REVIEW: HADES (HALO #2) by Alexandra Adornetto

Synopsis available on Goodreads.

My thoughts:

I re-read Halo just before picking up Hades which helped me to remember exactly where I was in the story. I have to say, the pace of Hades way much more to my liking than Halo. I felt like all the explanation of the angels' background and nature, etc. really bogged down the first part of Halo, that information was not necessary for the follow-up so the story really took off rather quickly.

The majority of Hades takes place, well, in Hades. Jake has kidnapped Bethany and is holding her in Hell. I was actually really intrigued by Adornetto's interpretation of Hell. She took Dante's image of Purgatory and added her own twist to it. It definitely kept things interesting.

And as for characters, I was really happy with the growth of Bethany's character. She really took control a lot more than she did in Halo and even her human personality was more developed. Even Xavier's and Gabriel's personalities was revealed more extensively. And Gabriel is by far my favorite. Then there's Jake. Now Jake really trips me up. I still can't really figure him out, and I really wanted him to be more developed. We see a lot more of his character, but I was still left wanting more.

Overall, I really liked this one. It did not seem to be as stereotypical as Halo.

3 1/2 stars

Britney

REVIEW: HALO by Alexandra Adornetto

Synopsis:

An angel is sent to earth on a mission. But falling in love is not part of the plan.

Three angels --- Gabriel, the warrior; Ive, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human --- are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.

The angels' mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

My thoughts:

Let me start with the fact that I absolutely love this cover. The background colors are amazing and the silhouettes are striking. I usually do not like full-body shot covers, but it works so well here.

It took me a little while to get into this story. The first part of the book is very focused on the angels' adaptation and adjustment to human life. However, the descriptions of these adaptations, while drawn out, are excellent. Adornetto beautifully describes the newness of limbs, textures, colors, material things, even smiling.

Angel stories have become pretty popular recently, and Halo seemed like a fairly typical one to me. There are the good angels, doing good deeds, with a concern about falling from grace. Then enters the bad guy and chaos ensues. Good counteracts bad and eventually battles evil.

The love story is beautiful and is the main focus of the majority of the story. I wished that Bethany was a more independent character, although her innocence is an integral part of the book's development. And at times the "doting" from Xavier was a little heavy for my taste.

Overall, I did enjoy Halo, and I really look forward to seeing what becomes of the characters throughout the series.

3 stars

~ Britney