Broken Angel: A Novel

by Sigmund Brouwer

book data

37 ratings, 3.43 average rating, 23 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		10%
4		35%
3		40%
2		13%
1		0%

edit

published

May 20th 2008 by WaterBrook Press

binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn

1400070325 (isbn13: 9781400070329)

description

Her birth was shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
Her destiny is beyond comprehension.
Her pursuers long to see her broken.
She fights to soar.

In the rough,...more

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | compare prices…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Chicks On Lit: Shelby's reading Goals for 2009	20	41	1 day ago, 01:57PM

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 78)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

01/01/09

Michelle rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This book was an unexpected pleasure. I had never read anything by this author before and had no idea what to expect. Honestly, if I had known before hand, I probably wouldn't have chosen to read it. It begins as the story of a man and his daughter on the run from bounty hunters in an obviously futuristic society where religious fundamentalists have successfully seceded from the rest of the county in the Appalachian mountains. As the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that this is the central...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

12/15/08

Colleen rated it:

Read in December, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

add a comment

12/16/08

Kristen rated it:

bookshelves: first-reads, sci-fi

Read in January, 2009

So the world has split between the religious fanatics and the non-religious science driven atheists. Separated by a large electrified wall and an even larger moral gap… there is no crossing between Appalachia and “the Outside.” Those who live within the confines of the walls are told terrible tales about what goes on “Outside” and anyone who attempts to get there must pass through the land of “The Clan” a group who lives on the border and ascribes to neither side.

But ...more So the world has split between the religious fanatics and the non-religious science driven atheists. Separated by a large electrified wall and an even larger moral gap… there is no crossing between Appalachia and “the Outside.” Those who live within the confines of the walls are told terrible tales about what goes on “Outside” and anyone who attempts to get there must pass through the land of “The Clan” a group who lives on the border and ascribes to neither side.

But within Appalachia resides Jordan and his daughter Caitlyn… originally from the “Outside” Jordan is hiding many secrets, even from his daughter whom he adores above all else. Caitlyn meanwhile suffers from a disfigurement of the body that no medicine can cure… and something about it has grabbed the attention of both the governments of the Outside and of Appalachia, and now they have sent a merciless group of bounty hunters after her. In a world where everyone is tracked, video cameras are on ever corner and even the horses are GPS monitored… where can she run, and why is it that they all seem to want her so badly?

Though “Broken Angel” takes place in a dystopian future, the focus is not really on that world so much as the relationship between Jordan and Caitlyn, and everyone else’s reactions to them. I would have liked to have seen a broader picture of the world that Brouwer created, or more depth and info. Instead what we really have is an extended chase scene from beginning to end with some nice scenery and some interesting concepts that go whizzing by as we continue the chase. The themes and concepts of the book are very simple to pick out – the degeneration of the Church into a corrupt governing body, the thought that a true relationship with God requires no church, the effect of greed and power, the effect of mindless following of faith, Government fear tactics, the government limiting education to increase control… there are plenty more and they are all right out there in the open.

This book is a very simple and fast read… there are a few points of violence that may make some cringe, but as I’m a hardened horror fan they didn’t faze me. I wanted to warn you of that since many are touting this as a Christian Adventure novel… which I can sort of see, but DO expect deaths, threats of torture, violence etc. I don’t recall any profanity, and the concept of sex is only implied through conversations and looks. On the whole this is a fairly good book and I wouldn’t mind reading more from the author.
(less)

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

12/27/08

Amy rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-books

Read in December, 2008

recommended to Amy by: goodreads giveaway
recommends it for: suspense fans

This could have been a better book. It was a good suspense/scifi story with the necessary ingredients of genetic manipulation, characters on the run, and a sadist bounty hunter. Unfortunately, I think the author could have developed all parts of the story a little better. The characters were bland, and even unlikable. There was very little descriptive text and only a few moments of thought-provoking dialogue. Set in a religious-right country within the US, Brouwer had the chance to take a s...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/29/08

Audra rated it:

bookshelves: dystopia, first-reads

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2009

recommended to Audra by: Goodreads Giveaway
recommends it for: Those that enjoyed Orwell's "1984" or Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"

This is the first book I have won through the Goodreads Giveaway Program. I am so glad that I won it, because it is not the type of novel I would have ordinarily chosen on my own. I was concerned that this would be both too Sci-Fi and too Christian for my taste. However, it surprisingly held my interest!
Although the plot was dark and depressing, I feel that it painted a good picture of a dystopian society. Some of the fictional events might seem extreme for the present day, but not o...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/25/09

L.D. rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I had mentioned before that this was a slower read. The pace picked up, but there is an element to the story that leads to a sequel. It tends to parallel James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" except Patterson plot evolved into many books. Not sure this one could. There are fewer pages compared to Pattersons. I would love to read an interview of Brouwer to see where he came from and where he is going with this story line. Have read a lot of his earlier novels and enjoyed them. I guess...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/07/08

Michelle rated it:

bookshelves: blog-tour-book, christianfiction

Broken Angel was... interesting. The author is... imaginative. Okay, it was a strange book. Really strange. But it had a good message despite the weirdness and occasionally sick-o scenes. What I gleaned from Broken Angel is that if you take your eyes off Christ and get so wrapped up in the culture that you forget grace, then you can be led away to the point where you've forgotten what it really means to be a Christian. Oh, and when legalism abounds we are not far from the Nazis and the control t...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

01/05/09

Abigail rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, mystery

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2009

recommended to Abigail by: I won it

Think Lost meets The Villiage and add a little DNA splicing and you've got this book. It's a pretty weird book, the characters are easy to warm up to.. well the main characters. The bounty hunters are scary enough and the details about some of the things that Mike Lee wants to do to people are pretty gorey! I wish there was more detail on the relationships. A story about "what could happen" in the future if we allow it.. an interesting take.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/31/08

Rachel rated it:

Read in December, 2008

My husband actually got this book free from Goodreads and I read it first. He really isn't into fiction as much as I am. I have not previously been introduced to this author and if his other works are similar he may have a new fan. This book was smart, captivating, and although somewhat gruesome at times, a fun read. I love books that have an underlying message of truth like this one does.

Like this review? yes

3 comments

02/04/09

Daniel rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I enjoyed the story plot and characters, but I would have really enjoyed it if Sigmund would have developed all of the characters more and written more story. I feel like I just got into it and then it was done. Ho, hum. I especially would have loved to know more about Bar Elohim and Pierce. Some history on Pierce and his accomplishments would have been nice.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/29/08

Sharon added it

Read in December, 2008

This is the best book ever~!!!! It is about a girl who lives in a setting where there were only two countries, Outside and Appalachia. The setting takes place in the near-future where DNA injections were known yet forbidden. Reading, also, is forbidden. Won't that make humans be considered as stupid?

Like this review? yes

add a comment

01/06/09

Cameron rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in January, 2009

Not a bad little book if you got nothing else to read. it was gripping in a way but it is a short read so it was nothing to complain about. it was a mixture of the books: The Giver, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 plus the movie The Village. Each individually are great but mixed together... it is not a book I would read again, but worth finishing once I started.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/26/08

Joe rated it:

bookshelves: first-reads

Read in December, 2008

Interesting book. "Appalachia" was a scarey place run by a religious cult. The girls escape was very interesting but the end was predictable. Over all I enjoyed the book.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/15/08

Brittany rated it:

bookshelves: first-reads

Read in February, 2009

This review is for a goodreads.com first reads giveaway book.

When I entered to win this book I didn't know that it was a Christian SciFi novel, because had I known, I wouldn't have bothered. Once I started reading Broken Angel and realized what genre it was I decided to keep reading because I already had too many questions that I wanted answered. And really, save for a few underhanded agenda-pushing lines, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, bible obsessed I mean. I did...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/15/08

Shelby rated it:

At first I didn't think I would like this book. Kind of futuristic. It ended up drawing me in. Left some unfinished questions for me but that's ok. Leaves something to think about.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

03/09/08

Denae rated it:

bookshelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

09/11/08

Charli rated it:

bookshelves: speculative

Read in September, 2008

I quite enjoyed this quasi-dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel about Caitlyn, a girl with serious deformities, and her journey to escape Appalachia, a religious seccessionist area of the former US that's run by Bar Elohim, a very Big Brotherish presence. Not heavy on characterization, but a thrilling, plot-driven read with a lot of teen appeal.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/19/08

Rebekah Stewart rated it:

bookshelves: recently-finished

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Rebekah by: It was a pre release that was given to me by a rep from the publ

It was kinda the same idea as the novel 1984. I was mildly interested from the beginning. I didn't care much for any of the characters and I was very disappointed at how it ended. It was very easy reading, I read it in two sittings. All-in-all the book wasn't horrible but I would't really recommend it.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/15/08

Carrie rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This was a very easy read, yet, kept my attention. I wasnt expecting her to turn out the way she did, which was great! Normally I can tell whats going to happen in the end and this was mostly a good surprise. Worth reading.

Like this review? yes

2 comments

09/20/08

Martha Hutchinson rated it:

Read in September, 2008

I really enjoyed this book. It's a futuristic, post-Apocalyptic story, but I thought it was pretty good.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

recent status updates | recommend it | blog it

combine
other editions

None found

popular shelves

to-read (on 34 people's shelves)
first-reads (on 4 people's shelves)
fiction (on 2 people's shelves)
wish-list (on 2 people's shelves)
sci-fi (on 2 people's shelves)
More shelves...

quotes from this book

"Outside, most people knew that decades ago, the religious fundamentalists lost the ability to transform society when they became a political movement. Their boycotts and protests were commonplace, any outcry against anything beyond the narrow range of what they saw as biblically acceptable was dismissed as a knee-jerk reaction." More quotes...