Young Adult Review: A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Age Range: 12 and up

Grade Level: 7 and up

Series: The Angel Sight Series (Book 1)

Paperback: 321 pages

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC (January 29, 2013)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (thank you!)

My Rating: 4 of 5 

About the Book:

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

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About the Author:

Lisa M. Basso was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is a lover of books, video games, animals, and baking (not baking with animals though). As a child she would crawl into worlds of her own creation and get lost for hours. Her love for YA fiction started with a simple school reading assignment: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. When not reading or writing she can usually be found at home with The Best Boyfriend Fiancé that Ever Lived ™ and her two darling (and sometimes evil) cats, Kitties A and B.

My Thoughts:

This was so much better than I had been expecting. I expected to be entertained, but I figured it would be a bit cheesy (don't ask why, I just did). But I can happily say that I was surprised by how much I liked this book. A lot of other reviewers have compared it to Fallen and Hush Hush, but I've read both of those and I liked this book better.

The story is pretty original in a lot of ways. There is a love triangle which is kind of a downer, because eventually Rayna will have to choose someone and I always feel like these protagonists pick the wrong guy. However, that's about the extent of the downers for this book. I loved that Rayna had spent so much time in a loony bin for seeing angels, and her fight to stay sane and stay free is emotionally gripping.

The characters are all pretty complex and interesting, especially Rayna and Kade. Cam felt two-dimensional. They all play off each other pretty well to make the story more entertaining.

There is some cursing in the book and some kissing. There is a bit of innuendo but basically it  is pretty clean.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.