Angel in the Storm by Lisa Grace, Book 2 of Angel series
Self-published ebook available on Amazon
Genre: Christian young adult, supernatural
This is the second book in the Angel series. In the first book (Angel in the Shadows) Megan, the protagonist, realized over the summer she has an unusual gift: she can see demons and angels where others cannot. When her school started, she found she must deal with a fallen angel, “Jude,” enrolled in her school and working to lead her friends astray. After getting help from a real angel, Johnny, she broke up Jude’s rave party. Now Jude’s out to get her and has threatened her family. She’s been unable to warn them–how can she explain these happenings to them?
In the current book, Jude kidnaps Megan’s 9-year-old brother Max and sells him into sex slavery. Jude (really the greatest of all fallen angels, Lucifer) decides he wants Megan. She’s exotic to him in two ways: as a believer she is protected, and as someone who can see angels and demons, she can see through him. Jude offers her a choice: kiss him and he tells what he did with Max, or walk away. What about Megan’s commitment to her boyfriend, whose promise ring she wears? Does she trust God to provide her the information when she needs it, or does she take Jude up on his offer? And what even more tortured choice does Jude have in store for her? Hint: it’s like the movie Sophie’s Choice, where Sophie had to choose who would live, her son or her daughter. And it’s set in the middle of a hurricane hitting the Gulf coast.
Meanwhile, Max escapes and begins a long, dangerous trek from New Orleans back toward Florida. And two hapless police detectives provide some comic relief, trying to pin the supposed murder of Max on Megan, behaving like they have authority in the situation. They visit Jude in his mansion, wonder why he seems to grow two inches while talking to them and how he opens doors while standing a distance away from them. They puzzle over videos showing Megan simply walking out of a police interrogation room to freedom, and other videos showing the person who took Max to the baseball game: a 20-year-older version of Jude. They can’t figure it all out. But they keep trying.
What do I think?
I read the first book but wasn’t enthusiastic. However, this amazing second book shows unbelievable choices offered to a very flawed and human heroine. Megan brings Eve to mind, actually, the archetype for all of our bad choices. (The self-published book could use stronger editing, but its flaws are not distracting.) I am not surprised that someone in Hollywood has optioned the rights to these first two books and plans to make a movie out of them.