Angels Getting Drunk, and Angels Getting Laid; I Have Turned This Review into a Bad Rap Song

Released: August 31. 2010

Title: Halo

Author: Alexandra Adornetto

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Hardcover: 496 pages

Synopsis 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.

Brent's opinion of the novel:

        Let me start this review off by saying that with this book, it was love at first sight. I remember browsing through one of my favorite blogs to read, YA Addict, and I saw the cover image of HALO. I. Was. Mesmerized. I mean, look at it. Is that not that the most gorgeous, passionate cover you have ever seen? That is a photo I would consider hanging in a frame on my living room wall. I love the colors, I love the mood it puts off. And, to my delight, as I started reading HALO, I found the writing and storyline was just as flawless as the cover.  
          So there are these three angels, right? Gabriel, Ivy, and the youngest and most volatile, Bethany. They, as Agents of the Light, have been sent down to earth to undo the darkness of the world. In all of it's forms: murder, natural disasters, war. But the transition from Heaven to Earth, Angel to Human, isn't easy. And as Bethany learns, human emotions are vibrant... and the case is even truer for the most infamous human emotion, known as love. When she falls fast for Xavier, the genuine, handsome boy who has suffering in his eyes, everything she knew about being an angel is put into question.
            Bethany is a character that you immediately bond with. With her practical mentality, it's really impossible not to love Bethany. Reading  HALO is like forming a bond with your sister. I grew close to Bethany. I laughed with Bethany. I cried with Bethany. I felt her joy. And I felt her pain. I felt Bethany. I could relate to the fact that she worked so hard to please everyone. Her passion for the human life radiated off the pages.
           Oh, and then there's Xavier. Dreamy, delicious, hot, sexy, hot, sexy, hot, sexy Xavier. Did I mention hot and sexy? He's sweet, too. YES! The perfect boy! As much as I love Bethany-- really, I do-- I would fight her over Xavier. Like, a legit fight. It'd be on MTV News and everything. "Angel and Gay Boy Fight: Is This Mortal Worth It?" Yes, MTV News, Xavier is worth it. Xavier, not only a very attractive young man, is complex. He's been hurt many times, and yet he still lives every day of his life to it's extent. So YES! Mtv, Xavier is worth fighting over.
         The relationship that Alexandra has written between Xavier and Bethany is so great. I choose the word "great" because that really generallizes it. I'd like to say passionate, intriguing, perfect, impeccable, but reviewers that use those words are like the cheap hookers of the YA blogosphere. So, you'll have to settle for great.
         One of my favorite things of HALO is that while the angel-ness and story world is based heavily on Christianity-- the belief that there is a higher power, a Heaven, a Hell-- it can still be thoroughly enjoyed by readers who aren't religious or are of an opposing religion. If you're atheist, muslim, wiccan, it's whatever! You will still love this book. It's definitely not a religion book, but there's definitely some Christian elements there. Look at me, I'm a freaking gay boy with a somewhat personal faith, and I loved HALO!
         But my most favorite thing of all is Alexandra Adornetto's writing. Seriously, this writing is pure perf-ection. If you were to glance at a page, you'd think that the writing drags on and on, but it doesn't. I was too lovestruck by Alexandra's descriptive voice and airy use of similes. If it wasn't for Alexandra's author bio, I would've never known she was only seventeen. She published her first book at age fourteen. What does that tell you? I can sum up what I think of HALO in two words: Passionate; Flawless.
          


FTC: Received from Feiwel & Friends for honest review (I didn't blow them, I swear.)

Book Trailer:

Author Interview:

My playlist for HALO: