CrossroadsBy: Mary Ting
ISBN: 9781937085766
Published July 29, 2011 by World Castle
Available Format: Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★★
After the tragic death of her friend, Claudia begins dreaming about a beautiful, heaven-like place. She soon learns this place is all too real, this isn’t the first time she’s traveled there, and for some reason she is there when she, as a human, should not be. Crossroads is an in-between place where souls can go when they are between life and death, but Halo City is open only to those who carry the blood of an angel. Marked by her unexplained passage into Halo City, the Fallen and an army of demons begin stalking Claudia. It is up to the nephilium to protect Claudia and discover what makes her so very special.
There is nothing I love more than a good book about angels/nephilium, especially when those angels have a tendency to act more human than divine. Don’t forget they are breathtakingly gorgeous and can kick some serious tail!
The one thing that bothered me was that Claudia had a friend who was also named Claudia. I expected there to be more to the story, but it never really developed any further. I can’t really explain my thoughts on that without giving some of the plot away, so if you want to talk about it more, read the book and email me! :-)
I like how Claudia’s relationship developed. I love the supplemental characters in the story—her mom, her Gamma, Patty, Austin, etc. Everything was well-rounded and the characters were all established so well. Ting has an easy, fun writing style which I related to quite well. I have the clearest picture of Crossroads in my mind, and it is beautiful! There are some amazing characters, locations, and scenes in this novel!
I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a certain someone in the story who helps the bad guys at one point. Well, I thought I had it ALL figured out, and boy was I upset that this good person turned bad! But, I had it all wrong!!! Fooled me! It’s always fun to try to figure out what’s going on, but it is even better when the author is clever enough to completely blindside you with a shocking revelation. Once my pride recovered, I was relieved that the “good guy” actually was good!
I also appreciate that Ting didn’t leave us completely hanging at the end. Sure, a suspenseful ending is interesting and sets up anticipation for the next book, but I felt that the crisis of Crossroads was satisfactorily resolved, and there is a peaceful respite in the story that still leaves us wanting more but doesn’t make us feel like we have been cheated either.
I have been dying to read this book for a while now and couldn’t stand putting it off any longer. I am SO glad that I jumped in! If you are a YA Fantasy/Paranormal Romance fan, this is an absolute must read. If you aren’t, well, try it anyway! :-)
