A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review: I have a confession to make. While all the classy book bloggers are sick of the love triangle (or as I like to call it, a love angle) I still like them. Love them, even. There are a lot of angel books in the market right now and it's difficult to write one without evoking any religious opinions into a story. There was a lot of talk of Heaven and "falling", which was typical in an angel book. The halflings are exactly what they're called. They're half human and half angel.
The three halflings that help protect Nikki are called "the lost boys". They are drop dead gorgeous, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You get the gist of it. Angels. Supa hawt YA angels. While I loved the contrasting personalities each boy showed, the insta!love that blossomed between Mace and Nikki irritated me. I know a lot of people believe in love at first sight (Trust me, I've had an hour long argument with my friend about it.) but I believe that love takes time. I believe in lust at first sight and attraction or interest at first sight but I also believe that it takes time for love to grow. Nikki's relationship with one of her two love interests popped out of no where. One second he was a shady guy, the next it's all "Ohmygosh, I luuurv him." Her relationship with the bad boy character actually had to grow from something, but even then I felt like it was a little bit rushed, even if nothing happened. From the guy's POV, I guess he was just desperate. His desperation and admiration fit his characterization, so I felt like it was okay for him to act that way. (Plus, I just love him. I have a thing for fictional bad boys because in fiction they can be all sweet and sensitive too.)
The prose was amazing, though. There were a few biblical references that I know I didn't understand, but I hope they didn't mean too much to the story. Heather Burch's writing style reminded me of Cassandra Clare's; beautiful and direct. It never got too flowery where the writing outshone the storyline.
As a character, Nikki bothered me. Of course she was beautiful. Of course she was socially awkward around boys. Of course she had a black belt and was an amazing artist. Silly me. All teenage girls are perfection in motion. One thing I did like about her was her refusal to go down without a fight. She was steadfast and brave, which I admire in any character.
Halfling's had MPS, or in normal terms, Missing Parent Syndrome. Nikki's parents were there...but they weren't actually there. What kind of caring parent lets their teenage daughter zoom around on a motorcycle without knowing where their child is? Motorcycle...I can forgive. It's a death trap in my opinion, but it's a fun death trap and Nikki must've proven to be trustworthy around her parents in the past. They never really asked Nikki where she was going or who she was with. In the story, Nikki built up her parents to be kind people. They should've been more aware of their daughter. Nikki's a pretty girl. That should just ramp up their protective levels. I know that Nikki's parents were sort of shady *wink wink* but they seemed to really care about her. In theory. I think Nikki should stop saying how much her parents care for her and make her parents act it out.
Despite all my ranting, Halfling wasn't actually a bad book. I had a great time reading it the first time through because as much as Mace pissed me off, Raven was always lurking in the shadows. This book is pure escapism for a reader, through and through.
Rating: 3/5 stars
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