Book Review: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Three angels- Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, 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 must 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 angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

My Thoughts:  Well, I liked this book somewhat.  I didn't hate it but there was so much that annoyed me that I can't say that I even really liked it.  It was okay for me.

Bethany comes to Venus Cove from Heaven.  She arrives with the archangel, Gabriel and another angel, Ivy.  They are all beautiful of course.  They are celestial beings after all.  Their mission at Venus Cove is to get rid of any dark presences in the area and bring the community together. 

Bethany arrives at school and falls in love with the school captain, Xavier, who is (obviously) beautiful and perfect as well.  Angels and humans are not suppose to fall in love so there is a small controversy over this issue but nothing huge like you would think it would be.  Then Jake Thorn enters the picture and that is where things go downhill.  Bethany, Xavier, Gabriel and Ivy have to stop this dark force before it is too late.

Things I liked about this book:

• The religion aspect of the book.  I realize the book is about Angels and therefore you would think it would include Heaven and God as well but I have read many books that don't include religion with the angel theme.  I am a Christian so I really appreciated this.  I mean really....without God and Heaven there wouldn't even be angels.
• I liked how Ivy and Gabriel brought the community together.  The book had some focus on how great community service is and that is important for teens to understand. 
• I also liked how the book emphasized no sex before marriage.  Now, I am no naive fool here...I know hardly anyone waits until marriage but still....it's nice to see a book promote that.

Okay, so that was about all I liked about this book.  Now onto the things I didn't like:

• Hearing how beautiful Beth, Ivy, Gabriel and Xavier are!  I mean, a few times is okay but every other page is a little excessive. 
• How immature Beth's friends are.  I mean, I remember being a teen so I don't expect them to be perfect but they really started to annoy me after awhile with how totally vain and fake they were. 
• Beth's dependency on Xavier.  She was really weak.  I hated how they broke up and she literally wouldn't get out of bed until Xavier came back.  I remember breaking up with my boyfriends in high school and it was tough but really....my whole world ending?  It felt like it for a day maybe. 
• Beth and Xavier's whole relationship in general.  It was sickening!  Xavier waited on Beth hand and foot and wouldn't even let her carry her own books.  They couldn't stand to be away from each other for more than a few hours and even then they thought only of the other person.  It was just really extreme and really annoying.
• The ending was okay but really...how dumb can Bethany be?  She feels that she HAS to save her friend which is great but we all know that she and Xavier alone cannot go up against this evil force.  Yet she does it anyway.  Of course, she gets herself in trouble.  It was just so predictable though...like one of those B-rated horror movies where the heroine sees or hears something outside and goes out to investigate it in her skimpy nightie and then gets slashed...yeah, it was like that. 
• The book was really about 200 pages too long.  Had the author taken out some (a lot) of the romance and Beth moping around when she wasn't with Xavier, it would have maybe been better.  It was a little too long and a little too slow.
• Bethany didn't really do a lot to help the community.  She's an angel and really all she does is hang on Xavier and whine when he's not around.  There was one small part where she kinda helped a soul cross over but nothing huge and dramatic.  Gabriel taught music at the school.  He is an archangel and all he did was teach? 

So, I am now reading Hades on an ARC tour.  Here's hoping for a better (and faster) reading experience.  All in all, I didn't hate the book but I didn't really like it either.  It was just okay.