SEMI-FINALIST for the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction, a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs)
. Bad luck seems to follow Grace Fortune wherever she goes. She was orphaned at a young age, and her musical talent got her accepted to a prestigious school for the arts, where she was caught in the middle of horrific school shooting that nearly takes her life. school for the arts, where she was caught in the middle of horrific school shooting that nearly takes her life.
But then she meets gorgeous loner, Jared Lorn, and falls madly in love. There is only one problem. Jared is not exactly human. He’s a Nephilim, an angel/human hybrid, descended from a cursed line of fallen angels known as the Watchers.
Having a half-demon boyfriend who’s under a curse from God can be tough enough. But then Grace decides that she wants to help free Jared from the curse by killing his angel father, Azazel, who is bound up in the Abyss, where he will be judged at the End of Days.
She has a powerful ally in her guardian angel Ariel, who has given her a weapon: a Song that can tame demons. With a crew of loyal friends, Grace and Jared will travel to the ends of the earth, battling the forces of heaven and hell that seek to defeat them. Yet as their love grows stronger, they will find themselves in danger of succumbing to the very corruption that caused the Watchers’ downfall.more
This story is about a girl named Grace, who learns that a boy at her school is a Nephilim when he stops a former student from killing lots of kids with a gun. Grace’s life is turned on its head as she tries to cope with the reality of angels and demons being real. Her guardian angel does his best to protect her when things get more and more dangerous.
This is one of those stories that is hard to define. There is a lot of religion in this book, but its not what I would call religious. There is a lot of praying as the power of prayer has a major influence on the angels helping them. I would say this is an excellent YA Christian fiction novel that even those who are not really religious will enjoy.
Grace also has to cope with finding out that she is adopted, and her birth mother wants to try and force her way into Grace’s life. Her aunt and uncle who are her legal guardians have been struggling and cave to pressure from Grace’s mom, Shannon. Everything comes to a head when Grace decides to help Jared, the Nephilim, break free from his dad.
There is lots happening in this story, and the different characters are tightly woven into the tapestry of the story. Even those not really familiar with the different types of angels will be able to easily follow along and the world building is excellent.
I’m not sure where to start with this one. A fantastic concept I’m a sucker of grey areas and fallen angels so the concept hooked me right away. The problem I had was the way it was written. I couldn’t really connect with the characters so it was hard to care about what happened to them and the story was just a little too fast paced and unrealistic in the interactions and reactions of the characters at times. There was just something missing with the story and characters for me.
Grace, aka Little Mis Fortune never seems to catch a break. She’s orphaned at a young age due to a tragic accident in which she first meets her guardian angel.
Years later, a demon possessed boy open fires on his classmates. But Grace has her guardian angel on her side and an invaluable gift–an angelic song that can subdue demons.
Jared, a loner and a Nephilim (half angel/half human) gets involved. Between the two of them, the horrific event ends with far less casualties.
Thus begins Grace and Jared’s unique relationship…
Together, they decide to venture to the abyss where Jared’s father, a powerful demon, Azazel is bound, in an effort to kill him and free Jared.
The best part of Forlorn is how the author envisions angels and demons fighting for human souls. And it is a constant battle. As if our own sin nature weren’t enough, add demons luring us to give in to our temptations… Angels have their work cut out for them! And the author does a great job of illustrating how that might play out.
Forlorn also deals with teen issues. The author shows the alluring sides of traps into which teens (and adults) often fall prey. But she doesn’t leave the reader there. She shares the ugly truth, illustrating how fleeting any benefits of fame, drinking, etc. might be but how ultimately harmful they are. And how much worse off we’ll be in the long run for falling into such traps. But there is a way out. There is forgiveness. And the only thing that brings true satisfaction in life is God.
Be warned though, there’s a cliffhanger ending.
If you enjoy unpredictable stories that tap into the spiritual realm where angels and demons battle for human souls, illustrating the depravity of man but the healing of Christ, you must read Forlorn.