A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso
Genre: YA Paranormal
Series: Angel Sight #1
Publication Date: January 29th 2013
ISBN: 9780985029425
Page Count: 321
Rating: ★★★
Review Copy: ARC
Reviewed by: Janice
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?
REVIEW
All's well that ends well
A Shimmer of Angels was a mixed bag for me. It's a surprisingly dark tale, and even now, I can't decide if that worked for or against it.
The story revolves around Rayna (aka Ray) who has just returned to high school after spending the last three years locked away in a mental facility. The reason she was there? She used to see angels, and according to her doctor and her family, that makes her a very troubled and delusional young woman. Now in "remission", Rayna is finally home to reclaim and rebuild her life. It isn't easy. Her dad is overprotective and watching her like a hawk, and her younger sister is openly hostile toward her. Rayna herself is terrified of regressing and earning herself a one-way ticket back to the SS Crazy, so when she sees glimpses wings on a new student in her class, she panics and tries very hard to deny what she has seen. But as she is about to find out, this is only the beginning. Her entire life is about to implode.
It's not that I was unsympathetic to Rayna's plight, because I wasn't. I felt for her, I really did. Her ability to see angels wasn't a gift; it was a curse that had caused her nothing but grief and pain, and if I was in her shoes, I'd be freaking out too. Unfortunately, so much page time was devoted to Rayna's fear, anger and denial, it actually pushed me away from the story, instead of pulling me into it. Momentum was lost, and sadly, so was a lot of my interest. It may sound heartless of me, but at a certain point, I didn't want to hear about Rayna's issues anymore; I just wanted her to get over them and move the heck on. And if she could lose the attitude somewhere along the way, that would be nice too.
Another problem I had was with the character of Cam. I was not impressed. He was too weak and wishy-washy for me, and more often than not, he failed - epically - to stand up and play the hero when it really counted. What Rayna saw in him, I cannot fathom. I suspect she was blinded by the glow of his sparkly white wings.
The real hero of the book was Kade. He was sexy and charming, helpful and informative, and when push came to shove, he always came through. He was, in short, a much-needed breath of fresh air. If Kade had been on every page, I would have been one very happy reader.
Where A Shimmer of Angels really redeemed itself was in its final pages. Beginning around the 50-60% mark, it started to slowly pick up steam, and by the 70% mark, it was practically flying. Kade was awesome, of course, but Rayna....I have to say, Rayna really surprised me. Not only did she restore a lot of the faith I'd lost in her, she also gave me hope for the future of the series. Enough that I've already added the sequel to my TBR list.
3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The story revolves around Rayna (aka Ray) who has just returned to high school after spending the last three years locked away in a mental facility. The reason she was there? She used to see angels, and according to her doctor and her family, that makes her a very troubled and delusional young woman. Now in "remission", Rayna is finally home to reclaim and rebuild her life. It isn't easy. Her dad is overprotective and watching her like a hawk, and her younger sister is openly hostile toward her. Rayna herself is terrified of regressing and earning herself a one-way ticket back to the SS Crazy, so when she sees glimpses wings on a new student in her class, she panics and tries very hard to deny what she has seen. But as she is about to find out, this is only the beginning. Her entire life is about to implode.
It's not that I was unsympathetic to Rayna's plight, because I wasn't. I felt for her, I really did. Her ability to see angels wasn't a gift; it was a curse that had caused her nothing but grief and pain, and if I was in her shoes, I'd be freaking out too. Unfortunately, so much page time was devoted to Rayna's fear, anger and denial, it actually pushed me away from the story, instead of pulling me into it. Momentum was lost, and sadly, so was a lot of my interest. It may sound heartless of me, but at a certain point, I didn't want to hear about Rayna's issues anymore; I just wanted her to get over them and move the heck on. And if she could lose the attitude somewhere along the way, that would be nice too.
Another problem I had was with the character of Cam. I was not impressed. He was too weak and wishy-washy for me, and more often than not, he failed - epically - to stand up and play the hero when it really counted. What Rayna saw in him, I cannot fathom. I suspect she was blinded by the glow of his sparkly white wings.
The real hero of the book was Kade. He was sexy and charming, helpful and informative, and when push came to shove, he always came through. He was, in short, a much-needed breath of fresh air. If Kade had been on every page, I would have been one very happy reader.
Where A Shimmer of Angels really redeemed itself was in its final pages. Beginning around the 50-60% mark, it started to slowly pick up steam, and by the 70% mark, it was practically flying. Kade was awesome, of course, but Rayna....I have to say, Rayna really surprised me. Not only did she restore a lot of the faith I'd lost in her, she also gave me hope for the future of the series. Enough that I've already added the sequel to my TBR list.
3 Stars ★★★
The cover on this book is stunning. the premise seemed interesting, but in the end I got extremely let down. Unfortunately that is probably the best part of the entire book. So the saying is definitely true, here. “Never judge a book by the cover.”
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Ann. I feel it could have been so much better than it was. I'll still read the sequel, but with reservations.
ReplyDelete