ANGEL EYES

I received a copy of ANGEL EYES by Shannon Dittemore, from Thomas Nelson via BookSneeze.  It is her first novel, about a young woman named Brielle, which is short for Gabrielle.  She has always loved to dance, and happened to be discovered by a talent scout.  Using a scholarship, she left her country town for a boarding school in the city – and found deep tragedy.  I won’t ruin the surprise for you by telling you what the tragedy is, but I was disappointed in how long the secret was dragged out.  It felt like a writer’s ploy to keep the reader reading, rather than important to the story.  Knowing the tragedy right away might have enhanced my enjoyment of the overall book, but instead, I was a little irritated by how long it took before Brielle revealed it. 

Back to the story, Brielle returns home.  Her father is her only living parent, and does his best to make her feel better.  He felt a little too lenient for me.  Maybe I just have overprotective parents, but it seemed like he gave her a little too much space, acting more like a neighbor than a dad. 

Brielle meets the new boy at school, Jake.  He’s hot and warm, something she needs because she feels so cold.  His guardian turns out to be an angel.  He gives Jake his halo, which allows Jake to heal people.  When Jake gives it to Brielle, she gets to See.  I really enjoyed the angel aspects of the story.  They reminded me of the television show, Supernatural.  Then, there is a fallen angel, mysteries from her life in the city, and inner struggles.

Overall, I enjoyed this young adult novel.  Shannon Dittemore’s storytelling voice is hard to resist.