Review: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
August 31st, 2010

From Goodreads:
Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.

My Review:
Halo is a intelligently written fantasy YA novel with a fresh take on angels. The first part of the story is a bit slow, but it does eventually take off. Although I enjoyed Halo, I did have a few problems with the character development.

Bethany was one of the angels sent to earth to help in the struggle with the Dark Forces. She is extremely innocent and very naive about everything in the world. She is also the most human angel and her siblings worried about what that could mean for their mission. Their worries are well founded when Bethany meets Xavier and goes against her mission by falling in love with him. This causes many conflicts in the story and Bethany starts to question what she has been taught as an angel.

I really liked Bethany at first, but by the middle of the story she got to be really annoying. I understand with her being an angel that she would be innocent to the ways of the world, but she still acted way less mature than her siblings. Yes, I get that she was a really young angel and this was her first time being fully exposed to the human world, but that didn't stop her from getting on my nerves. I also didn't like how easily she fell in love with Xavier. It was not at all believable and I felt that it could have been drawn out more. I also didn't get how she could be so dense! It was so obvious who the bad guy was but it just went right over her head! Though she was dense and too innocent, Bethany was a very nice and caring angel who I hope will come into her own in the sequel, Hades.

Xavier was a very sweet guy but I just really couldn't connect with him. Their was nothing irresistible about him and I really couldn't believe how utterly devoted to Bethany he was. He accepted who she was way too easily and I thought that their should have been more conflict. Their really wasn't much chemistry between Xavier and Bethany, which was a big let down. I was really hoping for more from Xavier and I really hope I will see him in a new light in Hades.

Though the main characters did disappoint me, the writing in the story helped to make the story more enjoyable. It was so descriptive and I could picture everything clearly. I loved the background behind the angels and I hope to learn more in the sequel. Though the Dark Forces really weren't present until halfway through the book, once the bad guy was introduced, the story really took off. I was pulled back into the story and didn't want to put down the book until the very last page! I also really enjoyed Bethany's siblings, Gabriel and Ivy. They put up with Bethany's antics with Xavier and I could see that they were starting to open up more towards the end of the story. One of my favorite moments of the story was when Bethany had dinner with Xavier's family. They were really entertaining and I really wish their would have been more of them in Halo!

Overall, Halo was a nice, fresh take on angels and I really enjoyed my time once the story took off. Although the main characters need some serious improvement, I am hoping for much more in Hades. I say give Halo a try if you are really into stories about angels, but be prepared for Xavier and Bethany!

My Rating:

4 Stars