Review: The Angel Archives 1 & 2 by Erika Kathryn

Title: Audie the Angel and the Angel Army
Audie the Angel and the Aging Plague
Series: The Angel Archives (Books #1 & 2)

Author: Erika Kathryn

Release Date: December 1, 2012

Age Range: 8+

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Audie, a seemingly typical twelve-year-old girl, is summoned from her middle school one day. She travels through a windmill farm and brought to an island where she’s told that she is actually an Angel and, more importantly, that she is of Phoenix descent. She is the pivotal and final member of an assembly of others her age, called The Angel Army. The army includes Luce—the dangerously handsome dark Angel predestined to fall from Heaven—and Cave—a stowaway from Earth who is crushing on her hard—as well as eight Angels with magical talents, a feisty Fairy, and a nimble gnome. Audie’s ordinary life becomes drastically different as she transforms; she sprouts gold wings, receives a halo passed on from the mother she never met, and her fellow Angels teach her to use her hand-me-down Phoenix powers. However, before she even learns to fly she is told of the real reason she is needed: an evil Elder Angel has discovered a way to dominate Heaven. Haunted by dreams of her past Phoenix life, puzzled by her feelings for both the charming Luce and her human friend Cave, Audie has to conquer her newfound powers quickly because the future of Heaven rests on her wings. Can she fight against flying Dare Demons, the Marsh Master, the Frost Fairy, and Evil Souls to save Heaven? Can Audie change destiny and save Luce from falling to his fate?

Audie the Angel and the Angel Army is the first of three volumes in a Middle Grade to Young Adult fantasy adventure series that make up The Angel Archives. Hang onto your Halos, because this story is filled with wild winged adventure!

Summary from Goodreads: Audie, Cave, and the Angel Army are back in action! Dare Demons have been released on Earth carrying an Aging Plague that turns Humans into zombies. While one of their own has been bitten, they have to travel back to Heaven, and cross the desert—fighting Sand Sharks and Sorcerers—to get to the Fountain of Youth before the plague spreads. Along the way they help the Mermaid Tribe, team-up with Star Speakers, and learn the secrets behind rainbows. With a Sun Stone as their key, and occasionally traveling by cloud, will Audie and her friends be able to cure the Aging Plague before it’s too late? Can Audie prevent Luce’s fateful fall from Heaven? Audie the Angel and the Aging Plague is the second of three volumes in a middle grade to young adult fantasy series that make up The Angel Archives. HANG ONTO YOUR HALOS, because this story is filled with wild winged adventure for the whole family!

OUR TAKE

The Angel Archives is a very fun kids' series that will be sure to please the younger set.  My nine-year-old daughter loved this series.  In fact, when she was done reading the second book, she rushed down the stairs and said, "Do we have the next book?"  She was very distressed to hear that I wasn't sure when the next book was being released!  (The storyline of each book does get resolved, but then there is a cliff-hanger intro to the next book)

Here are my thoughts -

What I wasn't crazy about:

• Simplistic style.  As an adult, I felt that that Kathryn's writing style was just a little too simplistic.  I will say that this didn't bother my daughter one little bit, but it did distract me a bit.  On the other hand, this book might be perfect for an older reader who is a somewhat below grade-level reader because, while the difficulty level on these books is relatively low, the story and action would appeal to a pre-teen or young teen audience.
• POV.  I also thought that the books suffered just a little bit because they are completely narrated by Cave (Audie's friend who has a crush on her).  While I loved his perspective and I thought that it really added something fun to the story to hear his pinings for Audie, it was a bit awkward at times when he had to tell parts of the story that he wasn't there for (he always pointed out that Audie related these things to him so that he could write them down, which kind of took me out of the story a bit).  I think I would have preferred if the story had been told from multiple POV's.
• Lots of characters.  While this didn't bother me, my daughter mentioned that she found it hard to keep track of so many secondary characters (there are lots of angels who go on the quest to save the angels).  

What I loved:

• The imaginative view of Heaven.  Kathryn's portrayal of Heaven was incredibly fun and imaginative.  There were so many unique settings and characters!  One of my favorite examples of this was in the second book when the group ends up in a portion of heaven where rainbows are created by statue people.  The rainbows are actually made with millions of balloons filled with colored liquid and dreams.  The statue people use the rainbows to deliver dreams to the humans on earth.  The gang gets a special treat - they get to slide down into the huge vat of beautifully-colored balloons.  What kid wouldn't love that idea?  This was just one example - there were many more creative characters and settings that were incredibly appealing!
• Cave and Audie.  While I said that I wasn't crazy about the fact that the book was always told from Cave's point of view, that's not because I didn't love Cave himself.  He was such an endearing character (he sneezes whenever he gets nervous), and I loved the sweet crush that he had on Audie.  I was definitely rooting for him and Audie to get together (I won't spoil whether or not that actually happens).  There is a bit of a love triangle between Audie, Cave and Luce, which I think young readers will really like.
• Action Packed.  Kids books really need to be action packed in order to hold their attention and this book did not disappoint.  The angels (and Cave) met up with so many dangers and challenges and fought with countless enemies.  Apparently Heaven is a dangerous place!!

Overall, I thought that this series is a great read for young readers (including young teen readers who read at a bit below grade level).  It is fun and inventive and my daughter can't wait to find out what happens next!    3.5/5 stars

**Disclosure: These books were provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***