The first
time I met Kat, she was wearing more rings and ear cuffs than I could count, a
headband that barely kept back a mass of curly reddish hair, and a black shirt
with red letters that read ‘vampires don’t sparkle.’
“Are you
Kat?” I asked, eyeing the stacks of Finding
Angel she was plunking down on a long table in the conference bookstore.
“Yes!” she
exclaimed, dropped her last stack, came round the end of the table, and
enfolded me in a hug.
Needless to
say, we hit it off.
To be fair,
we had actually hit it off a few months before on Facebook when she asked for
character Pinterest boards and I showed her my treasure trove. Our newfound
friendship was sorely tested, however, when she began keeping a running count
of days until the conference on my Facebook wall when I really didn’t want to
be reminded. Becky Minor kept the peace by assuring me she would have smelling
salts handy at the conference, which assuaged my fears. (Well, not really, but
it at least made me realize I wasn’t the only nervous one.)
Finding Angel was one of the few books
written by conference attendees that I managed to finish before the actual
conference rolled around. (I had a half-read copy of Merlin’s Blade in my dorm room the whole time. Sorry, Mr.
Treskillard.) When I saw Kat’s disappointed status recently, saying she’d had a
dream that Finding Angel got another
review, I decided to surprise her. (Are you surprised? Well are ya?)
Overall: 3.5 stars
Finding Angel is
the story of a girl separated from her magical heritage. She lives a normal
life, until pieces of her past begin to catch up with her. A beetle, a charm
bracelet, a boy with silver eyes…they all lead her back to Toch Island, the
place of her birth, and her strange powers, which may help Angel solve the
mysterious disappearances around the island – or reveal her to the evil man who
desperately wants to find her.
This was a light, fun read with unique settings, new twists
on the old fantasy elements, and a sojourn into a world where worldviews have
consequences.
Concept: 4 stars
On the surface, this is your ordinary science-justified
magic story. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find such delightful creatures as
fractal chameleons, modern-day unicorns, and elves with their own rock bands.
During my mentoring session with Kat (though it felt more like a chance for us
to sit down alone and fangirl about – well, everything) I reflected that when
you meet creative people, you rarely fit them with their work on the first try.
Perhaps it’s the preponderance of introverted authors, but usually it takes a
little while for you to see their creativity shining through. Not so with Kat.
When she started talking, I immediately saw through to the mind that created
Toch Island – a flamboyant, colorful, I-don’t-care-what-you-think kind of mind.
Plot: 3 stars
Unfortunately, this book suffered from a case of SMS, or
Sagging Middle Syndrome. The first third was good. The last third was great.
The middle – not so much. For all that it was neatly paced, with things
speeding up toward the climax (as they should), I felt Angel spent a little too
much time socializing, training, and playing with animals. Of course, this may
be due to my allergic reaction anything approaching relaxation or warm fuzzy
feelings. Give me TRAGEDEHHH!
That said, I loved the way the clues to the mystery were
sprinkled through the story. It was one of those “aw, shoulda seen that coming,”
moments.
Characters: 2.5 stars
My favorite books are usually the ones where I can tell you
what the characters would do months later. Few live up to that hope – Incarceron, and Outlander, and The Restorer. The
trouble with Finding Angel was that I
wanted to love the characters – they were unpredictable, they were human, and
they drove the story well. However, I had trouble telling their personalities
apart, especially the main characters. This is something I suffer from myself.
Besides a few overarching characteristics, my FMC often plays hard-to-get and I
end up having to make her behave the way she needs to for the sake of the plot.
(Odd thing, actually wishing the
characters would take the scene and run with it.) But oh well; that’s what
development and rewrites are for.
Technical: 3.5 stars
Technical details are not something I pay a great deal of attention
to unless there is a profusion of mistakes. I have a rather different method of
dealing with them than most. Some people claim to throw the books, or yell, or
write the author nasty letters. I sigh. If it’s really bad, it earns a
closed-eyed sigh. Woe to the book that elicits such a response! Since I don’t
recall any sighing for the duration of this book, I think it was clean of any
glaring errors. (This, folks, is why you don’t write a book review months after
reading the book.)
Execution: 3 stars
While not the most vivid writing I’ve ever read, the style
of Finding Angel is clean,
uncluttered work full of unique elements. In future works, greater attention
could be paid to expanding the scenes and adding more action – not necessarily
swashbuckling action, as I don’t think that would fit – but more action by the
characters instead of so much summary. Still, it was a bold, admirable endeavor.
Also, the author is delightful. Can I add extra points for the fractal
chameleons? Thank you.
