Book Review: Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell.

Product details:
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Paperback, 240 pages.
Release date: December 28th 2010.
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: International Book Tours.

Heaven-sent?

Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys—or anyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael.

Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totally into Ellie. It’s no wonder she is instantly drawn to him. But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hiding something, too. They’ve both discovered they have powers beyond their imagining. Powers that are otherworldly.

Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.

In this electrifying novel, Heather Terrell spins a gripping supernatural tale about true love, destiny, and the battle of good versus evil.

*This review contains spoilers*

No matter how I try, I can't put a positive spin on my review of Heather Terrell's Fallen Angel. I will always point out the positive aspects of a book, even one that I didn't enjoy, but here, I am pretty much at a loss. When I first heard about this book, it sounded like one I would love. If you're a regular reader of the blog, you'll know that I'm a pretty big fan of the angel theme that's so huge in YA fiction right now. However, with so many books dealing with this theme, there are going to be a few duds, right. For me, Fallen Angel fits into this category. This book fell flat for me on every level. The storyline, the characters, the romance – it was all off. None of it rang true and none of it worked. For me, this book was totally lacking in originality. It is very formulaic, and I'm even tempted to describe it as a copy-and-paste angel book. It contains pretty much all the elements of any angel book you've read, but it's missing a heart and soul.

The protagonist here, Ellie, has been having strange dreams in which she can fly. Ellie is a quiet, shy girl, pretty much an outsider at school, save for her friend, Ruth, who I will discuss in more detail later. One day, Ellie spots this hot guy at school. Michael insists he knows her pretty well from a shared trip to Guatemala, but Ellie can't remember him at all. She doesn't really question why this is though, which is kind of strange. She soon finds herself falling in love with him in five seconds flat, even though he doesn't seem to have all that many redeeming qualities at all. He's hot though, so we're told. See what I mean? Ellie is one of those girls. And this is one of those relationships. Sigh. There is something a little different to Ellie and Michael's relationship, though – they swap blood every time they kiss. Ewwww! Soon the two are suffering from some kind of weird blood lust, and since Michael also has the flying thing going on, they both decide that they must be vampires.

OK, guys – you've seen the title of the book. I don't think I'm giving away any major spoilers when I tell you that they are not vampires. But, why make it a main story arc in the book if you've already given away the answer in the title? Ellie is dealing with this mystery for most of the book and trying to figure out what she is. We already know the answer, so this holds no interest for us. It also makes Ellie appear totally clueless, even though I should point out that as a teenage girl she is not believable at all. Her voice is much too measured and mature. Overall, she doesn't work as a character, and neither does this all-consuming relationship with Michael, which is about as riveting as watching paint dry.

Oh, and her friend Ruth. Can you say creepy? Ellie and Ruth are outsiders at their school, and I understand why! Ruth's favourite pastime is sneaking around the school spying on people and gathering gossip. I mean, this is hardly going to lead to her becoming Prom Queen, is it?!

This book could have been good. The premise was interesting, and the writing style flows easily at times. However, this one has too many things working against it to be an enjoyable read. If you  totally give the game away in the title of the book, and then make it a huge, mysterious part of the story,  you need to give readers something else to become invested in. Maybe great characters, maybe a hot romance, maybe a truly scary villain to enter the piece and shake things up. Unfortunately, here, the characters and their romance just can't carry the story, and the villain when he's introduced, doesn't really add anything. It all adds up to a very predictable read that I struggled to finish.

I hear that there's a love triangle in the next book in this series, Eternity (July 2011), so if you are a slave to angels and love triangles, then maybe, just maybe, this is the series for you. Unfortunately, even though I'm a fan of both, I'll be giving it a miss.