Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Angelfire
Author: Courtney Allsion Moulton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Format: ARC & Hardcover
Source: Bought

First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.
Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge if remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.
Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive that dangerous and ancient battle of the angles and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember. 

Summery

A new spin on angel mythology, without being overly religious. Ellie seems to be your typical teenage girl till she meets a mysterious guy named Will. Soon Ellie's life is thrown upside down as she goes from spending time with her friends and worrying about her grades, to hunting and killing reapers at night with this handsome yet strange guy. Angelfire is full of action scenes, but also some romance. 

Characterization & Romance

Ellie is written as your typical teenage girl, but a lot of the time I felt like the author was trying way too hard to make Ellie and her friends act like high schoolers. I know she was wanting to show that Ellie is a carefree, goofy girl, but to me she came across as obnoxious. Mostly when she was with her friends. When Ellie was kicking butt or being serious I loved her character. High school kids may be young and dumb, but a few scenes between Ellie and her friends just felt way over exaggerated. I loved her relationship with her mom. Her dad not so much. I'm calling it now her dad is not right!

Then we have mister dreamy. Will. Loved his character from the very beginning. He is a bit older than your typical YA character, and that made me love him even more. As a mid-twenty year old Will's maturity was refreshing. Serious, dark, brooding, loyal, and intense very intense. I mean could you ask for anything more?! Ellie and Will have an instant connection. Honestly, I will continue to read the series just for him. 

The romance between Ellie and Will is a slow burning romance that builds and intensifies just to that point of no return, then it lets you down. In Angelfire it's not a super hot romance, but I feel like it's on its way there. (Maybe in the next book?) I know Moulton was trying not to make this another 'falls in love at first sight' book, and I'm glad she didn't. Will and Ellie have so much going on; all the history between them, and the barely escaping death fights you just know they are going to fall in love. 

The other characters all are written well. Not great, just well. Those that are supposed to be liked, Ellie's friends, are easy-going and bring some light heartedness back into the novel. 

World-Building

I enjoyed the world Moulton created. It gives off some major Supernatural vibes with a splash of Mortal Instruments. Heaven vs. Hell. Patrols at night. Hunting the bad guys/ monsters. 

Even though this is about angels, reapers, the Fallen, God, and Lucifer it isn't overly religious. It doesn't feel like someone is trying to shove a bible scripture down your throat. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Bible isn't even mentioned at all in Angelfire. I actually can't wait to learn more about the different kind of reapers and what's going to happen to Ellie if she can't stop them.

Moulton's writing isn't out of this world. It's written very plainly, no extravagance. Which makes for an easy read, but I also found my mind wondered a lot while reading. I will say this the fight scenes are pretty epic!

Overall Thoughts 

This was a re-read for me. I first read it back before it was even published as I was sent an ARC, and I remembered LOVING it. I read it in like a day and was so excited to read the second book. After having taken a break from blogging and reading, I decided to re-read this so I could finish the series. I enjoyed the book, just not as much as I did when I was younger. I went back and forth with my rating. A part of me wanted to give it only 3 stars, but I felt that was a little harsh especially for a book I loved so much several years ago. So I settled on 4 stars. It definitely isn't a 5 star book. It lacked quite a few things for me. overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a fast paced, easy read, and I loved Will's character. 

I will continue with the series just to get more Will!