Review: Voices of Angels

Title:  Voices of Angels
Series:  Voices of Angels #1
Author:  Hannah M. Davis
Publisher:  John Hunt Publishing
Pages:  272
Format:  pdf
A copy was provided by the author, Hannah M. Davis. 

Summary:  When Lizzie Fisher sees a black mark above her teachers head, she has no idea how much it will change her life. Seven days later the teacher is dead and Lizzie must come to terms with a frightening new ability: she sees when people are about to die. Sent to Andalucia to live with a grandmother she has never met, Lizzie falls in love with gifted musician, Rafa. All seems well until one day the black mark appears above her grandmother’s head. Horrified, Lizzie finds herself in a race against time to find out what the gift really means. Will Rafa help her? And can she save her grandmother’s life before it’s too late?

My Review:  This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise for me.  I hadn't heard much about it but when I began reading it, I was completely hooked!

The first thing that really caught my attention was the setting.  As someone who has lived in the United States her entire life and only traveled out of country once, I was fascinated with the descriptions of both Spain and England.  Hannah did a wonderful job of painting a picture into our head of what it's like being in those places.  I especially enjoyed when she described Spain!  I could practically feel the sun on my skin!

Besides the spectacular descriptions, the writing style was also very nice.  It wasn't overly done, which I appreciated quite a bit.  It was simple and to the point and let me just enjoy the story.  I didn't have to go back and reread lines to try to understand what just happened (no, I only did that to relive the awesomeness of certain scenes!).

The characters were all very well thought out, too.  I felt like I really had a sense of most of them.  As a teenage girl, I could really connect with Lizzie.  Even though what she was going through was extraordinary, what she was feeling was familiar to me.  I could sympathize with her confusion, her frustration, and her curiosity.

I felt like Lizzie and Rafa had a very unique relationship as well.  It definitely wasn't love at first sight.  In fact, when Lizzie met Rafa for the first time, she just wanted to get out there!  But throughout the story, their relationship slowly built into something real and beautiful and solid.  And for that, their story will be very memorable for me.

The only character I had a problem with was Bee, though we weren't exactly supposed to like her.  I never got much of a feel for how she was feeling or what she wanted.  However, I do see her importance in this story.  She was like a hurdle for Lizzie to overcome.  I found that aspect quite interesting!

What made me fall in love with this book though, was the message.  It spoke to me on an emotional level.  From the beginning of the book, Lizzie struggles with who she is and who she wants to be.  I loved seeing the Lizzie slowly come to love herself, what she stands for, and what she can do.

Overall, I adored this book.  A fantastic, heart warming, bittersweet, coming of age story that touches on nearly everything teen girls struggle with.  I will eagerly be awaiting whatever Hannah comes out with next!

Five Feathers