Angel of Ashes (The Angel Archives #1)

What worked:
The opening scene describes the death and rebirth of the only Phoenix Angel on the planet. It’s impossible for two Phoenix Angels to walk the earth at the same time, so Audie never gets to live with her mother. She never leaves her human father’s property until she’s thirteen, and when she finally does, she’s attacked by demons. Audie is rescued by another angel, who transports her to Heaven. Jupiter, a saint, oversees the angels since she’s neutral regarding angel issues. However, Jupiter suspects something evil has infiltrated Heaven and recruits Audie and Cave to help form the Angel Army. Their task will be to identify the evil and help save Heaven.
Cave narrates the story, and he’s the only human character in Heaven. It’s amusing to see some angels resent his presence, while other angels are excited to meet a real human. Audie won’t agree to join the Angel Army unless Cave is part of it, so Jupiter makes him Audie’s historian. It’s traditional for a historian to document the life of each Phoenix Angel, so that becomes Cave’s job. Readers know that Cave’s been smitten with Audie since he first saw her, and he begins to have subtle, jealous feelings. Audie and Luce, another member of the army, seem to be developing an attraction for each other, and Cave doesn’t know what to do.
The threat to Heaven becomes clear about halfway into the book when an elder angel thinks their powers should be used to rule over humans. Audie and her friends know scorpions were stolen and that their venom can make others susceptible to mind control. Readers won’t be surprised when the creatures reappear later in the story. The problem of the elder angel becomes more complicated when the characters realize he’s Luce’s father. Readers may find it hard to understand how a father and son can view the world so differently. The Angel Army is joined by other creatures along the way, and they learn from the fairies that there was once a great war between angels. The two sides battled over the future of angels and the question of ruling over all other living things. It looks like history is close to repeating itself.
What didn’t work as well:
Much of the story is set in Heaven, so readers need to be aware of biblical references. It’s not a big issue, but the main characters are angels. The Angel Army has 11 members, so that means there are a lot of characters to remember. Consequently, the descriptions of Audie’s peers are brief, which makes it harder for readers to make connections. Also, Cave isn’t present for some of the action scenes, and there’s no mention regarding how he’s still able to record what happened in the narrative.
The final verdict:
This book will appeal to lovers of adventure and angels, although any reader can enjoy the author’s imagination. I recommend you try the book for yourself.