#bookreview and launch: Michael by @plynne_writes

There is only one path.

Born mortal along with his three brothers, Michael is an Archangel with a specific role: hunt fallen angels and send them back to Hell. He is determined in his mission, never straying from his appointed path, until he meets Lake Divine, and discovers there may be more to his beliefs than blind duty.

But Lake is not who he seems. Offspring of a human and a fallen angel, a Nephilim, Lake must choose his own destiny: give in to the coldness and embrace the dark, or seek the light and rise above the sins of his father.

Two paths lay before them, but only one has the potential to destroy them both.

Annnddd.... Here's my review! 

Michael by Patricia Josephine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, for this one, I'm going to ask you to disregard my ratings for now, and read the review.

First of all, I would have to put up a theological disclaimer. Just because I read this book doesn't mean that I agree with it. That happens. I picked up this book because Patricia was organising a cover reveal and book launch tour and I wanted to support her. I read the blurb and it sounded like something I sometimes read. You know, paranormal stuff. Angels and Nephilim. Not often, though. What I didn't realise was that it was slated under LGBT as well. And well, New Adult, which means this needs an 18+ sticker somewhere on the review. But anyway...

So in Michael, four angels have been born as humans with a specific mission to hunt fallen angels and send them to Hell. Because apparently, that's the only way "good angels" can appear on earth. Okay.
Well, part of what Michael and his 3 brothers do is also dispatch Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. The complication comes about when Michael meets, and falls in love, with Lake Divine, a lost and hurting young man - who turns out to be a Nephilim. (Which is teaser enough - read the official blurb and go lurk on Patricia's blog if you want teasers!)

And so... how do I justify a 3-star review here?

Theologically, I would give it a 0. Or maybe a 0.5. There are so many things I disagree with here, beginning with angels being incarnated as humans, and ending with angels being able to reject the will of God. I don't have a clear stand on Nephilim, so I'm going to hold off on that. (Random related discussion and theories were bandied about here, though.) I also have views on homosexuality, predominantly on whether it should be practiced by people who profess to be Christians (or to follow God), not so much on those who say they don't believe anyway, so the plot line presented in this book opens a whole new can of worms. Which I will not go into.

Readability wise, if you disregard everything above which I said I disagreed with, Michael is actually a very fun read. It's pretty short - less than an hour's read (I read it over 2 dinners) - so it's not like you have to labour at all to finish the book. Inherent prudishness aside, I actually enjoyed it once I finished blushing.

View all my reviews


About the author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn't regretted a moment.
She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

Where to find Patricia:

Twitter | Website | Google+ | Wattpad | Goodreads