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***Originally published to Bookish

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 itI 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!