I really love books that have angels in them, no idea why, but there’s something about their celestial manner and heavenly heiarchy that just makes them so good, or so bad.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Katlyn

Summary
Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams, her guardian angel come to earth. But where there is light, dark follows, and now she is torn between one angel’s sacrifice and another angel’s vicious ambition that threatens not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.
Source: http://www.jennifermurgia.com/

Review
Jennifer Murgia’s debut young adult novel, ‘Angel Star’, was a marvelous, fast-paced adventure of a young girl faced with a new awareness of non-human beings and the danger surrounding her knowledge. Murgia explores symbolism and the existence of ‘guardian angels’ that will take you on a journey of a lifetime.

One aspect of ‘Angel Star’ that I highly enjoyed was the picture that Murgia painted with her words. The details that she illustrated were very concise and specific without being overdone. I appreciated the world that she created and I felt welcome to jump right in for the ride.

Along with being in the young adult genre, ‘Angel Star’ explored teenage issues, such as insecurities, bullies, best friends, and first love. All Teagan wanted was a regular high school experience, since growing up without a father made her home-life not so normal. She lacked an outward confidence that her best friend, Claire, made up for during the constant harassment by most popular girl in school. And first love, le sigh, in walks in Garreth, her Guardian Angel (literally). But with light comes the dark to balance it out, and Garreth opens Teagan’s eyes to a frightening truth and dilemma that only she can undertake.

I adored the characters that were portrayed in this book. Teagan was so easily identifiable as the normal girl that just tried to survive adolescence unscathed. Claire was so likable as the fun-loving partner in crime that challenged Teagan’s boundaries each day. And I was absolutely smitten with Garreth. He was the most perfect angelic love interest. His unwavering love for Teagan was sweet and charming.

On the other spectrum was the mysterious and provocative dark side that threatened to tear Teagan from her world and her new-found love. She had to learn to use what she has buried inside of her to save what matters most in her life. But the dark side explores passion and the excitement of danger that overwhelms and confuses her during this momentous situation.

The fight between light and dark consumed me while reading, I was not sure at any point what would happen. As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. The concepts that Murgia introduced were so creative and fresh that I was on my toes the whole time. This story had so many twists and surprises I was completely mesmerized and never wanted the story to end! This story left a big cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the next installment called ‘Lemniscate’.