Review:Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia

Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams and soon discovers that her crush has an eight-point star etched into the palm of his right hand-the mark of an angel.But where there is light, dark follows, and she and Garreth suddenly find themselves vulnerable to a dark angel's malicious plan that could threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.Divinely woven together, Angel Star takes readers on a reflective journey when one angel's sacrifice collides with another angel's vicious ambition in a way that is sure to have readers searching for their own willpower.

My Review: Teagan McNeel falls for Garreth Adams, the new guy at school, who turns out to be an angel. The idea of guardian angels and their relationship to their human charges, often unknown to the humans, in this book was original (though at times the writing style tried to be a little too breathy and flowery for me), as was the idea of one of them seeking to take advantage of those bonds for his own gain. However, too many crucial parts of this book had me saying, "Really?" When Teagan's friend and others act completely out of character, instead of thinking maybe it had something to do with the bad guy, she wonders why everyone's acting so strangely. Also, when one truly bad thing happens (I don't want to give it away, so sorry for being vague) I thought Teagan's reaction was completely off. You can blame so much on being numb or focusing on concern for your boyfriend and the big picture, but an event that should have been the emotional equivalent of a punch to the solar plexus never had the impact on Teagan that I felt it should have. I also thought faceoffs with Hadrian were resolved too quickly and cleanly and, to me, the sudden infatuation with him seemed tacked on as an afterthought and wasn't believable. Teagan seemed to be swayed too quickly and easily, and for someone as strong as she supposedly is, I didn't think any of Hadrian's words or actions should have affected her as they did, especially when she's already found the love of her life. We already know there's going to be a sequel, so I won't totally write this series off, but I'm skeptical that there will be enough of an improvement in the second one to keep my interest.