Review Detail

At first, I couldn't stand the thought of another fallen angel, searching for the reincarnated soul of their human soulmate, plot. And then I realized (hoped) that Halo might be different - three angels are sent to Earth, disguised as humans, to use their good actions to counteract the forces of darkness seeping in to town. They were not meant to form attachments, and thus there could be no instant attraction, soulmate stuff, right? Wrong.

Too soon the angels' original mission seems to be forgotten and all attention is focused on the budding relationship between Bethany and Xavier. It never was explained why Bethany was allowed to continue to date Xavier, considering it seemed quite taboo up until Gabriel spoke with the covenant, and Bethany seemed to completely forget her purpose on Earth as each conscious moment was consumed with thoughts of Xavier. Through all the thoughts of Xavier, I couldn't help but wonder when we would see her contribute something to the mission, some reason to explain why she was chosen. I'm disappointed (but not shocked) to report that having finished Halo, her role in the mission is never explained/justified.

Instead we are forced to bear witness to Bethany's transformation into Bella. A completely spineless, uninteresting character who has no purpose to serve, no reason to live, if her boyfriend is not in the picture. At one point, Bethany mentions how Xavier has become a buffer in her life, helping her to steer clear of the things/people who would cause her harm. As an angel who was eager to experience life as a human, being unable to experience any sort of (emotional) pain seems unrealistic. And why she needs a boy to protect her is beyond me. Even though she inhabits a "frail" human body, she is still an angel with unearthly powers (though we never really get to see what hers were). I wish she had had the courage to face situations head-on, instead of cowering behind her boyfriend, relying on his strength to get her through. I wish she hadn't been so insecure, running to Xavier for comfort whenever something upset her, so he could reassure her that everything was going to be ok.

She became so melodramatic, that I almost couldn't finish the book.

"Everything would fall apart; there wouldn't be anything to live for. If we end, I end."

I'm surprised that Adornetto didn't use blank pages after Bethany's fight with Xavier to establish how hollow Bethany felt without his presence; that's how eerily similar Bethany became to Bella. Instead she had her sobbing on the beach, until the tide rose and almost swallowed her whole. I don't understand why love has to be so all-consuming in YA novels recently. It's not romantic to wish for death if you are separated from the one you love - I especially didn't expect that of an angel, seeing how suicide is an unforgivable sin.

The most frustrating part was the continuous use of foreshadowing.

"When I looked back on it later, I realized that was exactly what Jake Thorn had wanted."

And it wasn't enough to end the chapter on a cliffhanger, each segue way into a new section within a chapter also had to end in foreshadowing. It was tiresome; just get to the point already.

I'm not even going to get in to how overly boring the story was or how preachy Adornetto's writing was. Its just not worth my time.

I did not enjoy Halo and I would not recommend it to others.