Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

This is another book that I picked up (and had signed!) at BEA that has been on my To Read list forever.  I was so stoked to read Angelfire and I have to say that it lived up to my expectations!  I also want to say that Courtney was so nice!  I saw her do a couple of panels and went to her BEA signing and she was so friendly and interesting.  You should check out her After Dark Tour stops- I'll post the list at the end of this review.

Ellie is a typical teenage girl from an affluent area in Michigan.  She loves shopping, Starbucks and Coldstone ice cream (which makes her alright in my book!).  As strange things begin to happen in her life, Ellie meets a strange (and hot) boy who she feels like she's known forever even though they just met.  When she is drawn into a battle with an unseen monster in her own neighborhood, Will is the key to triggering her memory and to keeping her alive.  Ellie is the Preliator, a being who is not totally human but whose soul is reborn over and over again to fight and kill reapers (nasty beasts from hell who eat people and send their souls to hell).  Will is her guardian who has been with her for hundreds of years and through many incarnations.  It is Will's job to protect her back as Ellie wields her Khopesh blades that blaze with Angelfire.  Every time the Preliator is reincarnated and comes of age, Will has to reawaken her memory and help her train to fight the reapers.  But Ellie is just a teenage girl, can she really do all the things that Will says she can?  And about Will... Ellie keeps wondering if she had a past with him as more than just the Preliator and her Guardian and if she didn't is a future with him in the cards?

I loved this book!  Ellie was great because she is such a dichotomy.  She's kinda a spoiled rich girl but she can also kick some butt.  She knows what she wants and goes after it even if she isn't always sure of herself or full of confidence.  Ellie's a great heroine for girls to read because she's so rounded and the emphasis with her is never ONLY on getting the boy.  She learns to fight, to take care of herself and she protects Will if it comes to it in a fight.  She's an all around cool chick!  And WILL!  *sigh*  I love Will to bits!  He's so adorable!  Will's lived a long time but he is still sometimes hurt by Ellie not remembering him right away and he's so vulnerable when it comes to how he feels about her.  BUT he also routinely wipes the floor with her as he pushes her to train harder and become the fighter he knows she can be.  He doesn't take it easy on her because he cares enough for her to push her to learn how to protect herself.  Will's also cute with the way that he tends to get talked into things by Ellie.  She asks him to come to her party as a guest and not to watch her from the shadows as her Guardian and he does, even though you can tell he's about as uncomfortable as he can get.  So cute!

Overall, this is a wonderful debut from an author who is dedicated to her fans and who's as friendly and nice as can be!  I highly recommend Angelfire to all readers from about 14 years and up.  There is some teen drinking and mentions of teen drinking.  There is also kissing and some mentions of Ellie's clothes being shredded by a reaper but NOTHING too graphic in that arena.  The violence level is up there, of course, as there are fight scenes with Ellie and Will fighting reapers with their blades and mad skills but there is nothing worse than anything your teens would see on primetime tv.  Make sure you check out Courtney's Website, where she often has contests and where you can find her cover art for the next Angelfire book called, Wings of the Wicked, which comes out early in 2012.  You can also follow her on Twitter!

Angelfire earns 4 Fairies for awesomeness and WILL ! 

OH, and if you get to go to one of her tour stops or signings make sure you get some swag from her because she has THE MOST BEAUTIFUL bookmarks!  Seriously.  Here are the After Dark Tour stops and if you scroll to the bottom of the post you will find a picture of Will and Ellie from Courtney's site!

June 20, 2011 7:00pm
With Leah Clifford and Lisa Desrochers
A Real Bookstore
113 Prairie Road
Fairview, TX

June 21, 2011 5:00pm
With Leah Clifford, Lisa Desrochers, and Sophie Jordan
Barnes & Noble
1201 Lake Woodlands Dr
The Woodlands, TX

July 5, 2011
With Leah Clifford and Lisa Desrochers
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

July 6, 2011 7:00pm
With Leah Clifford and Lisa Desrochers
Barnes & Noble
98 Middlesex Turnpike
Burlington, MA 01803

Courtesy of courtneyallisonmoulton.com