Angel Evolution (Evolution #1) by David Estes

After reading The Moon Dwellers (Book #1 Dweller trilogy), I became hook to David Estes’ style, so I decided to read Angel Evolution (Book #1 Evolution trilogy) which was his first novel. I’d love to be able to give it the rave review that I gave Moon Dwellers, but alas, I cannot. He was still able to reel me in, but I found issue with a lot more things in this novel.  I try to give authors the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their first novels because any reader or writer knows that the first work is usually not one’s best work (see my review of Before I Fall). I will definitely do the same for Mr. Estes because I know from reading Moon Dwellers that his technique has improved.

Summary

Taylor is a freshman at the University of Trinton when she meets Gabriel Knight. She notices a light shining around him that no one else seems to see. She is curious about him, but also seems to fear him. She later learns that Gabriel is an angel and soon falls in love with him. Little does Taylor know that their meeting and her infatuation was planned as Gabriel was sent there on a mission for his people…to convince Taylor to join the angels in the Great War against the demons. However, as Gabriel spends time with Taylor, he develops real feelings for her.  This leads to internal conflict for Gabriel…does he follow his orders and get Taylor to join the angel cause and help with “the plan” or does he follow his heart and protect the one he loves even if it means going against everything he knows?

Review

The plot and story line of the novel did hook me, so I will see it through the entire series. I like the fact that the characters are in their first year of college and that parents play a very minor role (they’re hardly mentioned at all). I like this in contrast to most other YA novels where the characters are in High School, making the characters slightly more mature (although you must take into account that it’s their first year and their first time away from home, which is usually when most college students are the craziest). I also like that the world of Angels and Demons in this novel is very different than most other Angel/Demon novels I've read (i.e., Fallen and Hush, Hush). You pretty much have to forget everything you learned in Sunday school or Church when you read this; there are no religious aspects to this world. The story of how the Angels and Demons came to exist is different, they have more powers, and their views in regards to humans are different.

However, there were a few things that annoyed me about this book. First, being my second novel by Mr. Estes, I notice that he likes to give the reader more than one character’s point-of-view (POV). When done well, as in The Moon Dwellers, this can be unique, versatile, and enlightening. However, in this novel it often became annoying and confusing. It is particularly annoying and confusing when he switches POV several times within the same scene. Let me also point out that the entire story is told in the third person, so the constant switching wasn't always necessary. There were actually instances where I found myself saying “ OK, whose mind are we looking into now?”  Finding out what was going on in the minds of everyone was great and all, but seriously not worth all the confusion with the switching. Having the story in the third person rather than first allows for much better options to get into everyone’s head.  

My second issue is a rather minor one, but I was still annoyed. There was one instance in the novel where I felt Mr. Estes overstated the obvious. Taylor and Sam are at a pizza parlor with Gabriel and another guy (not mentioning names to avoid spoilers). Sam orders 3 pizza pies to eat between the four of them (a bit too much food if you ask me). The point of the scene is to show some rivalry (not mentioning between whom) between characters as they eat the pizza. The part that annoyed me was that Mr. Estes broke down the basic math. Three pies, 10 slices in each, half of one pie was eaten, 25 slices left, two characters ate 12 each, yadda, yadda. I understand that this is a YA novel and I’m all for details, but I feel that sometimes authors need to give the reader the benefit of the doubt and have confidence that the reader can follow along without everything being explained. In this case, assume the reader is able to do basic math (or at the very least knows how to use a calculator). I’m pretty sure if I asked my 12 year old niece “if there are three pies with 10 slices in each and half of one pie was eaten, how many is left?” she’d know the answer, even if it took her a minute to think about it. Plus, the exact math was not the real point of the situation, so why spend so much time explaining it? Granted in the end it didn't deter me from finishing the book, but I did spend a moment  thinking “seriously? That needed to be explained?”

Third, Taylor as a character contradicts herself. She goes on and on about how her mother taught her to be strong and independent and yet time and again she give into temptation. She talks about how she’s not going to let Gabriel control how the relationship progresses, even shows it by not letting him hold her hand or put his arm around her in public. However, she gives into him rather quickly. Although she admits to not having much experience with relationships, I don’t feel that a woman who claims to be so strong and independent would give themselves to someone so easily and so quickly. I feel that Gabriel should’ve had to work harder to convince her. Maybe it would've made the book longer, but it would've been a bit more realistic and made Taylor a stronger character.

Finally, some characters and their interactions annoyed me. Sam is extremely annoying, which I’m sure Mr. Estes was going for. How she and Taylor could be friends for so long considering that they’re polar opposites (Sam a beautiful, shallow, vain socialite and Taylor an average looking, modest, and socially awkward introvert) is beyond me. To Sam’s credit, however, she does really care for Taylor and it is sad that it takes so long in the book for us to truly see any real substance within Sam. 

Taylor's use of the word "man" (e.g., "Are you screwin' with me, man?") bothered me as well because I just didn't feel it fit Taylor's character, at least not the way I pictured her in my head.  Granted it was only a few instances but that only made it feel even more unnatural. When Gabriel used the term (e.g., "Look, man, I didn't expect to...") it felt a bit more natural to me because of when and how he said it and because of the kind of character I envision him to be. But when Taylor said it, it just felt wrong. I believe there are some characters in books (both male and female) that are presented in a way that it would make sense for them to speak particular slang terms and phrases. I just don't feel that Taylor is one of those characters. 

I also think that some of the dialogue between the characters, particularly the comical moments, felt unnatural. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can give an example without giving too much away, so all I can really say is that the some of the jokes were cliché and felt forced.

And I hate the nickname “Tay”. Just need to say that.

Overall, I wasn't thoroughly impressed with this book, particularly after reading The Moon Dwellers. So if you’re reading this book first and you find yourself questioning whether you want to read anything else by Mr. Estes, I implore you to read Moon Dwellers before making that decision. If you are reading this book first and you really love it, I say brace yourself because it gets even better.  As I said before, I do plan on seeing this series through and I will give you my perceptions on the other two books. I recommend this book to all Angel/Demon fans because it’s different from other Angel/Demon novels.  I did like this book, but The Moon Dwellers is still my favorite Estes book.

Co-blogging and the future of Renee's Library

Hello everyone, I know it's been a while, but I plan on making a comeback. :D

Today I'm writing to announce that in addition to this blog and my cross stitching blog (http://nitzascrossstitch.blogspot.com/), I have now become a co-blogger with four other bloggers on BookBooks&MoreBooks (http://theshortone08.blogspot.com/). I met the creator of the blog, Martha, in a group on goodreads.com and she said she was looking for bloggers, so I volunteered along with two others. However, I am not abandoning this blog (although at this point it seems like I have). BooksBooks&MoreBooks (or BBMB for short) is mostly YA novel reviews and Martha has allowed me to posts my reviews here as well (although I'll change them a bit before posting them here). Plus, I will also review Adult fiction and memoirs here. 

So check out BBMB and be prepared for new reviews here as well in the coming weeks. Renee's library will continue! 

The Moon Dwellers (Book #1 of the Dwellers Saga)

I received a free copy of The Moon Dwellers, the first book in the Dwellers trilogy, by David Estes in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the Hunger Games trilogy, I have become a devout fan of dystopian fiction. I definitely feel that The Mood Dwellers belongs in the same category as the Hunger Games, the Razorland trilogy, and other similar novels. It is an action packed, suspenseful page-turner and I enjoyed every minute reading it.

Here is the situation. After a series of events made the earth’s surface inhabitable, humans were forced to go underground and eventually create the Tri-realms: the Sun Realm, the Moon Realm, and the Star Realm.  Seventeen- year-old Adele Rose is in the Pen as part of a life sentence after her parents were arrested and convicted as traitors. When she turns 18, which will be soon, she will be transferred to the “Max” to serve out the rest of her sentence. Her younger sister, Elsey, is currently at an orphanage and her parents have been taken to parts unknown, possibly dead. With the help of her new friends Tawni and Cole, Adele is determined to break out of the Pen and find her family.

One day, while sitting in the courtyard of the Pen, Adele spots Tristan Nailin as he travels past during his tour of the Mood Realm. Tristan is a Sun Dweller and the eldest son of President Nailin who rules the Tri-Realms. Tristan is a celebrity within the Tri-realms and most girls would do anything just to be in his presence. Adele, however, has never been enticed by his status or his good looks. To her, Tristan is just a spoil Sun dweller that lives a life of luxury in the Sun Realm while the Moon and Star dwellers suffer a life of poverty and hardship. When Tristan and Adele make eye contact, however, they experience intense headaches for reasons unknown. Tristan detests his father, the Sun Realm, and his celebrity status. Curious about his intense attraction to Adele (but, not in the “love-at-first-sight” kind of way) and the intense pain that he experiences in her presence and desperate to get away from his father and the Sun Realm, Tristan decides to go on a journey, with his friend and servant Roc, to the Moon Realm to find Adele.  And to top off everything, a war begins to brew within the Tri-Realms. The story is told in the alternating points of view of Adele and Tristan.

All the characters in this book are three dimensional with strong personalities, especially the main characters Adele and Tristan. There are no shallow characters; actually those types of people are severely frowned upon by Adele, Tristan and their friends. I think my favorite character was Cole. He is a really intense, mysterious man who is quick tempered but just as quickly comical and forgiving. He is also very protective and is a good judge of character. Although he is very curious about her, he seems to trust Adele and want to help her quite quickly. In turn, Cole’s sarcastic nature helps to break the ice that has formed around Adele over her 6 months in the Pen. Adele is quickly drawn to and mirrors Cole’s humor. There are a few interactions between them that had me laughing out loud. As a matter of fact, a good amount of sarcasm and comic relief can be found throughout the book, even within the thoughts of Adele and Tristan.

For the action fans out there, you will definitely not be disappointed with this book. There are plenty of battle scenes that include swords, whips, guns, and Tasers. But the most intriguing one are the old fashioned, hand to hand battles where there is taunting and the participants circle each other before engaging.  And despite the obvious separation of classes (Sun dwellers being the upper class, Moon being the middle and Star being the lower) and the dictatorship society (although, Tristan mentions many times how his father wants to be referred to as President rather than King…you know, to give the illusion of a democracy when there clearly isn't one…classic dystopian), there still remains a sense of fair play in battle, at least on occasion. For example, in the Pen, when a fight breaks out between two prisoners (or “guests” as the guards ironically call them), even if one of the prisoners has a group of friends or is a part of a gang, no one is to interfere with the battle.

I would have to agree with one reviewer who questioned the characters’ ability to heal quickly. I don’t feel it is in the sense that one minute the character is badly injured and the next they’re 100% better. It’s more like at one point the character is injured to the point of needing medical attention and a scene or two later, the injury is kind of an after-thought as the character gets involved in another life threatening situation, performing heroic deeds.   I will take the question even further, however, by asking how in a post-apocalyptic world where people are suffering from poverty can these kids get access to proper medical supplies? For example, not giving too much away, there is a point where Tristan and Roc suffer severe injury in battle and one of the characters (won’t name names to avoid spoilers) is able to hide safely and get food, medical supplies, and mats within a relatively short amount of time. I know this is fiction and the protagonists are supposed to overcome great adversity to accomplish their goals, but most readers would prefer that this be at least somewhat realistic. And this is not to single out Mr. Estes and his writing...this is not the first time I've seen this. It’s not a huge turn off for me, but it is the kind of thing that has my scratching my head a little.

There is one mistake that I found and I wonder if it was purposeful or if I read it wrong (I went back a couple of times to make sure). As I mentioned, the book alternates between the POV of Adele and Tristan and each change in POV is labeled. Not to veer off the topic, but one of the things I loved about this novel is how the POV is changed at just the right moment of suspense. The last time I read such good structuring was in The Help. Anyhow, at one point in the book, Tristan is treading cautiously trying to get past some soldiers. The section ends with Tristan stating “something stabs me in the back.” Again, a good way to end the section before changing to the POV of Adele. However, in the next section, we find out that Tristan was actually hit in the jaw (again, no major spoilers). This left me scratching my head and going back and rereading Tristan’s section again. How can he say something stabbed him in the back, when he was obviously hit in the face? Am I missing something here?

For those romantics out there like myself, there is a bit of romance. Now, I haven’t read too many male authors, at least not many current one, so I can’t speak from vast experience; however, I will admit that I was a little surprised by the romantic angle, even if it is subdued compared to other books I've read in this genre. What surprised me was that it was brought in so early on in the book, kind of giving the impression that this is going to be the central theme that drives the novel. That feeling is immediately squashed, however, as Mr. Estes makes it clear that this isn’t going to be a mushy, lovey-dovey type of romance. Adele and Tristan both state that their pull towards each other is not the “love-at-first-sight” type of attraction, but one that is more obscure and that cannot be clearly labeled.  So if you’re looking for something that is obviously sappy, full of hugs, hand-holding, and kisses, then I suggest looking elsewhere. That type of stuff is not of abundance in the book and I seriously doubt that the rest of the story will be much different. I actually have a couple of theories about Adele and Tristan’s connection, but I can’t go into them without spoilers.

To sum it up, I highly recommend this novel to any fan of dystopian fiction, or even those who just read the description and find themselves curious. I doubt anyone who gives it a chance will be disappointed. I can’t wait to read the last two books in the series to see how things turn out for Adele, Tristan, and the Tri-Realm. I actually enjoyed Mr. Estes’s writing style so much that I purchased the first book of his Evolution trilogy, Angel Evolution ($0.99 on smashword.com) as it seems to be a part of another one of my favorite YA genres, the supernatural.