the reading experience for a minute while I puzzled over it, such as when Iofiel doesn't know the name of the room she's in for a meal and then a moment later uses the correct word (cafeteria). The pacing was decent enough in the getting from Iofiel's first day at the University to the coming of the End Times, though there were times when I felt it slowed down and made things drag.
An independently published novel about angels, demons, and their various roles in the course of their own lives and humanity, A.M. Baushild has crafted an interesting story that questions a lot, shows possibility, and delivers a good tale about a cast of characters that ran the gamut of alignment from, as far as I could tell, lawful good to chaotic evil.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2017
Good Angel is... really, one of my favorite books. I read it before revision and publishing and right now I CAN'T WAIT to buy a physical copy for myself, I can't wait to read the revised version. I want it on my shelves. I want it right next to my The Host and my Good Omens and my thousand The Sims 2 CDs.
I don't know what to say! GA is absurdly sweet and also terrible sometimes, speaking of my poor, poor heart; the characters are all beautiful and well-built and they are all my children, and sometimes they made comments that revealed the world of GA in a heartbreaking way. The beginning was a bit slow, but not in a way that felt bad-- Iofiel, the protagonist, was born only a week ago, and we start by seeing and learning everything along with her. Once the plot picks up, it picks up! Things didn't stop from keeping happening. Everything made me sad and the END-- god, I won't spoil anyone, but let me just say: I WAS SHAKEN. SHOOK, if you allow it.
It's a duology. I don't know what on Earth is going to happen in book 2, but god knows my brain is on fire, and also reading it will probably kill my poor, poor heart.
I don't know what to say! GA is absurdly sweet and also terrible sometimes, speaking of my poor, poor heart; the characters are all beautiful and well-built and they are all my children, and sometimes they made comments that revealed the world of GA in a heartbreaking way. The beginning was a bit slow, but not in a way that felt bad-- Iofiel, the protagonist, was born only a week ago, and we start by seeing and learning everything along with her. Once the plot picks up, it picks up! Things didn't stop from keeping happening. Everything made me sad and the END-- god, I won't spoil anyone, but let me just say: I WAS SHAKEN. SHOOK, if you allow it.
It's a duology. I don't know what on Earth is going to happen in book 2, but god knows my brain is on fire, and also reading it will probably kill my poor, poor heart.
Read
October 29, 2022Overall: liked it, though I preferred Angel Radio by this author. Some things in Good Angel feel a bit stronger to me, e.g. characterization, dialogue, but Angel Radio has more emotional rawness. Some parts of this book I found boring.
That said, I think for most people new to this author's work, this is the book I'd recommend. It's more conventional in terms of premise: a core group of characters attending class at a magic school together. A lot of the book is slice-of-life stuff with this core cast; I think if you like the characters and their dynamic you'll really enjoy this. I never quite connected with the group but I can appreciate the care put into these sections.
That said, I think for most people new to this author's work, this is the book I'd recommend. It's more conventional in terms of premise: a core group of characters attending class at a magic school together. A lot of the book is slice-of-life stuff with this core cast; I think if you like the characters and their dynamic you'll really enjoy this. I never quite connected with the group but I can appreciate the care put into these sections.
September 26, 2023
One of the best self-published books I've read in a minute –– 5/5 stars for self-pub, more like 3.5 compared with all/standard-pub. This is a really exciting take on angels, in which capital-G Goodness leaves space for ambiguity, violence, and manipulation. Written from a near-anthropological sf perspective, we walk with Blue through her new life as an angel of beauty, attending school alongside her angelic kin and their demon counterparts. In an uneasy truce, angels and demons learn and live in proximity to one another, and Blue quickly finds herself compelled by a lonely demon exiled by others of his kind.
Despite the set-up, this is by no means a romance story –– in fact, it has one of the smartest critiques of "romance" as a paradigm and motivator that I've seen in fiction. Angels are, by default, aromantic, asexual, and agender; variations are permitted but stigmatized. Love, as a concept, is among Blue's primary interests: her love for Humanity writ large confuses and overwhelms her, almost as much as her ambiguous desire for Archie, exiled demon. This is further complicated by the fact that her near-human body is malleable and contingent upon her environment; increasingly-frequent, threatening calls back up to Heaven threaten her connection with non-angels, and stifle her ability to explore interspecies contact.
Heaven itself appears as a kind of false paradise: souls are "raked" this way and that to make room for "important" gatherings of angels, and angels themselves are self-righteous to the point of fascism, as becomes a primary theme of Good Angel. Meanwhile, Hell is a place in which some souls are tortured, sure, but also one that looks a lot like suburbia (this is highly apropos). I'm particularly fascinated by the characterization of Lucifer in this book and its sequel, despite his dialogue becoming grating at many points (the most lisping, flamboyant, queer-coded "villain" (not really a villain) you can ever imagine, who can't stop using terms of endearment as if he's a drag queen).
Blaushild's passion for angel-related narratives and research really shines in this book. While there are moments where the writing/plotting could be cleaned up, the editing was overall well-done, and the story compelling enough for me to breeze through this in two sittings. Definitely recommended!
Despite the set-up, this is by no means a romance story –– in fact, it has one of the smartest critiques of "romance" as a paradigm and motivator that I've seen in fiction. Angels are, by default, aromantic, asexual, and agender; variations are permitted but stigmatized. Love, as a concept, is among Blue's primary interests: her love for Humanity writ large confuses and overwhelms her, almost as much as her ambiguous desire for Archie, exiled demon. This is further complicated by the fact that her near-human body is malleable and contingent upon her environment; increasingly-frequent, threatening calls back up to Heaven threaten her connection with non-angels, and stifle her ability to explore interspecies contact.
Heaven itself appears as a kind of false paradise: souls are "raked" this way and that to make room for "important" gatherings of angels, and angels themselves are self-righteous to the point of fascism, as becomes a primary theme of Good Angel. Meanwhile, Hell is a place in which some souls are tortured, sure, but also one that looks a lot like suburbia (this is highly apropos). I'm particularly fascinated by the characterization of Lucifer in this book and its sequel, despite his dialogue becoming grating at many points (the most lisping, flamboyant, queer-coded "villain" (not really a villain) you can ever imagine, who can't stop using terms of endearment as if he's a drag queen).
Blaushild's passion for angel-related narratives and research really shines in this book. While there are moments where the writing/plotting could be cleaned up, the editing was overall well-done, and the story compelling enough for me to breeze through this in two sittings. Definitely recommended!
August 13, 2023
I wanted to like this book SO bad, there were some parts I really DID like, but ultimately the writing left too much to be desired, there were too many spelling errors, and we didn't ever quite get INTO it.
The first third of the book is just the main character waxing on about her age, and this theme of repetition carries throughout the story in various ways. We spend the entire book in Iofiel's head, but we still never really know what she's thinking about certain things or why she does certain stuff - prime example is her weird relationship with Maalik. It's absolutely fine to be friends who kiss sometimes, which is how she describes it in the last 10% of the book, but she seems to just kind of be doing things and acting ways without there being clear reasons for her behaviour. All action, no motivation. I'm sure there WAS motivation, but the writer did not make this apparent, important things often felt a bit glossed over or simply not gone into enough. The one time I can remember her actually explaining herself is when she decides she wants to have sex with Maalik, and she says it's because she wants to be human for one night. I can see this, because she has fairly consistently described her love for humans, though I never really got the vibe that she wanted to BE one. But the fact is she doesn't decide this in the narrative, Maalik pulls it out of her after a bit of back and forth as if she's never even thought of it before?
It's hard to describe, the potential is there and some of the dialogue was really spot on, but I was so let down by the writing that makes it feel like we're looking at the story through a veil instead of actively experiencing it with Iofiel. I wish more stuff had been described, I wish we had focused more on Archie (considering he seemed to be one of the main characters from the summary) and his relationship with Iofiel, I wish there had been more world-building and focus on the characters, and I wish this had gone through an editor or at least a couple of beta readers prior to being published.
The first third of the book is just the main character waxing on about her age, and this theme of repetition carries throughout the story in various ways. We spend the entire book in Iofiel's head, but we still never really know what she's thinking about certain things or why she does certain stuff - prime example is her weird relationship with Maalik. It's absolutely fine to be friends who kiss sometimes, which is how she describes it in the last 10% of the book, but she seems to just kind of be doing things and acting ways without there being clear reasons for her behaviour. All action, no motivation. I'm sure there WAS motivation, but the writer did not make this apparent, important things often felt a bit glossed over or simply not gone into enough. The one time I can remember her actually explaining herself is when she decides she wants to have sex with Maalik, and she says it's because she wants to be human for one night. I can see this, because she has fairly consistently described her love for humans, though I never really got the vibe that she wanted to BE one. But the fact is she doesn't decide this in the narrative, Maalik pulls it out of her after a bit of back and forth as if she's never even thought of it before?
It's hard to describe, the potential is there and some of the dialogue was really spot on, but I was so let down by the writing that makes it feel like we're looking at the story through a veil instead of actively experiencing it with Iofiel. I wish more stuff had been described, I wish we had focused more on Archie (considering he seemed to be one of the main characters from the summary) and his relationship with Iofiel, I wish there had been more world-building and focus on the characters, and I wish this had gone through an editor or at least a couple of beta readers prior to being published.
June 19, 2023
I picked up this book because I enjoy the author's youtube and tumblr content. To be completely honest, I did not expect that much because I have... lower expectations for booktuber books at this point.
I was quickly proven to be incorrect in that initial judge. I absolutely loved this book.
While I did get a little lost near the end, I think that was more of a me problem than something with the book. The pacing and balancing act of how quickly to progress both the plot and friendships felt very natural, and I absolutely loved being in Iofiel's head.
Iofiel is on the aroace spectrum, and is technically agender despite technically aligning herself with 'girl', as its referenced in the book she chose to be a girl simply because she had long hair. I absolutely love Iofiel. She is my child and I cried about her more than once.
Her aspec-ness was handled in one of the best ways that I have ever seen an aspec character handled. As someone is aspec, I loved reading how she interacted with the ideas of sex and romance. Her relationship with Maalik in that regard made me incredibly emotional because it felt like finally seeing someone who approached romance in even a slightly similar way to me.
If you enjoy angels, qprs and friendship driven stories as opposed to romance, and also characters who have a deep love for humanity, I would recommend reading this book.
I would probably recommend it anyway, even if you don't think you'd enjoy it as much as I did, because sometimes reading stuff you don't usually read can lead to a pleasing surprise.
I was quickly proven to be incorrect in that initial judge. I absolutely loved this book.
While I did get a little lost near the end, I think that was more of a me problem than something with the book. The pacing and balancing act of how quickly to progress both the plot and friendships felt very natural, and I absolutely loved being in Iofiel's head.
Iofiel is on the aroace spectrum, and is technically agender despite technically aligning herself with 'girl', as its referenced in the book she chose to be a girl simply because she had long hair. I absolutely love Iofiel. She is my child and I cried about her more than once.
Her aspec-ness was handled in one of the best ways that I have ever seen an aspec character handled. As someone is aspec, I loved reading how she interacted with the ideas of sex and romance. Her relationship with Maalik in that regard made me incredibly emotional because it felt like finally seeing someone who approached romance in even a slightly similar way to me.
If you enjoy angels, qprs and friendship driven stories as opposed to romance, and also characters who have a deep love for humanity, I would recommend reading this book.
I would probably recommend it anyway, even if you don't think you'd enjoy it as much as I did, because sometimes reading stuff you don't usually read can lead to a pleasing surprise.
September 13, 2024
REALLY enjoyed this!! I knew the summary going into this book but I was not expected for the twists and turns it had, as well as its unique takes on angels and demons. There were some really cool ideas (I specifically enjoyed how demons / angels are created in this setting) that I haven’t seen before, and they are elaborated on well. I loved the world building, loved seeing Iofiel’s changing perspective as she grows, and loved the looming sense of danger that builds. I’m always a fan of non-human / alien perspectives on humanity and that’s also here and done very well. It’s clear a lot of thought and care went into Good Angel. If I have any complaints, it’s that I’d liked to have seen more from the demon’s perspectives, but I think based on the cover I might get that in Bad End.
Such a fun read. I’m going to let it sit a bit before I read Bad End but I’m VERY excited to see where the story will go next after that ending!
Edit because I saw some other reviews mention this: I have the ebook and had no formatting issues and only noticed one spelling error. I found Good Angel really easy to read!
Such a fun read. I’m going to let it sit a bit before I read Bad End but I’m VERY excited to see where the story will go next after that ending!
Edit because I saw some other reviews mention this: I have the ebook and had no formatting issues and only noticed one spelling error. I found Good Angel really easy to read!
October 4, 2017
I had quite a... difficult time getting invested in Good Angel. I didn't form a connection with the characters and the slice of college life narrative did not have me interested at all. This might just be the issue of it's not you, it's me kind of deal going on.
But this is also book one. I'm known for having an issue with the first book in a series because typically the first book is a lot of build up; a lot of world building and character building and, for the most part, just very slow burning. That's exactly how Good Angel felt to me.
I was teetering between 2 or 3 stars and I ultimately ended up giving the book a 3 star rating because the final chapter did pique my interest. I'm curious on the direction the next book in the series takes.
But this is also book one. I'm known for having an issue with the first book in a series because typically the first book is a lot of build up; a lot of world building and character building and, for the most part, just very slow burning. That's exactly how Good Angel felt to me.
I was teetering between 2 or 3 stars and I ultimately ended up giving the book a 3 star rating because the final chapter did pique my interest. I'm curious on the direction the next book in the series takes.
January 6, 2019
Unputdownable. This book is a stay-up-all-night-to-finish-it sort of book, and worth every minute. The beginning is slow, but once Iofiel and Archie become friends, you can sense the plot building with every page, every paragraph, every word – you can sense it building into something bigger, something that will shake up the universe, and it does. It’s done in a beautifully reverent manner, written with the kind of focus and care that should be dedicated to characters who are supposedly fighting the End Of Days.
This is the book that reminded me why I adore stories about angels and demons.
To read my full review, click here.
This is the book that reminded me why I adore stories about angels and demons.
To read my full review, click here.
February 14, 2019
3.5 stars
Really amazing idea with fascinating worldbuilding and interesting characters. The focus of the plot was not as I expected and at times I had a hard time following what was going on, and generally the motivations of the characters' actions and alignments were lacking.
I liked the concept of the "triple A" angels (agender, asexual and aromatic) as the ideal, and the various variations of that we see here, as well as the protagonist questioning her own identity. I'm hesitant to say there is a romantic subplot, but I liked the way things developed vaaaaguely in that direction.
And damn, that ending!!!
Content warnings include: body horror, violence, death, bullying
Really amazing idea with fascinating worldbuilding and interesting characters. The focus of the plot was not as I expected and at times I had a hard time following what was going on, and generally the motivations of the characters' actions and alignments were lacking.
I liked the concept of the "triple A" angels (agender, asexual and aromatic) as the ideal, and the various variations of that we see here, as well as the protagonist questioning her own identity. I'm hesitant to say there is a romantic subplot, but I liked the way things developed vaaaaguely in that direction.
And damn, that ending!!!
Content warnings include: body horror, violence, death, bullying
August 22, 2017
This was such a great combination of amazing themes, compelling and diverse characters, and a plot that has larger implications. I adored the explorations of free will and goodness. Iofiel herself is a character that sticks with you either because you could be frustrated by her actions, or touched by her decisions. You end up loving her either way. Not to mention there are fantastic side characters, Archie and the other demons being my faves. There is ownvoices representation, asexuality, and ethical dilemmas. Such a perfect mixture. If you like fantasy, angels, or diversity this is for you!
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
May 10, 2018
This book was provided as April's Book of the month for http://sapphicbookclub.tumblr.com/
I had a lot of trouble connecting with the story or the characters. At first, I found Iofiel's innocence to be endearing but as the story went on her naivety started to grate on my nerves.
I had a lot of trouble connecting with the story or the characters. At first, I found Iofiel's innocence to be endearing but as the story went on her naivety started to grate on my nerves.
December 23, 2017
There was times that I wish there was more action, but I still really enjoyed this book. This book could turn into a good movie. I enjoyed this book enough that I will look for the next sequel.
April 13, 2019
amazing story with lovely characters, fun developments and interesting worldbuilding. it was a quite enjoyable reading and I recommend it to absolutely everyone
December 12, 2022
This was such an interesting premise! I really liked the worldbuilding and lore of the angels and demons. Also I would be a triple A angel :)
December 20, 2023
This book really hates angels lmao.
also, less a book about angels, more a book about awkward teenagers and their sexual awakenings.
also, less a book about angels, more a book about awkward teenagers and their sexual awakenings.
September 10, 2024
I love Iofiel, she's precious. 4.5 stars
October 4, 2023
TLDR; super cool book about angels and demons in a fresh/creative setting, fantastic world-building, solid prose, intriguing characters, wanted more character development
**A note on format: I tried to read the ebook, but it was formatted too poorly to see. This is also true of the sequel. I ended up buying the paperback and I enjoyed reading it in that format. However, I'd love for the ebooks to be re-formatted so they can be read on an e-reader.**
This is, hands down, THE most interesting book I've ever read about angels and demons. The world-building is really, really good (better than most traditionally published books, honestly) and I'm super interested in this version of the universe. I know that the apocalypse is the plot, but I'm actually drawn to the characters and the logistics of the world more. (Yes, I am neurodivergent -- can you tell? Lol.)
I liked the main character, Iofel, a lot. They're impulsive in the best way and have a super intriguing approach to life. Their youth/naivety leads to MORE interesting things rather than less interesting things (as so many "born yesterday" type of characters tend toward).
The sexuality aspect was well-done overall. I'm on the asexual spectrum and I love to see actually good ace/ace-adjacent rep. I don't like how it was resolved (I'm avoiding spoilers here), but it wasn't a major plot point in my mind.
I would like to see more character development on the imp character. (Sorry, I'm blanking on his name and I'm too tired to get up to my bookcase and look.) He started out strong, but didn't change/grow enough to keep me interested. I think he has a lot of potential, because the premise around him/his situation is really cool. I hope that potential is realized in the sequel.
This book still has me thinking about it a month after I read it, so there's that.
**A note on format: I tried to read the ebook, but it was formatted too poorly to see. This is also true of the sequel. I ended up buying the paperback and I enjoyed reading it in that format. However, I'd love for the ebooks to be re-formatted so they can be read on an e-reader.**
This is, hands down, THE most interesting book I've ever read about angels and demons. The world-building is really, really good (better than most traditionally published books, honestly) and I'm super interested in this version of the universe. I know that the apocalypse is the plot, but I'm actually drawn to the characters and the logistics of the world more. (Yes, I am neurodivergent -- can you tell? Lol.)
I liked the main character, Iofel, a lot. They're impulsive in the best way and have a super intriguing approach to life. Their youth/naivety leads to MORE interesting things rather than less interesting things (as so many "born yesterday" type of characters tend toward).
The sexuality aspect was well-done overall. I'm on the asexual spectrum and I love to see actually good ace/ace-adjacent rep. I don't like how it was resolved (I'm avoiding spoilers here), but it wasn't a major plot point in my mind.
I would like to see more character development on the imp character. (Sorry, I'm blanking on his name and I'm too tired to get up to my bookcase and look.) He started out strong, but didn't change/grow enough to keep me interested. I think he has a lot of potential, because the premise around him/his situation is really cool. I hope that potential is realized in the sequel.
This book still has me thinking about it a month after I read it, so there's that.
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