Angel Dust

by Sarah Mussi

[Angie]

I was expecting Angel Dust to be an edgy twist on angels, but it just confirmed my general dislike for the winged creatures of Heaven. The story was definitely unique though, which is why I gave it a try. It’s the ultimate lovers from opposite sides of the tracks tale. Marcus is a gang member, and Serafina is an angel. Literally. She lives in Heaven and comes down to Earth to collect souls, until she lays her eyes on Marcus. He’s next on her list of people to deliver down to Hell, but she just can’t do it. She believes she can get him to repent and join her at the pearly gates. She manages to get an “extension” but at what cost?

The story starts out really slow. I had trouble warming up to Serafina, since she was so…bland. Yes, she’s an angel who wants to be human, but something just didn’t click for me. It also doesn’t help that much of her narrative is questions. There are paragraph long strings of her questioning what it means to be human and how it would feel to be mortal, and questioning God’s actions and inaction. The plot just wasn’t progressing because Serafina had to contemplate and muse over every little thing. Once it did get going though, the plot is pretty good.

Serafina is trying with all her might to save the man she loves, but nothing is going right. Marcus is caught up in gang activities to provide for his family and doesn’t see a way out. She wants him to repent so much that she would give up anything, even make a deal with the Devil. However, even the second half of the story was verging on boring. There is some action and I did feel sad at some points, but mostly I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I just didn’t see what Serafina saw in Marcus. He’s extremely annoying and one-dimensional. He also referred to himself in the third person as “Man.” We’re told it’s true love, but I couldn’t see it or believe it.

This reference will probably be meaningless to a lot of people, but I’ll try to explain what I mean. Angel Dust reminded me a lot of the movie Wristcutters: A Love Story. Not plot-wise really although there are some similarities, but more in overall tone. It has pretty dark themes, but there’s a certain humor and charm to it that makes it appealing. Now, I didn’t enjoy this book as much the movie, but the general feel just reminded me of it. I do highly recommend that movie though!

In the end, Angel Dust was unique, but as with most angel books, it wasn’t for me. I loved the idea of Romeo and Juliet with gangsters and angels, but it just didn’t work. The characters are flat, and the pacing is slow. I just didn’t care.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.