(blurb and photo from barnsandnoble.com)
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)
Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?
My Thoughts:
Lili St Crow’s chilling imagery and icy words tell the story of a young and independent girl that has seen too much of the “Real World” in her short life. (The Real World is the world of zombies, werwulf and vampires.)
Dru’s life is about to change drastically when her father, a Real World hunter, doesn’t return home after perusing an unknown creature. Well he does return…just not with the same mortality as when he left.
Without her father, Dru is left alone and afraid. She finds herself an unlikely comfort and friendship in Graves, the Goth boy that sits in front of her in school. Graves friendship is faithful, loyal and unquestionably accepting of Dru and her situation. One cannot help but be drawn to his humble demeanor or impressed that while he is thrust into the world of werwulf, guns and zombies, his friendship is honest. He is truly a light in Dru’s dark world.
It’s been a while since I read a book that beckoned me to pick up a flashlight in the middle of the night and read it in bed. Reading Strange Angels by flashlight made the creepy unexplainable things in the dark a little more terrifying.
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There were a couple of places that seemed to jump ahead in the story and I found myself wondering how the characters got to this point in the story. (Once I even checked to make sure I didn’t skip a chapter) While the details that were missing are unimportant – acknowledging the change of environment would have made the story flow smoother for me.
I normally cannot read a book with the vulgar language that lie on the pages of Strange Angels. Many times I had to put the book down because the language was too much for me. In the author’s defense, I believe the foul language contributed to Dru’s rough street exterior and lack of desire for an education. Thankfully an unlikely academic example is set for her with the simple explanation that education is freedom, a concept that I believe in and support.
Overall Strange Angels was a surprising twist and turn of paranormal events with heart wrenching moments for Dru and her unfailing friend Graves. As the two cling to each other they learn more about themselves and grow into promising characters. I look forward to reading book two in the series titled Betrayals.
Would I read it again? YES! The book felt fast paced and intense. I found myself reading too quickly just to find out what would happen next! (I am certain a second read will be in my future.) I am frustrated I have to be on a waiting list for the second book in the series at my local library.
Would I let my teen read Strange Angels? Heavens no! There is no sex but a great deal of violence, blood and lack of positive adult influence and guidance for Dru and Graves.
Strange Angels page 129 “That’s the funny thing about old hurts – they just wait for a new heartache to come along and then show up, just as sharp and horrible as the first day you woke up with the world changed all around you.”
