Ellie used to think she was a normal girl. Attending high school, hanging out with friends, Movie Nights on Friday, worrying about her birthday party. Her life has been somewhat hectic with her parents fighting all the time, grades slipping at school, and her recurring nightmares, but hey, nobody's life is perfect right? Everything changes though when she meets Will. Gorgeous and Mysterious, the sight of him makes her very core vibrate. She's never seen him before, yet she feels she known him for century. Will will change her life, awaken powers in her she didn't know excited, but unfortunately, monsters from her nightmares also ended up being memories from her past. She must now fight for her life, her soul, and the whole humanity.
I LOVED Angelfire, Allison Courtney Moulton's debut novel, from the very first page to the very last sentence. This novel was full of adventure, suspense, passion, love and mysteries. There are so many great aspect to this book that I honestly don't know where to start hehe. Allison's writing was smooth and compelling, the pace of the story was just perfect and the lore was enchanting!
Angelfire's Lore is mostly based on religious beliefs, with some very original twist. The novel is pretty much an Epic Battle between Heaven and Hell, and Ellie is trying to prevent the Apocalypse. It sounds heavy right? But it's not. The Lore was explained to us slowly and carefully, which was great, because it easily could've been overwhelming. To try and make a long story short, Ellie is an ancient warrior, a soul reincarnating everything she dies fighting evil creatures called Reapers, with the ultimate goal of stopping Lucifer's attempt at raising an army to start The End Days. Will, a couple of hundred years old Hottie, is her Guardian, he swore to protect her with his life, like many before him did. But you will discover that there is more to their relation than this bodyguard duty.
Both main characters were simply amazing. I loved how Will is ambivalent in his actions, sometimes hard and cold, other times sweet and charming. You just know he cares for Ellie, and you witness his internal struggles. He is always there to support her, would do literally anything for her, yet you feel he is holding back, and you don't really know why. He was an amazing mystery to uncover! The best aspect about Ellie, was that Allison painted her in a realistic way. She might be an ancient warrior, but because of a weird amnesia, she doesn't know who she really is, and only have glimpses of memories every now and then. I enjoyed seeing her battling with her new powers, trying to keep a normal life, and try to figure out Will all at same time. Her fears and her failures made her believable. I appreciated that she struggled to get hold of her powers and that she didn't suddenly become all powerful. She had to work hard to make it work, and even in the end, she doesn't take anything for granted.
The romance was a delight really. Both characters unsure of their feelings, awkward in their actions, yet so in sync. I loved seeing flashbacks of their relationship in Ellie's past lives, and see its evolution in her current life. Everything will come together in the end, and even though I enjoyed it, I was taken aback from the conclusion.
The end was truly fantastic, violence and emotions were running high and the whole thing was bitter sweet, which is something I highly respect! Ending shouldn't always be sugarcoated hehe.
Angelfire is a delighting debut from Courtney Allison Moulton. Epic and soul-shattering, her story has everything it takes to take your breath away, and keeps you begging for more!
My Favorite Quote (please keep in mind this is from the ARC and might change in the finished version:
I turned my face into his, desperate to meet his eyes, and when I did, centuries' worth of memories of his face flashed across my mind, and of everything he had sacrificed for me, of all his blood that had been shed, of all the torment he had endured for me. His expression was stoic, so hardened, but his eyes told me everything. They always gave him away.
