Shadows in the Silence, Courtney Allison Moulton

This book was read for the 2013 Don't Let It End Reading Challenge hosted by Fiktshun.

Description

My thoughts: I'm a big fan of Ellie and Will. Their story captivated me in Angelfire and I read Wings of the Wicked completely engrossed, but as Shadows in the Silence's release date approached, I was dreading it a bit. It was thrilling to hold the book in my hands, but it was sad to know this is it, this is the end.

After the ending in Wings of the Wicked, Ellie is in a countdown to help Will, and she tries everything she can to save him. This is why I love these two, they adore each other, they are a kickass team, and they are so fiercely protective of each other. They argue and they make up, but they support each other and they are equals. I get all emotional and happy just thinking about them.

As for the other characters... I'll try not to spoil anything as to who lives and dies, or who shows up a bit unexpectedly. (BTW, I really liked to meet that character.) But I love to see how Ellie is surrounded with people that care for her and who will fight for her. There's her Nana, who understands what Ellie is and what she must do. And Kate, who is an awesome friend with a big mouth and a big heart. Or Cadan, who is trying to redeem a lifetime of evil-doing. And Marcus, Ava, Sabina, and a whole lot of other people who leave a mark on Ellie's path.

I am still a big fan of this world of angels and reapers, fallen angels and an archangel in the body of a teenage girl. Nothing comes easy, alliances must be made, and a lot of fighting goes a long way to move the story forward. Ellie and the, hmm, gang feel like the underdogs and winning is not a guarantee. If I had to guess, I'd say Courtney Allison Moulton is a fan of Supernatural (the CW show), because this world has a feel somewhat similar, like Dean and Sam could show up any minute to help out Ellie.

Plot-wise, this is a non-stop ride that barely lets you stop for a breath. The end of the world is near, and Ellie and everyone else travel around the world to investigate leads and retrieve items that might help them stop the villains from destroying the world. There's always something happening in terms of conflict, internal or external, and the ultimate sacrifice looms over their heads.

The ending was a bit sad, yet it felt right, like things were meant to be this way. I wish the very end was not so open, because I like to know everything I can before the book closes, but it ends on a hopeful note, and I was very happy with that.

In retrospective, I loved this series, and I had a great time reading it. I would say it ranks very high among the paranormal books with angels... recommended for the fans of the Unearthly series or the Demon Trappers series. (Two angelic series I love as well.)

Pages: 480

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)

A Dance with Darkness, Courtney Allison Moulton

Sinopse

Opinião: Uma novela gira, para abrir o apetite para o terceiro e último livro, Shadows in the Silence. Podia ser um livro mais longo, porque o resultado, para chegar mais depressa ao que interessa, é que temos um insta-love e um grande caso de "longe da vista, longe do coração" em que a Madeleine ignora umas coisas bem sérias que não devia ignorar.

Gostei de conhecer a Madeleine, apesar do que mencionei acima. É uma pessoa um pouco diferente do que esperava, mas foi esclarecedor conhecer a mãe do Will, e no fim até ver um pequeno Will com cerca de 5 anos. E pude ver um Nathaniel com uns séculos a menos, sempre um cavalheiro e adorável. Quase consigo imaginá-lo ao longo dos anos a apoiar o Will.

O Bastian deixou-me uma impressão dúbia. Pude satisfazer a minha curiosidade ao vê-lo com a Madeleine, mas continua a não ser a melhor das pessoas. Não me pareceu que gostasse tanto da Madeleine como ela dele, mas mostra alguma complexidade entre bom/mau. Não gostei do modo como tratava o Cadan ou como achava que estava preso ao que tinha de ser (um reaper demoníaco).

Páginas: 50

Editora: HarperTeen Impulse

Wings of the Wicked, Courtney Allison Moulton

Sinopse

Opinião: Depois das revelações do último livro, Ellie e Will tentam voltar ao seu papel de, hã, protegida-e-Guardião, enquanto patrulham à caça de demonic reapers que ameacem os humanos. Mas um perigo que julgavam eliminado está prestes a ser acordado, os reapers atacam em força, e ambos vêm-se embrenhados numa guerra fatal e que poderão não vencer.

Sei que me queixei que o outro livro arrastava-se um bocadinho... mudei de ideias! Neste livro, a autora usa mesmo bem as quebras de ritmo para desenvolver os personagens e dar-nos umas cenas bem giras. Nomeadamente, qualquer uma que inclua a Ellie e o Will - é tão tortuoso e divertido vê-los a debaterem-se contra os seus sentimentos. É difícil não torcer por eles, especialmente porque passam por algumas coisas bem pesadas neste livro, e como par são, bem, épicos. Felizmente saem ilesos (ahem) dessas coisas, e muito importante, juntos. Dou pontos bónus à Courtney por não se coibir de escrever alguma cenas mais quentes.

Outros personagens ganham algum destaques com as pausas, especialmente o Nathaniel e a Lauren, e a Kate e o Cadan; mas também há alguns personagens novos, como a Ava e o Marcus. Devo dizer que estou a gostar da Kate e do Marcus como casal, e também estava a gostar da Lauren e do Nathaniel, excepto por um pequeno pormenor (que é "só" um grande spoiler do livro).

O Cadan ganha o desenvolvimento que merecia e eu clamava no outro livro, e OMG, finalmente uma autora consegue mesmo fazer-me ter compaixão, e até em certa medida torcer, pela potencial terceira roda do potencial triângulo amoroso que eu sei que ela está morta por escrever. Não vou aceitar nenhum final que não envolva o Will e a Ellie juntos (gasp!), mas quase desejo que o Cadan tenha o seu momento.

E já agora, a Courtney é evil! Digo isto porque não tem medo de matar personagens importantes de maneiras que me apanharam completamente de surpresa, e pior, deixaram a vida da pobre Ellie num farrapo. O período de luto foi tão pungente que eu também estava a modos que a fazer o luto com a Ellie e o Will.

Mitologia e worldbuilding, continuo a adorar. A abordagem à mitologia angélica/demónica é bem original e desta vez são introduzidos alguns jogadores importantes e interessantes... vamos ver o que daí vem no terceiro livro. De vez em quando suspeito que a Courtney é fã da série de TV Sobrenatural, devido a alguns pormenores, mas como eu também sou, não lhe levo a mal.

O final... gahhhhh cliffhanger alert! Again, a autora mostra o seu lado mais mauzinho e deixa um personagem com o destino pendurado, deixando-me a mim com o coração nas mãos; mas neste caso não aceito menos do que a resolução positiva do mesmo, por isso vai haver pelo menos uma fã (e suspeito que muitas mais) a cair para o lado se o impensável acontece.

Uma montanha-russa de emoções, é o que diria deste livro. Apesar de grandinho (o hardcover é lindo, btw), lê-se num instante, e eu só desejava ter mais horas no dia (ou menos horas ocupadas) para poder chegar ao fim mais depressa. Se bem que se soubesse do fim talvez não desejasse isso. Enfim, à parte isso adorei (ainda não se notou?), e bem podia estar aqui o resto da noite a escrever sobre o livro, mas a bem da brevidade (que é isso?) fico-me por aqui.

Páginas: 528

Editora: Harper Collins (chancela Katherine Tegen Books)

Angelfire, Courtney Allison Moulton

I'm submitting this book to the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by The Story Siren.

Description

Review: Ellie is an ordinary girl until she turns 17 and finds out, well, she isn't so ordinary after all. She is the Preliator, a timeless warrior destined to be reborn over and over, to hunt the Reapers, creatures that steal human souls taking them to Hell.

This was an unexpected surprise. I've been postponing reading this one, because I was afraid I wouldn't like it, or that it wouldn't be great; but I was wrong and actually loved it.

Starting with Ellie, I love she isn't your typical damsel in distress - she is the main character in the fight against the Reapers. She also tries to balance her human life, teenage drama included (friends, parties, parenting problems), with her fighting life, that includes lying to everyone she likes. Bonus, she fights with swords!

Will is Ellie's Guardian, responsible for finding her in every new of her lifes and waking her up as a warrior, besides protecting and guiding her. He's a pretty adorable guy. It's hard to resist when someone is saying all the time their purpose in life is to serve and protect us. (Joscelin, from the Jacqueline Carey Kushiel books, I'm thinking of you.)

The relationship that builds up between the two is absolutely delicious, with a certain chemistry that feeds on the fact that these two actually have known each other for 500 years. The thing is, one can remember it (Ellie is having some trouble remembering her other lives), and the other is probably in denial over his feelings. The romantic part was so annoyingly slow that I jumped chapters a couple of times to check when the good stuff was coming.

Some other interesting characters: Kate, the friend that says the craziest things; Nathaniel, the librarian-who-can-find-anything; Bastian, the on-call bad guy - and about whom we end up knowing nothing about; an Caden - he is promising as one of those characters you don't know which side is he on, but he was underused. He shows up is the middle of the book once and then in the ending, where is role was not explained at all.

The plot could use some polishing, as the book is quite big and it drags on in the middle. I'd cut some social events Ellie goes to and some of the fights against the Reapers too. Don't get me wrong, the fights are awesome, and bloody, and everyone is always getting injured or being slammed into a wall. But story-wise they do nothing and are just fillers that lead the story nowhere.

The ending, well, I wasn't expecting the revelation we got, but it is quite interesting and promising for the next book. And this one ends with a closure, not with a cliffhanger, which is also a bonus in my book.

The worldbuilding and the mythology are very complex and compelling, but I wish some things were better explained and there were more revelations. The author definitely has some stuff to get better in her writing and plotting, but she created a fascinating world and has a lot of good ideas here. I loved the book because it reversed the main characters' roles, because it has an awesome mythology, because I was swooning at Ellie and Will's coupling, and because I'm dying to get my hands on the next book (coming in 2012).

Pages: 464

Publisher: HarperCollins (imprint Katherine Tegen Books)