Book Review: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Title: Halo
Author: Alexandra Adornetto
Series: Halo #1
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: August 31 2010
My Source: Bought
My Rating: 3/5

Goodreads Summary:
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.

My Review:
It took me forever to get around to writing this review because I honestly don't know what to say about this book. I've read a few reviews of it before, and I hate to say it, but Halo wasn't quite as good as I expected.

This book is about Bethany- a young angel who comes to Earth and ends up falling in love with the school captain Xavier. This book was largely romance (which isn't a bad thing) but here lies my main problem with this book. Xavier was just too perfect- through everything that happened, all the awful things he may have endured with Beth, there was never any strain in their relationship. He was simply always the perfect guy. I assumed Beth and Xavier would be sort of star-crossed lovers, where nobody allowed them to be together. But no- actually, it took about one chapter for everybody to approve of their relationship. It worked out too well, too fast.

Except, there was a point, towards the end, where it seemed like Alexandra Adornetto realized the relationship was going too smoothly and she had to throw a curveball at them. (I'm not going into detail because of spoilers). Xavier and Bethany's little "fight" seemed so out of character. I found it highly unlikely for Xavier to believe Beth would leave him that easily. If you've read the book you'd know what I mean. That one scene really bugged me.

Speaking of characters that were unrealistic, I have to say Bethany's "friends" at her school were completely unlike real teenagers. Sorry, but normal teenagers aren't super rich and have huge parties every weekend where they drink all they want and their parents don't care. I'm pretty sure every teenager portrayed in these books (besides Bethany and Xavier) were like that.

I don't mind long books, but I think if you're going to write a long book, you have to keep the suspense high to keep the readers guessing the whole time, to make them want to keep reading. Halo didn't do this for me, and I actually found it a little hard to get all the way through. Now, having said all those things about this book, it wasn't an awful book! I apologize I might have ranted a little bit earlier, but I think it's important to understand why exactly I had problems with this book. I also realize that Alexandra Adornetto, the author, is only 18 years old (and was 16 I believe when she wrote this!). I was amazed by this, and it was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book. I can't imagine being a published author at my age, good for her! I am very impressed. Especially considering that, it's a good book.

I gave this book a 3/5, I liked it and will probably read the sequel when it comes out. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre- it reminded me of other YA angel books, and if you enjoy those books you'll definitely enjoy this one. Though there were a few things that got on my nerves a bit, I am still impressed with this one, especially considering it's written by an 18 year old (oh, and did I mention the fantastic cover!).



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