When an Angel Falls, by Stephanie Jarrett is an exciting fantasy based in the realm beyond our natural sight.
Laura is a semi-mortal; an Angel who lives in a mortal body in order to assist other spirits during their mortal trials while on Earth. When she is sought out by mortals who know her indentity, her past transgressions and their repercussions explode upon a spiritual world immersed in the turmoil of war.
Despite the fact this title was published with a bad homemade cover and proofreaders for editing, the story really saves the book. This is one of those sad cases where a gifted storyteller has published with a subsidy publisher (iuniverse) without the funds necessary to get the best product possible.
Jarrett begins in a subtle manner, escalating steadily into a full blown Angelic war. The protagonist and the conflict are multilayered and interesting to follow. Jarrett uses suspense techniques well, giving carefully placed hints at the ends of the chapters to pull the reader on to new revelations in the story. This Angel has a dark past and the path to her redemption is paved through a gauntlet of fellow spirits whose trust is next to impossible to reclaim after all she has done to abuse her power.
Jarrett deftly takes the reader below the surface to watch Laura's inner struggle with obtaining forgiveness from others as well as herself.
Despite the fact this title was published with a bad homemade cover and proofreaders for editing, the story really saves the book. This is one of those sad cases where a gifted storyteller has published with a subsidy publisher (iuniverse) without the funds necessary to get the best product possible.
Jarrett begins in a subtle manner, escalating steadily into a full blown Angelic war. The protagonist and the conflict are multilayered and interesting to follow. Jarrett uses suspense techniques well, giving carefully placed hints at the ends of the chapters to pull the reader on to new revelations in the story. This Angel has a dark past and the path to her redemption is paved through a gauntlet of fellow spirits whose trust is next to impossible to reclaim after all she has done to abuse her power.
Jarrett deftly takes the reader below the surface to watch Laura's inner struggle with obtaining forgiveness from others as well as herself.
- Example: "Laura stared at the paper and saw before her something that she would never have, a clean slate. Each white umblemished parchment that Scott produced would soon be filled with her darkest secrets. Far from erasing anything from her past, her deeds would be forever recorded in the books of history for all to see. These writings would serve as a testament of her wickedness, her imperfection, and her unworthiness. The pen could narrate strengths to cancel evidence of weakness in character, and record reparations to absolve guilt, but with a few strokes, her shame would become immortalized."
- "Prior to Laura speaking out during Beacon assignments, it was a world that he (Michael) thought he understood well. Yet so much had gone so wrong in such a short amount of time, and he sensed that it was going to get much worse. he tried to imagine when it was that he lost his focus. At some point in time, his own will became more important than the will of God. The war was no longer fought to defend an ideology that embraced The Lord; it was now fought with indifference to Him. The battles were personal. It was revenge."
When an Angel Falls is an engaging story of redemption, but isn't a place to find accurate theology. Jarrett's realm of spirits bares little resemblance to the Bible. But she has created a fantasy realm all her own and has taken the time to flesh it out; spiritual technologies and all. This book could definitely use a facelift--a little nip and tuck to the editing and the cover that would make it as interesting as the story contained within, but taking the time to look beneath the cover will reward you with a richly told story from a writer we hope to read more from.
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