It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident. As he recalls the tumultuous events that launched a surprising journey, Samuel can still hardly believe it all happened.
After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers would do anything to bring her back. Prompted by three strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Sam begins his search for the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death entangles him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict and forces Sam to grapple with an unwelcome question: could it be possible that death is a gift?
Haunting and hypnotic, The Day the Angels Fell explores the difficult questions of life in a voice that is fresh, friendly, and unafraid. With this powerful story, Shawn Smucker has carved out a spot for himself in the tradition of authors Madeleine L'Engle and Lois Lowry.
The Day the Angels Fell is a dark fantasy fiction novel that challenges the boundaries of Christian fiction. Because of this, I feel as though it may be passed up too quickly and not given a proper chance. It requires readers with open minds and open to challenging their minds to read it—something I love in books, but something I have seen books and stories passed over because of (such as Harry Potter, for instance, to which Rowling has attributed Christianity as an influence/source of inspiration.
Overall, I did enjoy it. Some questions I fear won't be in the sequel remain, such as what happened to the cat and others I have since lost in my mind since finishing the book (I should've written them down). I enjoyed reading this book over The Chronicles of Narnia, which I never understood movie-wise, and eventually gave up on and abandoned book-wise (though such is likely in part to my distaste in the author of the series).
I am looking forward to the sequel of The Day the Angels Fell, indeed.
