Halflings [Hardcover]

When I was approved to read and review this book through NetGalley I was more than excited. First off, the cover is just like pure beauty is it not? I have a thing for the color red I think. Secondly the blurb caught my attention right away. I love the whole angel theme, and this was a great little twist from other angel books out there. This book wasted no time catching your attention and hurling you into all the action. From page one it was like Heather Burch is telling you hold on to your seat, this is going to be one insane ride and it really is. From the characters whom you grow extremely attached to the insane plot that is driving the story, there is no time to calm down and gather yourself. You have to keep pushing through so you can understand it all, and quench the thirst the book leaves you with. Because trust me, this book leaves you hanging in so many ways.

One thing that I didn't enjoy with this book was after the incredible first two chapters you have so much information thrown at you and then loose site of where the book is going. I was sort of in and out of this book for the first half. I knew a great story was there, I felt it in my bones, but I was just coming up short. It was page 179 that started really hitting it off with me. After you get to a certain point it starts to slow down and you finally see the world of this book come together. Once I hit it that groove I could NOT put this book down. I loved the characters even more than before and started to put together the puzzle pieces I had gotten earlier. This is no easy puzzle to put together though folks, the Halflings world is a crazy piece of literary genius.

Like any great YA book nowadays there was one hell of a love triangle. You have the bad boy Raven and the good hearted Mace. Now I loved them both, I really did, but I definitely had my favorite. [*cough* Raven *cough*] The thing with this love triangle is that no matter who she chooses, she could never be with either one. It put a huge damper on my heart when certain things happened and left me clinching my chest for the boys I had grown to love. Nikki was seriously a breath of fresh air in this book. She was strong, knew how to hold her own, and didn't let others get to her. She was far from heartless though, and the depth of her emotions is what really endeared her to me. I wanted the book to never end, I needed to know what happened to her and her fight to figure out what was going on around her.

The ending half of this book was my favorite, like I said, I honestly could not put it down. I was so attached to everyone at this point that I didn't want to let them go. As I kept flipping the last few pages I kept hoping the page numbers would somehow double because the ending in this book is killer. KILLER I tell you! I don't want to spoil it for anyone out there but be ready to pre-order the second book in this series, because you will HAVE to. After the last page I sat stunned in my chair for a good 20 minutes. I couldn't believe it just ended that way, no doubt Heather Burch knows how to keep her readers hooked. So, if you are asthmatic [like me] make sure to keep your rescue inhaler close because this book is going to take your breath away. This was definitely a great debut book and I will be keeping an eye out for the second to this dazzling series.

Nikki Youngblood is one happenin' chick. At 17 her ride is a Kawasaski Ninja 600. She's a martial artist and an artist with a paintbrush just beginning to be recognized for her talent. She's beautiful and just a bit awkward around guys. It's true Nikki's very down to earth - but heaven and hell have taken notice of her.
Heather Burch's book Halflings opens with Nikki being chased by hell hounds bent on taking her down. But three hunky heavenly heroes fly to her rescue. Thus begins a harrowing otherworldly adventure for Nikki and her Halfling bodyguards Raven, Mace, and Vine.
Burch's concept for Halflings is taken from Genesis 6 where the "sons of God" saw the "daughters of men" were beautiful. In Burch's world Halflings are descendants of the "marriage" of demons and man: half fallen angel/half man. Unfortunately for Nikki's Halfling friends, they don't belong in heaven or in the human realm, but are destined to fight for The Throne because God is worthy - even if they themselves are beyond redemption.
Nikki deals with heaven, hell, and high school with equal amounts of breathless, starry-eyed romance and throttle turning, butt-kicking action. Her hot-wings love interests: bad-boy Raven and vulnerable Mace- will make young teenage girls everywhere wish they were her.
That being said Nikki's budding romances are nothing but chaste and seemingly hopeless. Halflings and humans just can't mix.
In Halflings Burch is obviously laying the groundwork for the two remaining books of the trilogy to follow. Toward the end of the book the action seems tighter and the plot pace picks up considerably. It definitely leaves you with a sense of anticipation.
Halflings is certainly a good alternative to the emo-teen romance fiction out there. Peopled with characters who desire to serve the light even when darkness is closing in, Burch's first novel promises to captivate its audience with a wing and a prayer.

(Courtesy copy of Halflings provided by Zondervan books.)

There are angels, there are demons...and then there are halflings! Heather Burch's vivid imagination brings to light a world where halflings--half angel, half human--live among us with the purpose to protect humans and fight against evil. Halflings was a bit of a stretch for me, personally, as I am not too crazy about this kind of fantasy. But it did make for an entertaining read that took my imagination for a wild ride.

I liked Nikki's strong characteristics and tomboy ways. And Krissy's attempts to educate her in the latest fashions added a neat (and funny!) touch to the book. I think out of all the characters, I enjoyed reading about Raven the most. Mainly, I think, because throughout Halflings he seemed so mysterious and difficult to understand, but the scenes from his point of view shed a little light on his character and helped me understand him better.

My favorite scene had to be when Raven took Nikki out and taught her how to fight. I read that whole scene several times--I just loved the banter and Raven's serious efforts to teach Nikki, even if he had to rough her up a little. Burch knows how to keep a reader's attention! And Nikki's run-ins with the hell hounds had me glued to the pages. Talk about a creature right out of your worst nightmare!

While I am not against the main characters in books being `drop-dead gorgeous/handsome', I admit I got a little tired of hearing about how totally beautiful and perfect-looking Raven, Mace, and Vine were. And even though there was a lot in this book to like...there was one angle to the book that I really didn't care for--the romance. Now, I'm not the kind of reader who abhors love triangles, but I have to admit that in this one, I just didn't like it. In the end, I was totally confused about who Nikki really liked and who just appealed to her flesh. And I felt as if all the attraction between the three teens was all physical--there was no growing to love or admire something about the person...it seemed to just focus on how hot/beautiful the person was or how they reacted to being touched by each other.

All that said, Halflings was a pretty good read for me. Not sure if I would reread the book, but I will probably read the sequel--gotta find out what happens next. After reading that mild (but still frustratingly suspenseful) cliffhanger at the end, I jumped on the computer almost instantly to find out how much longer till Guardian comes out!

I reviewed this book for Team Novel Teen Blog Tour and Netgalley. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.