Review-Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni

ANGELOPOLIS
Danielle Trussoni
Viking Adult-Penguin Group
March 26, 2013
9780670025541
Hardcover, 320 pp






Honestly I loved ANGELOPOLIS.  As a fan of Deborah Harkness, I was intrigued by this series by Danielle Trussoni.  The genre is not in my normal comfort zone.  However, after reading the novels of Harkness and Trussoni,  I am now a huge fan of  this category of historical fantasy and mythological magic.  This shouldn't surprise me, after all I was brought up on fairy tales and Greek Mythology.  Who doesn't love fairies and angels?  Danielle Trussoni 
will ensnare you in her richly imagined suspenseful world of fallen angels. Her writing style is absorbing, rich with imagery and realism.  Enchanting, enveloping and exotic. 

ANGELOPOLIS, is the second novel in this series, but easily stands alone.  For those readers who like this reviewer have not read Angelologist, a New York Times bestseller it is not too late to back track. I guarantee after reading book two, you will crave the next book in the series and should definitely pick up ANGELOLOGIST in the mean time. 

Highly recommended...plot was full of enough twists and turns. Characters were memorable, often chilling and some otherwise endearing. Verlaine is now an elite angel hunter and works for the Society of Angelology in Paris.   It is now ten years since his appearance in ANGELOLOGIST when he first saw the illuminating Evangeline descend from the Brooklyn Bridge.  Verlaine soon learns that Evangeline is still alive, and the discovery leads him to risk all to pursue her. Who knew there were bad angels among the good?  The angel hunters pursue evil, the fallen angels comprise an army of various species with distinct characteristics. 

Historical reference to Rasputin and the the Romanov's, along with a plot that includes the famous Faberge Easter eggs,made for Tsar Alexander III,  add  authenticity and mystery to the plot. Trussoni takes the reader from Paris, to St. Petersberg and finally Siberia-where underneath an off-line nuclear reactor the final showdown takes place.  

Don't miss ANGELOPOLIS...an enticingly tense and ethereal adventure among angels and angelologists where the line between good and evil is a fine line to cross.  




Angelopolis Book Club Kit



Disclosure: Angelopolis was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to : Jane Shim, Publicity Assistant

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2013]. 

Review-Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

REVOLUTION
Written by Jennifer Donnelly
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780385737630
Our Price: $18.99
978-0-385-73763-0

Synopsis from Book Cover and Random House

"BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Parisfor winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart."

My Review

All Andi Alpers wants to do is forget. Forget that the tragic death of her brother ever happened. She believes it is her fault, that her parents blame her and that the reality is her brother is dead. She will never see him again, and the events leading up to his death haunt her each day. To cope with her loss, she functions, just barely at times due to her heavy reliance on anti-depressants.The depression zaps her energy, her drive, her will to live. Her father travels much of the time and her mother, an artist, fills her days painting, lost in her own world of pain. When her father shows up, he believes his solutions are the best for both Andi and her mother.

Andi, stuck in Paris with her non-communicative father is faced with an ultimatum. He agrees to her proposition to produce an outline for her final thesis, work she has so far neglected. If he accepts the project, he will agree to allow her to fly back to Brooklyn. She stumbles upon the diary of Alexandrine, a young girl who lived during the French Revolution. The events and lives of those in the ill-fated journal present a compelling mystery. Andi’s compulsion to finish her project is desperate and frenetic. Eventually, with a crash of kismet, her life collides with the past.

The beginning of the story was slow, rather banal and my interaction was passive. However, as soon as you emerge in Paris, the mysterious plight of Alexandrine, uncovered in the pages of her diary makes this book suddenly glow with a brilliant radiance. Andi begins to see life through death and a harmonious blend of the two characters creates a duet of tympanic rhythm that reveals a powerful message.

Donnelly presents an imaginative novel with a deeply penetrating view of the historical events that took place during the French Revolution. It’s important to note that the inconsolable numbness to life and the feeling of self-loathing and deep depression portrayed in the character of Andi Alpers is sadly heartbreaking. The timeless message of self-love and forgiveness makes this a highly recommended novel.


Disclosure: This was an ARC sent to me by Random House.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].