Book Club

HALO 

Alexandra Adornetto

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove.

But everything changes when three angels, Ivy, Bethany and Gabriel, are sent from Heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness. They work hard to conceal their true identity and - most of all - their wings.

But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls for the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realise they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There's a new kid in town and he's charming, seductive and deadly.

Worst of all, he's after Beth.

The angels and Xavier must work together to overcome the dark forces - but will Beth survive the battle?

I love that this book is written by someone so young, I am so jealous of Adornetto's talent! When first deciding to feature this book as part of book club I looked on the internet at some others reviews and found a few negative ones. I completely disagree with the critics out there. This book is fabulous and enjoyable! I hope ya'll have enjoyed reading it!!

I've recently read that angels are the new vampires, following on the success of novels like 'Hush, Hush' and 'Fallen'. 'Halo' further cements the proof that angels are taking over.

I love the character of Bethany and her spontaneity and impulsiveness. I love that she is yet to be jaded by the harsh realities of life. Of course I fell for Gabriel, what full blooded woman wouldn't! So handsome! But found his behaviour frustrating at times.

In the beginning of the story I adored the character of Xavier, he seemed to have it all going for him, but then he found out that Beth was an angel and it all went down hill from there, he changed, he became a whiney overprotective boyfriend, and I was frustrated by that!

I also have a gripe with Beth and how long she took to work out Jake, the signs were TOO obvious, she was too oblivious to them, I would have preferred if in the story telling these signs were a little more hidden.

But overall enjoyed the book, I found it hard to put down so it was a good thing I was already on maternity leave when I started reading this book!!

My husband and I were talking about these questions over dinner last night and here are the answers we came up with...

Bethany describes heaven in the beginning of the book as 'Pure White'. How do you imagine heaven?

In terms of descriptive I can't really describe heaven other than blue sky and sunshine, however in terms of emotion it is really easy to describe, it is that place that makes you feel completely safe and comfortable, you are surrounded by friends and people you love and everything is easy. There is loads of laughter and happiness and all your desires are fulfilled so you don't want for anything. It is a place without insecurities, it is a beautiful place.

The angels are at first overwhelmed by the textures and sensations of our world. What tastes, textures etc. Would you be most attracted to and repulsed by if it were intensified?

I can't help but go for the obvious in this question.. I'd be attracted to bubbles, especially coconut or vanilla scented bubbles, I'd be attracted to the feel and smell of fresh crispy linen. My hubby said he'd be attracted to the feel and smell of new leather and that crisp fresh smell of a new $100 bill! We both agreed we'd be repulsed by that old pub stale beer carpet smell and the smell of those ladies that stink of perfume because they are trying to mask the smell of their cigarettes. I guess both of these smells are further repulsive for angels because of the sins that they represent.

Why do you think that the students were so attracted to the image of a 'Bad Boy' that they see in Jake? How did this influence the events occuring in this book?

This is easy, because they are teenagers! Teenagers are stuck in a place of insecurity, they are trying to find who they are in the world, along comes a character like Jake who is so sure of himself, who comes across as worldly and knowledge-able they gravitate towards him, and as he increases in popularity more people want to surround themselves with him. This influences the book because it allows him to have influence and power over these characters.

What song would you associate with this book?

I would associate Bob Sinclair's Love Generation. It represents the angels journey. Hubby would associate Dark Angel by Epic Trance, because the track reflects the strong emotions and the titles track reflects the character of Jake

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