Dark Halo Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my stop on the Dark Halo blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule! Today I have my review of Dark Halo and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of  the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!

Dark Halo (Angel Eyes Trilogy #3)

Author: Shannon Dittemore

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Release Date: August 20, 2013

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

320 pages

Description:

One halo brought sight to Brielle. Another offers sweet relief from what she sees.
Brielle can’t help but see the Celestial realm. Even without the halo, it’s everywhere she looks. And with the heavens above Stratus ravaged by war, Brielle wishes for another gift, any gift. Because Jake is gone. The only boy she’s ever loved has been taken by the demon, Damien—and she knows if she ever wants to see him again, she must fight.
But fighting is so hard when everything you see makes you afraid.
When she receives instructions from the Throne Room leading her to Jake, she unknowingly walks into a diabolical and heartbreaking trap. Then the Prince of Darkness himself offers Brielle a halo of his own making. With the dark halo, she won’t have to see the fear and brokenness that surround her. She’ll be free of that unbearable burden. And it comes with a promise: the guarantee of a life with Jake.
When confusing details about Jake’s past emerge, and the battle above reaches a fever pitch, Brielle is forced to make a choice. Will she choose the dark halo and the ignorance that comes with it, or will she choose to live with her eyes wide open and trust the Creator’s design—even if it means a future without Jake?

Dark Halo is the thrilling final installment in the Angel Eyes trilogy that continues as Brielle tries to accept that Jake is gone - taken by the demon Damien. Brielle is constantly aware of the Celestial Realm - she can see it all the time now, without the halo. She's afraid of all the carnage and war she sees above her town of Stratus and wishes that she could find relief from the sight she was given. Then Brielle receives a message from the Throne Room telling her where to find Jake - only to realize too late that it was a trap. Now the Prince of Darkness himself is offering her a halo of his own - one that will free her from her Celestial sight forever. He also promises that along with severing her sight, she will get a life with Jake. Brielle's mind is confused, but her heart knows that the only way to really live and get Jake back is to fight - with her eyes wide open. Will she have the courage to do it or will she give in to the promises of the Prince of Darkness and his dark halo?

This was an exciting and phenomenal final installment in a truly fascinating YA fantasy trilogy. The writing continued to flow effortlessly and at a fast pace. Brielle continues to be an awesome lead character - she's still broken and flawed - and she knows this - but she refuses to give up, even when she feels like she can't bear it anymore. She always does what needs to be done - what must be done - and she gives everything she has for what she believes is right. The other characters in the series seem almost as background characters to highlight the depth of Brielle's character. I loved the relationship that has developed between Brielle and Jake and I was eagerly waiting to see what would happen with them. Would she be able to bring him back or would she lose him forever? The action and adventure in the book were astounding and I continued to root for Brielle, Jake, and the Shields in all of their struggles and obstacles. I continued to love learning as much as I could about the Celestial world and the beings that seem to almost co-mingle with human reality. I found that aspect of the novels to be utterly fascinating and I feel it adds a great layer to the already interesting novels. The writing itself has a great pace - not too slow and not so fast that it feels like things are rushed either. The descriptions and details are vivid and I could easily picture myself alongside Brielle and the others throughout the book. The story was a great blend of action, fantasy, adventure and romance along with some religious aspects thrown in (but they weren't "preachy" at all). This was a wonderful final installment that will leave fans of the trilogy happy to have endings, but also sad that the adventure is over. Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy and action/adventure fiction.

The first two books in the trilogy:

 

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes Trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California. ANGEL EYES was Shannon’s debut novel and the launch of a young adult supernatural trilogy. It was published in the summer of 2012 by Thomas Nelson. The sequel BROKEN WINGS hit shelves in February, 2013 and the final novel in the trilogy, DARK HALO, will be available August 20, 2013. 

Shannon Dittemore is having a Live Twitter Chat August 27th at 6pm (Pacific) where she will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD and other prizes! Enter here: http://shannondittemore.com/win-a-kindle-fire/

Author Links:

    

Available from:

   

Giveaway: (5) Sets of the Angel Eyes Trilogy including Angel Eyes, Broken Wings and Dark Halo (US only)

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Broken Wings Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Broken Wings blog tour hosted by YA Bound. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!



Broken Wings (Angel Eyes Trilogy #2)
Author: Shannon Dittemore
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Format: Paperback/ebook
320 pages

Goodreads Description:

Giant angels with metal wings and visible song. A blind demon restored from the pit of darkness. And a girl who has never felt more broken.

Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.

Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.

Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.

But can she fly with broken wings?  

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

 

Broken Wings is the exciting second installment in the Angel Eyes trilogy that continues as Brielle continues to deal with the fact that there are actually such things as Celestial beings, that they live right beside humans in the world, and the scariest truth - she can see it all. On top of this reality and after her showdown of supernatural proportions, Brielle's life is starting to suck even worse. Things at home have gone from bad to worse with her father and his new girlfriend and things between her and Jake have definitely been better. Little does Brielle know - she's been targeted by Satan himself after hearing about her ability to see through the Celestial veil and about the mysterious boy who can heal with his hands. Satan gives the demon Damien brand new eyes and sets him loose on the world, right about the same time that Brielle learns the truth behind her mother's death. Can she trust anything or anyone she has ever known? Brielle knows that a bigger battle is coming and she must learn to fight with all the weapons she has. The only question is - will she be able to?

This was a fantastic second book in a wonderful YA fantasy trilogy. The writing continued to flow effortlessly between the first and second book and even just throughout the second book itself. Brielle is such a great lead character - she's broken and flawed - she knows this - but she never gives up. She always does what needs to be done - what must be done - and she gives everything she has for what she believes is right. The other characters in the series seem almost as background characters to highlight the depth of Brielle's character. The action and adventure in the book were astounding and I continued to root for Brielle in all of her struggles and obstacles. I really loved learning about the Celestial life that seems to almost co-mingle with human reality. I find that aspect of the novels to be really intriguing and it adds a great layer to the mix. The writing itself has a great pace - not too slow and not so fast that it feels like things are rushed either. The descriptions and details are vivid and I can easily picture what's happening in my mind. The story was a great blend of action, fantasy, adventure and a touch of romance along with some religious aspects thrown in (but they weren't "preachy" at all). This was a great second installment and will have readers eagerly awaiting the third and final book in the trilogy to be released.

  
  
About the first book in the trilogy:


Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes Trilogy #1)
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Format: Paperback/ebook
336 pages

Goodreads Description:

Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the world through . . .

ANGEL EYES

Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Shannon Dittemore has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. The daughter of one preacher and the wife of another, she spends her days imagining things unseen and chasing her two children around their home in Northern California. Angel Eyes is her first novel. 

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(1) Print copies of Angel Eyes and Broken Wings (US Only)
(5) Print copies of Broken Wings (US only)

 

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