Halo by Alexandra AdornettoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
HALO was good.
I hadn't expected much if I was being perfectly honest. When I first stumbled across the cover on Goodreads, I'd been jittery with excitement! I mean it's about angels and the cover art is just stunning. And who doesn't love a good love story, right? But then as the release date loomed closer, I started reading some bad reviews. Many people seem to hate this book or dislike it because of the religious themes and the over-exaggerated romance. I can see where they're coming from, but would like to make a note to all future readers:
Don't pick up a book about angels and expect christianity not to be mentioned!!!
I mean come on, folks... They kind of go hand in hand.
The religious aspect doesn't bother me at all. I'm a christian. I believe in angels. I thought it was brave and original to incorporate such strong points from this into the book. Especially for an author who is so young (eighteen) and has only published three books prior. It was refreshing to read about angels in a more traditional sense.
What I didn't like about HALO?
The romance was a bit much. I mean, I forgot how old Bethany is, but she's only around 16 or 17 I think and Xavier is only 18. At first, I was excited, because he seemed like a real guy. Not the Edward Cullen type that becomes overprotective, crazy in love with his girlfriend, and strangely generous in every aspect of their relationship type guy. It started off sweet. Bethany too- she seemed to be the angelic type of girl thrust into the world of humanity and dealing with all of the experiences and emotions that she had been barred from in the Kingdom of Heaven. But as soon as these two meet, and seemingly develop into an official relationship, things started becoming a little less believable.
For me, the romance in a story has to be sold right. If things are rushed, unbelievable, or over dramatic, I just can't get into it as much. And seeing as how this book is all about love, there were a few flaws in the romance area. Xavier developed into the Edward Cullen type. Bethany developed into the Bella Swan type. And the ladder really hurt the story in my eyes. Bethany is an angel. She shouldn't be as petty as she sometimes comes across in HALO. Overall, this subject and their relationship were just a little too ROMEO & JULIET for me.
Some things that Adornetto goes into detail about in this book seemed too trivial for me. These angels are on a mission to better a community. Why do I need to know what three or four brainless girls are chatting about constantly at lunch? Why do I need to know in accurate detail the prom dresses that they shop for, or Bethany's dream prom dress described right down to the beaded neckline? It just seemed petty in comparison to the bigger picture...
I liked HALO a lot, despite the fact that a lot of aspects were over played or even petty at times. And though the characters got a little out of hand for my taste, I was still invested in how their stories went. I will most likely be reading the sequel HADES when it comes out next.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment