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"Listen carefully. I'm about to change your life."

Not really 😅

I've been receiving a ton of recommendations to read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code for a few years now, and after finding out it was actually the second book in a series, I've thought of starting things properly with the first book, bringing me to Angels and Demons. I'm a little new to thriller books in general, making Angels and Demons a refreshing experience to begin that journey, especially compared to intricate world building I'm used to with fantasy books.

"Information is only as valuable as its source."

I think it's safe to say that there is no lack of drama, suspense, and twists throughout the book, making the reading experience somewhat addictive. The narrative is super fast paced, most content spread over a matter of hours, resulting in an further enhancement of aforementioned qualities. Brown clearly and easily exceeded most reader's expectations when it comes to the protaganist in my opinion, Robert Langdon, a realistic character which is ideal for a story like this in my opinion. I'm glad he didn't go for an overpowered lead character, instead opting for maintaining a good balance with Langdon's abilities and shortcomings. Rest of the cast isn't that far behind either, with numerous twisters around every corner making them re-appear in different light throughout the story. As for the plot itself, bringing different threads together was well executed, but it wasn't the best I've seen, since there were some loopholes here and there if one was to look closely. But overall, I'm quite happy with the plot and the set of characters here.

"Our minds sometimes see what our hearts wish were true."

Another (hopefully good) thing that most readers are going to notice is how the author had gone to extreme lengths in describing intricate architecture in and around Vatican City. It felt like a detaild virtual tour, and was a nice surprise for me. What did NOT come as pleasant is the frequent use of Italian phrasing, but I think I might be in the minority here.

"Thge most dangerous enemy is that which no one fears."

However with all that, I didn't feel like the book is beyond 3.5-stars, and the rounding up to 4 is mostly due to this being one of my first books from the genre. I'm quite certain a second read through could actually bring it down to 3-stars. Had I being an atheist, things would've been somewhat different (still not 5-stars though), as I could see most of the stuff here being appealing to atheism. But it doesn't mean that others could easily enjoy the book, for, I believe Brown's walking a fine line even with everything going here, especially using the underlying system of belief of the protagonist himself to keep the atheism in check.

"Pride and precedent cannot overshadow reason."