A Shimmer of Angels

Angel Sight #1

by Lisa M. Basso

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

Genres: Angels, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Demons

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lisa M. Basso was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is a lover of books, video games, animals, and baking (not baking with animals though). As a child she would crawl into worlds of her own creation and get lost for hours. Her love for YA fiction started with a simple school reading assignment: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. When not reading or writing she can usually be found at home with The Best Husband that Ever Lived ™ and her two darling (and sometimes evil) cats, Kitties A and B.

She's also on twitter
http://twitter.com/LisaMBasso
Instagram
https://instagram.com/lisambasso/
and Tumblr
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lisambasso

Reviews

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review posted at SoManyBooksSoLittleTime

[Zuleeza · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, sorry for the mini hiatus.

Second, I will try my hardest not be bitchy with this review.

So...

...are you looking for a typical angel book? With classic good angels and bad angels? Good as in the usual guardian angels and bad as in the usual fallen angels? Do you crave for more lame good vs evil battle where human lives are the price to pay should the evil wins? Do you mind another trashy love triangle where somehow the girl is dumb enough to choose the heartless wimp over the friendzone guy who has done nothing but saving her ass? Insta love. Don't forget the insta love. Now the ingredient to yet, another shallow YA paranormal book is complete!

Okay, maybe that was a bit bitchy.

But what do you expect? I was really looking forward to read it. A girl who spent years in the asylum, who tries so hard to live her normal life only to find out her hallucinations were actually real i.e she can indeed see angels. It breaks my heart to say this but I think Tahereh Mafi handled Juliette characterization better than Lisa M Basso handled Rayna's.

So why 2-stars, you say. It's because the first fifty pages deserved a five-stars. No kidding! Although it reads like Twilight i.e. there's a new kid in school and Rayna feels an irresistible pull towards this guy bla3, it's because she sees that this new kid has wings. Totally acceptable, right? And on that very same day, a string of mysterious suicides begin to occur on people around Rayna. I did actually feel spooked whenever the story zooms into these bizarre suicide cases.

But the rest? A total trainwreck.

If you think Bella accident prone-ness is ridiculous, wait until you meet...

Bad Luck Brian Rayna.

At 10%... I jerked back. Too hard. My chair tipped over, talking me with it. I smacked Jeremy in my mouth on my way down. My head bounced off the floor...

At 42%... I messed up orders, spilled food, and broke plates.

At 42%... He stilled. "Actually I was going to tell you the coffee pot's overflowing. You added too much water."

At 50%.... The coffee pot shattered against the tile floor, littering me with tiny fragments of glass and a hot rush of coffee.

At 50%... I pulled the mop bucket out, accidentally doubling the normal amount of solution, and turned on the hot water.


ULTRA-HIGH-ANGLE REVERSE FACEPALM.

Trust me, I have nothing against clumsy people. I'm clumsy myself. But after screwing up so many times, isn't it ridiculous that she didn't get fired?

Le prose;

He wrapped his arms around me so tight, even my pancreas hurt.

Cam was the vacuum that took the bad away...



Meh. I don't know. If this is my first angel book then probably I'd be impressed. Sadly, it's not.

**The ARC was provided by Month9Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Giselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.

Honestly I requested this book because it's about angels and the colourful eye-catching cover! But then I quickly read it in one sitting. A Shimmer of Angels doesn't start off like any other angel book and I'm glad for it. Rayna believes she's mentally crazy. Being able to see Angels? She has a therapist she talks to and medication so she herself believed they're not real. Until a new boy at school comes in and she notices he has wings and his entire aura glows. Little does she know that her entire world will be up righted because her hallucinations are in fact real.

I liked it enough, and even though there was a love triangle, I didn't really mind it because I liked both love interests. I really couldn't pick which one I wanted for her because I liked both of them. Usually there's a clear cut decision for me but in in this case, I liked both for her! The pacing was pretty fast and I liked how she was reacting to seeing Angels because it was pretty realistic. Even if you're not a religious person, seeing angels and glowing people? Well that's not exactly normal is it? I was immediately pulled into the story-line and the romance wasn't annoying at all. As for her dad and sister, I just wanted to punch them.. They didn't believe or support her. I kept saying to myself, "This poor girl doesn't deserve this. Why can't you people see?!" They frustrated me more than the fallen angel did.

Good angels, fallen angels and more, this book has a great head start on the angel genre!

[AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 -5 stars. A unique take on angels.

Young adult angel books are often hit or miss for me. I was pleasantly surprised by A Shimmer of Angels. I literally devoured this book – I could not put it down. A Shimmer of Angels is in the same class as Ultraviolet (not an angel book) and it reminded me a little of Angelfall.

A Shimmer of Angels is about Rayna, a teenaged girl who can see angels. Poor Rayna has been seeing angels for most of her life and as a result, has been committed to a mental health institute for the past 3 years. Throughout the book Rayna fears a relapse and a return to the mental hospital. Rayna often walks a fine line between the crazy and the sane.

No sooner than she is discharged from the hospital, Rayna makes an attempt to live a normal life. She enrolls in the local school and finds a part time job at the diner she frequents with her best friend Lee. It seems that she cannot escape her angels. At school, when new student Cam joins her class, Rayna is shocked to see that he is an angel, complete with beautiful shimmering wings. At work, a black winged bad boy angel named Kade appears. Then there’s the mysterious dark angel that Rayna sees in her classmate’s artwork and in her dreams. Something is not right in this world and Rayna fears that she is going mad.

I loved Rayna’s character. She is damaged, yet she has a certain lucidity about her. I found her both brave and practical. Rayna comes from a dysfunctional family. Her father still grieves his wife’s death and really doesn’t function as a father. He is emotionally unavailable to Rayna and her sister. Rayna’s little sister just wants to be normal and wishes Rayna were back in the hospital.

Rayna’s best friend Lee was awesome. I adored how he was so attuned to Rayna’s needs. His use of Dr. Who references in his speech was hilarious. “Holy Daleks!” Lee had to be one of the best friends ever.

The angel lore was intriguing. There were several classes of angels: The Protectors and the Warriors. There were also fallen angels. This is an angel book that is not preachy.

Oh, a quick word about Kade – wow. More please.

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa Basso is an enthralling read. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book - A Slither of Hope scheduled to release in January 2014.

Thank you to NetGalley and Month9Books for a review copy of this book.

[Hersh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. A little cliche for my taste and it was slow paced but I enjoyed reading it.

Rayna can see angels. But who would believe her? Her family thought she was crazy and they sent her to a mental hospital saying it was all for her good. She had a very traumatic life. After five years she got released.
She thought she was no longer crazy when she sees another angel. The following events made it clear for her that she wasn't crazy and that her being able to see angels made them drawn to her due to curiosity.
They are called the Fallen (bad ones cast out of heaven) and the good ones, I call them the flying ones.

Rayna was a little boring at times. She was a weak main lead role but I liked her. At least she wasn't annoying. Being locked up in a mental hospital can do that to people. The novel was slow - paced but it wasn't that bad. I did enjoy the parts when the angels (The flying and the Fallen) showed up.
Cam and Kade. Good and Bad. They were interesting to read about. Kade was of course inexplicably bad and hot and on the other hand Cam was inexplicably good and hot.

On the whole, it was a good read :)

[Momo (the Mome Rath) · Rating 1 out of 5]

In writing, there's a term called the suspension of disbelief, which is if you can fuse "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative (definition grabbed from Wikipedia). This means you can make something fantastical seem like it could be possible as long as everything else in the story is accurate and the abnormal or paranormal elements fit into the normal. This is the big problem with A Shimmer of Angels: my suspension of disbelief was shattered.

The angel mythos was not the issue -- as Lisa M. Basso fit that into the world without a hiccup -- the issue was the way the mental health system was portrayed. Rayna's mental stability is a big part of the book and it is talked about a lot. It gets mentioned every few paragraphs in the beginning. The problems were that everything that was said about it was not based in current reality and researched poorly. For example, we are told in the beginning that Rayna was locked up for three years in a mental clinic she refers to as the S.S. Crazy, but has been released and is going to high school. A couple huge questions arise from just that: 1.) Why was Rayna locked up for three years? and 2.) how is she in her appropriate grade when it is implied she hasn't gone to school during those three years? There are no answers to either of these within the book, other than Rayna was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The answer to question 2.) would be simple: she wouldn't be in her normal grade.

There was little to no back-story to Rayna's diagnosis or treatment, and the problem with that is the procedure for being admitted is a bit more complicated than simply, "I see things, therefore I'm crazy," go to a psychiatrist, he confirms, "Yes, you're crazy," gives stamp of approval for schizophrenia, and lock up the patient indefinitely and drug her to oblivion. It doesn't work like that. Actually, to be admitted, you have to be considered a danger to yourself or others, or it has to be seen as beneficial to the patient’s treatment to remove them from the normal stresses of everyday life. Rayna may have fallen under the latter category, but definitely not the first. In fact, a lot of the experiences Rayna describes would be accurate for a combative or suicidal patient, such as being put in restraints and watched 24/7. But Rayna is neither of those. Furthermore, according to her own accounts, Rayna is nothing but a model patient.

Rayna's mental state was just as important as the fact that there were angels in San Francisco. It affected everything within the book and was potentially talked about more than the angels themselves. Actually when I think about it, there was not a lot of background on the Angels, their hierarchy, or any of the like. They did discuss fallen angels, and that's about it from my memory.

"But Momo, this is fiction," you may be saying. Yes this is fiction, but good fiction is still grounded in reality, which makes it relatable to the reader. This distance from reality made it impossible for me to get into the book. I didn't care for what was happening, I didn't care for the characters, I didn't care about anything really. I briefly searched on the internet the basic laws regarding minors in the state of California and found plenty of information that countered the events in A Shimmer of Angels. That's all it took was a brief search, and I'm not even writing a novel about a schizophrenic girl -- I'm writing an angry review about a novel about a schizophrenic girl.

Originally posted on my blog Where the Mome Raths Outgrabe

[Tanja (Tanychy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?


It's been a while since I've read some good book about angels. It's a shame cause I really love those creatures but somehow the books about angels tend to disappoint. So I'm really happy to say that this one was good, really good.

This is a story about Rayna the girl who sees angels. Of course no one believes her and there for she spends some time in institution. Now she is out and she believes it's the end of her craziness. She decides to start again with the new school and job were no one will point a finger in her and laugh. For most she is happy for herself and her family cause they all need a new start. Angels don't exist in theory and she knows that, but unfortunately being gifted or we may say cursed can't be cured so easily. When she sees another angel in her class, no less all old fears are coming back to her. She doesn't believe in them and she tries too hard not to lose it but eventually she does. Now she is in the middle of something she couldn't dream of.

I really must say that Rayna was one of these rare girls in paranormal novels that earned my respect by acting, well normally. Usually when girls discover that the guy is some sort of paranormal creature they fall in love and drool all over them. Rayna is different she runs and doesn't want to believe in it. She's been told that she is crazy and it doesn't matter that she knows that those aren't hallucinations she doesn't want to accept it. So she is acting logically. There are other things in this book that I liked but as they haven't been mention in summary I'm going to leave them so you can discover them by yourselves.

***Note: This book was kindly provided by publisher, Month9Books, via NetGalley. Thank you!
I'm not paid for writing this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars

Maybe it's because I haven't read any angel books before but this book felt fresh to me. I've been oversatured with shifters and vampires so a book about angels was a nice change of pace. The story centers around a 16 year old girl named Rayna who has been seeing angels for years. Convinced these angels are figments of her imagination or worse, she comes to accept that she is insane. Certifiable. As a result, she has been locked up, off and on, for the past 3 years in a mental instituation. However, when a new boy enrolls at her school and he has shiny huge wings, she starts to consider that maybe she isn't so crazy afterall.

Plot wise, the book was a bit predictable. I was beyond relieved that this story doesn't have her male best friend secretly in love with her- PHEW. Points for that. However, the love triangle that does develop is not suprising in the least. Still, the story was fun and exciting and I wanted to read on to see what would happen next.

The writing is not the best I've seen. It is first person and felt a bit dumbed down, a big pet peeve of mine in some young adult books. That being said, I was nevertheless drawn into the story and stayed up late to finish it. I wasn't riveted but it held my attention. I will certainly continue with the series.

[Sláinte Wanderlust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cover & title - four out of five
Favorite line - “What would angel lips taste like? Sunshine? Marshmallows? Or something altogether different? Maybe buttered-popcorn jelly beans.”
Favorite character - Kade

When i started this book i was wondering if it was going to be too young for me, if i would be able to read a book aimed for reader much younger than myself. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Yes i did feel it was clearly a book for children or young adults but this did not stop me enjoying it. The drama and content was interesting and a different take from the other angel books i have read.
The protagonist did get on my nerves a bit in the beginning but by about half way through i was on her side and forgave her crazy teenage drama.
The love or romance part of the story is very minor so i think it could be enjoyed by males to and not be classed as too girly ;)
The ending was a complete surprise and left me wanting more!

I would recommend this book and i plan on reading more by this author :)

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Shimmer of Angels was a fantastic debut from Lisa M. Basso. It had a great plot and although some parallels may be drawn between A Beautiful Dark and Dark Kiss, A Shimmer of Angels is solely it's own.

The novel starts out with Rayna 'Ray" Evans leaving a mental institution on remission, she was initially admitted because her Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder, aka her sightings of angels. About a month after her release Ray runs into problems when she sees an angel in her school and later a fallen angel at her new job, only to later realize that they both actually exist and her therapy was wrong. As if this new realization isn't enough to handle, some "suicides" have started to occur at the school and with the knowledge of the two angels Ray is lead to believe the deaths are actually murders by a Fallen. The novel later continues with its climax which I won't give away…let's just say my vague summary of the book does not do it justice and you should read the novel for yourself.

I must admit I am Team Kade….I LOVE him with a passion and he has recently taken his role as my "New Fictional Bad-Boy Angel Boyfriend." It broke my heart with the way Ray rarely paid attention to him or dismissed his tender moments because he was a Fallen...if anything being a Fallen proves he's willing to risk everything for love, whereas angels will always put their job first. Anyways the book leaves you with some hope for Kade in the future so I am clinging to that like crazy-glue to your fingers, and if it doesn't happen I think I'll cry - huge, sobbing, end of the world tears.

My overall impression of A Shimmer of Angels is that it is a worthwhile easy read, with an awesome plot, lovable characters (*cough* Kade), and should be given a chance. I'd recommend picking up a copy when the novel comes out on January 29th. I know I'm anxiously waiting for A Shimmer of Angels to be released, so the second book in the series, A Slither of Hope, can come out and I can find out what happens next.

A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok ok, so I got this ARC and I've only now got round to reading it, but now all I have say is.. Guys it's out in 10 days and you bet you better go out and get it!

I've read some other reviews and some say its unoriginal. Yes there are book out there similar to this but not THE SAME I mean c'mon, there are a gazillion books out there not every one of them is going to be so different there's not one thing similar in it to another book. Stop being so picky!

I found this book thrilling and captivating. 2 very hot angels both interested in one girl who thinks she's absolutely stone cold crazy. Oh yeah this book was just so good!

Ray has just being released after going into 'remission'. You see Ray has been seeing angels. Her dad and sister thinks she's raving mad and after moving yet again to start over their weary. She starts back at school and its not too long before angels reappear. She keeps her mouth shut though. She'll do just about anything to not go back to the institution. But when her classmates begin to commit suicide after all drawing black angels she can't just turn her head and pretend not to notice anything. So instead she decided its time to grow a back bone and confront what she fears most. The angels themselves.

The crazy girl.. Finally realises she may not be so crazy after all.

Cam and Kade.. I just can't choose. Cam is so sweet and lovely as oppose to Kade who is mysterious sexy and goddamn unpredictable. I can't pick between them.

You will love the characters in this book. One of the best book for me for 2013 so far. I absolutely cannot wait for the next one! I need more Cam and Kade!

This is one story I could not get enough of.. The writing, characters, plot and storyline were all brilliantly perfected and I would recommend it to all you readers who enjoy a good angel book.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to like A Shimmer of Angels. I’m not a huge fan of angel-themed YA, but since my great experiences with The Mortal Instruments and Unearthly, I’ve been more open to the genre. Sadly, A Shimmer of Angels didn’t bring anything new to the paranormal romance genre and only served to remind me why I usually avoid angel books.

My problem with A Shimmer of Angels was that really, there was nothing original about it at all. One-dimensional heroine with a tragic past? Check. Bland but attractive and supernatural love interest? Check. Supernatural creature used with little-to-no evidence of the author’s research into its mythological roots? Check. Pages of uninteresting high school drama? Check. Only the mysterious string of suicides kept me interested. For the most part, I didn’t feel like I was reading a book for the first time, because everything I read had already been done before.

I was initially drawn to the book by the blurb, which mentions that Rayna’s ability to see angels has been diagnosed as a mental illness. Kelley Armstrong had the same idea for her Darkest Powers series, in which a young necromancer girl was diagnosed with schizophrenia. When Kelley Armstrong did it, she used the situation to include her own very interesting commentary on how those suffering from mental illnesses are viewed and treated in modern society. But I felt the use of mental illness as a plot device in A Shimmer of Angels was offensive and poorly researched. Basso’s portrayal of schizophrenia did nothing to combat the stigma associated with mental illness; if anything Rayna’s behaviour and the treatment of other characters towards her only contributed to problematic fictional portrayals of the mentally ill.

The best thing I can say about A Shimmer of Angels is that the cover art is gorgeous... unfortunately, that's one of the only compliments I can give this book.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 1 star

Review cross-posted to Paperback'd

[Feminista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 out of 5

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Rayna thinks she is crazy because she sees angels, or humans with wings. Having lived the last three years of her life in a Mental Health Clinic, she starts school again at the age of sixteen. When she thinks her life is going good and she is not crazy anymore, she sees an angel. In her class.

The new boy/angel in her school doesn’t know what to make of Rayna, who can see his wings. But that doesn’t matter as he is soon told by his superiors to ask for her help in the deaths of her classmates.

The story was very interesting and engaging. A creative mixture of angels and YA. However, I found Rayna’s clumsiness really annoying. It might have been tolerable for the first ten times that she stumbled and knocked things over, or splashed coffee all over the place. But when the same repetition kept on happening and hit higher double digits, I got angrier. I felt as though the author couldn’t find another way to get Rayna out of the situation, without making her stumble. But regardless, the end part redeemed the book for me.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: this book is being released by Month9Books, my employer, and I copy edited it.

That said, I freaking love this book! It's dark and intense, funny and swoon-worthy, all wrapped up into a beautiful package (seriously, the cover!).

I'm so, so excited to share this book with the world. I can't wait!

[Laura Kreitzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received A SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa M. Basso from NetGalley.

2 of 5 stars

While reading reviews of other angel books, I noticed more and more readers were being put off by this fascination with angels in recent YA literature. As an author who has written several books with angels (Adult, not YA), this has certainly upset me. In my quest to figure out why readers are automatically putting angel books in their Do Not Read pile, I've taken up reading other books with angels in them. Now I'm starting to understand the new trend to ditch the angel books.

A SHIMMER OF ANGELS has a fascinating premise. I was particularly interested to see how Basso would deal with the mental illness the main character, Ray(na), had. It's always bothered me when a character finds out about the supernatural in a book and doesn't question their sanity. Not just question it as a throw-off line, but REALLY question it. I was completely on board with Ray thinking she was insane. Totally. However, the author clearly didn't do her research into the establishment and procedures of mental institutions. From personal experience with a dear friend, it's hard to have someone committed, even when they SHOULD be. Despite this flaw, I continued reading.

Ray, for understandable reasons, is a bit skittish, but it's to the point that it's annoying. She's jumpier than a pedophile in a bear costume at a kid's birthday party. On top of that, her friendship with Lee was never really established. His part in this story was more of a subplot that could have easily been replaced with another subplot that had more to do with the angels and their background. The story would have been fine without Lee's character.

Insta-love with new angel boy at school, Cam(ael), stumbled out of the gate and later fell so flat I'm sure an iron--or an anvil--was involved. Basso does well with "showing not telling" in her writing. However, forcing Ray's emotions caused the supposed love connection with Cam to be a spectacular flop. He did nothing to win her affections, and when she needed him--was literally calling out for help--he turned around and walked away. Just left her without a second glance. Mind=blown. WHAT? I find Cam's character to work well as an angel who isn't allowed human emotions, which is why there was NO CONNECTION between the two characters. None. So while Ray is all "feeling" these emotions between them, the reader is left scratching their head, wondering why.

Of course there is a weird little love triangle in this book (isn't there always?). "Bad boy" Kade is a Fallen angel who isn't really all that bad. HE is the reason this book is receiving two stars. His character was the most fascinating and intriguing. What I don't understand is why Ray treated Kade so terribly. He broke her out of the mental health facility when Cam walked away, he took care of her, flew for her (which apparently is precious, and an angel can only fly so many times--don't understand this), and risked his life for hers. So WHY does Ray even give Cam a chance later? *shakes head* It made no sense.

Okay, okay. At this point, I'm trying to understand how such a fascinating premise with all kinds of possible plots (especially at the beginning with the suicides) turned out to be such a let-down.

The plot was iffy and a bit ridiculous, I was left with more questions than answers, most of the characters were simplistic to downright insubstantial, and Basso clearly failed to do her research. Even though this book was received from the publisher via NetGalley, which means it's an ARC and is not the final draft, the grammar, punctuation, and bizarre prose was horrendous. As an author, one should know where to place commas and what the differences are between perfect and simple past tense. It actually amazes me that this story was picked up by an agent and/or publisher with that many errors, let alone get through 1st pass. (Examples: distain instead of disdain was used several times; bore instead of bored was used often, even though the chapter was written in past tense; commas where periods should be, commas where they shouldn't be, and no commas where they should be.) I really hope this book reaches an editor before publication. On top of that, I'm not impressed with the poor graphic design on the cover. Since the author has nothing to do with that, I can't hold it against her. Still, there is no creativity, and the artist probably slapped it together in an afternoon.

In conclusion, I was wholly not impressed with this book nor would I recommend it. I just hope readers understand that not ALL angel books follow this same plot path. I also hope major revisions are made before this hits print. Books in the YA genre, in particular, should use proper grammar because they're more of an example to young people than adults books are.

[Christal · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

A Shimmer of Angels was a surprisingly good read. It reminded me a little of the Unearthly series, but still had its own unique take on angels. I think the strength of the book was the main character’s voice. Ms. Basso wrote a very well-defined and believable 16-year-old without veering into annoying territory. I think fans of angel books and YA urban fantasies in general will find a lot to appreciate in this book.

A Shimmer of Angels tells the story of Rayna, a teenage girl that can see angels. I think the only thing I didn’t like about this book was the disservice it presented to the mental health field. Rayna has been involuntarily committed for three years off and on, and then once more within this book, and I just didn’t find it a very realistic portrayal of how the system actually works. I enjoyed the other parts of this book enough to overlook this fact, but I could see how it would really bother other readers. I think the book could have been just as strong if that plot point had been modified into something different.

My favorite part of the novel was probably Rayna’s voice. I found her to be a very sympathetic character and enjoyed being in her head. Ms. Basso was very successful at showing how Rayna felt, especially when she thought she was relapsing. She felt like an authentic teenager who just happened to be a little special. I thought her decisions and actions were pretty believable and I never felt she entered “Too Stupid to Live” territory. I look forward to reading the next book from her perspective and seeing how she adapts to all the changes at the end of Shimmer.

Like so many YA novels these days, this book did have a slight love triangle, but Ms. Basso didn’t hit the reader over the head with it. Cam, an angel Rayna meets at her high school, was an intriguing character because he had to keep his distance from Rayne. There was major sparkage between them, but he couldn’t give in to his more human emotions without the risk of "Falling." Kade, on the other hand, has already fallen and we are lead to believe it is because he was in love with Rayna’s mother. He says some things later that make me wonder if that is the true reason, but it is obvious he is hiding things in his past. While he started out as a shady and kind of creepy character, by the end of the book he was absolutely lovely. He became a rock for Rayna, a lifeline… If nothing else, he truly became her friend. I’m interested to see how this plays out as both “men” have to be much older than Rayna, but they never treated her as inferior nor did they put her on a pedestal. As much as I liked Cam, I really hope we get a healthy dose of mysterious Kade in the next book.

Rayna’s classmates had their parts to play in the plot, but it was only her best friend Lee that was fleshed out as an actual character. I hope that Rayne doesn’t lose touch with him in the next book because I think he helps ground her and remind her that she is only human (we think) when she gets too involved with the angelic stuff. I’m undecided about Rayna’s family. Her mother is dead and there is definitely more that Rayna needs to learn about her. Her father and sister seemed supportive sometimes, but at others they were too quick to judge and they expressed their concerns much too harshly. I see redeeming qualities in her younger sister, but I just don’t understand her father’s actions.

This story read quickly and flowed very well. There were certain points where my dinner almost burned because I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters were so engaging, the dialogue snappy but expository, and the actual plot so engrossing that I read the entire book in just a few hours. While this one didn’t end with a true cliffhanger, I cannot wait to read the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Month9Books for providing an ARC copy of this book!

[Elicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also find this review at http://girlinthewoodsreviews.blogspot...

Detailed Review: When I finished reading this book, my first thoughts were 'Wow, this is just totally amazing.' This book has such a relaxing feeling to it that I feel like I'm out in the park once again, breathing in some fresh air. In other words, this book is original.

Nowadays, among mythology, many authors choose angels, or Nephillim, so it's getting quite suffocating with all these angel stuff in your head.

But to be honest, I didn't feel like that when I read this book.

This book is about a girl called Rayna, who because of her ability to see angels, was considered insane enough to be entered into a rehabilitation center. Nobody knows this but her sister and father, not even her best friend Lee. Her mother died in an accident a few years back.

Angels, Rayna was told didn't exist, and she suffered a sickness called schizophrenia, where the 'hallucinations' happened to convinced the patient that the people they loved, who had died was in heaven. Or rather there was such place called heaven.

But she wants to start once again. She wants a new life, untainted by angel sightings. She's still in remission but at least she was free from daily therapies. She managed to convince her family that she's changed. That is, until she saw the blonde-haired angel, who also goes to her school, with gleaming white wings that reflect the sun and feel soft underneath her touch. His name is Cam, or Camael.

That's when she starts to lose her sanity all over again, and to keep it in check, she writes everything in a notebook.

Add another angel with black wings, who feasts on human souls when he's hungry, and she just might as well die. His name is Kade, or Kassade. He's like the bad guy, BUT not quite. The real baddie hasn't shown up. Yet.

But something else is happening. The first thing:

She finds Alison Woodward, a fellow classmate in Art in a bathroom, with her blood pooling on the floor.

You know what happened before that? Alison had drawn an ANGEL without a face but with black wings, with a blue background.

And if you're wondering, no it's not Kade.

It's Azriel, one of Lucifer's worshippers. Lucifer is the king of the Underworld. I'm sure you should know that by now if you read the Bible.

But what he wants are not the students that die under his grip, including Lee, but Rayna herself. She is a weapon to both heaven and hell, armed with the ability to see and locate angels, something that she herself won't even accept. Angels like Cam, the good guys actually can't see the Fallen Ones like Kade or Azriel since they weren't able to see each other's wings. That purpose is to avoid slaughter between both parties when they meet on Earth.

Torn between the one that is good and the one that is bad, her confused feelings are muddled as she finds herself attracted to the angels that she has learnt to take from granted when they are actually real.

I just think that previous paragraph is really what makes the book good. The unrequited love between Cam and Rayna, and between Kade and Rayna is what will draw our attentions the most, along with the mystery of the deaths of the students in the story.

Brief Review: Just amazing. Best Angel book I've ever read. I'd give anythig to read the sequel! This book has brought me to another level of understanding of angels. This book has absolutely shown how much effort the author has put into it. Armed with its own originality and freedom, this book has completely charmed my heart.

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing'

[Heather B (Owlnestly Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owlnestly Book Reviews

I LOVED this book. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book because it seemed to be a bit melodramatic with the newly released insane hospital patient Rayna. It starts off that she has just been released from the SS crazy, also known as the hospital she has to go to after claiming to see the angels. Dr. G has been telling her that she is a schizophrenic and that the only way for her to get better is to know that the winged angels she sees are illusions, they aren't real. She even begins to believe this, and so she is released from the SS crazy But, it turns out she isn't crazy after all and angels really do exist, and they are just as shocked to know that she can see them as she is to be able to see them.

I felt for Rayna in this book. If she was scared or angry, I was right there with her. The author makes you very empathetic to Rayna's situation and I became very attached to Rayna very quickly. There were parts when I did become very frustrated with Rayna because I didn't want to her to be the damsel in distress and I felt that at times she seemed to be just very stupid at her situation in general. The one example of this was when her dad found out that she could still see the angels. I knew it was going to happen because of the events unfolding up until that, but I still felt for her in every moment. I felt that I was also being taken back to the SS Crazy on that stupid sunshine van. I suppose this was a very good thing, because I became so enthralled with Rayna and the events unfolding that I needed to continue her story. I just could not put the book down.

The other characters in the story were also very noteworthy and riveting. I loved Cam and especially Kade. I guess I just have a soft spot for the bad boys and their dark wings, pun intended. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants a good read to help them escape into an enchanting new world of angels. Pick up this book when it is released in January and you will not regret it, I guarantee it.

owlnestlyreviews.blogspot.com

[Seanean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since around the time of the death of her mother, Rayna has been able to see angels. When she discovered that others were thinking she was nuts for seeing them, she tried to hide her ability, but it never quite worked out.

Now she's out of the mental health clinic again after multiple stints over the last three years and she thinks she finally has this beat. Maybe now, with her meds and multiple therapy sessions, she'll finally stop seeing them.

But fate doesn't give Ray a break.

Not only is she seeing an angel in all his glory, with shining wings and stunning looks, now he's going to her school and he's figured out that she knows what he is. As an added bonus, there's a second angel with black wings who seems to be stalking her at her new job.

Add in the apparent suicides and the threat of a Fallen angel and Rayna may be only seconds away from getting committed to the clinic forever.

Final thoughts: Super fast read, but not well done. My biggest problem is Rayna being committed at all, let alone repeatedly. Committing someone against her will is usually only done when someone is a danger to herself or others, right? Rayna admits that until now she's only seen about one angel a month and nothing has happened before this, so 3 years of being locked up? And how can her dad have her committed with just a journal when she's keeping safe and maintaining a job (although she's extremely clumsy)? It's completely unbelievable, so it makes the rest of the story kind of stupid. There's also nothing to explain why the angels suddenly appeared to her and I'm wondering why no one is questioning her parentage. People are talking about a love triangle, but I have the strange feeling that could get kind of gross in future books. Does no one else suspect Kade, especially after he Fell from heaven for Ray's mother? It's poorly written, Ray's extremely panicky and whiny, and her family is barely written, let alone caring.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ARC copy was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rayna is a mentally tormented teen who has seen angels since the death of her mother. She has been treated with medication, hospitalization and therapy for her hallucinations. The real problem is, she CAN see angels, both good angels and fallen angels and they are back in her life again and no one believes her, even though several teens have committed suicide for no apparent reason. She has become a pawn between Heaven and Hell. This book actually made me feel pain. Pain for all Rayna has gone through, pain for the good angel, and pain for the fallen angel who wants to be 'good' and pain for Rayna's family, who have suffered through her illness. I have to say that Rayna's character was strong and I was impressed with her. The two teen angels, both were 'dreamy' in their own way. That Rayna became a pawn for a demon, hadn't the girl suffered enough? This is an engaging, well-written book that once picked up, was hard to put down. A good YA read!

[Mutmainna · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALSO CROSS POSTED ON MY BLOG.

Oh my goodness! I loved the book! I loved the cover, the characters AND the storyline.

I’d like to mention that that I was not sure whether I should give it a 5 star or not. If you are up to reviewing, then this might have happened to you sometimes as well. Giving 4.5 stars seem unfair, and giving whole 5 means maybe giving away a little too much. I have a feeling that the book is in between a 4.5 and a 5. But obviously I can’t give it a weird and peculiar rating like 4.75 because that would make it look more like a mathematical issue and I don’t want that (math not being one of my favorites back in school or college) So yeah, I finally decided to stick to the sweet looking 5!

Rayna. This name. One of my most favorite names. I pronounced her name whenever I came across it in the story. A girl with such a pretty name, who appears (or at least tries to) to be normal to her class, to her friends. But her family knows what she is, or, more appropriately, they think they know.(they are SO wrong!)

Rayna is assumed to be mentally a little ill, only because she can see ‘things’, that her family, or the world in general believe don’t exist.

Angels-real ones-don’t exist. Maybe. Or not.

Her special sight not only causes her familial or any minor trouble, she is forced to go through treatment in order to continue herself that they really ‘don’t exist’. After coming to the city, and hoping for a new start, she realizes she may not have been cured at all…or is there something else, something bigger, something graver, that she herself is unaware of?

Angels don’t exist. They never had. Dr. G had made me see that during our therapy sessions. And yet, three months, twelve days, and fifteen hours after my release, there they were. Again.

Her continuous denial and the way her family treats her makes her doubt herself, causes her to lack the confidence she needs in herself. She doesn’t take her sight as a power, or a blessing, rather a sign of lunacy at times.

I belonged, well, I wasn’t sure where I belonged- maybe the loony bin- but my place sure as hell wasn’t with the angels.

Surprisingly, after one point, things seem to take a 360 degree turn. When she realizes that the sight she has is not a sign of lunacy but really something unique, almost like a power, it becomes a matter of life and death to her. Everything she’s related to seems to revolve around this.

I was beginning to learn it didn’t matter what I did, I couldn’t escape the crazy. It was part of me. It was who I was.

My life now depended on being able to see the angels.

Entry of Cam, and shortly after that, of Kade (I think I’m in love with the name ‘Kade’) They are not, let’s say, not ‘human’ at all (so much for not giving away any spoilers:p) To be honest, Kade appeared more appealing to me at the first look compared to Cam. I’m not always a fan of ‘white’ things you see (black seems to be pretty cool, or hot, whatever) But the more you get to know him, you must admit he’s, at least to a bit, drool-worthy :D Though Rayna develops a weakness for Cam, jealous and all:

Why should I care what way Cassie looked at him? I didn’t even like him. Really, I didn’t…Right. It wasn’t Cassie’s Cassie’s fault. It was Cam’s. Because of that crooked thing he does with his lip when he’s concentrating too hard.

Great, now I was staring.

My vote goes for Kade a-l-l the way. Plus I like the cute fighting chemistry between Kade and Ray:

Footsteps clacked down the hall…Those cool, black feathers contoured to my skin. I stiffened…I splayed my hand…”So soft”, I pressed my cheek against them, rubbing it up and down.

He watched me and shook his head. “You’re so gone.”

“Don’t complain. Statistically, it’s the safest way to travel.”

Throughout the whole story, I was really feeling bad for Rayna. Poor girl…she doesn’t deserve the kind of treatment she gets from her family. I believe that one’s home or family is the only thing that can be a place of solace when things get messy. Instead, here her family itself seems to doubt about the state of her mind, her mental condition. She’s so terrified of the fact that she does not feel like sharing her unusual experience at the school and diner with her family. First she tries not to acknowledge the whole thing, just so that she can avoid being called crazy all over again, and then she just pretends to be normal in a way her family wants her to be. I think it’s really, really painful when you have to put up with ALL that all by yourself : ( I mean, she’s just a little girl! *imaginary hug*

Then there’s Az, but somehow I didn’t feel pissed at him that much, something I usually do for all the baddies. With Cam and Kade around, he seemed a little less ‘harmful’ :p I mean you have to be bad, really bad to be a successful villain right? (So that it’s easier for me to feel like strangling you) I guess he’ll grow a total kick-ass baddie in the next book (if it’s a continuation), but for the time being, let me enjoy him being in hell (literally!)

Okay, so the situation Rayna is given to face immediately after the last fight (or flight?) sequence, is very, very surprising. I myself haven’t expected it at all. I’m really looking forward to knowing what happens next and how she deals with this new ‘baggage’. Also, I’m really hoping Kade isn’t pretending to be something he’s not because that’ll break my heart into millions of pieces (I don’t care what happens to Rayna, she is confused and selfish :p) Oh and I love Rayna’s bond with Lee. He seems like a wonderful fellow. I’m strongly hoping he remains a wonderful fellow and doesn’t turn out to be a cupid-struck poor guy.

Overall it’s a wonderful, wonderful book. After finishing a book, I usually give it some time so that my excitement doesn’t affect my reviews. I did the same for this book. But trust me; the moment I took to reviewing, my excitement was as same as before. Starting from its cover (my never-ending cover greed) to the whole story till the end, it’s a complete treat! If you want to read something other than vampire-werewolf fantasy (no offense, I really love them), this is really, really, really going to be very refreshing.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5

~Contains spoilers!~

Let my start by saying I have a  serious case of cover lust! Pretty, so very pretty.

On to more serious stuff, like Rayna's mental disease. The MC of A Shimmer of Angels can see angels. She had the hallucinations for a long time, but a 3 year-long stint in a mental facility cured her. Doc Graham, her psychiatrist, assures her she is in remission and well enough to go home. The problem?  Queue in three months later, after she's already made a good friend, Lee, and gotten a job as a waitress in a diner, she sees another angel. Only this hallucination proves inescapable as she imagines it/him, Cam, going to her school.

Rayna is such an interesting and well written MC. After being stuck in the hospital for so long, she's skittish, jumpy and terrified her illness might come back. A very sweet, gentle, yet strong character. At the beginning of the book, she actually comes across as batshit crazy, which is such a refreshing new take when it comes to a YA heroine.

Her best friend, who is, coincidentally, her only friend, has no idea Rayna was/is sick or that she was hospitalized for it. This makes for a fun and easy-going relationship between the two; their banter is so normal, friendly and funny, it reads real and I can't help but wish their relationship was explored more in the novel.

The characterization is pretty much non-existent for secondary characters, like, say, angel boy Cam, but it's really well done for Rayna and Kade. She's smart, tries to be as logical as she can be in extreme situations, she even keeps track of the number of angels she's ever seen, inside her closet on the back panel, like a convict might keep track of the days passed.

Actually, I'd go as far as saying Basso treats her main character cruelly. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Rayna, does indeed, see angels. Before coming to this realization, she's terrified she might be getting sick again, a cold fear that's so well described and put into words, it makes you feel so sorry for her. After she understands the truth, she really starts going crazy because of all the scary, uncontrollable things happening around her. Cruel, see? But it creates such a different and novel premise/heroine. In other words, it's awesome!

Also, teen angst? Well, as long as there's the possibility ( in her head, anyway) of being actually bonkers, then it's not angst. It's real fear and I say bring it on.

The other fleshed out character is Kade, the Dark One.  He is crazy. Unhinged. Weird. Dangerous. And totally hot. Plus, unlike Cam who sounds like your garden variety teenager, Kade actually sounds like an old soul.

The rest of the characters are sketched out but that's about it. Not even her family, the dad and the sister, aren't that present in the book.

The angel lore is handled well and ties up in nicely with the plot, the string of murders in her highschool. There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, starting with what the heck is Rayna and ending with what the heck is Rayna, but I'm assuming they'll be answered in the second installment of the series.  To be honest, even though I would have liked an answer while reading, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. Knowing what she could do was enough to be able to follow the storyline without any difficulties. There are a couple of hints to what she might be, but that's it.

The book is uneven in that it has such a promising start, a rocky middle in which Rayna handles a couple of things very badly, and an unexpected ending but an engaging one nevertheless.

The writing's alright. It flows smooth and easy, it's well structured and edited and it's funny. A Shimmer of Angels is a very funny and light read, which is not to say it's fluff because it's not. There's perfect blending between the fun parts of the novel and the heartbreaking, dark parts. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Of course, my biggest problem was the almost-s0rt of-maybe love triangle. No! Cam? Cam's a cookie cutter, almost non present, cardboard cut out who must obey the rules - rules that clearly indicate he can't be with Rayna . All the while, Kade's awesome. Fun, sarcastic, saving her ass at every turn. Sure, there's the slight problem that he dated her mom but, come on, don't you people watch Gossip Girl? That's totally a non issue.

Despite its flaws, I really liked Basso's book, most definitely going to read the next book in the series, too.

*I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. That in no way influenced my review

Read this review, and others, here:

[Faye, la Patata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can also be read on The Social Potato

I would like to give a huge thank you to Netgalley and Month9Books, for providing a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Okay, first things first - the cover. My god, it's so beautiful. Who edited this? Someone give him a promotion right now! The colors are absolutely mesmerizing! This has got to be one of the best covers I've seen. The model is beautiful, too, and the overall package totally gives that... angel vibe.

Let me just say that I've read a lot of angel books this year, and unfortunately, not many of them worked for me. However, those that did stand out were really good - solid plot, effective villains, awesome characters - and as luck would have it, A Shimmer of Angels, Lisa Basso's debut work, was one of those few. A tormented, angst-filled teenager named Rayna who can see angels, two stunning and captivating angels fighting for her AND alongside her, an evil antagonist coming all the way from the pits of hell - what else could you possibly ask for?

With that said, I absolutely LOVED the book. I wasn't supposed to read it so soon, since I had something else before it, but I was out and didn't have my iPad with me. Since I NEED to read something, in or out of the house, I got comfortable with my kindle and started to read it. Needless to say, it was love at first sight. I got into it so much that I just had to finish it even after I got home. In any case, it was a good, and fast-paced read. The characters were charming and interesting, the premise was well-constructed and the writing was very impressive, especially for a debut work! The internal narration was formulated so well that it was able to capture Rayna's emotions - her fears, her insecurities, and her worries - in all their raw emotion glory!


Of course, the question now is - why a 4 out of 5? Why not... well... 5 stars?! Hmm, let's just say that Rayna was quite annoying at the beginning. She's one of the sensible heroines out there, true that, but man, she did a lot of things that made me want to pull my hair because of frustration! For example, she was being accused by her best friend, Lee, that she hooked up with a douchebag. Of course, this wasn't true, but how could she tell him what actually happened? So what did she do? Well, like any other Mary Sue heroine, she decided to let him think whatever he wants, even if what he was presuming was far from the truth.

Um, no. Just no. Have some common sense, girl. He's your only friend left and all you're doing is alienating him from you. WTF. How hard could it be to just say "No, that's not true. You know that I wouldn't do that. Do I seem like that kind of girl to you?" instead of staying quiet and mumbing, "I... I... I..." *facepalm* There were also few instances where Rayna became too angsty for me to tolerate. I like angst - it presents one's frustrations towards the world, and it's really interesting to read about it, but if overdone, it can become very annoying. Her constant blabbering about how she didn't want to go back to the institution, or how angels weren't real (even though she had enough proof that they were real), got too much after a while. I felt like throwing the book every time she went emo, BUT, thankfully, this didn't last. Things got really interesting and thrilling halfway through the book with talks of fallen angels and hell. Oh, and off course, the love triangle. Although it's too subtle to call it that at this point. Meet Camael and Kade, one an angel with white, glowing wings as bright as the sun, and the other with wings as black as the night. Both hot. Both captivating.

It's still not certain who Rayna will end up with at this point. Usually, the guy introduced first gets the girl, but I'm not too sure! I like Kade a lot. He's funny, snarky and more real than Cam, who seemed very... distant and held back? That's prolly because of his angel duties, but still!!! I'm SO #TeamKade!!

In any case, this book was really good, and I'd recommend it to all paranormal/angel lovers out there! I can't wait until it's finally released! I'll surely buy a physical copy!

[Anatea Oroz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also posted on my blog, Anatea's Bookshelf.

As you probably already know, I've been reading angel themed books like crazy in the last few months and I really enjoyed most of them. So naturally, when I picked A Shimmer of Angels I tought I would enjoy this one too. And guess what, I did! Besides absolutely gorgeous cover this book is both interesting and engrossing.

The story starts 3 months after Rayna is released from a mental institution for seeing angels, or more accurately, for seeing wings. Everybody thinks she is insane, so after a while she starts believing it too. After being institutionalized for 3 years, she thinks she is healed. She tries living a normal life in a new place, but the wings came back and she's seeing them again, in her school, on her job. But wings are not the only weird thing that happened. Some of the kids in her school commited suicide, only Rayna doesn't believe they were suicide's and she wants to find out what actually happened to them.

I enjoyed the plot for the most part. In the beggining I was a little bothered by the constant denial. She knew she could see wings, touch them, feel the breeze they created, but she still refused to believe in it. I know she thought it wasn't true because she was the only one who could see them so I was very happy when she finaly accepted the truth. After that I have no complaints. The rest of the story more than made up for my small dislikement in the beginning.

Even though I was a little bit furious with Rayna because of her stubbornness, I still liked her as a character. I felt sorry for her more than anything. She had a hard life. With everybody thinking she is insane, she stayed strong and fought for her friends and family and that's a quality I like in my heroins.

The love interests. Yes it's a plural. We have a love triangle in this book, but I found myself not minding it. While Cam is kind and sweet, Kade is the complete opposite. He acts like a bad boy, when in fact he's the one who truly cared for Rayna and was there when she needed someone, unlike Cam, who let her down more than once. If you still haven't figured out, I'm team Kade all the way!

A Shimmer of Angels is Lisa's debut novel which would be very hard to tell from her writing. Her writing is beautiful and it puts some other much more experienced authors to shame.

I really enjoyed A Shimmer of Angels and I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment in Angel Sight trilogy. If you're a fan of angel themed books, like myself, you won't regret picking up this book, and even if you're not a fan, you probably should give it a try.

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[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso is a young adult novel that begins slowly, but picks up speed near the middle of the story. While the novel is somewhat predictable and a bit cliche, it is an emotional story full of anger and misunderstanding. A fast read with touches of romance here and there, Basso's debut into the world of young adult novels is powerful and dangerous.

Ray has been in and out of a mental institute for a good portion of her life. Why? Because she can see angels, or can she? It isn't until her most recent release that Ray's world starts to make a little more sense and she begins to question whether angels are real, or just a figment of her schizophrenic imagination.

One of the most popular topics in young adult literature today is that of angels, so I was expecting the predictable scenarios that often plague overused topics in literature. Thankfully, Basso adds a bit of originality into her story line with her powerful and independent protagonist, Ray.

Ray's name hints at her power and I think it is something the reader should consider as the series progresses. The name "Ray" depicts a streak of light, most likely from the sun--i.e. a ray of sunlight. I am a sucker for names that hint at the protagonist's purpose, so this was not lost on me.

There is romance beneath the layers of anxiety Ray experiences, but I was glad to see that it didn't take up the whole novel. Whereas other novels love to make the romance between the characters the main focal point of the story, Basso makes it something that occurs along the way in Ray's hectic life.

Ray's character grows from a timid, fearful person to a powerful guardian of sorts. Though I do not agree with some of her choices, she is one tough protagonist. Her family life is fraught with unfairness, but Basso makes the reader consider what her father is experiencing as well.

The male characters that surround Ray kind of irritated me, just because of their inaction. Though they are ridiculously sexy, they have their faults. But in a way, their lack of action turns Ray into a much stronger character. This is where originality comes into play--instead of falling to pieces, Ray accepts her fate, but slowly builds herself up without the help of the men in her life.

Readers who love angels and fierce protagonists will most likely enjoy A Shimmer of Angels. Written in quick and witty prose, Basso's novel is a fun twist on the angel genre that will have the reader yearning for more.

[Chan Luo Qi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: A Shimmer of Angels

Note: This book is an ARC I received from the publisher via netgalley. However, this does not in any way affect my review.

A Shimmer of Angels
By: Lisa M. Baso
Expected publication: 29th January 2013
Publisher: Month9books, LLC

This book absolutely blew me away. IT LITERALLY BLEW MY MIND. I loved loved loved A Shimmer of Angels.

A Shimmer of Angels is written in the perspective of a clinically certified mental teenager. Why? Because she could see wings. As in, angel wings. Discharged from the mental hospital after 3 years, Rayna all but strives for normalcy. As much as she wills herself to ignore the pair of bright wings in the classroom, it doesn’t work. Then, a strange series of events occur, including the death of some of her schoolmates. It doesn’t take long for Rayna to figure out that she had to be the one to do something.

Okay, let me confess that I don’t really know how to write a review for this book because I’m afraid my words wouldn’t do the book justice. Yes, A Shimmer of Angels was that spectacular.

The writing was phenomenal. Really, Lisa is a genius.

As I’ve said earlier, this book was written in the point of view of a crazy person. It was interesting as much as it was intense looking into the head of a crazy person, or, at least in the head of someone who believed she was insane. The writing was so good that while reading in Rayna’s point of view, I felt myself getting sucked into the world of crazy, and slip from reality. To those who haven’t read anything like that, let me tell you this, IT IS SCARY.

So scary, that I literally had to force myself to stop reading and hang on to reality. But trust me, forcing myself to take breaks in between was excruciating. All I could in the short 5 minutes was tweet about the book.

I loved the interactions between Ray and Kade! they were so cute and hilarious together they keep making me go "aww" at random points of the book. Although the love triangle was a great part in the plot, I didn't believe in the affection between Ray and Cam at all. the romance was great at first but then kind of fell flat at the end.

Anyway, though I cannot stress this enough, the writing is crazy good. at least, I enjoyed it very much. I honestly didn't think much of the plot and romance of the book, so what got me going for the book was purely the writing.

When I finsihed this book, I had a book hangover so bad that I had to wait a full day before I could start another book.

Lisa M. Baso is one author to watch!

YAY can't wait for the next book to be published! (And this one still hasn't been published yet, heh, I'm in for a long wait :/)


Love,
Luoqi

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe in Angels. And yes, Demons too. I still believe in my Guardian Angel even though I'm old enough for people to make fun of me believing them. But I do and I still pray at night, you know the kid's prayer:

"Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen."

I still pray that at night and I can't sleep if I didn't plus I get monsters in my dreams if I forgot to pray to my Guardian Angel. So you might be wondering why the heck am I telling all this things to you in my review?

Well, A Shimmer of Angels is about a girl who could see Angels and Demons. But the people around her thought that they are not real. There's no Angels or wings for that matter and she was taken straight to the loony bin. She was there for 3 years. Going in and out of the Mental Health Clinic. They thought she was insane, heck she thought she's losing it when she saw them yet again after months of being clear.

For the first part, I was a bit annoyed because of the MC talking to herself over and over and over again that she wouldn't go back to that place and that she can't slip up cause she knew her dad would throw her back to that MHC if he see some sign that might lead to being crazy again. And when she met Cam, ugh, she became doubly crazy. LOL. BUT it gets better, in my opinion and totally worth it.

I have all these questions in my mind that were not answered in the end but it left me craving for more. I want to know what would happen to the next book. I keep on thinking that she's a half-angel or something since it was what I read over the past Angel books I've read and that's it for the twist. But I don't know if I am wrong since Basso didn't tell me anything about it to solidify what I suspect instead she gave me another thing to thought of.

I can't say that I'm surprised at what happened to Ray at the latter part of the book and having that... I wanna know more so bad. I want to know more about her mother and what was the relationship her mother and Kade had.

Oh, I want Kade for her. Cause Cam is still an Angel and I don't think he is determined, if ever to Fall for Ray. So I want Kade!!! Kade is the bad boy we girls love. Say NO to good boys. LOL. :P

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Shimmer of Angels was a fantastic, extraordinary book from Month9Books. I adored it! Every single page i turned, I kept being pushed and grabbed into Reyna's world, full of angels, and maybe a few murders in between.

Plot: The plot was something I can hardly explain. It was thrilling, romantic, mysterious and everything in between! Rayna truly showed her true side of things with hearing her thoughts and living her "hallucinations". As I read the first page, I immediately was pulled into the story. Angels are a subject that I like to think of different, because each angelic book is unqiue, some with fallen angels, heavenly angels, but this one, made me feel that it had everything that a stunning book needs. Everything.

Characters: Rayna, Cam, and everyone else made me smile, inside and out. Their thoughts and words were inspirtation to me, and I know that it will be to anyone else.

Love: The romance here was perfect. The love triangle made me even more anxious, wondering whose side Rayna will be on. As we can see, she loves them both. I would too. <3

Overall: Please, please, please, I'm begging you all to read this book. It's amazing, and thank you Month9Books for publishing it, and for Lisa Basso for writing it. My world would be lost. 5/5 star rating.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much better than I had been expecting. I expected to be entertained, but I figured it would be a bit cheesy (don't ask why, I just did). But I can happily say that I was surprised by how much I liked this book. A lot of other reviewers have compared it to Fallen and Hush Hush, but I've read both of those and I liked this book better.

The story is pretty original in a lot of ways. There is a love triangle which is kind of a downer, because eventually Rayna will have to choose someone and I always feel like these protagonists pick the wrong guy. However, that's about the extent of the downers for this book. I loved that Rayna had spent so much time in a loony bin for seeing angels, and her fight to stay sane and stay free is emotionally gripping.

The characters are all pretty complex and interesting, especially Rayna and Kade. Cam felt two-dimensional. They all play off each other pretty well to make the story more entertaining.

There is some cursing in the book and some kissing. There is a bit of innuendo but basically it is pretty clean.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My blog: Books for Kids

[Kelly Hashway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love angel books. I just have to start by saying that. And now I'll tell you that this one is different. In a very good way. Rayna see angels, which makes her family think she's crazy. Only she's not. There are angels causing all sorts of problems at her school, and stopping them will mean exposing herself... again. She's tried to convince her father and sister that she's better, not having hallucinations. And now she comes to find they aren't hallucinations at all, but she's the only one who can see the angels for what they really are. In fact, they can't even see each other's wings.

There are two angels who play a big role in this story—Cam, the angel who follows the rules, or at least tries to, and Kade, the Fallen angel who is tied to Rayna in a way she never would have imagined. I loved them both. I know one is supposedly on the wrong side, but is anything ever really black and white? No, and it's not here either. Rayna needs both angels if she's going to survive a fight with the strongest of the Fallen.

This book held my attention from beginning to end. It's definitely worth the read, and I'm really excited for the next book in the series.