Trilogy Termination: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Spring 2017

Trilogy Termination Blitz: I finally finish some trilogies I started years ago by reading the final book! But don’t let my delay in finishing them deter you from picking them up…or should it?

Miss the Introduction Post? Read it here!

Synopsis for Angelfire (from Goodreads):

First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie’s power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie’s memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Series: Angelfire Trilogy
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
# of Books: 3 (Angelfire, Wings of the Wicked, Shadows in the Silence)

There is a prequel novella: #0.5 A Dance With Darkness

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Angels, Paranormal, Action
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: February 2011 – January 2013
Source & Format: Public Library–Hardcover; eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Angels were all the rage when I was a teen and I grabbed this book during the trend. This series is praised for its action scenes and I love books with a little physical confrontations along the way.

The Concept / The World:

This story is very rich in terms of its history and lexicon. There is a solid background and substance to create this world and is very unique compared to other angel YA reads. I wish I read the third one closer together because I did forget some of the history despite having notes on the first two novels.

The Plot:

Throughout this series, I struggled with its pacing. You have these pockets of mundane, everyday teenage problems pocketed with scenes of action and plot development. The problems with the everyday teenage stuff I’ll address below but the actions scenes are great. They are written in a way that is like watching a movie so it was super easy to visualize.

I also really enjoyed the overarching plot of this trilogy as a whole. While each book has its own main plot line, everything bridges together nicely. It just gives this series a consistency that keeps you invested in the story and characters.

The Characters:

I admit, I was hesitant to start Shadows in the Silence because I remember really not liking Ellie’s character. She started the series as a selfish and somewhat petty teenaged girl. But when I read Shadows in the Silence, I found she wasn’t as annoying as I remembered. She really does grow and I can appreciate that.

There are a lot of characters in this story and I think it provides a richer experience. Again, I probably should have read the finale closer to the previous installments just to keep everyone straight but it was easier to dive back in than I expected.

The Romance:

Once again, I picked the “wrong team” but I knew it was never going to work with my pick. I really wasn’t a fan of the romance here, it was a little cliche and I find Will is a little dull as a hero. Then again, I wasn’t reading this for the romance!

Series Rating: 4/5

Angelfire 4/5 | Wings of the Wicked 4/5 | Shadows in the Silence 3/5

This series is pretty on par with the other paranormal YA reads of its time. However, this one excels in action and a rich world that will keep readers interested.

Read if You Like: angels, YA paranormal reads
Avoid if You: want more romance based