Review: Few Are Angels by Inger Iversen

Few Are Angels by Inger Iversen     
Published: March 23, 2012
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Gifted by author

*This ebook was given to me by the author for reviewing purposes. It did not influence this review in any way*

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads): "After a fatal hit and run accident, Ella Monroe fears that she's lost more than her beloved parents. Horrifying visions of a past life and a disturbing voice in her head have psychiatric professionals convinced that she's lost her sanity as well. But when Kale - a dark and handsome stranger with a mysterious past - reveals the true meaning of her visions and the tremendous power she wields through them, Ella must come to terms with the devastating truths of her own past, while eluding an ancient Dark Prince who seeks to control not only her future, but all of mankind's, by means of her abilities that Ella is only beginning to understand.

Enter the shrouded world of an age old battle between an ancient race known as the Immortals and their bitter enemy Laurent, the so-called Dark Prince, who commands an army of half-breed vampires known as Chory. Both sides have been desperately searching for the prophesied emergence of the Arc, a clairvoyant with unparalleled power to recall the past and a soothsayer with clear vision into the future. 

The Council of Immortals has sworn to protect the Arc, who they have identified as young Ella Monroe, a college freshman from Virginia living quietly and unaware of her powers or her past. But a renegade Chory has other plans for the plans for the protection of a girl he has loved through the ages. Can Kale convince Ella of who she is, what she is destined to become, and what he once meant to her? Is he truly the best protector to shield the world from the devastating misuse of her powers that Laurent is bent on controlling? Or will the forbidden love they share and Kale cursed condition as a retched and hated Chory be used against them both?

This paranormal romance told from the heroine's perspective builds in intensity and intrigue to a finale you won't see coming. Heart pounding, action mixed with heartwarming friendships and heartbreaking romance will leave you breathless and begging for more."

I was asked by the author, Inger Iversen, to review this book and after providing me the book and reading the synopsis, I was immediately intrigued.

Ella has been dealing with the tragic death of her parents as well as hallucinations that caused her to be hospitalized. The author did a great job in portraying Ella's grief and confusion in dealing with her parents' death and in one of her monologues, Ella expresses how she feels so alone. Ella has no close living relatives and she now lives with her parents' best friends. I felt so much sympathy for Ella and her loneliness. You can feel her sadness and loneliness seep through the pages and that's a job well done from Ms. Iversen.

My only complaint of the novel were with Ella and how she reacted to what she was told. Sometimes her reactions gave me a whiplash. She would demand the truth and when told, she would get mad. There was a scene in which Ella ask Kale to use his seduction on her and in return all she did was get at him for doing something she asked him.

I will say that Ella and Kale have a very interesting history; I was very surprised at how intricate it was. Although there where times were I was confused with how Helene and Kale ended up where they did. The storyline of Helene, Kale and the Dark Prince was so spread out throughout the novel, that it just confused me.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series; I need to know what happens. However, with the way things ended, I have my suspicions of what will happen next.

About the Blogger

Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads

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Author Interview: Inger Iversen

Morning lovelies!

I'm happy to welcome author Inger Iversen to Books and Swoons today! I read her novel Few Are Angels which I enjoyed and I'm looking forward for you guys to get to know her.

1. What gave you the idea for "Few Are Angels"?

               I got the idea for Few Are Angels in a dream, but I was writing another book at the time so I ignored the idea. When Few Are Angels started hitting me in the form of daydreams, I knew that I had to get it out of my head and onto paper. It was really easy to write and at times I couldn't get my fingers to type fast enough.

2. What was your favorite part of the novel to write?

              I really enjoyed writing the scenes when Ella and Kale first kissed. It was exciting to write. Ella and Kale go through quite a bit in the series, so anytime where Ella and Kale got to know each other or spend time together was fun to write.

3. Do you have a favorite genre? To write or to read?

          I love crime mysteries and any YA books. My favorite mystery novelist is Karin Slaughter and my favorite YA authors are Shelena Shorts, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Elizabeth Chandler and so many more!

4. If you could coauthor a book with another author of your choice, who would it be?

         I would love to co-author a book with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She creates worlds that are beautifully unique.

5. Do you have a writing schedule or routine? Or a writing quirk?

        I have what I like to call "Hermit Mode" where I normally lock myself in a dark and quiet place and write. Luckily, my friends and family are really supportive and leave me alone when I'm in that mode.

6. A lot of authors create playlists in order to get into a certain mindset. Do you have a playlist and if you do, can you tell us who is on it?

          Yes! I love this question! I have a playlist for Few Are Angels and Awakened, the second book in the trilogy. I have a few of my favorite artists on the playlist and a few new artists. Some of the new artists include: Chairlift, The Ambassadors and We the Committee. Some of my all-time favorites include: Imogen Heap, Black Lab and Anberlin.

7. What made you decide to go the self-publishing route?

            I decided to go the self-publishing route because I didn't have the patience to send a manuscript and a query letter in and wait. I heard stories of some of my favorite authors getting rejected by big publishing houses and then using Kindle Direct Publishing and Upubit with Nook to publish their work. I'd heard that it was easy and fast, so I went that route. It is easy and fast, but there are still things that make me wish I would have gone the traditional route.

8. Are you working on anything new? If yes, can you tell us a little bit about it?

           After Awakened, the second book in the Few Are Angels trilogy, I'm going to release a new trilogy called, Ena's Wolf  and here's the synopsis:

Ena's Wolf: Blackwood v. Moon

When a man becomes a werewolf against his will, the man is not wholly damned until he tastes human blood. In that instant, his soul is damned and the eternal curse allows nothing to deliver his soul from the damnation of night. If the curse is placed upon him and he resists the call of human blood, his immortal soul will still be damned and he may never pass the gates into Heaven or walk upon holy ground. Only when the cursed is lifted shall his soul be freed.

The students of Hovsgrove High aren't letting the recent deaths of two students ruin their summer and why should they? It's not like the deaths are related or caused by an evil presence prowling in the night, right? Summer vacation before senior year was supposed to be one of the best times in Ena's life. Summer parties, cook-outs, hanging out at Mackie's - a pool hall in Hovsgrove -  with her cousin Vi and best friend T.W. was all ruined in a matter of minutes. The last day of school proves to be the worst day in Ena's life when she witnesses a student chased into the woods and killed by an obscenely large dog. After the "incident" the only thing that Ena gets to see for the first three weeks of her summer is the inside of her bedroom. When no body is found and Ena can't explain why she made up a story about a dog attack/murder, she ends up grounded and an outcast with the kids in school. Her only hope to salvage the rest of summer vacation after her three weeks prison sentence is over, is her cousin Vi and her best friend T.W. The energetic, smart-mouthed New Yorker Vi not only convinces Ena to sneak out to one of the best parties of the summer, but also convinces her to investigate the murdered student herself. Neither girl nor T.W. knows what is in store for them and as they start asking questions, they find out that there are missing teens that the residents don't know about. How could the HPD have missed this key information that a sixteen year old and her friends uncover in matter of days? Are the police really doing all they can to find the missing kids or is there something dangerously making its way through Hovsgrove and stealing teens in the night, without the fear of justice?  

9. This is a two part question: Ella, the protagonist, is not in the typical age in which Young Adult categorize their characters. Was that intentional? How do you feel about the new term Mature Teen/New Adult?

              Ella just turned nineteen and was in first year of college. I decided that because of the situations that I would place Ella in that I wanted her to be older than the typical 16 or 17 year old that are in most YA novels. I've seen sex on YA novels, but I was very uncomfortable approaching that situation with a 16 or 17 year old. I wasn't sure how far her relationship with Kale would go, but just in case I wanted her to be a more appropriate age. Some parents are very particular with what they will let their teens read and I didn't want some readers to be excluded because of the content of the book. I'm not saying Ella and Kale won't be intimate, but if they are, I think their age is a bit more appropriate.

Someone else told me that my book was in the New Adult genre and I think that's okay. I never really decided to write for any one particular genre or group of readers, but I knew that the book would placed in a category as books traditionally placed.

10. If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

            I have no clue, but I know that I would be happy. I enjoy writing.

And now for some fun questions!

1. If you could visit only one place in the world, where would you go?

          Greece! I would love to go to Greece. I hear it's beautiful. My father went when I was younger and brought back pictures and it looked awesome there.

2. Coffee or tea?

            BOTH please! I love a good cup of coffee in the morning and a good cup of tea. If I had to choose, I would choose tea. I love Chamomile Vanilla tea!

3. Favorite swoony boy? (Can be real or fictional)

          I love Patch from Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush and Wes from Shelena Short's The Pace. Both are are smart, funny and sexy!

4. Do you prefer hardcover/paperback or ebooks?

             I love paperbacks. I have more ebooks now, but I always buy my favorites in paperback.

5. What is your favorite sweet or dessert?

            Cupcakes! I LOVE Twister Sister's cupcakes!! They have awesome flavors like: Chocolate Noise Cupcakes, coconuts cupcake filled with a refreshing lemon curd topped with coconut buttercream and Peanut Butter Monster Brownie.

Inger Iversen was born in 1982 to Anne and Kaii Iversen. She lives in Virginia Beach with her overweight lap cat, Max and her tree hugging boyfriend, Joshua. She spends 90 percent of her time in Barnes and Noble and the other 10 percent pretending not to want to be in Barnes and Noble.

Website

Be sure to stop by later on today and check out my review of Few Are Angels. 

About the Blogger

Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads

Books and Swoons