Angel Dust

Jul 20, 2012 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

When the Devil starts a new campaign against Heaven there are going to be casualties. But who would have thought it would be one of Heaven’s sweetest and most innocent of angels that would be the fall guy. Not Serafina anyway. She doesn’t know what she is getting into when she falls in love with Marcus (just the most knee-melting guy imaginable). Motivated by her desire to save him from Hell and a growing passion that she doesn’t at first understand, Serafina must become mortal to fully grasp th...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

When an Angel turns bad she falls pretty hard. Sera is the Angel of Death who takes her role very seriously, helping people over and delivering those who won't repent to the River Styx. Arriving on time to take the soul of Marcus, a young gangsta in South London, something really weird happens - she falls in love. Ends up asking for an extension in order to get the boy to repent (which he refuses to do) and everything goes haywire from there on.
Well be careful what you wish for - Sera begins to...more

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Aug 03, 2012 The Library Mouse rated it 3 of 5 stars

What if you thought you'd fallen for someone and they were beyond salvation as death was coming? And if death were you? Would you resist? This is the choice poor teenage angel Serafina is confronted with.

She immediately decides that he must and will repent. Her executive decision is that he will take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but the most paramount of all is the absolute total utter lack of girls in his extended life. She's quite adamant about that. Repeatedly. Although wheth...more What if you thought you'd fallen for someone and they were beyond salvation as death was coming? And if death were you? Would you resist? This is the choice poor teenage angel Serafina is confronted with.

She immediately decides that he must and will repent. Her executive decision is that he will take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but the most paramount of all is the absolute total utter lack of girls in his extended life. She's quite adamant about that. Repeatedly. Although whether this is for her benefit or his entry into heaven is debatable... Her only problem is the catch, trap and freedom of all humanity. That which distinguishes angels from humans, aside from their longevity... free will.

Sarah Mussi's style of narration truly reflected the tale she told. It was almost as though I was reading Serafina's diary, written by an angel who has no clue of the treacherous beauty of humanity, despite having watched over them for so long. The story sped up as she got excited, angry, fearful and slowed down when she mulled and reflected on the quirks of humanity that puzzled her, allowing me to do the same whilst appreciating how our world might be perceived through pure innocent eyes.
Although I eventually got used to the language and style, I was initially a little confused.

Truthfully I can't say I've met many characters like her. She was neither strong nor weak, because those are human traits. Serafina was something entirely different. A being of light, good and kindness, that was sullied by humans and evil but then cleansed by a forbidden and yet pure selfless love.

This book was most certainly not what I expected. Truthfully I had opened it with the concept that I would be reading about a human-angel romance. Although this did occur, and yes the story did involve the evolution of a relationship and feelings between an angel and a human, the story itself was not centred around their bond but the implications and strength of love and free will.
I admit that initially I was a little dejected when I started to understand that the romance that I was expecting would not be happening. This however was soon washed away when I realised the true story and point Sarah Mussi was trying to make.
This lovely author endeavoured to show the depth, meaning and power that real love can have, and in my opinion successfully achieved this.

Serafina's selfless, sinless love, misunderstood by all, brought her down from the heights of heaven, face-to-face with the devil and stripped her of her wings. Nevertheless she held strong, forsaking everything that defined her in the hopes of saving a human boy. And one bound for hell at that!
Her tale was one that humbled the heart and soul, reminding me that although everyone can talk the talk, not everyone can walk the walk. Not everyone will truly go to hell just so that you can have a shot at the gates of heaven.

If you liked this well truthfully I haven't come across another book with quite the same focus and values so suggesting you something else is tough. If you would like to remain on the angel-human theme but with more romance then I would recommend the Hush Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick, the Premonition series by Amy Bartol and the Nightwatchers series by Michelle Rowen. If on the other hand you would like a different kind of paranormal romance with the theme of souls still present then I would suggest the Existence series by Abbi Glines and the Soul Screamer series by Rachel Vincent.(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, angel

For about the first hundred pages I hated this book. The main character is annoying and disingenuous to a cliche'd degree, the insta-love alienated me, the plot is tired and the antagonist practically has neon arrows above his head signposting "bad guy here". Every page was a struggle and I persisted only because I hate to give up on a book part-way through.

After about the first hundred pages, though, things did start to change. The story got darker, the main character started to grow and I beca...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Jade Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Angel Dust delivers exactly what the cover shows - a gritty and urban angel story, far darker than most of the other angel books out there. I don't think that it delivers much more than that, I don't think that the romance was fantastic and I'll get into that later, but I do love the ideas it puts across about humanity and about growing up.

I didn't enjoy the romance in this book. Marcus just did not grow on me, he was too rough I didn't like the way he spoke and though I like a unique love inter...more Angel Dust delivers exactly what the cover shows - a gritty and urban angel story, far darker than most of the other angel books out there. I don't think that it delivers much more than that, I don't think that the romance was fantastic and I'll get into that later, but I do love the ideas it puts across about humanity and about growing up.

I didn't enjoy the romance in this book. Marcus just did not grow on me, he was too rough I didn't like the way he spoke and though I like a unique love interest, Marcus didn't seem to even care about Serafina, it was like he was awed by her because she was an angel but then he doesn't really care about her for her personality and then it goes from arguing to making out with little to no development. I liked Serafina, but she seemed to fall in love so quickly, and to be honest I don't really get why... What was so special about Marcus that she'd fall in love at first sight. I also thought that Serafina was inconsistent, so was naive at some points and then could completely understand Marcus' ghetto jargo on the next page.

Though I didn't like how gritty Marcus was as a character, I love the whole setting of the book. This is pure urban fantasy- it takes place in a very urban setting. I love the gang culture and how well it seems to be described, I don't know how authentic it was since I have never witnessed real life gang culture but it seemed very real. I also love the ideas that Mussi puts across using this gang culture, she uses it as a metaphor for how very corrupt humanity is and the whole setting and grittiness of it was very unique. It wasn't dark in a spooky, horror, supernatural kind of way. It was dark in a 'the darkest places of humanity' way.

The story isn't amazingly gripping until the end. The twists which were supposed to be shocking were pretty predictable, I knew who Larry was from as soon as we meet him, and I had guessed the truth about Sera's archangel friend. It was original to have a main character as an angel and a mortal love interest and it meant we could get descriptions of heaven, which were so quirky! Angels having parties and going to angel school and having choirs was so quirky and funny, I loved that.

Overall, I enjoyed Angel Dust but never felt particularly invested in the story. I liked the morals and the grittiness and the setting, and I also liked the originality of having an angel MC, however the characters and the twists could have been stronger, to make me gripped and emotionally attached to the characters.

Overall Rating: C-(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Kazhy (My Library in the Making) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, from-publisher, won

Actual rating: 3.5

THE COVER
When I first compared this cover to the ARC copy that I received - thanks to a giveaway by the publisher! - I actually preferred the plain white ARC. Then I read it. Nice to meet you, Zara.

THE STORY
I admit: I thought I'd get another human-angel love story when I began reading Angel Dust, except that this time, it's the girl who's the heavenly being. But no, Angel Dust is so much more than that. In fact, I don't think it's a love story - another case of insta-love here,...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Luna rated it 4 of 5 stars

The last time I bought a book because the cover was so striking it ended badly, but having seen Angel Dust on a few review blogs I braved it and I’m so happy I did.

Angel Dust is a dark gritty love obsession. The story is narrated by Serafina who is desperate to save Marcus, a gangster, from hell. Truthfully I couldn’t really make my mind up about him because I just didn’t feel like I got to know him enough.

To me, Angel Dust is the story of Serefina’s obsession with Marcus. Her absolute convictio...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Natframpton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book from start to finish.
Serafina is an angel of death. She collects those on her list and transports them either to Heaven or Hell. But when she wants to give Marcus a chance to repent for his sins she asks someone for an extension on his life. She works her hardest to convince Marcus to repent but with trouble going on up in heaven, its nearly impossible to visit earth and time is running out.
This book has everything you could want! It's a paranormal romance YA, with so many twi...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 40-book-challenge-2013

A suitable preface for this review would be to mention that I'm not often one for 'paranormal romance'; really the whole genre in general does little to catch my interest but I decided to give Angel Dust a try. I'm a pretty solid Atheist but I'm also interested in theology and was curious as to how the idea of an angel/Seraph falling in love with a human would be handled.

Serafina, one of the Seraphs of Heaven, falls in love with Marcus a human 'gangsta' while collecting souls for the afterlife (...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Leanne (The Selkie Reads Stories) rated it 5 of 5 stars

The thing about Angel Dust is that it isn't your average paranormal romance. We usually have a pseudo-human girl with a supernatural love interest. In Angel Dust, the roles are reversed and Sarah Mussi weaves an incredible witty and thrilling tale that redefines the paranormal romance genre.

The story is told in Seraphina's point of view. Being an angel of death who knows close to nil about the world her beloved Marcus lives in, she is anything but street smart. She doesn't know a thing about hum...more The thing about Angel Dust is that it isn't your average paranormal romance. We usually have a pseudo-human girl with a supernatural love interest. In Angel Dust, the roles are reversed and Sarah Mussi weaves an incredible witty and thrilling tale that redefines the paranormal romance genre.

The story is told in Seraphina's point of view. Being an angel of death who knows close to nil about the world her beloved Marcus lives in, she is anything but street smart. She doesn't know a thing about human emotions, and yet I found myself marveling at how she described human actions and emotions. Every little thing was fascinating and beautifully strange. The way she readily trusts people often creates problems for her. Her innocence is her Achilles' heel, I think. She has a curious and extremely naive personality, but the author succeeds in not making it come across as whiny or stupid.

Marcus is the gangsta that stole the angel of death's heart. He wasn't in the book as much as I would like him to be and I really didn't get to know him too well, but he is my favorite character. He has this aura that practically screams danger, but there's a reason why he built a bad-boy image around himself. He has incredibly plausible reasons for his actions and I could see why Serpahina didn't want him to be condemned to hell, despite all of the sins he has committed. He is such a tormented character with a beautiful soul- definitely not what you would expect!

Seraphina was entirely convinced that Marcus is her fate and her destiny. She would give up everything for him- her immortality included. She did so many stupid things just to save him and all I could do was shake my head. I didn't really like Seraphina's silly little infatuation at first. I thought it was just a little crush on someone forbidden; a temptation. I mean, who would fall in love with a person who she barely spoke to? But halfway into the book Seraphina didn't even care if Marcus didn't care for her, she just wanted to save his soul no matter what. That was what convinced me that Seraphina's love was real. Her love for him was so strong it stirred heaven and hell.

The book really drew me in and I could not put it down. I constantly wanted to know what happened next, even if the whole story was slightly predictable. The plot line was unique and definitely not what you would expect. It's perfectly paced and it never had a boring moment. The forbidden love between Seraphina and Marcus didn't overtake the book, and I loved that. It was more serious than I expected and started to deal with heavy topics halfway into the book, but I think it needed that heavy does of reality. The characters that surround the protagonists are just as beautiful and perfectly crafted with imperfections. Their growth and struggle with the idea of free will vs fate and all the other painful and yet true to life realities of this universe gave me a reading experience that i would not soon forget.

Angel Dust is a compelling paranormal romance filled with dark romance and urban grit. Sure to be enjoyed by fans of Lauren Kate and Becca Fitzpatrick, this heart-wrenching and fast paced read is surely one of the best books of 2012.(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I was offered the chance to read and review this book, I jumped straight in. It looked really different from anything else on the YA market and my curiosity won out. And let me tell you, this Romeo and Juliet reenactment (Marcus Montague - get it? :D) definetly left me stunned.

The thing that I was probably most excited about when I received this book was the fact that the narrator was an angel. Usually in angel books, the narrator is the more normal/human character and the love interest is...more When I was offered the chance to read and review this book, I jumped straight in. It looked really different from anything else on the YA market and my curiosity won out. And let me tell you, this Romeo and Juliet reenactment (Marcus Montague - get it? :D) definetly left me stunned.

The thing that I was probably most excited about when I received this book was the fact that the narrator was an angel. Usually in angel books, the narrator is the more normal/human character and the love interest is the supernatural being so you could say I was pretty excited about the roles being reversed in this book. And overall it was pretty refreshing that way. Except that I got kind-of confused with the description of places in Heaven...

The only slight criticism that I have on Angel Dust, not including the confusing description of Heaven, was the slow beginning. I didn't really enjoy the first 100 pages or so, but after that, I assure you, you are completely caught up in all the excitement and action! Surprisingly enough, the good side of it all actually cancelled out most of what I didn't enjoy!

The main character, Seraphina was a good enough character to get on with. She was brave and very admirable for what she did for love near the second half of the book. My favourite though, would probably have to be Marcus. And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure why! Since he was described as a 'gangsta' on the back of the book, I really didn't think I would like him but yet again, I surprised myself! Underneath the bad boy image he's built around himself, he has his reasons. Now, I don't want to say too much about him because I want you all to meet him for yourselves but I will say he's definetly not what you'd expect! He's actually a really decent gangsta... if ever there was one ofcourse! ;)

So yeah, overall I pretty much enjoyed this new take on the paranormal genre. Especially since it has the whole forbidden love of Romeo and Juliet going for it too! The characters are likeable and there's a unique narrative that I'm sure readers could admire! It's described as perfect for fans of Malorie Blackman, Lauren Kate and Becca Fitzpatrick so if that's you, I'd recommend you try it out for yourself when it hits shops in August! And even if that doesn't include you but you like the look of it, go get it too!
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Aug 01, 2012 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5

Angel Dust was an interesting take on angels and humanity and how the two interact – it was actually a little darker than I expected, which I liked, and was mainly about trying to solve the age old mystery of how to save a life.

The main character Serafina was the angel in this story, and the love interest was just a regular human. This intrigued me because we got to see things not from a normal human point of view, but from the perspective of a celestial being, an immortal who knew nothing...more 3.5/5

Angel Dust was an interesting take on angels and humanity and how the two interact – it was actually a little darker than I expected, which I liked, and was mainly about trying to solve the age old mystery of how to save a life.

The main character Serafina was the angel in this story, and the love interest was just a regular human. This intrigued me because we got to see things not from a normal human point of view, but from the perspective of a celestial being, an immortal who knew nothing of human life and human struggles. Serafina described human actions and emotions in such a way that it made me realise how much we humans take for granted. I tried to imagine how Serafina must have lived, but I found it pretty hard to picture anything other than a human existence. Our emotions seep into everything we do, our lives are short so we have to live them how we see fit – and these were things Serafina found fascinating and extraordinary, though to us, well, it’s just normal. Serafina was, however, a little naive (though I feel this actually added to the book, because it just showed the extent of her ignorance of the human world and sin and why humans do the things they do). While I did think she was brave and selfless at times, she was an angel, she hadn’t been hardened by human strife life most people on Earth and was too trusting. She fell for tricks so obvious that I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. I put it down to her angelic nature. She wasn’t used to be deceived, and while I saw it coming from a mile away, she was clearly used to trusting people and didn't see things as too good to be true.

Marcus was a character I struggled to like. I could see he wasn’t a horrible, evil person and I could understand why Serafina didn’t want him to go to Hell (he didn’t deserve to be damned), but he was just...eh. He didn’t do much to suggest that he liked Serafina until the very end, I really didn’t like the slang, and I just don’t see why Serafina went so far for him. I don’t get how she fell in “love” with him in such a short period of time after barely speaking to him – what exactly did she like about him (except his humanity)? And why would she risk everything for someone she hardly knew? She rushed into things without thinking and then was surprised when it went wrong – well what did she think would happen? I did like the fact that she was making her own decision, and was breaking the rules that had confined her for so long – it took a lot of courage and I like that she voiced her opinion that things weren’t perfect, even in Heaven. But I feel like it almost wasn’t worth it. Marcus was a virtual stranger, a human, one in billions, and she didn’t know anything about him. I just didn’t feel the romance.

That being said, the romance didn’t take up too much of the storyline and Marcus wasn’t actually in it as much as I thought he’d be. And though I didn’t love him, I did like his sister Jasmine who was really kind and warm, and I also liked Kamuel, one of the Archangels. Kamuel really intrigued me and I really would have loved to know more about him. He was also understanding and seemed to know what Serafina was going through and helped her out when he could.

The plot was well-paced, and things really started to serious in the second half. I did guess quite a few things but I was surprised at the way things ended and it didn’t go the way I’d thought it would. I liked the end a lot and feel most of the loose ends were wrapped up (though I wouldn’t say no to a sequel!). I think Serafina learnt a lot about humanity and ultimately about what she truly wanted from life. The way the angels were portrayed was really interesting, and I liked that they had their problems too, just like humans on Earth.

Overall, Angel Dust was an enjoyable and stirring read, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of angel books.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

A thrilling, thought-provoking, downright clever read with tons of unexpected wit and brilliant ideas.

I’ve heard a few people say lately that Paranormal Romance is dead; that we’re sick and tired of love triangles, vamps/angels/supernatural beings (and the girls who fall for them), etc. I think what they really mean is that we’re bored with the formulaic stuff that doesn’t respect the YA audience - and Angel Dust is a top-notch example of how to breathe new life into the genre.

Serafina is our n...more A thrilling, thought-provoking, downright clever read with tons of unexpected wit and brilliant ideas.

I’ve heard a few people say lately that Paranormal Romance is dead; that we’re sick and tired of love triangles, vamps/angels/supernatural beings (and the girls who fall for them), etc. I think what they really mean is that we’re bored with the formulaic stuff that doesn’t respect the YA audience - and Angel Dust is a top-notch example of how to breathe new life into the genre.

Serafina is our narrator, a naive angel on ‘collection duty’ (taking dead souls to heaven - or if they don’t repent their sins, the other place), in the midst of a war in heaven. I loved her voice: unconsciously funny at times, sometimes painfully sincere, always truly ‘other’ from any ordinary girl - yet suddenly experiencing all the overwhelming emotion of any lovestruck teen. It’s a perfect metaphor for first love.

Serafina makes a deal to save Marcus, the soul she was sent to take: a South London bad boy she finds irresistibly tempting. But there’s small print (the afterlife is painted as a vast bureaucracy, filled with niggly rules and paperwork), not to mention the life that was taken in Marcus’s place - who just so happens to have been his best friend. And so begin the questions, about free will and responsibility, faith and love. Serafina’s been a quiet, cloistered angel all these years: is her innocence a gift or a curse? Who made the rules that said she must come down to take these souls? Can an immortal ever comprehend human life? I enjoyed the heaven-set scenes, but those where Serafina negotiates hard human emotions - in the hospital, at a funeral, and in the final ‘Zara’ sections - are where the story really sings.

That the angel character is a girl is one reason, perhaps, that Angel Dust feels so refreshing. Perhaps it’s also because this is a British book; there’s an edgy urban grit about the London ‘gangsta’ scenes that I’ve not seen before in this genre. Whatever the reason, this is a cracking read. Seriously recommended.
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Jul 22, 2012 Lancashire Lass rated it 5 of 5 stars

At last an utterly riveting and wickedly intelligent paranormal romance! I loved it from start to finish! Our angelic heroine, Serafina, is captivating; she’s wordly, but at the same time her protected upbringing in the cloisters of heaven has left her naïve and needing to get street-wise fast... Because she’s fallen for Marcus, a gangsta boy with true heart, and she’s broken too many of the rules of heaven and risked way too much for him already...
The book builds the heaven setting beautifully,...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Nina at Death Books and Tea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review: Serafina is an angel, who has been sent to collect dead souls. One night, she goes to a night club to collect Marcus-but then falls in love with him. Because she can, she makes a deal with mysterious Larry as an extension on Marcus's life. Serafina now has until Halloween to get Marcus to repent- otherwise he goes to Hell.
The first thing I picked up on was Serafina's voice. It's got a distinctive quality to it that I can only really describe as being whiny. There's a lot of refering to H...more Review: Serafina is an angel, who has been sent to collect dead souls. One night, she goes to a night club to collect Marcus-but then falls in love with him. Because she can, she makes a deal with mysterious Larry as an extension on Marcus's life. Serafina now has until Halloween to get Marcus to repent- otherwise he goes to Hell.
The first thing I picked up on was Serafina's voice. It's got a distinctive quality to it that I can only really describe as being whiny. There's a lot of refering to Heaven and such, and also a lot about her-more than I'd expect an angel to. Serafina is also over-excited about something-there's an overabundance of exclamation marks, at least to start with, and then a little further on.
The characters are good. Marcus's friends are all your stereotypical London gangsters, but Marcus and his family had a bit more to them. Serafina, while not being all that likable due to her narration style, is built up well.
The Heaven and Hell that Sarah's built up is good. It's not the most interesting one I've seen, but the set up was what we're familiar with, with all happy clouds for Heaven and smoke for Hell.
I was slightly disappointed in the Devil character. He was fun, but not that deep. Same goes for all the characters really.
The romance was nicely done, with Serafina's love for Marcus being evident from start to finish-even if I couldn't really understand why she was in love with him for a reason other than a pretty face.
I liked the plot idea and the setting. It was well developed, and there's a slightly gritty feel to it.
The ending is a little bit confusing. It all happens quite fast and it does feel like, for little bits of it, in-world logic has been twisted to create the ending.
The story of Serafina's standing in Heaven due to her love is the most interesting thing. The most satisfying thing is seeing her dropped into the middle of London, and her being unable to get by without money. With the use of scenes like this and her confrontations with various characters, Serafina's definitely grown up.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a different take on angels with good romance and setting. Best not read if you want a heroine you don't want to kill for her narration skills.(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own-print, signed, for-review-read, did-not-finish, read-in-2012, british-author

I really wanted to like this one, I love the cover and was intrigued by the blurb but having forced my way through the first 100 pages I've had to admit defeat. I can't connect with Serafina and as the story is told first person from her POV it doesn't help that I hate her voice. She comes across as so naive & I can't for the life of me figure out what she sees in Marcus that would make him worth risking her wings for. I can't believe an angel who is thousands of years old would be quite as...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Angie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: giveaway-wins, young-adult, 2013-tbr

I was expecting Angel Dust to be an edgy twist on angels, but it just confirmed my general dislike for the winged creatures of Heaven. The story was definitely unique though, which is why I gave it a try. It’s the ultimate lovers from opposite sides of the tracks tale. Marcus is a gang member, and Serafina is an angel. Literally. She lives in Heaven and comes down to Earth to collect souls, until she lays her eyes on Marcus. He’s next on her list of people to deliver down to Hell, but she just c...more I was expecting Angel Dust to be an edgy twist on angels, but it just confirmed my general dislike for the winged creatures of Heaven. The story was definitely unique though, which is why I gave it a try. It’s the ultimate lovers from opposite sides of the tracks tale. Marcus is a gang member, and Serafina is an angel. Literally. She lives in Heaven and comes down to Earth to collect souls, until she lays her eyes on Marcus. He’s next on her list of people to deliver down to Hell, but she just can’t do it. She believes she can get him to repent and join her at the pearly gates. She manages to get an “extension” but at what cost?

The story starts out really slow. I had trouble warming up to Serafina, since she was so…bland. Yes, she’s an angel who wants to be human, but something just didn’t click for me. It also doesn’t help that much of her narrative is questions. There are paragraph long strings of her questioning what it means to be human and how it would feel to be mortal, and questioning God’s actions and inaction. The plot just wasn’t progressing because Serafina had to contemplate and muse over every little thing. Once it did get going though, the plot is pretty good.

Serafina is trying with all her might to save the man she loves, but nothing is going right. Marcus is caught up in gang activities to provide for his family and doesn’t see a way out. She wants him to repent so much that she would give up anything, even make a deal with the Devil. However, even the second half of the story was verging on boring. There is some action and I did feel sad at some points, but mostly I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I just didn’t see what Serafina saw in Marcus. He’s extremely annoying and one-dimensional. He also referred to himself in the third person as “Man.” We’re told it’s true love, but I couldn’t see it or believe it.

This reference will probably be meaningless to a lot of people, but I’ll try to explain what I mean. Angel Dust reminded me a lot of the movie Wristcutters: A Love Story. Not plot-wise really although there are some similarities, but more in overall tone. It has pretty dark themes, but there’s a certain humor and charm to it that makes it appealing. Now, I didn’t enjoy this book as much the movie, but the general feel just reminded me of it. I do highly recommend that movie though!

In the end, Angel Dust was unique, but as with most angel books, it wasn’t for me. I loved the idea of Romeo and Juliet with gangsters and angels, but it just didn’t work. The characters are flat, and the pacing is slow. I just didn’t care.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 TheBookAddictedGirl rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All Angel Lovers! :D

Shelves: arc, book-lauch-book, for-review, in-my-mailbox, british-fiction, dark-romance, cover-crazy, fantasy, magic, paranormal, read-2012, romance, thriller-suspense, urban-fantasy, ya

“I will help you. I will move Heaven and Earth to help.”
Serafina is one of God's best and brightest angels. Normally, she stays in Heaven, but since the Declaration of War, she must come to earth to collect souls.
It's then she sees him, Marcus Montague. She knows she must collect his soul and she knows he isn't bound for Heaven... And yet, she's drawn to Marcus, the "original badman", the gangsta.
But now she has to snuff his life out and take his soul away.
And all Serafina wants is to give Ma...more “I will help you. I will move Heaven and Earth to help.”
Serafina is one of God's best and brightest angels. Normally, she stays in Heaven, but since the Declaration of War, she must come to earth to collect souls.
It's then she sees him, Marcus Montague. She knows she must collect his soul and she knows he isn't bound for Heaven... And yet, she's drawn to Marcus, the "original badman", the gangsta.
But now she has to snuff his life out and take his soul away.
And all Serafina wants is to give Marcus more time, time to repent.
It's then Larry shows up, a "gentle being in white". He offers her something, something she can't refuse...
But how far is Serafina willing to go to save the gangsta's life? How far when Heaven and Hell is at war, when everything Serafina's ever know is at stake...?
From the moment I laid eyes on the blurb (and gorgeous cover) of Angel Dust, I was enchanted. After hearing Sarah Mussi talk about it and chatting a bit with her, I was positively itching to get stuck into the story. I have seen some negative reviews, but I must say I loved it. I do love angel books, and the fact this one had a definite Romeo-Juliet inspiration meant I was even more happy about it. And this book was brilliant. I really, really loved it and can't wait for more by Mussi.
Serafina was actually quite cute: she was so naive and unworldly. She kind of made me laugh at times with all her enthusiasm and cuteness! Of course, at other times, I could hit her for her naivety. She was so trusting and unworldly – she didn't see things coming we saw a mile off. I loved seeing her grow and challenge everything, hitting perfectly all the controversy around Free Will and Rules and how far one should go to save the one you love.
Marcus was sweet, but personally not someone I'd risk falling from Heaven for. He did have many good points, like how he cared for the people in his "territory" and how he wanted to take care of his family. But, uh, why did he call himself the "Man"? He did try to be better and he only wanted to help. I saw his potential, but I didn't really know him as well as I'd like to.
There were some other good characters, like Larry-slash-Harry or Kamuel. Larry-Harry was funny but seriously, Serafina?! And Kamuel… I so wish he were in it more!
The romance between Serafina and Marcus, I must admit wasn’t totally believable. The way she just saw him once and just fell so in love she was willing to break the Rules? It just didn’t seem totally plausible. Then again, she did mention that he was her "temptation" – does that mean he was like her soulmate, the one person alive who could pull her from Heaven? I just wish it was a little more clear or less insta-love-y. But as I read, I must admit that the insta-love started making a little more sense. And when they had those moments, I really felt it - the love, the chemistry.
I loved that this was written from the angel's POV. The only other book I've come across like that is Halo, and I must say that Serafina is a much more likeable character. And her language was much easier to read; more like an average teen and less like a 19th century poet. But I get off topic: the point is that reading from an angel's perspective is brilliant – the most mundane thing seems magical. And I really felt that Romeo&Juliet influence – the forbidden love, the star crossed lovers whose feelings should not exist yet burn brighter than Heaven. I'll admit that the beginning of the story was a little slow. But with a war brewing and oh-so-many rules for Serafina to break, it didn't stay that way for long! And the story was just so much more than just a forbidden romance, a mission to save a human's eternal soul from Hell. It was so much more complex and twisty. And while I saw things coming when Serafina didn’t, I think we were meant to – it just added to the overall suspense and kinda horror!
I loved learning about the angelic world: lots came from the bible inspiration and stuff, but what I really loved was the description of the road to Hell. And Heaven – as amazing as it all was and how rich it was in places, I still felt like it could have been a little more padded out. I saw the outline in my head, but bits weren’t in technocolour.
I hate naive characters - normally. But somehow Mussi made Serafina angelically innocent without making her 'Too Stupid To Live'. I must say though, I'm not 100% why she fell for Marcus quite so hard. But, Mussi perfectly captured that overwhelming, all-consuming nature of first love, emphasised by it being felt by an immortal being who had never known love before, who had only wanted to save the one she loved... It was really powerful.
So, yes, this book has very strong points and some let downs. The strong points were more than enough to keep me hooked and I absolutely can't wait to see what Mussi brings out next.
But, more importantly, yes: Mussi wrote a brilliant book that had me hooked start to finish. There was something so magic about her writing - she made many of my usual pet peeves things I loved most about the story. I think Mussi may be magic, if you ask me. I can't wait for her next book. And I really think most will love this too, 'cause its magic. (less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Dandolino rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm not normally into romance. It isn't my thing. However, what I liked about this book was some of the ideas of Heaven which are definitely not saintly and suffer from what seems like a hidden dictatorship. I can see shades of Milton's Paradise Lost and Faust.
I also liked the contrast between the heroine's life in Heaven and her life on Earth. The plot bowls along and delivers twists like a thriller. Highly recommended.

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Jul 03, 2012 Clare Cannon marked it as probably-not

Don't like the sound of this description, I liked her historical fiction but not for the writing, more for the content. Not sure whether this has either.

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Jan 24, 2013 Leila rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Leila by: found it in a book shop

i didn't enjoy angel dust at all i thought it was very bad idea and i hated Seraphina

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Aug 14, 2012 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

What first grabbed my attention was the cover which I absolutely love. The beginning of the book (The Testimony of Zara Finer) I loved, but as I made my way through it I'm afraid to say the cover and the Testimony are all that I like.
I managed to make it to chapter 12 but I am finding it increasingly hard to continue, the main character seems fickle and childish, even though she is supposed to be a lot older and I don't see what is so special about Marcus that she HAD to save him.

Will possibly t...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Wrathsqueen rated it 3 of 5 stars

My review + Q & A with Sarah Mussi:http://wrathsqueensbooks.blogsp...

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Dec 01, 2012 Paulette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Was hard to read, couldnt really get into it.

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May 10, 2013 Farzana rahmann rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ok I have mixed feelings about this book it started of great but then to many characters were introduced and too many things were going on, so got a bit confusing. But near the end it good back on track.

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Aug 18, 2012 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, did-not-finish, uk-author, signed

disliked the main character so much within the first chapter so giving up for the time being with it. I want to like this book so I might come back to it at some point

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May 13, 2013 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 09, 2013 Finn Marsden rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 01, 2013 Missedutton marked it as to-read

Apr 24, 2013 Hermione Laake is currently reading it

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