Angel Evolution

Evolution Trilogy #1

by David Estes

Angel Evolution- the first book in the young adult fantasy trilogy: The Evolution Trilogy... When Taylor meets Gabriel at college, she is in awe of the subtle glow that surrounds him. No one else, not even her best friend, seems to notice. Something about him scares her. Is all as it appears? While Taylor struggles for answers, she finds herself in the middle of a century old war centered on one miraculous revelation: evolution.

Genres: Angels, Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Demons, Ebooks

322 pages, ebook

First published October 10, 2011

About the author

Get a FREE short story from David Estes' #1 Amazon bestselling epic fantasy series, Fatemarked, when you sign up for his mailing list: https://www.subscribepage.com/b2v6v3

David Estes has written more than 40 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his beautiful Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey and Luna, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.

Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...

Books by David Estes:

-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.

-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic

-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND

-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.

-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!

-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."

-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.

Reviews

[Megs ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book to review for the ReadIt&Reap program in the ShutUp&Read group. Thanks to the mods and the author for providing this book for us to read.

Angel Evolution is book that kicks off The Evolution Trilogy. I feel this was a fantastic start to this young adult fantasy series.

This book sucks you in from the first chapter, and will constantly keep you engaged. There is nothing predictable about this book either, so you will always be on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. I liked that the main character, Taylor was a college student, and the whole college setting was a nice change from the typical High School atmosphere. Taylor was a great heroine to read about and follow on her journey. At first I didn't really like Gabriel too much, because he seemed a little bit weird or creepy, but by the end I started to like him more.

One thing that I didn't like about this book, though, was that were at least two characters (that I can think of) that were introduced in this story and they just disappeared without explanation. I don't know if this was the author's intent and if he just brings them back in the other books or whatever, but this is something that always gets on my nerves when it happens.


When you read the synopsis you may be worried that this will be the same good vs evil...angel vs. demon story that has been done to death, but this story is actually pretty original.

This was a fast paced, quick read that's exciting and will leave you wanting to start the next part in the series.

4/5 stars. Recommend to all fantasy lovers.

[Elle (Ligia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Let’s start by explaining the star ratings. I couldn’t give Angel Evolution four stars along with some books I love to death, but three stars doesn’t feel like enough to me, so I would say you ignore the stars and just read the review. I tend to be contradicting sometimes. Who cares? Just read it. Wink

Angel Evolution has a pretty different take on angels and demons from what I’m used to. And before you narrow your eyes at me, let me just tell you that different isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, different is most of the time good. Like Taylor.

Taylor Kingston is set of on her first year of college along with her best friend Samantha, into her life of independence. Taylor is pretty… unique, both inside and out. She’s strong-minded, a little obsessed over being in control, and doesn’t see herself very clearly. She has a black snake with red eyes tattoo on one shoulder, wears quite a few rings, and is in desperate need to find a flour-leafed clover.

So what happens when a stranger –yet very good looking guy with a strange light around himself at that –walks up to her roams the grass for a second and hands her a four-leafed clover? She tears it apart. Destroys it. Pulls out leaf by leaf… You get the picture. See what I mean when I tell you she’s unique?

But now that you’ve seen this good looking guy with a light around himself, I have to make introductions. Meet Gabriel Knight, aka an Angel.

So Gabriel is an angel, and he’s on a mission. Find the world’s strongest weapon, seduce her –yes her –and bring her in to help the angels destroy all demons roaming the earth. A piece of cake, right? At least seducing her is. It’s not like he really did have to try, what girl wouldn’t fall for a good looking guy, with amazing eyes, who’s a complete gentleman. And who just happens to have wings behind his back and can fly you around campus, so you can sneak out together to secret places and make out? Who indeed! Taylor didn’t stand a chance, and neither did I.

Oh, but don’t fool yourself! I never said he was good. And here lays the problem. Is he good or is he not? What if I compare him to our next guest, Christopher, a demon? A demon who actually seems to be good, unlike Gabriel. Where do we stand now? Well, I’m going to tell you a secret. First I thought Gabriel was good, and then I thought he was bad. Then I thought he was good again, and then bad. And in the end… well, you’ll have to read to find out. Wink. I will tell you this, though, I am one happy girl… or sort of.

Angel Evolution is pretty original take on angels and demons, full of new superpowers and interesting tales. It has its own epic battle and warriors in shinny armors. It has love and friendship, betrayal and lies, and it will leave you wanting to know more.

Now it’s when I sit straighter and narrow my eyes at David, the author, and say: Why did you leave it like that? It’s not fair! And now I pout for extra effect.

So, yes, in case you’re wondering, we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger, or maybe not a bit, more like a huge cliffhanger (to me). This leads me to say that I’m looking forward to reading the next books in this trilogy and David Estes’ other works.

Angel Evolution is a good start and debut novel, it sets of an intriguing first glimpse into a tale you won’t want to miss.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, particularly because it seems pretty original. It's a story about Angels and Demons but they have special powers so they're pretty cool!

I like that the book was written about a girl in college because most YA books are written about characters in high school, so it was nice to get something different. Taylor and Sam are fun, energetic girls and I liked reading their stories. Sometimes I think Taylor needed to ask more questions, but overall I liked her. Gab was fun to read about because he seems to have a lot of internal struggling happening. Chris was my favorite character. We get enough of him to be interested but not enough, which keeps him interesting.

I liked that we knew what everyone was thinking at the same time I didn't like it. It was great because we got to see the story from so many different angles, but at the same time it seemed like a chapter would be about someone particular but then we would get a sentence or two about what a different character was thinking. I might not have been following the POVs right but it confused me sometimes.

Although I liked the story, something seemed missing to me and I can't tell what it was. Maybe there was too much foreshadowing? I'm not sure. I think maybe more subtle foreshadowing would have been better. Something I would have needed to figure out instead of being told. That makes the books more exciting for me. But I do like that we were kept in the dark sometimes. Because we could really get into anyones head in this story, it was nice to not know everything that was going on.

The two different battle sides were REALLY interesting to experience - because we don't have, or I've never seen, anything like those in our world. It made me want to be in one of those places just to see everything that was happening!

I have a couple questions, but there is another book so I'll wait and see if they are hopefully answered! Looking forward to reading book two!

[Darci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get a little nervous when I get books from authors for review. Sometimes they aren't that great. Boy was I pleasantly surprised with this one! I didn't just like it...I Loved it, and I can't wait until I get to read the sequel.


Why I loved it you ask?
I was pretty much hooked after the first chapter. The writing flowed throughout the book. The characters were described in such a hilarious way it really grabbed my attention from the beginning. Oh and then Gabriel showed up and uh yah HOT. The great thing about the first part of the book is that I couldn't figure out if I was suppose to trust Gabriel or if he really was deceiving me *ahem* oh I meant if he really was deceiving Taylor. Does Gabriel really have feelings for Taylor or is he just using her to get ahead? Are the demons or the angels the bad guys? This book had me wondering the whole time. I didn't guess the next move before the author revealed the truth, which was very refreshing and kept me reading. This book was definitely a different take on angel vs. demons, and the world that Estes created had me entranced.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor is off to her first year of college where she meets Gabriel. Gabriel is a mystery to Taylor from the very first time she sets eyes on him, and she's immediately drawn to him and his mysteriousness. Gabriel is not what he seems though, and Taylor ultimately has to decide if she can trust him or not.

I love the characters. Taylor and Samantha had such contrasting characters but despite that, or maybe because of that, they were best friends. Gabriel and Christopher thought they were completely different, as different as angels and demons, but in fact they were actually trying to achieve the same goal. Throughout the book I never quite knew how to feel about Gabriel. His and Taylor's entire relationship was based on lies, and he told her so many lies that toward the end of the book he was not even sure what was a lie and what was the truth anymore. He seemed to be at war with himself about what he wanted and what he thought he should want.

I guarantee this book will keep you guessing to the end. Throughout the story you never know who you are supposed to be trusting. I love the different play on the angels/demons and am definitely going to be reading the next two books in the trilogy!

Interview with author David Estes:
Shut Up & Read Blog

[Lint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asdfghjkl.

I am literally lost for words at the moment.

. .

Angel Evolution

Higlight of my day.

This is David Estes' first novel and I think he did a pretty good job.

So the main character is Taylor. She has a strong and complicated sense of character, who believes she has to be in control. Her best friend, the gorgeous Samantha, also known as Sam, has known Taylor for quite a long time.

Then theres Gabriel. He's an angel, brainwashed into thinking angels are superior to humans and all they need to defeat the demons, is Taylor.

Except Chris refuses to let the angels take her. Chris is a demon who happens to fall in love with Sam.

The angels need Taylor because she's the key to winning this 'War'. The demons need her so the angels don't get the upperhand.

My heart beat rate was higher than usual, which does not happen often. I personally loved this book and cannot wait to read the second book.

David Estes, why did you end it that way ? Why ?

Highly recommended :)

[Midu Hadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:

I really liked the author’s idea of combining evolution with angels & demons mythology-however, the issue of the snake that started it all needs further delving in. Maybe it will be touched upon in the sequels.

Of course, the superiority complex that all angels seemed to be a prey of and to what lengths they’d go to keep it that way was another interesting bit.



both the angel and the demon did NOT fall in love with the heroine- very refreshing in a YA novel.


What I didn’t like:

the treatment of Gargoyles-if I’m correct, they’re the result of unions between two angels or two demons which makes them their offsprings…sub intelligent but still their kids. Why are they treated like animals by both sides? And not only are the supes okay with that, so were the humans?

Taylor took a lot of things too calmly and she switches between hating and loving Gabe a little too much & too easily.

This is a fast paced YA novel with a unique spin on angel/demon myth. I liked it a lot!

Also reviewed at:
PBD Blog
Amazon
Shelfari
Smashwords
B&N

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

AGH! I just finished the book and was about to start screaming about the ending. Then I checked and saw that the second book was already out, and was like "thank goodness." I am glad I don't have to wait to find out the next part of the story.

Angel Evolution is really different from the other angel and demon stories out there. This story has no basis on religion at all. The angels and demons come from a different source, which I found to be fascinating.

Taylor is a pretty cool character. She has excellent instinct, which she later ignores, to her detriment. She has dreams about a black snake and two guys that come to her after the snake captures her. Eventually she meets both guys – but which one is the one that killed her in her dream? Which one can she trust? One is an angel and the other a demon.

Thankfully, this book doesn’t have a love triangle. Taylor is in love with Gabriel. Despite the author’s attempt to make you like Gabriel, I don’t. He is a LIAR. A big fat Liar with a capital L. He lies all the time. Maybe in book two, I might like him better, but for now I think he is a jerk. Sam is Taylor’s best friend and I love her enthusiasm and loyalty. She begins dating Christopher, who is an awesome guy. Somehow all four of these characters are mixed up in this big mess. You will need to read to figure out how. You will need to read to figure out which of the guys is the angel and which is the demon. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away.

I enjoyed Angel Evolution. The writing was good and the characters well developed. I’m looking forward to seeing how Taylor, Gabriel, Sam and Christopher’s stories end.

[Brad Theado · Rating 2 out of 5]

I acquired this book from the author to review it, I did not pay for the book although the author may wish I did after I finish reviewing it.

-----------------------

If I were a 13 year old girl who liked to fight over who was hotter, Edward or (the other guy, the werewolf), I might have really liked this book. The central theme centered around a "oh whoa is me" angst ridden 19 year old girl whose life was not complete until the otherworldly boy who saw that "something special in her" brought out her inner hotness.

I thought when I would write this I might address the conflict of good versus evil shown in different lights through the use of the evil angels and the good demons, but then I just realized how bored i was through the entire book.

The dialog was stilted and unbelievable. After shown a complete setting of armor that fit her perfectly, the main character's response was, "Cool."

I just found the entire book to be a chore to slog through. As bad as Twilight was, it at least had a central story line that I cared about.

In the first paragraph, I stated, "if i were a 13 year old girl" I am not, I am a 45 year old man who occasionally mixes in a light YA book, so anyone reading this review should consider the source before making a decision on this book. It may very well be a book that a 13 year old girl would like, it just wasn't for me.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like young adult books and I like fantasy so this was a winning combination. I enjoyed Taylor's quest to find out more about Gabriel and about herself. It wasn't an overlong story, it was a quick, enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.

Well, I'm pleased to announce David is giving away 200, yes 200!, e-book copies. It's a book I enjoyed very much. All you have to do to enter is:

1. Like David's facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-E...
or... 2. Follow his blog- http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com/
or... 3. Follow him on twitter- https://twitter.com/#%21/davidestesbooks


To get your free e-book copy you can e-mail David at: davidestes100@yahoo.com.au (and tell him Lisa from I feel so unnecessary sent ya!) The giveaway will be open until December 13, 2011. Good luck!

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8PB4B...

First off, this book was very enjoyably quick read--it took me all of two days to finish it. The take on angels/demons was very refreshing and i like how it was able to explain their existence without bringing God into it, so even nonreligious people would enjoy the book. The opening chapter was full of incredible imagery, and the first few chapters as well were full of mystery and made me want to keep reading. there was also no clear line dividing evil and good on both sides, which was very refreshing.



However, though the plot was very original and interesting, the characters sort of got on my nerves. I get that Taylor is supposed to be a sort of angry person most of the time, but her personality just wasn't consistent, and it sort of bugged me. in one instance, she says that she's flying to the battlefield with a guy she barely knows, but they claim they love each other and have for at least 4 months...doesn't add up. Same with Gabriel. I think he was supposed to be portrayed as conflicted with his feelings for Taylor and his loyalty to the Council, but to me, he came off as too wishy-washy and indecisive. Chris, however, was brilliantly written, and i liked how his personality stayed consistent.



Still, some things just didn't seem realistic. i know its a fantasy novel, but honestly, if my boyfriend told me that he was an angel, i wouldn't immediately be all cool and ask to fly with him--i would refuse to believe it, and even after he proved it, still be wary for a while. any normal person would. i understand that Taylor was supposed to be "special" but she's still a person, and that just didn't line up. Same with Sam, as well. Her absolute willingness to just leave in the dead of the night with a guy who claimed to be a demon kind of made me mad at her. any sane person would have called security, and get Chris examined. in addition, the declaration of love between them just didn't make sense. i know that the'd been together, but there was nothing to suggest that they were anywhere near anything serious.



that's really my only concern was the characters. the plot and the concept of the war were incredibly cool (except for the fact that they had scheduled battles--sounds more like a peace than a war). and the ending was a great cliffhanger to leave off at. overall, it was enjoyable. out of hope that it will get better as the trilogy goes on, i may read the second one.

also, thank you so much to the author for letting me read this for free :)

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taylor was having persistent nightmares.
The latest one was about the same snake that has been in her dreams and two haloed individuals who offered her a drink.
Our heroine wakes up and the story begins.
Taylor was starting his freshman year at UT.
On her first day, she met Gabriel.
Who was Gabriel?
Why was she seeing weird light around him?
Who was he really?

This book was definitely interesting.
It steered away from the typical Angel and Demon stories.
It was very creative.
It was fresh.
This book actually has the potential to be a very good book if it wasn’t for the characters.
I felt they were a little undeveloped.

Let’s talk about Taylor and Gabriel.
Taylor has a weird habit of looking for a four leaf clover everywhere she went.
But still I kind of liked her.
Gabriel on the other hand, frightened me a bit.
I knew there was something wrong about him from the start.
I just didn’t know how their feelings for each other developed after 2 dates.
I am not really a fan of insta-love and I liked that this book was not like that but the development of the attraction between Taylor and Gabriel was just too fast for me.
Too fast that Gabriel decided to betray his kind for Taylor.

For me a good YA book should have a good story, good characters and good writing.
For me this book has two of those just a little behind on character development but I couldn’t judge yet because I haven’t read the other books so I guess we’ll have to find out. :D

3.5!

[Noemi · Rating 1 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to review from a giveaway**
***SPOILERS***

The book starts off with our heroin Taylor having a nightmare in which she is parched and crawling on the ground while being terrorized by a malicious black snake, when she sees two distinct beings approach her, one surrounded by shadows and one surrounded by light. As the beings get closer she is offered two different skeins to drink from, one is filled with nourishing water and the other with sand that suffocates her as she is forced to drink from it. Our heroin wakes up screaming from her nightmare and thus the book begins. From there we learn that Taylor is a freshman at UT who has had constant nightmares of the snake biting her and injecting her with venom, from her childhood, which of course led her to tattoo the very snake onto her shoulder at the age of 16 to show the nightmare's who's boss.

She of course is a normal teenager who has brown hair and brown eyes, a penchant for rings, four leafed clovers and a sixth sense that her mother always told her to trust (hint hint) and she cares naught for makeup or what others think of her. We are almost immediately introduced to Gabriel, the angel, (in his own chapter, which was not necessary) who has been watching her trying to figure out if she's the one. They meet quickly and she notices he glows and has a funny feeling but he finds her a four leafed clover and gains her small trust with that gesture. We then meet Taylor's perfect, golden haired, cheerleader, boy crazy best friend Sam and their new friends Marley and her boyfriend (so uninteresting and necessary that they drop from sight less than midway through the book). The book stalls for the first 10 ch or 50 pages, with creepy side chapters telling us how Gabriel is stalking Taylor with his super powers and not telling us why Taylor is such a special snowflake. They go on a few dates and Gabriel tells Taylor the truth about his angel ways and the fact that her aura is the brightest of all humans and that he wants her to help the angels with her aura to defeat the demons forever. At the same time she meets Christopher (who is a demon) who also tries to get with her but when Taylor becomes Gabriel's girlfriend ends up with her best friend Sam in order to spy on Taylor better. The rest of the book is pretty much Taylor falling in love with Gabriel in 2 dates and not following her gut instinct while with him, getting trapped and used by the angels and finally being rescued by the demons (who are the good guys.

The mythology of the book is that Demons and Angels began in the amazon rain forest in 1848 C.E. when an American explorer was bit by a venomous black snake and suddenly went all peter parker and has superpowers, thus becoming the first demon. He went back to america (after honing his powers of course) and became an outlaw in the wild west. After having some nookie with a few human women, as an outlaw would, he realized that the kids came out full demon and he decided to take them all away to raise a little commune of demon outlaws. Years pass and two distant demon relatives decide to get it on and the product is a horrible looking monster called a gargoyle. For some reason, some demons think gargoyles are a splendid idea and that they need more as pets or for lawn decoration and they start producing more much to the horror or one demon in particular name Dionysus. Dionysus so horrified at the thought of gargoyles that he runs away from his demon brethren. Cursing his shadowy demon fate, he goes out into the sun and in his rage is able to absorb the power of the sun and becomes the first angel ever. This all happened a mere 40 years ago. Dionysus thus builds his own angel empire (the old fashioned way of course) and here they are fighting for world domination. What Gabriel does not tell Taylor is that the angels want the demons gone so that they can enslave the humans and use them for their auras and procreation while the demons want to live side by side with human.

The main problem the book has is with its flow, it doesn't flow well enough and seems too forced and stuttered in most chapters; for example, in the book, Gabriel is given his own chapters to express his own thoughts and while those thoughts are important, they did not need their own chapters and would have been fine interwoven with the other regular chapters.It also excludes one of the other main supporting characters (Christopher) for about 1/3 of the book, if the author maybe had juxtaposed the two men trying to win our heroin for their side in the beginning, maybe it would not have been a bit of a WTF moment when he finally showed up. The author also introduced characters and then just dropped them, like Taylor's brother or the floor-mate and her boyfriend. The main problem with the protagonist Taylor is that there is really nothing that helps the reader to connect to the her. Yes we get her information and how she's so different from other girls but there is nothing that helps us think that she goes deeper than the fact that she doesn't care what anyone thinks and that's what makes her this special snowflake. I also found the fact that not only has she fallen in love with the guy but that she's also broken his hard angel heart after two dates too hard to wrap my head around. Their "love/relationship" doesn't even have anything to help build it to the point that the author wants to convey it, they just express their love to each other and suddenly they're inseparable and their love will conquer all without any real development from either character. This is especially mystifying because Gabriel does a complete 180 and is willing to betray his kind for this girl because of their love, but the reader is unsure of where it actually comes from. The other reason that I could not get into this book is its background, which left everything to be desired. I liked the premise of the book in the beginning, but the mythology behind the beings was too unbelievable for me, it just didn't seem plausible (and yes I know this is fiction but there are certain things that you are willing to believe and other you are not when you read fiction and this is one of those things). All in all I give the author credit for writing the book and while the premise is interesting, I think he should have done a bit more fine tuning and revisions for the plot and writing style so that the book would not seem so chaotic.

[Maida (Medley of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I finally finished the book! First of all I would like to thank David Estes and goodreads for giving me an opportunity to read this book. I am very grateful that I got a chance to read this unique but very interesting book!

3 STARS!!!!

Well, where should I start! LOL ;p The story behind this book was....different! I loved that about this book. I mean sure the whole angel-demon idea was original but by adding the cool powers to the characters it turned out cool!

The very first thing I liked about this book was the fact that it was all action. We do have a little bit of romance in it but it’s not over bearing! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am your typical romance buff type of girl but it was a different experience for me, so yeah I did enjoy that! It was a fun experience! :)

The story on the other hand, I just wished it turned out differently. I mean, in the beginning, I loved the introductions to the characters and even the introduction to the story background, especially Taylor’s past! However, I didn’t enjoy the story as much when I got to the middle. I felt that things were moving way too fast. It didn’t seem to “click” for me! For starters, Taylor and Gabriel weren’t the “perfect couple” despite how much times it’s mentioned or portrayed in the book. That just really annoyed me. If it’s not a romance book then it’s best to keep it that way. Adding this type of situation in the book didn’t make sense, especially since you find out that Gabriel has been lying to her throughout their entire relationship And second, I felt that Sam and Chris fell in love with each other too abruptly for my liking. It didn't flow with the story because they "love" each other after meeting for like what 2, 3 times!?? It was confusing!! :(

The story did start out good but it fell through pretty fast. I just wasn't into it by the time I finished. Now, don't get me wrong, the story did have some likeable aspects to it but something just seemed to be missing! Despite my concerns and disliking there were things that I absolutely loved about the story!

I loved how we got to experience the story through both POVs of the angels and the demons and the humans! LOL ;P It was nice because it gave you a basic understanding to the scheme of things going on in the book. It also showed you an opening to the thoughts of the individual characters!! ;) Although, I would have preferred to see more of Taylor's side, considering she is the main character! The two sides of an old time battle were very interesting and definitely different! It was truly unique and fun!

Speaking of characters.....believe it or not I actually didn't like Gabriel. He was fun at times but he had a lot of problems happening. I just couldn't connect with him. I thought he was wayyyy tooo fake with his role as an angel to his role with being Taylor's boyfriend. I didn't enjoy him as a main lead at all. Now that's completely different for Chris!!! I LOVE HIM!!! He was my fave character. I loved his role in the story and I loved his attitude and personality towards not only Sam but also Taylor. I just thought, although he is a demon he genuinely seemed to care for Taylor's and Sam's safety! I loved that about him. Especially, the "thing" he did at the end of the book (you have to read it to find out the good stuff...LOL ;p) I really wish Chris was the main guy character and was disappointed that we didn't get to see him as much as I would like! Hopefully, the next book is different! ;)

Taylor and Sam are fun, and very interesting girls and I liked reading their parts in the book. Although, I think Taylor was a strong female lead, I felt she changes moods way to abruptly! Also, I didn't like the fact that she accepts everything within a minutes time. I mean really, she should have asked more questions or at the very least protested a bit! However, overall I liked her as a main character! Sam was a really nice and refreshing treat. I loved her fun personality and her constant happy moods! She kept the story fun and interesting during all of her parts! After getting to know Sam and Chris, I wished they were the main characters! I can't wait to read more about them! ;)

Overall, the book was okay. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the more action types of YA books! In the end, I was left with more questions than answers but hopefully that will change in the next book! I am really looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what happens to both Taylor and Gabriel and also Sam and Chris!!! It should be interesting, hopefully (fingers crossed ;)

Finally, I would like to thank David Estes for this book and letting me read and review it! You did an amazing job David!!! Can't wait for your next books!!! ;)

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book, I really did! I just couldn't...
It was so similar to other stories I had read, I groaned inwardly when I finished the first part of the book.
It's not just the book, it's what it was about, that made me feel so negatively towards the entire novel. Maybe if it was the first time I had encountered this plot and idea of the book,
I would have felt differently but no such luck :(
I have read similar book to this, and because of that, I can't say I liked it. I twas just so...ordinary.

The Plot:
This is ALL you need to know:
There's this pretty, "special" girl who just doesn't know it. In addition, she has no idea she is pretty. Both of these factors lead to her low self esteem. (And she's socially awkward, but that's a given lately in YA fiction.)
Then comes the guy. He's hawt, of course, but he has a secret agenda! He has a mission. It involves her and it isn't good...
Not that she knows that! Yet...
But when he's with her, she feels so special!
But what will happen when she finds out his secret?
And what will happen to him when he fails his mission and falls in love with the target? (Or does he?........)

The Protagonist:
Taylor:
She was like a brick, no personality at all. It didn't even seem like she loved her family. She was happy to get away from her dad and had no connection to her brother. Her brother, she claimed didn't care about her, well how is that? There is no evidence to support that and how can you not love your sibling? No matter what, even if you hate them you still FEEL something towards them, have some sort of a connection. It's simply not possible to feel NOTHING towards your bro or sis!
Also, when meeting Gabriel, she didn't change out of her sweatpants or put makeup on because "that's the kinda girl she is".
Wow! You're sooooo deep bella, I mean Taylor! Hehehe
I think the author was trying to make her come across as deep or so sophisticated and mature by making her the atypical girl but the effect was that she seemed like she was trying TOO hard to be "different" which makes her seem no different than anyone else.

Overall Impression:
This book was a hard read for me because it was so dull and uninteresting. By page 43, I had had enough of this book. I wanted to put it down, but because of the deadline, I plunged on. If I could have abandoned this book, I would have. There was nothing that struck out to me about the book, neither the characters or plot nor the writing style. Everything seemed...average.
The plot was not engaging, especially in the beginning and it continued to drag on. The characters were mediocre and I felt no real connection to any of the half-developed characters. Taylor, the protagonist who was a college student, seemed like such a brick head sometimes, I felt hatred towards her. She was another faceless girl who fell deeply in love with the hawt guy, who just so happened to be evil. There was nothing about that made me even remotely interested in her, if she fell of a cliff, I would wouldn't even blink my eyes. Maybe I would cheer if I bothered to pay attention...

[Kenecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was terribly different than what I expected and I wholeheartedly thank the author for that. Everything you think you know about Angels and Demons, forget it now. Read this book with an open mind and enjoy the ride.

Taylor is a normal girl off to college when she finds out about a war being fought against Angels and Demons with humans caught in the middle. She is the key to end this battle once and for all, but the stakes are high and the lies are heavy. Should she follow her heart, or listen to the Sixth Sense her mother always told her to follow? Will love lead her blindly into the dark? So many questions to answer while life around her changes so suddenly day after day.

There's love. There's action. There's suspense. What more could you ask for? The writing is decent, the story flows very well, and each character's s personality shines through. The reader can tell everything was well thought out and ideas weren't just thrown onto the paper, which is quite refreshing to say the least.

But I gave the book four stars for a reason. Things were explained well enough, but some of the lies expressed as such in the beginning of the book were never cleared up. Without spoilers, it's hard to explain, but the reader was told they were lies, and later confirmed to be lies, but the truth was never speller out. Now, since this is a part of a trilogy, I plan to read the rest of the books (especially since the book just stops, another pet peeve) . Maybe the aforementioned situation is resolved later, but as of now I'm left with some questions.

Overall, a good read to help expand the senses and place a twist on creatures everyone is taught to be one way, and one way only. Don't expect your faith to be questioned, because it's not that kind of story. If you're looking for a love story minus the gooshy, this book is for you.

[Jenny Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved Angel Evolution, the author David Estes, through The Nexus's Author's Requesting Reviewers program on GoodReads. I would first like to thank the author for offering it. I was plesently surprised and loved his different take on Angels and Demons. When I went into the book I was expecting something completly different and I liked that as the story went on I had to forget about everything I knew about the typical angel vs. demon and wrap my brain around the authors vision of what they were, which was amazing.
You first meet Taylor, a young woman who has just started at UT college with her best friend Sam. Sam is a gorgeous "cheer learder" type girl where as Taylor is more unique in apperance, opposites personalities attract sometimes right? Taylor is out on the lawn looking for a 4 leaf clover to prove that she is supposed to be there when a "glowing" Gabriel (the angel) shows up and after she meets him, she feels uneasy about him, but why?When you meet Christoper (the demon)in the story (who was one of my favorite characters, I thought he was the most well rounded charcters in the book) you find out that Gabriel isn't what he seems and ultimately Taylor has to decide if she can trust him or not.This book had me wondering one thing the whole time: werethe angels or the demons the bad guys?
Angel Evolution is a wonderful and quick read. I had it finished in 2 nights and I loved the surprises it had. I would recommend it to anyone who likes YA books and people who would like a different take on an angel vs demon book. I am now going to get the second and third book because I just have to keep going.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angel Evolution is a paranormal romance that doesn't provide your typical religious aspect of Angels vs. Demons it is quite the opposite in this book. There are no ties to religion or God for that matter, with the Angels actually wanting to destroy mankind and the Demons wanting to co-exist and protect humans which made for an interesting point of view.

This book provides a pleasant escape and I found the characters to be believable and likable. I felt the author might have thought we would get bored with the mundane aspect of blossoming relationships with the characters and college life therefore skipping ahead which to tell you truth I liked although the transitioning was a little awkward. I think this book also provides a healthier view of what a relationship should be like between people than some of other Young Adult books out there. Taylor's mother's advice echoing in her mind giving her character pause to how she should be treated by a boy really hit home with me. All in all I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read and I am definitely recommending it. I look forward to reading the other books in the trilogy.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I received this book for review from the author.

I liked this book. It didn't wow me like some angel books but it was good. One thing it really did have going for it was the unique take on Angels and Demons. I liked that there was no religious angle. The plot was really good and made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen. The phrase: "trust no one" comes to mind since you don't know who is the lying and who is being sincere. I think the reason the book fell a little flat for me was the character development of the two main characters: Taylor & Gabriel. It was hard to relate to them up until the last twenty-five percent or so of the story. The story is told in 3rd person so I felt this had something to do with that. However, I found myself being drawn more to and caring more for the two side characters: Sam & Chris. I loved their relationship. I do recommend giving this book a try. It was quite interesting but have the second book waiting as it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger!

[Maghon Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm, so my first thought is....."oh boy, now what's gunna happen!" normally I'm not an "Angel" fan but this one is a little different in the forms of how angels vs demons came to be... And sometimes, the good guys aren't the good guys :) but sometimes people surprise you.

I really like Sam (Taylor's best friend) and I really like Taylor, except for one thing, she had some "self rules" at the beginning of the book that she didn't follow through with.... But love makes you do crazy things. Now, she's gotta figure out how to love Gabriel and still be independent (no one should just follow blindly) and get him back to do that in the first place...

So, the story continues in the next part of this trilogy (which I will be getting)...

Good read, well written, good characters to relate to!

[Tuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I'd like to thank you Shut up and read for holding 'Read and reap it'! I got this book from the challenge to review it and I can't thank David Estes enough for giving us all a chance to read it!
What can I say about this book: I FREAKING LOVED IT!!!
At first I thought that it was gonna be the old angel/demon stuff but dude, I was wrong. I got hooked to it and just couldn't stop reading!
There is so much suspense that kept me thinking about the plot every second when I was not reading it.
Can't summarize the book because there is SO MUCH in the story that I loved. What I liked most about this book is that the plot is unique. I recommend it all fantasy lovers out there!
Can't wait to read the next book!!!

[Cindy Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. The fight between angels and demons is a pretty well known fight; however, there is a big twist in this story. Is everything as it seems? At times I felt confused on what was going on, but as I kept reading things sorted themselves out. Taylor falls in love with the angel, Gabriel, and he returns her love completely...or does he? Are his motives pure?

I enjoyed this book, the way it was written and was glad this is not just another love triangle gone bad. Thank you Davide Estes and Read It & Reap for the opportunity to read this book! I will definitely be reading book two. :)

[Lynxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

David really made my weekend, with his fast-paced, flirty and fresh tale about Taylor, her angel (Gabriel), her best friend Sam and Sam's demon (Chris).

This fresh look at angels and demons felt well constructed with likable characters. It had me guessing right up until the end.

I loved to hate Gabriel, just plain LOVED Chris and drew some pretty strong comparisons between myself and Taylor (when I was that age).

I didn't love the use of the extremely hyphenated words at the beginning, but that was only very minor.

Great work David! I will be adding #2 and #3 to my to read list right now!

[Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel certainly kept me interested. It was an entertaining read and one that had me wanting to continue turning page after page to work out where it was going and what would happen in the end. It was brilliantly executed and I am glad that I got the chance to read it. I also cannot wait to continue reading the second book in the trilogy and look forward to finding out what will happen next! This was an easy, steady and well-flowing story that kept me curious right up until the very last page.

One of the things that I liked most about this novel was the concept of angels and demons. I, for one, haven’t read all that many angel novels but I can tell that this is an extremely original storyline. This isn’t a novel about the angels from heaven or the demons from hell, but instead their history is a little different. I loved to read how they came about, but especially loved how as a reader, you weren’t entirely convinced by the story due to it being explained in first person by an unreliable narrator. I found that this was a curious device used by David Estes and I have to admit, it definitely kept me hooked!

This was the same throughout the novel. It is told in switching POVs throughout the novel but instead of being frustrating or hard to keep concentration, this was a nice touch. I liked that we were able to see how all the different people within the novel were feeling during the most climatic moments. David really managed to become the omniscient narrator without it becoming confusing or irritating. If anything, these ever-changing POVs actually captured my attention more as I flicked through the pages waiting for certain things to happen or watching to see how certain things would play out. It was definitely an intriguing style.

I really liked Taylor and Samantha and their relationship with each other. It was totally noticeable that they had been friends since childhood and I loved that they were almost complete opposites and yet still got along really well. I liked how strong Taylor was, how she wasn’t going to just back down just because someone said she should. But I also liked that, despite this, she let her love for a boy overcome her. While it is something we all aim to never let happen, it is just one of those things that happens and I like how believable she makes it feel by trying to remind herself that she is independent... and then he says or does something that makes her feel weak at the knees. She has the all-knowing weakness that really manages to bring out her character.

I liked Gabriel to an extent, but I also found him quite hard to get along with. I’m not entirely sure where I stand with him. At first I didn’t like him at all, but mainly because of his POV. Then, I started to like him slightly as I realised that he felt slightly conflicted but then I just sort of lost that for a bit. I guess I just didn’t really connect with his character. I didn’t feel sorry for him at the ending, I just felt sorry for Taylor. There was no rooting for him, or hoping that it would work out for him. I guess, in a way, I felt slightly betrayed by his character and it was hard to believe that his last act really changed everything else he had done until that point. But then, maybe that’s because he was really meant to be the antagonist of this novel.

Christopher, on the other hand, I absolutely adored. He was so caring and kind and only ever had Taylor’s (and Sam’s) best interests at heart and I just loved that in him. I loved the contradiction that came along with him as well and truly adored it when he explained to Sam about who and what he was and what he could do. He was so patient and admiring and yet, at the same time, there was a hint of something else behind his eyes as well. He knows that his race isn’t perfect, but he’s just glad that Sam didn’t run a mile upon finding out what he was. Yes, I did like Chris.

In fact, I think I probably preferred Chris and Sam’s relationship to Gabe and Tay. I just found the romance flowed better between them and felt more realistic. I believed that Tay and Gabe did love each other, but I also felt it was a little forward and you didn’t really get to see why they did. Although, there was one scene, one look that Gabe gave Tay that stole my heart from my chest but then there was even more of those from Sam and Chris. Either way, this novel has enough romance and couples to satisfy most readers and is just another thing that makes it a good novel to read.

All in all this was a lovely novel to read. There was nothing spectacular about it that made me truly inspired by its words but it also wasn’t a bad novel. I would read it again easily and I am most certainly interested in reading the rest of the trilogy. I have heard that it gets better in the next books and cannot wait to see why. I look forward to finding out what happens in the next leg of the story and hope that my thoughts about Gabe can be transformed. I also hope to see lots more of Chris. This was a good starting novel to this trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone that wants something that is slightly different and truly unique.

I received this novel for review from the Goodreads ‘Shut up and Read’ group as part of their Read it and Reap program. I am extremely glad that I got the opportunity to read this and hope that I will inspire others to pick it up as well. It is currently only $0.99 from Smashwords!

[Natshane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I have no expectations for the story but to just pick up the book, hoping for a good read on a slow night. But what I received in returned was 360 kinds of "unexpected". Angel Evolution has challenged my perception on angels and demons, altering my perspective and introduced me to a new bred of these biblical creatures. I will never look at demons the same way again. (Well, demons are kinda, hot. They can, you know, wolf down 12 slices of pizza in one meal, a talent I found to be very useful....)

I was literally hooked from the first page. I am very particular on the beginning of the book because I couldn't stand a slow start, that was why I was blown away by the very descriptive and vivid first chapter. Gosh, I have yet to calm down from the thrill. While some chapters were brief and short and the others of moderate length, the story was not lacking in any other way! A fact which I found surprising. I thought the story progressed smoothly and I admit, it had me seating at the edge of my seat (or bed, if that matters) and biting on my own lips, something I haven't do in way too long. Angel Evolution definitely brought back old memories when I used to obsess over Patch (Hush Hush) and Alex (Angel Trilogy)!

While the author continually surprise me with some "fun facts" about the angels and demons, I was also in complete awe with the characters, and this has also become one of the few rare books I've read where I adore the secondary characters as much as I do with mains. I appreciate the fact that Taylor, despite being average and plain, was a strong and confident teenager. She is daring to speak out her mind and have quite a dominant personality. She refused to be changed into someone she's not, and most importantly, she is close to her family, something I found lacking in YA novels these days. As for Gabriel, I would have to say he is the one and only character that I couldn't wrap my mind around. His thoughts and actions were so contradicting, he confused and surprised me most of the time. I couldn't figure out if he is on the good or bad side, and to be honest, he gave me a "jerk/jock/sinister" impression the first time I "met" him. I actually felt his pain when he was tormented for the fact that he build his relationship with Taylor based on lies and deceit. To me, he was a confused young boy (or angel) who found love for the first time.

I found their relationship to be completely refreshing because Taylor started off attracted to him, yet fearing him at the same time, at least Taylor does possess some sense of self preservation.

While I love Taylor and Gabriel, I also equally loved the bubbly and easygoing Chris and Sam. Sam is the typical beautiful cheer-leading type every girls wanted to be, but on the contrary to the norm, she was such a caring and concerned friend, it was impossible to hate her. On the other hand, you would never believed that Chris was a demon, then again, you would have your "concept" on demons changed drastically after reading this, it makes me want to adopt a gargoyle as a pet instead! Chris, despite being a creature of the dark, was amazingly sweet and flirtatious, I couldn't resist his charm, and like Sam, I fell a little bit in love with him too. (Oh who could have resist his boyish charm and humor?)

While the characters will grow on you, the storyline will keep your heart pounding. Half of the time I found myself laughing and grinning like a complete idiot, and the next I would be racking my brain trying to figure out what would happen next. One word. Original. When you read plenty of paranormal fiction, you would find how great it feels to read something different, something new!

The writing didn't disappoint, and I was actually nervous for the battle (the climax of the story). I thought that it ended perfectly, with a fist-pounding cliffhanger in the end *grunts*. Though I was a bit let down by how easily Taylor and Sam accepted Gabriel and Chris (I expected more of a show of emotions), it was funny to read about Taylor's reaction though!

A trilogy worth reading, soon enough I'll be scouting for the next book!

This is actually how I pictured the gargoyle ...


I always wanted one ....



Reviewed by,
Natasha Anne
Dreamland Teenage Fantasy : My Review

[Lexi (Pink Jellyfish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

So, "Angel Evolution" is like a big tasty looking slice of pizza that you don't know what the ingrediens are, but it confuses your senses with the yummy smell and once you get a bite you cannot do anything but eat it all...(sry for the food analogy)

First of all, I must properly appologise to the author and to myself(i had a guilty conscience) for not finishing this book earlier. It's not because I didn't like it(Oh My Gabriel! -it was amazing), it's just because time was not on my side.

The author, David Estes is such a nice guy that if you ask him what's the book about, he will tell with such passion that you'll feel captivated before you even start reading it.

As you can see from the pretty cover and the title: "Angel Evolution", this is a story bout angels and where there are angels, there are demons. Well, one thing I got to say: FORGET THE BIBLE's view on these creatures and prepare yourself for this book to rock your world.


I won't say any details because I'm afraid I'll spoil all the fun.
The game between good and evil, dark vs light, was so much fun that it made me confused sometimes. One of the greatest gifts of a brilliant book is to make you feel confused.

I love the romance/game between Taylor and Gabriel, because it brought out memories of another couple(the sexy, mischievous angel Patch from "Hush Hush") and because it kept me on edge: is he toying with her? does he love her? does he want to harm her? ...and many other questions... On the other hand, I also love Sam and Chris...imagine the cute easy-going cheerleader and a friendly...well demon...one word: ORIGINAL.

Fav. Quotes:

"Two guys asking me out in two days, now that is a record, Taylor thought. But neither of them human, she laughed to herself. Just her luck."

“I am shocked that I didn’t wake up. It’s a bit disappointing that I didn’t get to experience another trip on the greatest amusement park ride around.”

"Taylor continued to stare at David, marveling at his resemblance to her boyfriend. Interrupting the brothers’ conversation she said, “You look so much like your brother, David.” “Yeah, sadly it’s a curse I will just have to live with,” David joked. Taylor laughed and said, “Yeah, true. Gabriel is a bit awkward looking. But I bet you still have girls lining up for you.”"

“One time Sampson was supposed to be marching with the 4th Quadrant of ground soldiers, but he was so tired that he fell asleep just outside the battle doors with his head against a rock. Despite the epic battle that occurred that day, he slept through the entire thing. He almost got kicked out of the army because of it.”

I might be wrong, but I feel that Gabriel's little brother David is the author's alter-ego. We all know that every book blooms from a single idea and then characters start to live, breathe by themselves...I think the "David" character is an inside joke of this amazing author so that he can keep a close eye on the charcters' real personalities so he can better describe it to his readers.


All in all, the "Angel Evolution" was an EPIC WIN...I really loved it and I hope I'll read the next books soon..

[Gina - What She Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be at Behind A Million And One Pages on 17 April for a exclusive review of Angel Evolution! Join the blog tour!



Wow. Talk about fast paced! Everything happened so quickly in the novel. It was way to fast paced, yet the fast pace of the novel kept us going and was in a way good for the book yet bad at the same time. Ok, let me explain this concept further. It was bad, because Gabriel and Taylor's relationship moved WAY TOO FAST. Like really? did she even know him at all?! Is there some kind of strange Angel power we don't know about from the novel? Or are we just supposed to assume there is because of how stunning and beautiful the Angels are that everyone basically bows down at their pressence because of their beauty. Seriously. Ok, but it was good, for the reason that, if the book's events moved slower, then the novel would carry along the feeling that we are getting dragged along, leaving us as the reader, start to get constantly bored with the novel's events and want to put the novel down. OR. just slowly and agonisingly continue the novel just to see what happens at the end.

The story is original, yet with it's own twist on it. We are intrigued with the idea that the Angel's and Demon's cliched roles are reversed (without giving too much away that is all I'm saying). It puts a good spin on things and makes us want to carry on reading for the sake of finding about this whole new nature to the very familiar topic of Angels and Demons in novels.

Taylor gets on my nerves half of the novel. She claims that she has a sixth sense, and that she always uses it ra-ra-ra (Aussie slang getting the better of me). But we never actually see her use this sixth sense of hers except for at the start when she meets Chris. Yeah she starts to when she meets Gabriel but "oh his gorgeousness blinds me! Why think straight?" is basically what happens. Sure I like the novel, it's a good novel, but the 'heroine' gets on my nerves. Her best friend basically ends up being more of a heroine than Taylor does! as well as taking the time to actually get into a relationship and learning to trust and not jumping straight out there like Gabriel and Taylor did. Yeah sure, there wasn't any time to waste but really. The Angel's had been waiting for Taylor for how many years, they couldn't wait longer so that she can actually get a proper relationship and not make it seems that sus to everyone around her because of how quickly they are moving! And the way that Taylor doesn't react in the situation when he tells her he is an Angel is WTF! Are you really Kirsten Stewart? You have emotions darling, please use them at the correct times. Ok, I'm going to stop before I get too ahead of myself.

It was a good novel. I liked to plot of it and the concept, and how it all played out, but it was just the WAY that it was all put together and basically formatted together as well as some ideas from the novel that I didn't like.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Originally posted in the blog: http://forget8me8not.blogspot.com/201...]

My review:

Cover:

Simple. Blue. Eye-catching. I have to admit that what intrigued me to read the book first was not its cover but the summary itself. I still love the cover and the title's font!

4 Forget-me-not flowers for the cover!

Story:
Angel Evolution is the first book in the Evolution trilogy, a very interesting twist in angels and demons. What do I mean by this? As you people should know, angels are supposed to be the ‘good’ ones while demons are the ‘bad’ ones. Angels help humans, demons do bad things to humans. But in Angel Evolution, it’s the exact opposite, which makes it interesting to read. Angels are ‘the bad guys’ while demons are ‘the good guys’. Angels wanted to use the humans instead of helping them while the demons wanted to help the humans. The story began with Taylor, a college girl who became interested with Gabriel Knight, an Angel. He planned to make her fall for him because she was an important key to make the Angels win against the Demons, a war that had lasted for such a long time. Gabriel did not think he would fall for her but he is confused with his loyalty to the other Angels. Meanwhile, there is a demon who also looks out for Taylor in case the Angels wanted to use her. Chris also never thought he’d fall for Taylor’s best friend, Sam. Taylor was first very oblivious of herself and Gabriel but when Gabriel told her his secrets, she became determined to be with him. The story goes on and the ending was a bit sad but it was an enjoyable read with a great paranormal theme of angels and demons with characters in college.


Characters:
I loved the fact that the characters are in college. They’re still quite young and I was able to understand the way they can seem to love each other without really knowing each other. Sometimes I was unable to connect with Taylor but I admired her strength and power. She is also strong and does not act like the girls who have fallen in love that they think rashly and not carefully. Gabriel was a little bit annoying for me since he wasn’t too dedicated to Taylor. He sometimes put Taylor behind but I understand that loyalty comes first. I actually prefer Chris than Gabriel and actually hoped he was going to like Taylor but in fact, he loved Sam! Sam was a great character too and I actually really liked her, especially when I read how calm she was when Chris told her about him being a demon and the Angels.

Overall:
A great twist of angels and demon in a compelling story! Well written with promising interesting concept you will enjoy reading! I look forward to read the sequels. I only wished I had an actual hardcopy of this book since I got an e-book copy to review because it would have been more enjoyable for me to read!

4 Forget-me-not flowers for Angel Evolution!

[Hazel *Craves the Angst Reviews* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angel Evolution is the first book in the Evolution Trilogy by David Estes. I was given this book as a R2R with Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! As always, a big thank you to the incredible moderators of this group and to the author for allowing me to participate!


Review:
I liked this book. It was a fun and interesting read, coming in at about 263 pages or so which I climbed through in one day! I liked the story and the mix up on the demon and angel mythology was fantastic. It could appeal to anyone, leaving religion completely out of the mix. The reason for demons and angles was explained very well and the story had a solid background to pull from. I also liked that there wasn't a clear cut bad guy in the beginning of this story. Everyone had a reason for what they were doing even if you disagreed with it. Each side had family and friend and the ability to love. They both knew right from wrong. It was an interesting dynamic and made it hard to chose sides - at least until the truth came to light and the baddies were a small group of aura stealing power hungry megalomaniacs.

I really liked the imagery of how the sides went to war and the use of soldiers and gargoyles was very creative! In fact, the imagery and descriptions of the demons and angles was very well done! I also liked that each side had different powers. The author did an amazing job with that.

I liked the characters for the most part. I really thought Christopher was well developed and consistent though he was a secondary character. I also liked his relationship with Sam. It seemed genuine and real. I liked the main characters, Taylor and Gabriel, though I think they could have used a bit more consistency throughout as well as a bit more development. Taylor was to "back and forth" for my taste. One minute she was declaring her love for Gabriel and the next she claims she doesn't know how she could have gone off with someone she hardly knows. I also didn't like how she didn't question her roll in killing an entire species, weather they were demon or not, considering she thought highly of Chris. Even with being brainwashed by Gabe, she had great instincts but never thought it was wrong to kill an entire group of people? Gabriel's character was definitely hiding something and you didn't know where he stood, which was the point and it was done well. But I would have liked to have seen more from his character in way of back story. I would have liked to have seen his struggle a little more and heard more from his POV.

I also thought the ending was rushed. Once Taylor and Gabriel got to angel headquarters, things just seemed to roll along way to fast.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It had some questionable and unrealistic moments but the story was very well done and the writing was creative and fun. It also left one heck of a cliffhanger so I will be purchasing the second and maybe the third book to see how this story ends!

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

**minor spoiler alert**

Let me say up front that I did like the book. I want to say that up front because I also have some complaints, gripes, criticisms. For one, Taylor and her best friend, Sam, have a certain innocence that appears contrary to their age. They are university freshmen, but Sam still interrogates Taylor excitedly over whether she is going to kiss her new boyfriend or not. I remember being a freshman, and a kiss was simply pase -- 0r maybe I just hung out with the wrong type of girls. Either way the point is highlighted by the fact that, though Estes handles it delicately, Taylor quickly moves beyond kissing Gabriel. No one makes a big deal of this though. I belabor this rather small point for a reason. As is fairly common in YA books, the progress of Taylor and Gabriel's relationship takes center stage in this book, largely eclipsing the danger threatening the entire human race.

Estes works hard to present Taylor as a quirky, knows her own mind, individual that most modern girls will identify with. I know I did. He also goes to some length to establish the strength of her gut instincts, how rare they're wrong, and how she has learned to listen to them. She they goes right ahead and ignores them completely for the sake of a pretty boy. That she is aware of her own actions only makes it less believable. Unfortunately I feel like I could say the same sort of thing for both Gabriel and, his nemesis, Chris too.

Gabriel is presented as a smart, dedicated, goal oriented 'angel' on a mission, but with almost no provocation he falls in love and willingly throws away everything important to him. The problem is that it feels like this was a very sudden decision. There was no build up, and very little questioning of his situation or values before the decision is made.

Similarly, Chris is a clever, strong 'demon' trusted with an important mission that he doesn't appear to actually complete, or even try to complete. Despite the risk to Taylor and all of humanity he doesn't even try to engage or warn her, not even once. He takes the stance of an observer and suddenly against his (and Gabriel's) very nature develops a peaceable, wait and see relationship with his enemy.

Now to end on a positive note, what I did like was the Carollian focus on the importance of names and titles. Should you trust someone simply because he has a name that you've been taught is innately good and inspires positive feelings, despite all evidence to the contrary? Could you learn to trust someone who bore the title of an evil, despicable individual? How many kindnesses would it take before he could come out from under the shadow of his name? The whole scenario forces the reader to question their own beliefs.

Estes' writing is also crisp and clear. It is a pleasure to read. While I have some serious complaints about the character development of Angel Evolution, it is still a story worth reading and I would recommend it for teenagers.