Angelfire

Angelfire
by Courtney Allison Moulton

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember. (description taken from Amazon.com)

Once I started reading Ellie's story I had a hard time putting it down. Courtney Allison Moulton is a debut author to watch. She's done an excellent job with the world building...seemlessly blending reality and a world of angels and demons. A world of shadows...

Ellie has to learn to blend her life as a teenager - school, friends, boys...Parents!...and her life as the Preliator...the hunter of demonic reapers. Though you would think that this would sound unrealistic, Ellie's voice is so authentic that you can't question who she is, what her purpose is...she's very much Buffy-esque. A total bad*ss...and totally intriguing.

As Ellie delves deeper into her memories trying to figure out who she really is, I was right there with her, desperate to know and unable to guess for sure. As Will defends her, stands by her side, comforts her, I was right there with her, rooting him on in his quest to love her through devotion and protection.

The final scene left me wanting more. Just as with a good episode of Buffy or Veronica Mars, the final sassy quip has me on the edge of my seat, saying "What do you mean I have to wait for the next one? I want it now!"
There are many more questions to be answered, butts to kick, and kisses to explore!! More, please....and soon?!

Full disclosure: eARC from Netgalley
2011 Debut Author Challenge title
2011 Shape Shifter Challenge title