You know what I loved most about this book? It did not preach in an in your face type of way. Now, given that it is an angel book, you know there are going to be some religious overtones, which I only mind when a book is trying to shove it down my throat. I didn’t grow up with a religious upbringing, but I know angels would probably be not quite like the ones in Halo This is however, a work of fiction. I like seeing the different ways people think up angel stories, how they present their version of an angel.

What I loved about Bethany was that in the beginning of the book, Alexandra wrote it in such a way that I felt like I was discovering all these new things just like Bethany was. Looking at what we have and live with everyday with new eyes. Also, Gabriel and Ivy both said that Bethany was the most connected to humans of any angel they’d seen, and I thought Alexandra did a great job of showing that throughout the book. She starts out otherworldy in the beginning, but page after page she slowly becomes more human. Ivy and Gabriel were awesome supporting characters, providing guidance to the others when needed. And Xavier. Oh Xavier. He’s one of my favorite main male protagonists ever. He does need to be better about making snap assumptions though. But hey, he’s only human, and we all do that.

For having been written by a seventeen year old, this is an amazingly put together book. I like Alexandra’s writing style, it makes for an easy read. The pacing was kind of slow, but I didn’t mind at all because it gave me more time to spend with these characters, getting to know them. And the descriptive details were wonderful, I felt like I was actually there with them sometimes.

And the last thing I loved about Halo was that the romance was not hot and heavy from the get go. It was very chaste overall, and developed somewhat slowly like the story, which was a nice change. Sure near the end Bethany was a little clingy, and that gets on a lot of readers nerves, what with the whole “women don’t need a man to be happy.” But you know, sometimes it’s just nice to have someone.

If you’re a fan of the angel trend in YA, I would definitely recommend this book. Clearly it’s not for everyone, since I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews, but it should definitely be given a try. I for one am looking forward to the next installments in this trilogy.