Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Angel Fever (Angel #3) by L.A. Weatherly

* * * * 1/2




As half-angel Willow strives to save the world from her parasitic otherworldly kin, romance and tension heat up to a climactic finale.

In the devastated remains of the world, millions of people live in "refugee" camps provided by the angels who have all but enslaved humanity. As this angelic stranglehold tightens, Willow and Alex are recruiting and training new Angel Killers while struggling to hold ground on the celestial battlefield. But Willow continues to have feelings for Seb, and her love and resolve are tested as a shattering revelation sends Alex on a separate journey. Now that the final battle versus the angels is about to begin-and the fate of the world hangs in the balance-each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. Will love endure? Will the human race survive?


I hardly ever use the word “epic” to describe anything partly because I never think to use and it’s so overused.  But as I read this last installment in the Angel series which has been a thrill ride from start to finish and then some, all I could think was “THIS-IS-EPIC”. Thanks to some craftiness on Weatherly’s part, the buildup to the final showdown lives up to all expectations!

Our heroes, Willow, Alex, Seb and the rest of the Angel Killers return from Mexico City to find that the entire world is indeed in shambles.  Having felt some measure of success despite some losses, they get back to the business of around-the-clock training and hunting down the angels.  But the relentlessly devious Raziel shifts events once again with a complete game changer that shakes the confidence of the AK’s. It also results in a life-altering decision by Alex that jeopardizes his relationship with Willow.

I’m choosing to be as vague as possible because as with the previous two books, the emotional ride is really what lifts this book into the stratosphere.  You really get the sense of how intensely these people train and how seriously they take their mission. They eat, breathe, sleep and live this life. There's always an awareness of how much time has gone by and the condition they live in. In Angel Fever, we get to see how resilient and defiant Willow can be. I mean this is a girl with serious daddy-issues saddled with the burden of rescuing humanity. And she's also a kid who is exciting and exasperating sometimes. I was annoyed by some of her reactions to things pertaining to Seb and then later to Alex. But I think what it really was is that Weatherly so accurately described jealousy and insecurity. In doing so, she made Willow’s very human side become more relatable. So I cut her a break.

The burning love triangle aside, there’s once again a copious amount of kick-ass action and fury to keep the momentum in Angel Fever on overdrive. The quiet moments are special and offer some brief respite.  The misdirections are creative.  I’m sad that the series is over because I just love them so much (especially Alex, surprise, surprise!) but I’m also breathing a sigh of relief because damn it, these kids deserve a break!

~ Bel 


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