PROPHECY GIRL by Cecily White

Prophecy Girl
Cecily White

Rating: A
Synopsis:
Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.

I was born to slay Crossworld demons. 
Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.
Then he shows up. 
Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right? 
Wrong. 
Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.

My thoughts on the book:
Prophecy Girl stands out in the overcrowded YA market. After the first two chapters, it became clear that this is not just another angel book, and I was pleasantly surprised by the story, characters, and world that White created. Thanks to this series debut, I am now counting the days until the release of the second book in the Angel Academy series. I cannot wait to see what happens to Amelie next. 

Amelie is more teenage-like than a lot of the leading YA characters that I've read, but not in a bad way. She's still strong and likable, though a little bratty at times. She just talks and reacts more like a teenager than an adult. I always find it odd how YA heroines usually fall on one end of the maturity spectrum. They can either appear to be way too child-like or way too grown-up. Amelie falls right in the middle and this makes her a very believable character. Also, she grows and grows up throughout the course of the novel, but it's clear that she still has more growing to do before she's reached her full potential. Overall, I liked her, and I enjoyed what White did with her character. 

Since Prophecy Girl starts out with the prologue, which is the ending, I went into the novel expecting to meet Jack. I didn't expect what I got when I finally did get to meet him though. Jackson isn't your typical YA hero either. He really stands out, and I couldn't help but grow attached to him. He's a little snarky, but he's not a jerk. He does some jerky things, but it's clear that he's not doing them to be mean (you'll have to read the book to understand what I'm talking about here). He's also brave, loyal, and open-minded. He's one of the most complex and realistic male leads I've read in awhile. He's nowhere near perfect, and I loved him for that. The secondary characters are well-developed, too, and came across very realistically. 

The plot is well-paced, intense, and emotional. While this novel isn't completely action-packed, it is suspenseful. White managed to keep me guessing throughout most of the book, and even when I managed to figure out one part of the mystery, she still threw me for a loop or two at the end. There appears to be some insta-love between Jack and Amelie, but as the story progresses, and as more of the world-building occurs and you begin to understand more about the bonding between Guardian and Watcher, it becomes clear that there is more to them than that. Also, Amelie doesn't get all "Bella Swan" about Jack, so even if it had been insta-love, it wouldn't have been annoying. What I'm saying is for those of you who hate insta-love, give this book a chance to explain. You'll be pleasantly surprised in the end. And speaking of the ending, it's not a cliffhanger and a lot of the issues introduced are cleared up, but there White left plenty of small unanswered questions and introduced some new ones for the sequel. I can't wait to see what happens.

Overall, I'd recommend this book and this series to anyone who enjoys good YA Paranormal Romance. This is one book you won't want to miss. White is an excellent writer, and there is enough mystery and intrigue to keep everyone interested. If you give Prophecy Girl a try, you won't be sorry. 

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