Thursday, October 21, 2010

Knight Angels: Book of Love - Abra Ebner

"WHO ARE YOU?" I ASKED.

THE NOTHINGNESS WHISPERED BACK.
"I AM DEATH."

When four teens enter Glenwood High, none of them knew the secrets they held were about to become their only defense.

Love, hate, and friendship now binds them, but what they don't yet know, is that this is just the beginning...

Death is calling them home. 

Title: Book of Love (Knight Angels #1)
Author: Abra Ebner
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Crimson Oak Publishing
Publication Date: April 26, 2010
Source: Own
My Rating: 4/5

When Jane sees Max for the first time in the halls of Glenwood High, she is immediately drawn to him. What she doesn't know is that he has a secret, and can help her with hers. Ever since she almost died in the car accident that took her father's life, she has had horrible dreams. Dreams of death and those about to die. She hasn't told anyone; not her best friend, Wes, or her sister, Emily. Jane and Max aren't the only ones keeping secrets though, and they'll have to rely on each other to figure out what is happening to and with each of them. When Max's nemesis, and brother, Greg shows up, things get a little more complicated.
Book of Love is narrated mainly through four of the characters, Jane, Max, Wes, and Emily. Some of the side characters have a few pages written from their point of view as well, but they are few and far between. The format of the book is not set up in chapter form, it carries on through the different characters when the voice switches. Each of the characters are established readily and their voices are distinctive. It was quite easy to follow along and keep up with the different voices as the characters were so well defined. The narrative style chosen worked well as we saw how the characters viewed each other, and themselves. It gave a well-balanced view of all of the different characters, and showed us how they might have seen each other, and what they might have misconstrued as well. 
Without chapters, the plot could have become convoluted, but that was not the case with this book. The plot flowed fluently through the voices of each of the main characters. It didn't falter when changing view points.
The characters themselves were written quite well. Jane is supposed to be the main character, but she shares the spotlight with Max. She is a character that I liked immediately, and then distanced myself from a bit. She's always been the responsible one, and is always looking after her sister Emily. When we read from Emily's point of view we see that though Jane may be the responsible one, she also treats Emily with callous disregard. She is more wrapped up in what is going on in her life that she doesn't take an interest in what is going on in Emily's life, or for that matter, Wes' life. 
Emily and Wes both have their own problems that they are sorting through, so it was neat to see how they interacted and reacted to everything that was thrown at them. I found that I really enjoyed their characters as well as they seemed to be more developed, and surprisingly more mature at times than Jane.
Max and Greg are opposites, which might not be a good thing as they are both angels. Their destinies are intertwined due to the fact that they are twin brothers. Their personalities are at odds with each other, and it was interesting to see how they pushed each other, knowing that they could only push so far.
All in all, Book of Love captures the lives of four teenagers and the supernatural abilities that they are growing into, or are learning to control. This book has something for everyone as it deals with angels, shapeshifters, and a whole other realm of beings. A promising start to what looks to be a great series. Whose side will you take? 

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