Blog Tour: Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore (review, giveaway)

Welcome to my stop on the Dark Halo blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

 

Dark Halo (Angel Eyes #3)
written by Shannon Dittemore
published by Thomas Nelson

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I have been looking forward to seeing how this trilogy would end. I jumped at the chance to participate in the blog tour hosted by YA Bound. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.) See me review for Angel Eyes here and Broken Wings here.

Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. It was a good ending to this trilogy. While it took a little while to get into, the book moved once I was about a third of the way through it.

I really enjoyed this series. All three books took a little while to get in the groove and really start moving. Ms. Dittemore has a very descriptive style of writing. For me, at times, it is a bit too much but I understand the point behind it. This style fits what the book is trying to convey whether it’s fear, worship, sadness, whatever. The style doesn’t take away from the story but it does take a little while to get used to. However, this story is engaging, interesting, and makes you think about faith. And I think that is a good thing.

***There will be SPOILERS for books 1 and 2 if you have not read them. You have been warned!***

This book picked up shortly after Broken Wings left off. Brielle is devasted that Jake has been taken by the Prince. She doesn’t want to “see” any more. She knows she shouldn’t go after him but she just can’t help herself and starts to lose her faith. This book was a journey for Brielle. Her faith and trust in God was tested. Others were brought closer to God. Others were brought to believe. The level of faith shown, slowly but surely, by the people of Stratus was inspiring, especially of the non-believers.

This trilogy had quite a few unexpected connections. It was surprising as each connection was revealed. Most connection I did not anticipate and that was exciting. That kept me reading.

As I said, I enjoyed Dark Halo. I had the same feeling that I did after reading Broken Wings, I still want to see the Celestial Light, hear the Sabres’ songs, feel the warmth and comfort of the halo. Dark Halo was a good ending to this trilogy. I wish I had a bit more explanation but I liked how it ended. Maybe an Angel Eyes 3.5 would be a good addition just to clear up a few things. Or, if Ms. Dittemore wouldn’t mind, I could email her my questions and get a few answers! 🙂

Would I recommend it: I would recommend it if you have read the first two books in this series – Angel Eyes and Broken Wings. If you haven’t read those first, read them. You will need the background for this final installment of the trilogy.

Will I read it again: I probably won’t.

About the book – from Goodreads: One halo brought sight to Brielle. Another offers sweet relief from what she sees.
Brielle can’t help but see the Celestial realm. Even without the halo, it’s everywhere she looks. And with the heavens above Stratus ravaged by war, Brielle wishes for another gift, any gift. Because Jake is gone. The only boy she’s ever loved has been taken by the demon, Damien—and she knows if she ever wants to see him again, she must fight.
But fighting is so hard when everything you see makes you afraid.
When she receives instructions from the Throne Room leading her to Jake, she unknowingly walks into a diabolical and heartbreaking trap. Then the Prince of Darkness himself offers Brielle a halo of his own making. With the dark halo, she won’t have to see the fear and brokenness that surround her. She’ll be free of that unbearable burden. And it comes with a promise: the guarantee of a life with Jake.
When confusing details about Jake’s past emerge, and the battle above reaches a fever pitch, Brielle is forced to make a choice. Will she choose the dark halo and the ignorance that comes with it, or will she choose to live with her eyes wide open and trust the Creator’s design—even if it means a future without Jake?

 

About the book – from Goodreads: Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.

 

Broken Wings
written by Shannon Dittemore
published by Thomas Nelson Fiction

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Goodreads

See my review here.

About the book – from Goodreads: Giant angels with metal wings and visible song. A blind demon restored from the pit of darkness. And a girl who has never felt more broken.

Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.

Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.

Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.

But can she fly with broken wings?

 

About the author: Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes Trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California.

Angel Eyes was Shannon’s debut novel and the launch of a young adult supernatural trilogy. It was published in the summer of 2012 by Thomas Nelson. The sequel Broken Wings hit shelves in February 2013 and the final novel in the trilogy, Dark halo, will be available August 20, 2013.

Find Ms. Dittemore here: web, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest

 

Shannon Dittemore is having a Live Twitter Chat August 27^th at 6pm (Pacific) where she will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD and other prizes!  Enter here:

http://shannondittemore.com/win-a-kindle-fire/

And now for the GIVEAWAY!! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win 5 sets of the Angel Eyes Trilogy! (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!