If I had to pitch Immortal City, the first in a new(ish) YA angel trilogy by Scott Speer, I'd probably say "City of Angels meets L.A Confidential". The book (and I presume the rest of the trilogy - I haven't read the second book and the third isn't out yet) is very "L.A.". It's a "what if" alternate world where angels openly save humans from death for money. It's kind of an angelic racket. There are unexplained angel deaths and a traditional L.A. gumshoe type has to try and solve them, even though he gets little to no help, trust or support from the angels or the higher-ups in his department.
There's a love story of course between an angel and a human. I believe it becomes a love triangle in book 2, Natural Born Angel. There are actually hints of a love triangle in this book, but it's not powerfully developed. Heroine (human) Maddy isn't particularly interested in angels and the paparazzi that surround them, and her Uncle Kevin (with whom she lives after the deaths of her parents) really dislikes them. But of course she comes across the most famous teen angel in the city - Jackson Godspeed - and sparks fly. Jacks is used to getting everything he wants whenever he wants it, and being the product of universal teen girl adoration. He doesn't know what to make of a girl who sees him for who he is, and isn't blinded by the celebrity haze surrounding him.
The story is funny and original, and a truly unique take on the angel craze that has swamped YA literature in recent years. The love story aspects are a little sterile - it's hard to buy the romance (at least it was for me) because the characters, even the main ones, are kind of superficial and two dimensional, but that's kind of the point of the story and I assume we get a deeper insight into all the characters in the next book. It's a fun engaging read overall and a nice mix of genres - romance, action, detective story etc.
There's a love story of course between an angel and a human. I believe it becomes a love triangle in book 2, Natural Born Angel. There are actually hints of a love triangle in this book, but it's not powerfully developed. Heroine (human) Maddy isn't particularly interested in angels and the paparazzi that surround them, and her Uncle Kevin (with whom she lives after the deaths of her parents) really dislikes them. But of course she comes across the most famous teen angel in the city - Jackson Godspeed - and sparks fly. Jacks is used to getting everything he wants whenever he wants it, and being the product of universal teen girl adoration. He doesn't know what to make of a girl who sees him for who he is, and isn't blinded by the celebrity haze surrounding him.
The story is funny and original, and a truly unique take on the angel craze that has swamped YA literature in recent years. The love story aspects are a little sterile - it's hard to buy the romance (at least it was for me) because the characters, even the main ones, are kind of superficial and two dimensional, but that's kind of the point of the story and I assume we get a deeper insight into all the characters in the next book. It's a fun engaging read overall and a nice mix of genres - romance, action, detective story etc.
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