Review: Angelbound by Christina Bauer

18459932Angelbound
(Angelbound, #1)
By: Christina Bauer
Publisher: Ink Monster LLC
Published: Dec. 17, 2013
Genre: Paranormal New Adult
Rating:
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Eighteen year old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your every day quasi-demon, half-demon and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she hasn’t lost a battle yet.

But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights aren’t enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it’s not looking good for the quasi-demons. Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds. What happened seventeen years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is? Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy half-human and half-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla’s not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla’s going to shake up Purgatory.

 

 
1thoughtsI’m not usually a fan of angel stories. They tend to be a bit preachy but this one wasn’t. Plus, you don’t follow an angel, you follow a quasi-demon who’s purpose it is is to fight evil souls and keep them from gaining entrance into Heaven. But she doesn’t play for the angel team or the demon team. Quasi-demons are their own species. A species that’s looked down upon as slaves. Even her classes teach them how to serve their masters and be the best quasi-demon they can be. Myla doesn’t fall for the whole “servant” thing and isn’t about to roll over and play dead. Yeah, Myla was a fun character to read.

Let me start off by talking about this amazing cover. I don’t always compliment a cover but when I do it means something. This cover totally speaks for the book. You have Myla in her kick-ass demon hide fighting body suit (that she got from the Angels) and the arena as the backdrop. One look at this cover and you know that there is going to be a lot of fighting with things that are not quite human. I know I say this every time I applaud creativity on a cover but THANK YOU for actually having a cover that portrays your character and/or story. I hate seeing an up close cover of pretty faces on covers or white chicks in ballgowns when it doesn’t even pertain to the story itself. Unless we are talking Cinderella. Then yes, throw that blond chick in a ballgown, because in my mind (and I’m sure everyone agrees) Cinderella will always be wearing a blue dress. Even if she is only going to the local market. So yes, when I see an amazing cover that wasn’t just randomly chosen off of a stock photo website I get really really happy. And I take up a whole paragraph talking about it’s awesomeness. *stands up and claps* BRAVO!

The story starts off with Myla battling souls in the arena. So we jump right into the action and it really helps set the tone for the book. We don’t only get quasi-demons, demons and angels. We get Thrax (human/angel hybrid) and ghouls as well. Of course, that still leaves quasi-demons at the bottom of the food chain though. There’s a lot of various elements to this story on top of Myla’s self discovery.

I did have one issue with the story and that was the romance. From the first second they meet, Lincoln is nothing but rude to Myla. He talks down to her like she’s the scum of the earth. Always has an aura of disgust when he’s around her and is just a total pompous jerk towards any/all quasi-demons. However, he see’s her fight a few times and all of a sudden his preconceived impression on quasi-demons is changed and he falls in love with her and him even though he treated her horribly. Say what? They go from fighting each other to declaring their love? I just felt like the romance came out of left field. I get that the author tries to play up his reaction to that of a 4 yr old boy pushing a girl down and making her cry as showing his interest in her, but I just wasn’t buying it. I felt like the romance could’ve been handled differently. Maybe a bit more grown up instead of being so juvenile. I can’t believe I’m going to say this… the romance could’ve been cut out completely and I would’ve been totally fine with it. *gasp* Yes, the lover of all things romance just closed her eyes, gave a dismissal hand wave and said “take it away”.

The true component that shined through the story was Myla. She has such a blasé attitude when it comes to danger. She rolls with the punches and isn’t afraid to stand her ground. This was a great action packed story involving all sorts of paranormal characters. I would consider reading the second novel if I have time in my schedule.  I would like to find out what happens to Myla now that she has these special powers.

 

1favequote“‘Assigning your service’ is ghoul-speak for locking a quasi into a life-long job after high school. We’re not allowed to call it ‘rison labor’. I shiver. There are some mighty foul careers out there too, like the infamous anal probe development lab.”

kRISTIN

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