After the pleasant surprise I enjoyed reading Angel Eyes, I hoped the sequel would at least be as good. Author SusanShannon Dittemore* met my higher expectations in spades. There was even more colorful creativity, emotional depth, and spiritual meat here than in the previous book, with higher personal stakes, and a finale that left me breathless.
Spoiler alert for those who have not read the previous book: Brielle Matthews is an older teenager whose world was turned upside down when she gained sight into the Celestial realm of angels and demons. Saved by grace, she now seeks to fill in the gaps of her spiritual knowledge with the help of her boyfriend Jake. But the same demon who previously pursued them is back, and there are more personal, inner demons each must fight to remain at top capacity for the war to come.
I must stress again how this genre is not my usual cup of tea. But the author was able to persuade even a cynic like me to believe with her amazing prose. It's elegant, emotionally evocative without being self-indulgent. While the heroine's first person voice is solidly youthful, with all the trials and turmoil that come with that age, it never wallows in such feelings. Instead, Brielle is a great character for young girls to read about: willing to admit her own flaws and indecision, able to stand up and take action, vulnerability and strength all rolled into one. In Angel Eyes, Brielle learned to let go of the past. Her personal journey is even stronger in Broken Wings as she learns to lay claim to her future. Jake's characterization also gains sharper focus as he faces personal loss, doubts, and fears, making his continued faith even more inspiring in the face of such challenges.
But perhaps Dittemore's greatest asset in these books is her willingness to boldly imagine a truly supernatural realm of existence. The angelic beings in this book are wild; even cherubs are awesomely alien, not cuddly. She melds traditional concepts with a vivid imagination to come up with great, sensual concepts of sight, sound, and feeling.
I also have to compliment the author for emphasizing truly great spiritual concepts. Unlike a surprisingly large number of Christian authors, Dittemore believes her characters will only grow in their faith as part of a local body of believers. The chapter where Brielle sees the visual representation of her church's worship is inspiring, as is the girl's realization that these people around possess even greater faith than her since they believe without her second sight. The characters battle their demons, literal and internal, through Scripture and prayer. Dittemore also continues her snarky rebuttal of genre tropes, especially with one brilliant conversation where a friend asks Brielle if they should pray with special words or hold some beads. Brielle shrugs and reminds her they're praying to an invisible God who can hear their very thoughts: no need to impress.
Some readers may not like the ending; I don't believe it's too much of a giveaway to say it's a cliffhanger. But it builds so beautifully into a true climax of everything brought up since the first novel that it's worth it, and even ends with a resolution of a private battle Brielle learns to fight. It also sets up the reader for a truly rousing finale, one which I eagerly anticipate reading. I highly recommend this book as a sequel that is every bit as good, if not better, than its predecessor.
* Corrected 8/13/14 with author's correct name.
This review is also posted at Goodreads, Amazon, and Speculative Faith. I did not receive anything from the publisher or author for this review. The cover was designed by Dual Identity. The book is currently available from Thomas Nelson as a Paperback ($9.99) and eBook ($5.99).
