Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia - Review

Reading Angel Star was almost like putting on an old leather jacket...it looks so cool from the outside, sleek and worn with age, then when you put it on you realize that it's so much more than you thought, it's comfortable in a well worn kind of way, beautiful in the imperfections, timeless in the details ...

Honestly – I will tell you I was almost scared to pick up Angel Star, I've heard all the hype surrounding it, my fellow bloggers rave reviews, the trailer, the synopsis, even the cover – it's all amazing. I have even been so lucky as to, dare I say it, befriend Jennifer. So when I received it, I was more than a bit worried, that Angel Star would never, could never live up to what I had built up in my mind, no matter how good Jennifer Murgia is as a writer or how good a friend; I just did not think it possible!

And, today after having read it, I can honestly say, I was right! Angel Star did not meet my expectations, it took all of them, and blew every thought, every wish, every want I had for it – OUT. OF. THE. WATER!

It simply was more..in ever way more!

Synopsis via goodreads:

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.

Now, because I might ruin it if I try to summarize any better than that, that's all your gonna get in terms of a description...but don't worry I still have lots to say (as always right?).

Angel Star came to me via a book tour, which makes me both happy and sad. Happy because others, who are following me on the tour will get to read it, share there thoughts about it, and hopefully love it just as much as I did. And physically sad because it's not my copy to hold, treasure and dive into again. Thankfully I have the amazing opportunity to meet Jennifer here in my home town early next month at the Gaithersburg Book Festival (anyone else going), where I will not only get to hang out a bit with Jennifer but also get my very own signed addition! (Fan Girl Squeak) I can't wait to hold my very own copy in my hands and have the ability to enter the world of Angel Star again – greet Teagan and visit with Garreth! I can't wait, this is truly one of those books I will be reading, again.

I felt like I lost myself completely in the pages of Angel Star, I am not completely sure how authors do it, nor I am sure I want to find out, but Jennifer created a work of fiction that while I was reading, I felt like I existed in that world, at one point I even looked up at the sky (I was outside) and envisioned that the sky I was seeing was the same one that Teagan looks up at everyday; now I know that Teagan is a fictional character, but it felt like that to me, in that moment – I can't fully explain it.

From the minute the prologue drew me in, until the last page was read about 10 hours had passed, I, of course, had to pull myself away to get the kids dinner, to help with home work and to get them to bed (all-be-it a little early), by 8 PM I was diving back into the world, willing myself to get lost with the characters again. Angel Star is the kind of book that draws you in, not allowing you to pull yourself away very easily – even when I found myself taking a break to rest my eyes, as I said earlier, I found myself peering at a sky that I just new Teagan was able to see as well!

Jennifer Murgia has taken the concept of Angels and transformed it; She turned it upside down, shook it a bit and then placed it back down, with words that turned into pictures, details that turned into breathtaking scenes, and characters that transformed before my eyes into real people with beating hearts and amazing souls.

Teagan is a character like none other, she's a girl – plain and simple, but she's so much more than that, I related to her instantly – her insecurities were refreshing and her innate ability to see someone for who they really are is nothing short of astonishing. Teagan grew though out the pages of Angel Star, when the book concluded she was not the same girl she was when it started – she grew stronger, she grew to trust herself and she grew in love – a love she was sure would never come, yet a love she was terrified she would loose if it did.

Then there's Garreth, a strong, “bad boy” type character with secrets he chooses not to hid from Teagan, which I found amazing as well as refreshing! If she ask, he answers, as truthfully as he can, so that she can understand yet not be overwhelmed or scared. He's a vehement protector, an honorable man, with a fiercely beautiful soul. Garreth does not pull any punches and would sooner die than let anything happen to Teagan, for reasons you just have to read the book to find out!

Bottom Line – Jennifer Murgia has created a painstakingly, unique and beautiful story with Angel Star. With it's ability to comfort me, like an old leather jacket; create moments, that I can only equate to those taken in a photograph; and create a world that, while reading it I felt like I had come home; Angel Star is a HIT in my book! Move over vampires, demons and werewolves, there's a new sheriff in town and Garreth is one kiss-ass Angel whom I will be, not to patiently waiting to read about again! Angel Star receives 5++ mushrooms from this reviewer, once it arrives it will be placed on my “best loved” shelf along with The Pace, Fallen and Seers of Light! Jen you rocked it OUT of my park...amazing read!

Jennifer Murgia has created a one of a kind “home” with in the pages of Angel Star, with it's painstakingly rich details, determined characters, with a world like none other; Angel Star offers readers more than what they might expect, in the best, most dynamic ways possible!

Angel Star
By: Jennifer Murgia
256 Pages
Published: May 18, 2010
Publisher: Lands Atlantic Publishing LLC