Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Publication.Date May 1st 2011 Pages: 425 Published By: Stone House Ink Website The Worst Book Ever - Aaron Patterson's Website
Airel- Goodreads My review copy: Book Tour ecopy Where to get: Barnes and Noble | Amazon
All Airel ever wanted to be was normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like sudden mysterious illness. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything she hopes for even now. Airel knew change would be inevitable as life went on. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?
(goodreads.com)
“Sometimes I watched all the popular girls, wondering if they actually had brains or if they just ran on batteries, plugging in at night to recharge their ever-so-perfect personalities. No bitterness here.”
"Something else drew me to him. Something that felt-dangerous. It wasn't 'I'm going to be suddenly git by a bus while crossing the street' dangerous; it was more biting down hard on an achy tooth. It was a delicious pain. It was as if the universe was not only calling my number, but that I realized I had been waiting in line all this time, and I was stunned to find the ticket in my hand. I held my breath without realizing it. The feeling was overpowering."
"I don't think I want to live with the ability to vomit without any warning. It doesn't really fit into my social agenda, doc."
Fallen angels sure seem poised to become the new vampires with a similarly perfect blend of delicious mystery and sexy rebellion. Airel by Aaron Patterson and Chris White is a really good read, based on a well thought-out and skillfully executed plot. With its great atmosphere, beautiful characters, intriguing setting and some truly bone chilling moments, Airel is a promising beginning to a new series.
The story follows two separate plot lines, alternating between Boise, Idaho, in the present day and Arabia in 1250 B.C. The main protagonist of this story is a teenage girl named Airel. There’s nothing extraordinary about her. She’s smart, loves reading books and could easily get straight A’s if she wanted to, but she prefers to stay under the radar and blend in most of the time. Although she might not be the hottest girl in school, she’s not the ugliest one either – with her petite frame, long dark hair and brown eyes, she’s actually pretty cute-looking. Popularity is the last thing on Airel’s mind, she gets all the attention she needs from her best friend, Kim, and her loving parents. She seems perfectly content with her mundane yet happy life. But this idyllic life of hers is about to change. One morning, on her way to school, she decides to drop by her favorite coffee shop and pick up a coconut latte. That’s when she first meets him—the most gorgeous guy ever. The attraction is instantaneous, and Airel can’t help falling for the handsome stranger. The mysterious hottie turns out to be her new classmate, who recently moved to the town (surprise, surprise!) and against all odds he seems to be just as fascinated with Airel, as she is with him. Sounds like a perfect love story? Well, it’s not! Something weird is happening to Airel. She’s getting more and more beautiful every day– and I don’t mean it as in I-got-myself-a-new-awesome-makeup-kit kind of way, but it’s more like a holly-crap-I-look-like-a-goddess-(yay!) sort of thing. And as cool as it sounds, it’s not the only change Airel’s experiencing. Her wounds are healing in a matter of seconds and every once in a while she spontaneously vomits (that’s what I call a unique blend of abilities! LOL). And like that wasn’t enough, there’s also the creepy killer who’s stalking her, she starts hearing voices in her head and her new boyfriend is not exactly who he claims to be! How much crazier can it get?
The second storyline takes place in Arabia, in 1250 B.C and follows Kreios and an ancient family of fallen angels. Kreios is a grief-stricken husband who just lost the love of his life. His wife died while giving birth to his daughter and now he must do everything in his power to protect the newborn child from the Seer. With the evil forces pursuing them, the race against time begins. Will he be able to save his daughter?
This book started off rather slow, but once it picks up the momentum, it can be hard to put down. There were many aspects of it that I really enjoyed, but at the same time there were quite a few things that I didn’t like. For instance, I didn’t really dig the whole love-at-first-sight thing, and not because I don’t believe in it, I just didn’t feel it. The authors were trying really hard to emphasize the strong attraction between the lead characters, but I just didn’t see this amazing chemistry between them. For absolutely no reason other than physical beauty, the two become obsessed with each other. There was a constant thought train of "Oh he’s so handsome!", "Oh I can't stop staring at him!", "Oh his eyes are so beautiful!" etc.. One minute Airel and Micheal are on their first date and then next thing you know she’s willing to risk her own life to try and protect him. And she doesn’t even know the guy! It felt rushed and unnatural, and I would much rather see their relationship developing slowly over time.
The characters are vivid and interesting, but not developed enough. It was interesting to follow their stories, but I didn’t really feel emotionally attached to them. By the end of the novel, I didn't feel as if I knew them any better than I did in the beginning, and it’s a shame, because there is plenty of wasted potential there! I feel that the authors did a good job writing from the female character’s point of view, although it wasn’t as good as what Rusty Fischer pulled off in Zombies Don’t Cry.
I think Aaron Patterson and Chris White did a fantastic job integrating both plot lines. The transitions between the present and the past were very smooth, making it easy to follow the story line without getting lost or confused. The story started off slow and at the beginning it was hard to find the connection between both plot lines, but if you keep on reading you will be rewarded with the most phenomenal ending ever. Suddenly all the pieces fall into place and you’re amazed at how well though-out the whole thing was.
Overall, it was a good book, with solid and enjoyable plot. Airel is definitely a promising beginning of a new, intriguing series and I can’t wait to find out where the authors will take us in the next books!
This review is posted as a part of Airel Virtual Book Tour organized by Pump Up Your Book Tours!
Here's the complete tour schedule, happy hopping!
Monday, June 6 Book reviewed at Cafe of Dreams Book Reviews
Tuesday, June 7 Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, June 8 Book reviewed at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm
Thursday, June 9 Book spotlighted at As the Pages Turn
Friday, June 10 Guest blogging at The Bookworm
Tuesday, June 14 Interviewed LIVE at Blog Talk Radio’s A Book and a Chat with Barry Eva
Thursday, June 16 Book reviewed at Jagged Edge Reviews
Friday, June 17 Book spotlighted at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner
Monday, June 20 Book reviewed at Bri Clark, the Belle of Boise
Tuesday, June 21 Book reviewed at Book Reviews by Molly
Wednesday, June 22 Book reviewed at The Phantom Paragrapher
Thursday, June 23 Guest participant at Literarily Speaking’s June Book Panel
Friday, June 24 Guest blogging & Book Giveaway at Lori’s Reading Corner
Monday, June 27 Interviewed at The Writer’s Life
Tuesday, June 28 Book reviewed at Letters Written Inside Out
Wednesday, June 29 Guest blogging at Literal Exposure
Thursday, June 30 Chat with Aaron at Pump Up Your Book Live! June Chat Party!
Tuesday, July 5 Guest blogging at AllVoices
Wednesday, July 6 Book reviewed at Bookish Delights
Thursday, July 7 Guest blogging at The Book Bin
Friday, July 8 Interviewed at Bookworm Lisa
Monday, July 11 Book reviewed at Annette’s Book Nook
Wednesday, July 13 Book reviewed at Avery’s Book Nook
Thursday, July 14 Book reviewed at Courtney’s Chitter Chatter
Tuesday, July 19 Book reviewed at Community Bookstop
Wednesday, July 20 Book reviewed at Reader Girls
Thursday, July 21 Guest blogging at The Write To Make a Living
Friday, July 22 Book reviewed at The Write To Make a Living
Monday, July 25 Book reviewed at Bookish
Tuesday, July 26 Book reviewed at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Book reviewed at Okbolover
Wednesday, July 27 Guest blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Book reviewed at Just Another Book Addict
Thursday, July 28 Book reviewed at Taking Time for Mommy
Interviewed at Young Readers at Home
Friday, July 29 Book reviewed at Young Readers at Home
