Friday, April 20, 2012

Review: Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Do you enjoy a protagonist who is kick-ass and street smart? Yes?!? Good! We all need more spunky heroines in our (YA) lives. No more insta-love/being totally lame until you get a supernatural boyfriend. The answer to this search is to read Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. This book, the first of a five-book series, came out in 2009, but just because it isn't an ARC doesn't mean it isn't worth your time. Dru Anderson =cool. Dru has what her grandmother called “the touch”--she can tell when something paranormal and bad is coming her way (it tastes like waxy oranges in the back of her mouth, and it means RUN). This is a good talent, since she and her dad travel all over the country hunting  ghosts, suckers, wulfen, zombies, and the like.  As she says:
“I’m probably the only sixteen-year-old girl in a three hundred mile radius who knows how to distinguish between a poltergeist from an actual ghost (hint: If you can disrupt it with nitric acid, or if it throws new crap at you every time, it’s a poltergeist)... I know the six signs of a good occult store ...and the four things you never do when you’re in a bar with other people who know about the darker side of the world (don’t look weak).” 
Then her dad turns up a zombie trying to kill her, and she knows things have gotten serious. Luckily, along the way, Dru meets Graves, a homeless, hilarious, smart high-school guy who becomes an unexpected partner in the mystery of what happened to her dad, who the bad guys lurking outside are, and why every creepy vampire in the Dakotas is suddenly interested in her.


Strange Angels (Strange Angels, #1)Originality: 5. Standard "there is a paranormal alternative world out there" but I think its refreshing that the paranormals are the BAD GUYS and not sparkling vampire love interests. I like the scary side to this book, and it stands out for all the gross smells, decaying zombies, and explosions. 
Absurdity: 4. NOW I know this sounds absurd, but it is really just gritty and a bit dark. And full of swearing and ass-kicking. Truthfully, if this all happened to me, there would be lots of swearing as well. And I would hope to hand out some sweet punches. But as Crazy Camper and I often discuss, I would be the first to go in the Hunger Games, so probs not. Which is why I would need a friend like Dru, 'cause she is the real deal.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 2. Dru is busy NOT DYING and doesn't have time for this stuff. Which is an awesome change of pace. Not that there are not boys around (one who smells like apple pie, which she realizes is weird but intriguing). This series builds over time, so you will just have to keep reading.
Level of Harry Potter-ness: 2. No one drops the F bomb in HP. And people don't have to shoot their dad-turned-zombie. This is a bit crass as YA goes, and I thought it was a welcome relief. BUT beware if you are a delicate flower.

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