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Immortal City #1
Immortal City
Jackson Godspeed is the hottest Angel in a city that revolves around idolizing Immortals like him. He grew up in the spotlight, and in less than a week he'll become the youngest full-fledged Guardian ever. People around the world are lining up to pay for him to keep them safe. His lifelong dream of becoming a hero is finally within his grasp - and he can't afford to let the parties, paparazzi, or red carpets distract him.
But Jackson's high-profile life takes an unexpected turn when he meets seventeen-year-old Maddy. She's smart and down-to-earth, and sees Jackson for who he is and not for his celebrity. They forge an instant - and electric - connection. Their vastly different backgrounds seem like the only obstacle in their path to being together . . . until something much more dangerous threatens to destroy their chance at love.
Because not everyone worships the Angels: a bitter killer is murdering the Guardians one by one. And it's up Maddy to save Jackson - he's next in the killer's sights.
Set in a reimagined Los Angeles that sparkles with glamour and celebrity worship, Scott Speer's Immortal City is charged with passion and haunted by themes of power and idolatry.
But Jackson's high-profile life takes an unexpected turn when he meets seventeen-year-old Maddy. She's smart and down-to-earth, and sees Jackson for who he is and not for his celebrity. They forge an instant - and electric - connection. Their vastly different backgrounds seem like the only obstacle in their path to being together . . . until something much more dangerous threatens to destroy their chance at love.
Because not everyone worships the Angels: a bitter killer is murdering the Guardians one by one. And it's up Maddy to save Jackson - he's next in the killer's sights.
Set in a reimagined Los Angeles that sparkles with glamour and celebrity worship, Scott Speer's Immortal City is charged with passion and haunted by themes of power and idolatry.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2012
About the author
Scott Speer
3 books706 followersScott Speer is a movie and music video director and a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema Television. He has directed music videos for artists such as Will.I.Am, Jordin Sparks, and Ashley Tisdale and is currently directing Step Up 4. Scott lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,137 reviews
August 3, 2013
SPOILER ALERT!
When I first read the blurb, I thought, 'Hey, maybe this isn't as clichéd as the other stories these days!' Sure, it was the same angel/paranormal-and-human-fall-in-love, out-of-his-league, forbidden romance, but the whole concept of angels as celebrities was interesting, albeit stupid. I wasn't expecting much, but even compared to my lenient expectations, this wasn't very great anyways.
First of all, and the most idiotic thing, for which I shouldn't have read this book in the FIRST place, despite the fact that it was the main part of the storyline and MENTIONED IN THE BLURB, was the very unique (and that is the only praise I have for this book) main idea/concept that angels had revealed themselves to humans, and for the past century or so had been celebrities who also used their ability to help people to make money! What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word angel? God. Heaven. Religion. MORALITY. I am not religious BY FAR, but even I know that angels are supposed to be the epitome of goodness. They are supposed to help people no matter what, and they are NOT supposed to be selfish and greedy! And you know what Mr. Speer's made them in this book? He has made them phony, materialistic, self-absorbed business people! Angels don't do that! It's manipulative, leading to wrong in terms of morality, leading to everything they stand against! These angels are portrayed as exactly the opposite of what they're supposed to be! WTF?!
That was definitely the saddest part of the story. But you know what's ironic? The fact that this also happened to actually be the best part, because it was the only thing that wasn't clichéd, as I mentioned before. Another thing I must mention again and again, REPEATEDLY, is the fact that this was the cheesiest, and nearly the most rushed novel I've read. The most rushed novel I've ever read was actually technically not a published book, a Wattpad.com novel written by 'itsmebitches' (the username of the author, don't worry) named "I lost my virginity to my teacher?! ((TeacherxStudent))". In the first chapter, which is two and a half pages, the girl has sex with her soon-to-be-teacher and the guy confesses love for her. ON THEIR FIRST MEETING, WHICH IS A ONE-NIGHT STAND. That was the only chapter I read, check it out: http://www.wattpad.com/818277-i-lost-... and don't worry, it's a very short chapter, you don't need to read further.
Anyway, sorry for going off-topic, but I felt that Jax fell in love at first sight, which was way too soon, and so did Maddy, though Speer tried to portray a (very weak and lame) inner dilemma for Maddy: Oh, he's so hot! And he looks so amazing with his wings out, WOW! But-but I CAN'T! *wails* He's out of my league! And he's gonna break my heart because he doesn't really care for me! And you know what? This dilemma went on for three-quarters of the book, even AFTER the part where Jax angered the superior angels by saving her from death against their wishes, and then RUNNING AWAY WITH HER, leaving his entire family and immortal life behind for an eternity on the run. AND SHE STILL DOESN'T BELIEVE HE CARES FOR HER?! GET A FUCKING LIFE, MADDY!
The second worst part about the book: Maddy. She's stupid, weak, and naïve. She's supposed to be the only person who doesn't fall for Jax's looks, right? Well, that's exactly what she does. All she has to do is meet him in the flesh! And, as mentioned above, Speer tries to carry out Maddy's character as the hard-to-get brave girl, but it's a weak attempt. The inner dilemma means nothing because she's already fallen in love, and the fight is not convincing. It's fake, and idiotic, just like Speer's Angels. And of course, you know what they say, a part of your heart is poured out into your writing as well, huh? What part, in Speer's case?
Another downside was the plot. It was predictable from the very beginning, nothing special. Boo ho. I can't even rant about it, it just puts me in a bad mood.
Okay, here's one very specific point in the book. When Jax and Maddy make a run for it, and then Maddy returns, we find out through her best friend that 'Maddy' updated her Facebook and Twitter status, saying she was KIDNAPPED by Jax! If 'Maddy' (the person who imitated her) had really been kidnapped, would she have been able to go on the internet and UPLOAD HER SOCIAL FUCKING STATUS?! WTF IS THIS SHIT?!
None of the characters were likable, relatable, or anything near either. I don't even know why I gave this two stars! Now, writing this review, I'm going over everything in the book, and I can't think of a single good thing, except maybe the fact that thank god I'm a fast reader. And even that was praise for me, and not for the book.
Mr. Speer, stick to your Hollywood movie-trailer making, directing, whatever. Don't-please, for the LOVE OF GOD, DON'T- write another book, including the sequel to Immortal City. Stick to your field of expertise.
Mercí
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2014
THIS is an angel-book?! Are you f...... serious?!
After this book, I think Unearthly deserves an AWARD because it is so freaking good!
This book is a fail.
Angels revealed themselves and now they are making money with saving those who can pay them. TV Shows, Reality shows and Twitter posts about angels. Angels are celebrities and they enjoy their wealth and fame.
I am fine with authors who differ from usual definitions, but I really don't like authors who turn some of the religious or mythological creatures into freaking parodies.
Usual words that come to one's mind when thinking about angels:
Morality. God. Mercy. Selflessness. Purity. Goodness.
Angels in this book:
Materialistic. Selfish. Spoiled. Conniving.
See the difference?
Yeah, so do I.
I prefer the stereotypical angels, sorry to disappoint.
Then, there was the plot.
Rushed, with lots of un-answered questions and sketchy. Lots of pages seemed to be nothing but space-fillers what was sort of sad. Besides, the plot was filled with stereotypes and stupid teenie-stuff.
Most of the characters were just stupid and facile. Oh, and again stereotypical.
Maddy was naive and weak and seemed a bit confused. With everything. She could not even tell the truth or say her opinion when it was important. Jacks was nothing but a pitiful person.
This book was a waste of time for me.
NEVER AGAIN!!!
April 27, 2012
Also Found On: A Book and A Record
I don’t know why, but as I was reading this I got the distinct impression that it was written to that Foster the People song “Pumped Up Kicks” No joke. Every time Jacks was headed to an event I had the first few chords of that song begin to run through my brain. Anyways, that’s not really the point. Immortal City is a good idea. I like the idea, I had high hopes for the idea. Hot super star angel falling for a mortal? I’ll take that for a light read! Sure had been done before, but Speer almost seems to try a little bit too hard to change everything.
Angel City is Los Angeles (which literally means in Spanish ‘The Angels’) And it is truly the main problem with Immortal City. Speer spends so much time detailing a city that the world already knows. An editor could have axed a fifth of the novel by simply stating, “in a city that was once Los Angeles…” Instead I stumbled through detailed glimpses of one of the worlds most famous cities, and still left not really knowing what I was looking at. Speer has a talent for writing a lot of words, but not really saying much. This is something that Adult novels and movie scripts get away with on a regular basis. They paint you a nice picture without telling you what you’re really looking at. In my opinion it makes for a tedious read. There were a lot of little things I liked about Immortal City, the build up of Maddy and Jacks’ relationship (though it seemed to go from mere ‘hey maybe I like you’ to ‘hey I want to jump you’ in about ten seconds) I liked that she was the anti-celebrity (or, in this case, ‘angels’) but too much of Speers book seemed to be contrived. Like he fancied himself to be introducing everyone to how Hollywood works. Where people who read a lot, which are the people that are probably drawn to reviews like this, usually find themselves reading magazine covers in grocery stores, or hanging out at bookstores all day skimming cover jackets, and with everything that television does shove down our throats, people I think have a pretty good idea of how Hollywood works. I don’t need Speers to ‘fill me in’ I want him to tell me the story of how a Guardian Angel fell in love with a girl, I don’t want him to explain the intricacies of fame and fortune. I have the L.A. Candy series to do that. Guys, I don’t know. Maybe if Jacks had been a little bit more bad ass, instead of a pretty boy who wore ‘YSL’ shoes. Maybe if Maddy hadn’t been so atypical (she thinks she plain, he thinks she’s something out a Shakespeare sonnet) maybe if Speer had kept to directing movies (because this would be a beautiful movie) instead of writing books, then maybe I would have liked it a little bit more. I don’t know, maybe I expected too much out of it. If you’re looking for a novel that involves a strong angel hating girl, and very good looking angel I recommend Angelfall by Susan Ee (seriously, read it. It’s bad ass.) If you’re looking for a series on the ins and outs of fame in Los Angeles read anything by Lauren Conrad. If you’re looking for a really weird combination of the two and then add to them what felt like a cross between the aforementioned Foster the People song and A Cinderella Story (remember that movie with Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray) then Immortal City is totally for you.
I don’t know why, but as I was reading this I got the distinct impression that it was written to that Foster the People song “Pumped Up Kicks” No joke. Every time Jacks was headed to an event I had the first few chords of that song begin to run through my brain. Anyways, that’s not really the point. Immortal City is a good idea. I like the idea, I had high hopes for the idea. Hot super star angel falling for a mortal? I’ll take that for a light read! Sure had been done before, but Speer almost seems to try a little bit too hard to change everything.
Angel City is Los Angeles (which literally means in Spanish ‘The Angels’) And it is truly the main problem with Immortal City. Speer spends so much time detailing a city that the world already knows. An editor could have axed a fifth of the novel by simply stating, “in a city that was once Los Angeles…” Instead I stumbled through detailed glimpses of one of the worlds most famous cities, and still left not really knowing what I was looking at. Speer has a talent for writing a lot of words, but not really saying much. This is something that Adult novels and movie scripts get away with on a regular basis. They paint you a nice picture without telling you what you’re really looking at. In my opinion it makes for a tedious read. There were a lot of little things I liked about Immortal City, the build up of Maddy and Jacks’ relationship (though it seemed to go from mere ‘hey maybe I like you’ to ‘hey I want to jump you’ in about ten seconds) I liked that she was the anti-celebrity (or, in this case, ‘angels’) but too much of Speers book seemed to be contrived. Like he fancied himself to be introducing everyone to how Hollywood works. Where people who read a lot, which are the people that are probably drawn to reviews like this, usually find themselves reading magazine covers in grocery stores, or hanging out at bookstores all day skimming cover jackets, and with everything that television does shove down our throats, people I think have a pretty good idea of how Hollywood works. I don’t need Speers to ‘fill me in’ I want him to tell me the story of how a Guardian Angel fell in love with a girl, I don’t want him to explain the intricacies of fame and fortune. I have the L.A. Candy series to do that. Guys, I don’t know. Maybe if Jacks had been a little bit more bad ass, instead of a pretty boy who wore ‘YSL’ shoes. Maybe if Maddy hadn’t been so atypical (she thinks she plain, he thinks she’s something out a Shakespeare sonnet) maybe if Speer had kept to directing movies (because this would be a beautiful movie) instead of writing books, then maybe I would have liked it a little bit more. I don’t know, maybe I expected too much out of it. If you’re looking for a novel that involves a strong angel hating girl, and very good looking angel I recommend Angelfall by Susan Ee (seriously, read it. It’s bad ass.) If you’re looking for a series on the ins and outs of fame in Los Angeles read anything by Lauren Conrad. If you’re looking for a really weird combination of the two and then add to them what felt like a cross between the aforementioned Foster the People song and A Cinderella Story (remember that movie with Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray) then Immortal City is totally for you.
December 15, 2017
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON AFTERWORDS!
While I started Immortal City wary of hoping for too much, in lieu of never reading a truly great angel story, it became promising very quickly. Mostly because of how unique the plot was, when in theory it shouldn't be. The general premise is fairly unoriginal: supernatural boy falls for normal girl... Been there, read that, have the bookshelves to prove it.
But it's the setting of Immortal City that truly sets it apart; imagine modern time with one key difference -Angels "came out of the closet" years ago and are now saving people from unnatural deaths as Guardian Angels... for money. Only the rich can afford this premium luxury, while everyone else watch the angels with starstruck eyes, following their every movement through the tv and fantasizing about winning their own angel.
Because not only are they now an enterprise, they're also the Kardashians of this world.
Can we just take a minute to appreciate this? Have you ever heard of a story commercializing angels? I sure as hell haven't.
And surrounding all that, there is a strange, impossible murder investigation. Angel murders. Angels who are supposed to be un-kill-able--unless by another angel. I'm not sure I'm doing the intensity of this setup justice, but trust me that it was insanely intense.
These different plot lines are transmitted through three different point of views.
The first is that of Maddy, possibly the only girl in the world who is disinterested in the angels. Despite this unoriginal role, Maddy turned out to be a strong and logical girl with a very likable voice. You know you truly like a character when you understand where they are coming from and forgive their annoying parts.
The second point of view is that of Jackson, a superstar angel about to become the youngest guardian to date.He was cute... but sometimes really clueless, which is surprising considering he's such a hotshot. My one major problem with Jack was how often he hurt Maddy because of his high sense of duty and justice or his silence. I think the silence part was more aggravating.
Like, if someone calls your girl trash... anything other than outrage is unacceptable in my opinion. I kept wishing we'd see him truly protect Maddy; from emotional harm as well as physical. If he would have just fought against his dad and defied his stepdad, even by asking him some effing questions...
He did become fiercely protective and kick-butt when he realized he loved her, even if that realization happened like a week quickly. But, WOW what a first kiss! The romance in here kind of reminded me of Twilight's, which in my case is not an insult or anything but to some people...
The third point of view that isn't mentioned anywhere in the synopsis is that of Detective Sylvester. From his side comes the murder mystery, as he is responsible with catching the killer. He was a great character, one that made me excited for those little breaks in the dominant plot-line to see the hunt for the killer.
When it came to the twists in this book, I kind of figured them all out from a mile away. I even knew who the killer was!... sort of. I kind of hoped my other option would've been the killer, if only for them to have an excuse to kill him/her. Maybe in the sequels?
But what the book lacked in plot twists, it all but made up for in the action department and the surprising way things unfolded. The book starts slow, building the world and characters, but it was never boring. And it ups the ante considerably as it nears the end. To the point where I simple couldn't put it down until I had finished.
And let me tell you, Speer knows how to make you sweat. I literally held my breath. The last few chapters just put me in a hyperventilating mess of "oh my god"s. I did not expect any of it. Speer sure knows how to surprise and scare! He managed to make me fall for the same ruse twice, god damn him!
And then it ends on a somewhat cliffhanger? You're an evil man, Scott Speer.
The only thing less the stellar was parts of the writing. While I applaud Speer's ability to effortlessly switch from one character to the next, the descriptions sometimes seemed to lack. They just didn't play in my mind--couldn't play in my mind. The logistics of it made no sense. But it was a rather small thing, really, on the grand scale of things.
And what a scale that was...
November 20, 2011
Well, when my uncle brought me this I was really excited, it looks amazing, and the description sounds pretty good. The book itself? Not so much. (Note: the book says "If you quote from this galley, please refer to the final printed book" but as the book isn't available until April, I know I'll forget to write the review then. So please take notice that my review is not of the final book.)
Just a few chapters in, and I already knew this book was going to be all over the place. The book flip-flops between third person limited, and third person omniscient, which gave the book an choppy feeling.
While the main characters' "I can't stop thinking about him/her" rants were annoying, they were not unexpected. However, what was really frustrating, was Maddy's constant disbelief of Jacks' love. We as readers, know from the book description that they fall in love. Even without that, they make it blindingly obvious, going out on dates and such. So why should Maddy be saying "I have to keep myself away from you so I don't get sucked into the illusion that you might actually like me" (Speer 224).
The writing of Maddy's character actually irked me throughout. She goes from defending herself to the "mean girl" angel, to being sad and feeling less worthy than that same angel for the rest of the book. Early in the novel, it says "Sometimes when it came to guys, Maddy found herself a bit tongue-tied [...]" (Speer 16). She acts shy and unsure of herself throughout that whole first chapter. Suddenly, a few chapters later she talks to boys like a normal person and goes on a date and almost kisses a boy suddenly.
EDIT: The ARC cover was shiny and the model was shirtless. With the different cover, I lost my favorite part of the book!
Just a few chapters in, and I already knew this book was going to be all over the place. The book flip-flops between third person limited, and third person omniscient, which gave the book an choppy feeling.
While the main characters' "I can't stop thinking about him/her" rants were annoying, they were not unexpected. However, what was really frustrating, was Maddy's constant disbelief of Jacks' love. We as readers, know from the book description that they fall in love. Even without that, they make it blindingly obvious, going out on dates and such. So why should Maddy be saying "I have to keep myself away from you so I don't get sucked into the illusion that you might actually like me" (Speer 224).
The writing of Maddy's character actually irked me throughout. She goes from defending herself to the "mean girl" angel, to being sad and feeling less worthy than that same angel for the rest of the book. Early in the novel, it says "Sometimes when it came to guys, Maddy found herself a bit tongue-tied [...]" (Speer 16). She acts shy and unsure of herself throughout that whole first chapter. Suddenly, a few chapters later she talks to boys like a normal person and goes on a date and almost kisses a boy suddenly.
EDIT: The ARC cover was shiny and the model was shirtless. With the different cover, I lost my favorite part of the book!
April 15, 2012
Oh my FREAKING heck! I just finished this book and can I say, This book totally ROCKED my world. I seriously have not been so sucked into a book like this one in a long, long time. I literally read it all in one day... I did stop to eat and go potty, but I am ready to pick it up and read it again!
Call me sexist, but when I first saw that a man wrote this book, I had my doubts. Now, let me explain. I have read some great books written by men, recent ones too, but I have not experienced one that totally RULED in action, drama, suspense,and romance... let's face it, romance is viewed a little differently for men. Scott Speer, you have succeeded in all this! I was swooning quite a few times actually, along with biting my fingernails as things got tense. There were so many twists and turns, and the ending.... UGH! So awesome, I just wanted more!
I thought this story-line was incredible, so original bringing Angels out as celebrities, their powers known to all. The characters were likable and inviting. Maddy was awesome and kick-butt. I love a girl who rejects the norm and puts people where they belong. Jackson..what a hottie! A man..er Angel, who is the best at what he does, kicks some serious booty and a heart of gold.. Perfect.
As far as I know there is supposed to be another book to this.. oh please, oh please, oh please. I will definitely look for it!
A clean book I would recommend.
Call me sexist, but when I first saw that a man wrote this book, I had my doubts. Now, let me explain. I have read some great books written by men, recent ones too, but I have not experienced one that totally RULED in action, drama, suspense,and romance... let's face it, romance is viewed a little differently for men. Scott Speer, you have succeeded in all this! I was swooning quite a few times actually, along with biting my fingernails as things got tense. There were so many twists and turns, and the ending.... UGH! So awesome, I just wanted more!
I thought this story-line was incredible, so original bringing Angels out as celebrities, their powers known to all. The characters were likable and inviting. Maddy was awesome and kick-butt. I love a girl who rejects the norm and puts people where they belong. Jackson..what a hottie! A man..er Angel, who is the best at what he does, kicks some serious booty and a heart of gold.. Perfect.
As far as I know there is supposed to be another book to this.. oh please, oh please, oh please. I will definitely look for it!
A clean book I would recommend.
July 15, 2012
Honestly, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit to having read this. I've read a lot of trash this year, but this book was seriously terrible. I was intrigued by the premise: guardian angels have "come out" to the world, and instead of performing anonymous miracles they now provide paid protection. After the first couple of chapters I also got the impression it was going to be a social commentary on how our culture is obsessed with celebrities.
Lol, no. It was trash. Pure and utter trash. Maddy was kind of endearing at first. She kept on arguing with Jackson and calling him out on his hedonic lifestyle, despite her raging attraction for his chiseled jaw and sculpted biceps. But then she gave in, and the writing was pretty much like this ALL THE TIME:
The kiss was raw. Hungry. She opened her mouth and his immortal breath rushed into her. He pulled her against him and kissed her again. The storm raged around them.
Immortal breath. I just. What. I was going to write a longer review but I'm just sitting here shaking my head over that phrase and I can't even continue.
P.S. Hilariously enough, I thought this was written by a woman the whole time. I cannot even process the fact that it was written by a MAN.
Lol, no. It was trash. Pure and utter trash. Maddy was kind of endearing at first. She kept on arguing with Jackson and calling him out on his hedonic lifestyle, despite her raging attraction for his chiseled jaw and sculpted biceps. But then she gave in, and the writing was pretty much like this ALL THE TIME:
The kiss was raw. Hungry. She opened her mouth and his immortal breath rushed into her. He pulled her against him and kissed her again. The storm raged around them.
Immortal breath. I just. What. I was going to write a longer review but I'm just sitting here shaking my head over that phrase and I can't even continue.
P.S. Hilariously enough, I thought this was written by a woman the whole time. I cannot even process the fact that it was written by a MAN.
February 26, 2019
I have the books... 1-3 because my cousins (they are two) are head over heels about this book. But I'm not a fan... Supply me with something that is a better character not a cutesy one. One thing that is good about this one is the description of the place... I hope that counts???
May 23, 2012
I wanted so badly to like this book, I really did have high expectations and perhaps that was part of the problem. Initially the cover is what drew me to Immortal City, just look at it, it's fantastic! The premise was also interesting to me. I was prepared to ignore the fact that the angels presented in the premise were anything but Biblical angels because the idea of it fascinated me so much. Yes, some points of it were terribly, horrendously obvious...like Jackson (Jacks) falling in love with Maddy and saving her life even though its against the rules. I mean, it says it on the cover, so there's no shock there. I will also say that the villain caught me by total surprise, though I'm not entirely sure that was a good thing. Even the ending drew me in with some great drama and action filled scenes. Unfortunately for everyone, especially me, that is where the good points in this book end.
My biggest problem with this book is Maddy. I am aware that Mr. Speer is not a female (at least not to my knowledge), but surely he has at least talked to one in his lifetime? I doubt it from this lackluster, irritating, downright stupid excuse for a heroine. Her internal dialogue make me want to give myself a lobotomy just to make it more tolerable. Here is a typical internal Maddy conversation:
"I really hate angels! But God he's just so hot! I think I love him, yeah I definitely love him and want to do him right now. No, I don't know, I want him to go away! Awww crap, now I can't stop thinking about him again!"
Seriously? This was like Bella Swan on steroids! And keep in mind that while she's having this internal discussion she's also throwing herself on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and sticking her tongue down his throat...until he declines to indulge her whims because apparently angel sex is "complicated" and he'd "explain later". I contemplated that it would be a lot easier on Jacks in the long run if she got killed so that he would be spared any more time with her idiotic presence. Then just when I've given up all hope on her ever showing any backbone or gumption at all she suddenly jumps in and saves the day? And why does she insist on believing that Jacks is somehow lying to her every step of the way? He leaves his family, he breaks angel law, he asks you to go on the run with him, he gives up being an angel for you and you're still unsure if maybe he likes you?! God, what an idiot! Jacks, let the serial killer take her please!
I also think Mr. Speer has a serious obsession with beating dead horses until they are nothing but roadkill. Why did every single angel have to have a last name that was related to religion somehow? Godspeed, Godright, Churchson, Templeton, Steeple, Holycross. Oh my God, I got it already! They're angels, check, gotcha, now stop! Then you have the serious overkill on this "re-imagined" Los Angeles. Why exactly did we have to rename is Angel City? That's kind of what Los Angeles means in the first place, just a hint. Then we have Angels Weekly, The Angel Network, ANN, A!, yes I could go on but I think you get the point. And the name dropping of brand names started to make me wonder if all these companies were all paying Mr. Speer for product placement.
I also firmly believe the Mr. Speer has never even seen a bible, let alone read one, though one of his characters can quote from one. While I appreciated the premise, it ended up being annoying that angels somehow turned themselves into celebrities and only protected people at a price. Interesting premise, but irritating in the end because apparently there just weren't enough of them to protect everyone. I believe there's a quote somewhere that goes "in heaven a thousand angels could dance on the head of a pin". That sounds like more than enough to me, they're not some elite class. Also, according to the Bible, angels are God's warriors. They only intervene in saving humans if it's God's will, otherwise they are awaiting orders like the good soldiers they are. I doubt that it was God's order to live in mansions, drive Ferrari's, and charge people for their saving services. Like I said, interesting premise but it lost its appeal quickly. Why exactly was God not more angry about what his angels were doing? There was no mention of God anywhere in the whole book! And it's a book about angels for crying out loud!
Another irritation I have is with Maddy suddenly being told that she was half angel. Apparently her daddy was an angel who rebelled against the way things were and her mommy was a human who fell in love with him, then they both got killed. Now in the book this means that Maddy is clairvoyant about people in mortal peril (that got annoying too, more on that in a minute) and eventually becomes a complete angel with wings and everything. Actually I think the Bible has this one covered too. The offspring of an angel and a human woman are called Nephilim. They are considered an abomination in the eyes of God and were all rounded up and sent to Purgatory and the angels who created them were banished from heaven. So the fluffy idea of Maddy becoming an angel really just proves that Mr. Speer has never even seen a Bible in his life. I don't mind re-imagining things but if you take it too far then you're going to lose the story and that's exactly what happened here. And as for Maddy's psychic visions, it was tedious and annoying. It entirely took over the narrative and was supposed to be a shock and awe moment that you would think this was actually happening until a few pages later and you got to the part where Maddy "woke up" and realized it was a vision. At a certain point she saw her own death and I didn't find it interesting at all because clearly she wasn't going to die there were 100 pages left. Then she saw Jackson die, and again it was just tedious instead of tense because obviously he wasn't going to die because there were 40 pages left. Then she throws herself on the villain's knife to save Jackson from her vision of his death and again it was clear that she wouldn't die because this is supposed to be a series, so she's not going to die for some reason or another or there would be no book two. Am I confusing anyone yet with all this? Yeah, me too.
Now for the villain, it was one of those WTF moments, but for all the wrong reasons. They figure out that someone has hired a Dark Angel, or demon, to kill the Guardian Angels and Jackson is the next target. One of the characters speculated that maybe it was one of the Archangels, trying to hide his own hand in it while eliminating angels that were creating bad publicity. I actually quite liked that idea and was interested to see if that's where it went. And it didn't, but it didn't go somewhere better either. Instead it was just the random kid who Speer had made a half-hearted attempt at creating a love triangle with. So the kid who's dad died in an accident has this big vendetta against the angels, and somehow tracks down a demon that even the angels think has been dead for thousands of years, and convinces this demon to kill angels at his command? I have no problem with suspending my reality for the sake of a good story, but that would require throwing a nuke into my reality and blowing it up because it isn't going to suspend that far. I would have much preferred the speculation on the part of the characters, because the actual villain pretty much sucked.
In the end there is just nothing that could have saved this story from its own author. It was such a fascinating idea that the author found every way possible to destroy and mutilate. It's a shame this plot couldn't have been given up for adoption to a loving author who would have given it a good home.
My biggest problem with this book is Maddy. I am aware that Mr. Speer is not a female (at least not to my knowledge), but surely he has at least talked to one in his lifetime? I doubt it from this lackluster, irritating, downright stupid excuse for a heroine. Her internal dialogue make me want to give myself a lobotomy just to make it more tolerable. Here is a typical internal Maddy conversation:
"I really hate angels! But God he's just so hot! I think I love him, yeah I definitely love him and want to do him right now. No, I don't know, I want him to go away! Awww crap, now I can't stop thinking about him again!"
Seriously? This was like Bella Swan on steroids! And keep in mind that while she's having this internal discussion she's also throwing herself on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and sticking her tongue down his throat...until he declines to indulge her whims because apparently angel sex is "complicated" and he'd "explain later". I contemplated that it would be a lot easier on Jacks in the long run if she got killed so that he would be spared any more time with her idiotic presence. Then just when I've given up all hope on her ever showing any backbone or gumption at all she suddenly jumps in and saves the day? And why does she insist on believing that Jacks is somehow lying to her every step of the way? He leaves his family, he breaks angel law, he asks you to go on the run with him, he gives up being an angel for you and you're still unsure if maybe he likes you?! God, what an idiot! Jacks, let the serial killer take her please!
I also think Mr. Speer has a serious obsession with beating dead horses until they are nothing but roadkill. Why did every single angel have to have a last name that was related to religion somehow? Godspeed, Godright, Churchson, Templeton, Steeple, Holycross. Oh my God, I got it already! They're angels, check, gotcha, now stop! Then you have the serious overkill on this "re-imagined" Los Angeles. Why exactly did we have to rename is Angel City? That's kind of what Los Angeles means in the first place, just a hint. Then we have Angels Weekly, The Angel Network, ANN, A!, yes I could go on but I think you get the point. And the name dropping of brand names started to make me wonder if all these companies were all paying Mr. Speer for product placement.
I also firmly believe the Mr. Speer has never even seen a bible, let alone read one, though one of his characters can quote from one. While I appreciated the premise, it ended up being annoying that angels somehow turned themselves into celebrities and only protected people at a price. Interesting premise, but irritating in the end because apparently there just weren't enough of them to protect everyone. I believe there's a quote somewhere that goes "in heaven a thousand angels could dance on the head of a pin". That sounds like more than enough to me, they're not some elite class. Also, according to the Bible, angels are God's warriors. They only intervene in saving humans if it's God's will, otherwise they are awaiting orders like the good soldiers they are. I doubt that it was God's order to live in mansions, drive Ferrari's, and charge people for their saving services. Like I said, interesting premise but it lost its appeal quickly. Why exactly was God not more angry about what his angels were doing? There was no mention of God anywhere in the whole book! And it's a book about angels for crying out loud!
Another irritation I have is with Maddy suddenly being told that she was half angel. Apparently her daddy was an angel who rebelled against the way things were and her mommy was a human who fell in love with him, then they both got killed. Now in the book this means that Maddy is clairvoyant about people in mortal peril (that got annoying too, more on that in a minute) and eventually becomes a complete angel with wings and everything. Actually I think the Bible has this one covered too. The offspring of an angel and a human woman are called Nephilim. They are considered an abomination in the eyes of God and were all rounded up and sent to Purgatory and the angels who created them were banished from heaven. So the fluffy idea of Maddy becoming an angel really just proves that Mr. Speer has never even seen a Bible in his life. I don't mind re-imagining things but if you take it too far then you're going to lose the story and that's exactly what happened here. And as for Maddy's psychic visions, it was tedious and annoying. It entirely took over the narrative and was supposed to be a shock and awe moment that you would think this was actually happening until a few pages later and you got to the part where Maddy "woke up" and realized it was a vision. At a certain point she saw her own death and I didn't find it interesting at all because clearly she wasn't going to die there were 100 pages left. Then she saw Jackson die, and again it was just tedious instead of tense because obviously he wasn't going to die because there were 40 pages left. Then she throws herself on the villain's knife to save Jackson from her vision of his death and again it was clear that she wouldn't die because this is supposed to be a series, so she's not going to die for some reason or another or there would be no book two. Am I confusing anyone yet with all this? Yeah, me too.
Now for the villain, it was one of those WTF moments, but for all the wrong reasons. They figure out that someone has hired a Dark Angel, or demon, to kill the Guardian Angels and Jackson is the next target. One of the characters speculated that maybe it was one of the Archangels, trying to hide his own hand in it while eliminating angels that were creating bad publicity. I actually quite liked that idea and was interested to see if that's where it went. And it didn't, but it didn't go somewhere better either. Instead it was just the random kid who Speer had made a half-hearted attempt at creating a love triangle with. So the kid who's dad died in an accident has this big vendetta against the angels, and somehow tracks down a demon that even the angels think has been dead for thousands of years, and convinces this demon to kill angels at his command? I have no problem with suspending my reality for the sake of a good story, but that would require throwing a nuke into my reality and blowing it up because it isn't going to suspend that far. I would have much preferred the speculation on the part of the characters, because the actual villain pretty much sucked.
In the end there is just nothing that could have saved this story from its own author. It was such a fascinating idea that the author found every way possible to destroy and mutilate. It's a shame this plot couldn't have been given up for adoption to a loving author who would have given it a good home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2016
Angels are treated as celebrities. They’re paid by wealthy humans to protect them. So in a way angels are working for the humans. It’s a weird concept, but I also found that some angels like Jacks aren’t fazed by all the glitz and the glamour. When the most famous angel of them all, Jacks is about to be assigned a human to protect, he meets Maddy. And you can guess what happens here. They fall in love.
I heard on the grapevine that this book was materialistic and a little floozy, and sure there are points in the book where it values fame, and fortune, but I tend to ignore that in most books. I only focused on the plot, character development, pacing, tone, dialogue, and writing style. Now the plot was a tad slow at first, but I find that once there’s a problem in a book, it picks up fast. There’s a great mixture of action, and romance, and a lot going on that I quickly found myself turning the pages faster and faster until I could figure out who the killer was. I’m glad to know it was who I thought I was in the beginning.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance, and this one was kind of sweet. It’s not love at first sight either. I believe Maddy was as normal as ever. She never let Jacks fame faze her, and she stayed humble. Most girls would get swept up with all the money, and cars, but not her. She went back to working at the diner. And Jacks is just as swoon-worthy as other heroes. He’s sweet, charming, and smart, and I love when he teases Maddy. He says the most honest things, and really, why wouldn’t you fall in love with the good boy?
Great book, cute concept, and I can’t wait to read more from the fabulous Scott Speer. I can even see this book becoming a teen TV series. Almost like The Hills meets Angels and you’ve got Immortal City..Any takers?
I heard on the grapevine that this book was materialistic and a little floozy, and sure there are points in the book where it values fame, and fortune, but I tend to ignore that in most books. I only focused on the plot, character development, pacing, tone, dialogue, and writing style. Now the plot was a tad slow at first, but I find that once there’s a problem in a book, it picks up fast. There’s a great mixture of action, and romance, and a lot going on that I quickly found myself turning the pages faster and faster until I could figure out who the killer was. I’m glad to know it was who I thought I was in the beginning.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance, and this one was kind of sweet. It’s not love at first sight either. I believe Maddy was as normal as ever. She never let Jacks fame faze her, and she stayed humble. Most girls would get swept up with all the money, and cars, but not her. She went back to working at the diner. And Jacks is just as swoon-worthy as other heroes. He’s sweet, charming, and smart, and I love when he teases Maddy. He says the most honest things, and really, why wouldn’t you fall in love with the good boy?
Great book, cute concept, and I can’t wait to read more from the fabulous Scott Speer. I can even see this book becoming a teen TV series. Almost like The Hills meets Angels and you’ve got Immortal City..Any takers?
June 13, 2012
I loved the concept! I loved the characters! But...NO ONE PROOF READ THIS BOOK!!! There are so many grammar errors that whoever edited it needs to be fired! It is so distracting to have fragmented sentences and repetitive wording.
The story is awesome too but there are holes in it. (Spoiler alert)At the end there is a human who sells his soul to a demon(who they call a dark angel, confusing because it looks nothing like an angel)and this human kills angels. But all through out the book they say only an angel can kill another angel. The demon brings the angels to the human and the human finishes the job. If he is human how can he kill the angels? The book contradicts itself. That's only one example. I kept getting lost on the time frame. One minute the characters would be talking in a dinner and the next they were outside or somewhere else without being told how they got there. The story skips and jumps.I kept having to go back and reread.
A note to the the Author,
Please make your next book 100 pages longer and use those pages to take time with the details. Also have a few more people proof read it for errors.
Sincerely,
A hope to soon be devoted fan.
The story is awesome too but there are holes in it. (Spoiler alert)At the end there is a human who sells his soul to a demon(who they call a dark angel, confusing because it looks nothing like an angel)and this human kills angels. But all through out the book they say only an angel can kill another angel. The demon brings the angels to the human and the human finishes the job. If he is human how can he kill the angels? The book contradicts itself. That's only one example. I kept getting lost on the time frame. One minute the characters would be talking in a dinner and the next they were outside or somewhere else without being told how they got there. The story skips and jumps.I kept having to go back and reread.
A note to the the Author,
Please make your next book 100 pages longer and use those pages to take time with the details. Also have a few more people proof read it for errors.
Sincerely,
A hope to soon be devoted fan.
March 17, 2014
I HAVE NEVER FELT SO CONFLICTED!!
I REALLY liked this book AND I REALLY didn't like this book. (notice how I didn't use 'love' and 'hate', yea, cause I didn't feel either; my feelings weren't that strong)
ANYWAYS I liked everything from the plot, to the characters, and the unpredictability of the story, it just kept me interested and wanting to know more and more, I WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING.
That was basically what got me to finish the book because I really didn't like how there were so many extremely boring filler paragraphs; it was there to make the story longer, but really was not necessary at all. I was so interested in finding out what was going to happen next in the plot that the filler paragraphs were KILLING ME, so I tried to skim and filter those stupid paragraphs out as best as I could.
Well I finished the book at 4am so that's also saying something; And now it is 4:19am as I finish writing this review.
For those of you who have already read the book:
August 7, 2019
It was good and kept me invested...but not until like halfway through the book. Maybe closer to the actual ending.
Immortal City felt like a book that I've read before. The name being on the tip of my tongue.. but just can't say because I can't remember it that well. In it, you will meet Maddy and Jackson. Maddy gives zero fucks about angels or whatever they do with their lives and Jackson is kind of okay with becoming a guardian angel. I feel like he mostly just goes with the flow of things and seems a bit laid back - well until they end up meeting each other.
It all started with a diner and a touch. A touch that kind of ruined their whole world. Well, okay, I am being a bit dramatic. Nothing was ruined - other than the fact that Jackson might actually be using his brain now. Maddy made him question things about the angel ways and in the end, he went against their beliefs. Mostly because he had an inkling that she was in danger.. and she had the same feeling as well.
I liked the little twists and turns - they definitely kept me on my feet while reading this book. The entire time I thought the villain was going to be obvious - but I was wrong. Dead fucking wrong, and I'm one hundred percent okay with that. It happens and now I'm a little bit intrigued to see what the next book will bring me. I wonder who the next villain will be or if the demon is still alive in some way? Lots of questions for a cliffhanger kind of ending.
Immortal City felt like a book that I've read before. The name being on the tip of my tongue.. but just can't say because I can't remember it that well. In it, you will meet Maddy and Jackson. Maddy gives zero fucks about angels or whatever they do with their lives and Jackson is kind of okay with becoming a guardian angel. I feel like he mostly just goes with the flow of things and seems a bit laid back - well until they end up meeting each other.
It all started with a diner and a touch. A touch that kind of ruined their whole world. Well, okay, I am being a bit dramatic. Nothing was ruined - other than the fact that Jackson might actually be using his brain now. Maddy made him question things about the angel ways and in the end, he went against their beliefs. Mostly because he had an inkling that she was in danger.. and she had the same feeling as well.
I liked the little twists and turns - they definitely kept me on my feet while reading this book. The entire time I thought the villain was going to be obvious - but I was wrong. Dead fucking wrong, and I'm one hundred percent okay with that. It happens and now I'm a little bit intrigued to see what the next book will bring me. I wonder who the next villain will be or if the demon is still alive in some way? Lots of questions for a cliffhanger kind of ending.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 2, 2013DNF at 10%.
September 7, 2019
3.5
No voy a negar que empecé este libro con escepticismo. Tampoco voy a negar que cuando vi más o menos cómo es el mundo que creó el autor me sorprendió para bien.
Si esa misma idea se hubiera usado en un libro no-juvenil, ésta habría sido una tremenda historia. De todos modos esta novela es mucho mejor de lo que esperaba... si se dejan pasar algunas cositas.
Por alguna razón que no es del todo clara, los ángeles se hicieron visibles para los humanos hace más de un siglo y ahora conviven con ellos. Son las nuevas estrellas, los nuevos ídolos... y los nuevos corruptos. Ahora sólo los ricos gozan de la exclusiva protección de los ángeles, que sólo salvan las vidas de aquellos que pueden pagarles. A pesar de eso la gran mayoría de los humanos adora a los (hermosos) ángeles, que son más populares que lo que sería One Direction si se les uniera Justin Bieber y protagonizaran una película de vampiros sadomasoquistas.
Se ha construído un imperio alrededor de ellos, son la cara de todas las marcas, la gente enloquece por verlos, tienen canales de televisión, reality shows, una lotería, merchandising... todo el pack.
La idea me gustó, es original e irreverente, y se nota que el autor le dedicó tiempo y desarrollo. No fue tan creativo que la 'Ciudad Inmortal' donde viven los ángeles sea... Los Angeles... pero es un detalle nada más.
Es allí donde vive el chico estrella, Jackson 'Jacks' Godspeed. Jacks. No Jack. Esa 's' me puso nerviosa todo el libro.
Él es el ángel del momento. Está por graduarse como Guardián y el mundo enloquece por él. Es bellísimo (obviamente), exitoso (obviamente), todos lo aman (obviamente), es rico (obviamente), lleva una vida glamorosa.... y además de resultarme antipático, ya desde el comienzo se ve venir que va a ser el interés amoroso de Maddy.
Maddy en cambio me gustó. Es humana (obviamente), no le interesa nada que tenga que ver con los ángeles (obviamente), es linda pero no lo sabe (obviamente) y tiene una vida muy diferente a la de Jacks (obviamente). Maddy quedó huérfana y fue adoptada por su tío, que tiene una cafetería de poco éxito. Ella cubre el turno matutino antes de irse a la escuela, el dinero no le sobra y su máxima aspiración es ir a la universidad y tener una vida digna. Bien por Maddy y por sus capítulos que son los más interesantes.
Maddy tiene una habilidad especial que no voy a revelar, pero que para mi gusto el autor usó muy bien.
Hasta acá el libro va lindo, pero la cosa se pone muchísimo mejor cuando alguien –o algo– comienza a asesinar ángeles. Así aparece en escena Sylvester, un detective que no está en su mejor momento y que fue por lejos el personaje que más intriga me generó.
Y entonces Maddy y Jacks se conocen, y la historia sufre un... hipo.
No es insta-love. No. Es amor a los 20 minutos. En serio, primero actúan como personas normales que se encuentran mutuamente atractivas (pero sin enloquecerse)... y a la próxima vez que se ven ya están actuando y pensando de acuerdo a la fórmula del libro juvenil: amor eterno, mi vida no tenía sentido antes de conocerte, frases acarameladas, personalidades interesantes volviéndose planas... lo de siempre.
Si dejamos ese detalle de lado (y que si el autor usara algunos sinónimos no dañaría a nadie), la historia es buena. No se centra tanto en el romance, los personajes en general son inteligentes, razonan y llegan a las conclusiones importantes relativamente rápido. Cuando algo empieza a ser obvio, uno de los protagonistas lo deduce (alargar más esas situaciones sería tratarnos de idiotas) y hay un par de giros en medio de la historia que me tomaron muy por sorpresa. Eso siempre le suma puntos.
El final es predecible... pero de todos modos me gustó.
No es un libro malo, no, sólo hay que tenerle paciencia a ciertos momentos y nada más. Voy a seguir con el resto porque sinceramente me gustó, quiero saber cómo termina, y porque el epílogo me dejó queriendo más.
¡Ah! y auspician este libro (o eso quisiera el autor):
BMW (M5), iPod, Platinum American Express, Chuck, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Target, iPod shuffle, Mercedes, BlackBerry, Van, iPhone, Calvin Klein, YSL, Ray-Ban, J Brand, Converse, Fendi, Valentino, Ferrari, M7, Lexus, Porsche, EA, Versace, Burberry, Miu Miu, Bulgari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Starbucks, Anthropologie, Goodwill, Ugg, Jimmy Choo, SLS Hotel, Nike, Payless, Audi, Range Rover, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Hermès, Cartier, Volvo, Escalade y Civic.
Y nota para el editor: si le pusieron tilde a Hermès, bien se lo podrían haber puesto a 'Garcia'.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
No voy a negar que empecé este libro con escepticismo. Tampoco voy a negar que cuando vi más o menos cómo es el mundo que creó el autor me sorprendió para bien.
Si esa misma idea se hubiera usado en un libro no-juvenil, ésta habría sido una tremenda historia. De todos modos esta novela es mucho mejor de lo que esperaba... si se dejan pasar algunas cositas.
Por alguna razón que no es del todo clara, los ángeles se hicieron visibles para los humanos hace más de un siglo y ahora conviven con ellos. Son las nuevas estrellas, los nuevos ídolos... y los nuevos corruptos. Ahora sólo los ricos gozan de la exclusiva protección de los ángeles, que sólo salvan las vidas de aquellos que pueden pagarles. A pesar de eso la gran mayoría de los humanos adora a los (hermosos) ángeles, que son más populares que lo que sería One Direction si se les uniera Justin Bieber y protagonizaran una película de vampiros sadomasoquistas.
Se ha construído un imperio alrededor de ellos, son la cara de todas las marcas, la gente enloquece por verlos, tienen canales de televisión, reality shows, una lotería, merchandising... todo el pack.
La idea me gustó, es original e irreverente, y se nota que el autor le dedicó tiempo y desarrollo. No fue tan creativo que la 'Ciudad Inmortal' donde viven los ángeles sea... Los Angeles... pero es un detalle nada más.
Es allí donde vive el chico estrella, Jackson 'Jacks' Godspeed. Jacks. No Jack. Esa 's' me puso nerviosa todo el libro.
Él es el ángel del momento. Está por graduarse como Guardián y el mundo enloquece por él. Es bellísimo (obviamente), exitoso (obviamente), todos lo aman (obviamente), es rico (obviamente), lleva una vida glamorosa.... y además de resultarme antipático, ya desde el comienzo se ve venir que va a ser el interés amoroso de Maddy.
Maddy en cambio me gustó. Es humana (obviamente), no le interesa nada que tenga que ver con los ángeles (obviamente), es linda pero no lo sabe (obviamente) y tiene una vida muy diferente a la de Jacks (obviamente). Maddy quedó huérfana y fue adoptada por su tío, que tiene una cafetería de poco éxito. Ella cubre el turno matutino antes de irse a la escuela, el dinero no le sobra y su máxima aspiración es ir a la universidad y tener una vida digna. Bien por Maddy y por sus capítulos que son los más interesantes.
Maddy tiene una habilidad especial que no voy a revelar, pero que para mi gusto el autor usó muy bien.
Hasta acá el libro va lindo, pero la cosa se pone muchísimo mejor cuando alguien –o algo– comienza a asesinar ángeles. Así aparece en escena Sylvester, un detective que no está en su mejor momento y que fue por lejos el personaje que más intriga me generó.
Y entonces Maddy y Jacks se conocen, y la historia sufre un... hipo.
No es insta-love. No. Es amor a los 20 minutos. En serio, primero actúan como personas normales que se encuentran mutuamente atractivas (pero sin enloquecerse)... y a la próxima vez que se ven ya están actuando y pensando de acuerdo a la fórmula del libro juvenil: amor eterno, mi vida no tenía sentido antes de conocerte, frases acarameladas, personalidades interesantes volviéndose planas... lo de siempre.
Si dejamos ese detalle de lado (y que si el autor usara algunos sinónimos no dañaría a nadie), la historia es buena. No se centra tanto en el romance, los personajes en general son inteligentes, razonan y llegan a las conclusiones importantes relativamente rápido. Cuando algo empieza a ser obvio, uno de los protagonistas lo deduce (alargar más esas situaciones sería tratarnos de idiotas) y hay un par de giros en medio de la historia que me tomaron muy por sorpresa. Eso siempre le suma puntos.
El final es predecible... pero de todos modos me gustó.
No es un libro malo, no, sólo hay que tenerle paciencia a ciertos momentos y nada más. Voy a seguir con el resto porque sinceramente me gustó, quiero saber cómo termina, y porque el epílogo me dejó queriendo más.
¡Ah! y auspician este libro (o eso quisiera el autor):
BMW (M5), iPod, Platinum American Express, Chuck, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Target, iPod shuffle, Mercedes, BlackBerry, Van, iPhone, Calvin Klein, YSL, Ray-Ban, J Brand, Converse, Fendi, Valentino, Ferrari, M7, Lexus, Porsche, EA, Versace, Burberry, Miu Miu, Bulgari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Starbucks, Anthropologie, Goodwill, Ugg, Jimmy Choo, SLS Hotel, Nike, Payless, Audi, Range Rover, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Hermès, Cartier, Volvo, Escalade y Civic.
Y nota para el editor: si le pusieron tilde a Hermès, bien se lo podrían haber puesto a 'Garcia'.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
March 24, 2012
4.5/5
OK, funny thing is, I seem to disagree with the majority of reviewers on many YAs. I hated Obsidian and Half-Blood, and DNFed Touch, but I thought that Immortal City which keeps getting average reviews on Goodreads was an exceptionally entertaining read.
*shrug*
This was a classic Cinderella story, where Jacks is a prince in shining armor and Maddy is a poor waitress working day and night in her uncle's diner and dreaming of college. Predictable, right?
Wrong.
Despite the mass hysteria surrounding angels, both Jacks and Maddy have been sheltered from each others side of life and are more than a little naive. She makes a stupid mistake going on a date with an angelic version of Justin Bieber, he does even worse throwing her to the wolves by taking her to a huge party with paparazzi and all the famous magazines while all the angels around her keep sneering at poor girl...
Los Angeles, Immortal City, is crazily obsessed with angel celebs, the constant interviews, fashion trends, twitting, facebooking, youtubing, reality shows, their own designer lines or new perfumes... The shallowness of it all is a perfect parody on Hollywood living in its own bubble of a fake perfection.
So, Jacks and Maddy seem like a recipe for disaster until things go south, and the REAL action starts. The dizzying chase, exhilarating flights, danger from the dark evil, and the impossible sparks of intense attraction between the couple, - it pretty much becomes an urban fantasy.
If this book is turned into a TV series I wouldn't be surprised. It has the potential of achieving True Blood success. Cheesy, flashy, overblown, overdramatic and intensely entertaining characters in a mad, mad world obsessed with their existence... Instant win!
It's a fast read, and I enjoyed it very much. Give it a go.
OK, funny thing is, I seem to disagree with the majority of reviewers on many YAs. I hated Obsidian and Half-Blood, and DNFed Touch, but I thought that Immortal City which keeps getting average reviews on Goodreads was an exceptionally entertaining read.
*shrug*
This was a classic Cinderella story, where Jacks is a prince in shining armor and Maddy is a poor waitress working day and night in her uncle's diner and dreaming of college. Predictable, right?
Wrong.
Despite the mass hysteria surrounding angels, both Jacks and Maddy have been sheltered from each others side of life and are more than a little naive. She makes a stupid mistake going on a date with an angelic version of Justin Bieber, he does even worse throwing her to the wolves by taking her to a huge party with paparazzi and all the famous magazines while all the angels around her keep sneering at poor girl...
Los Angeles, Immortal City, is crazily obsessed with angel celebs, the constant interviews, fashion trends, twitting, facebooking, youtubing, reality shows, their own designer lines or new perfumes... The shallowness of it all is a perfect parody on Hollywood living in its own bubble of a fake perfection.
So, Jacks and Maddy seem like a recipe for disaster until things go south, and the REAL action starts. The dizzying chase, exhilarating flights, danger from the dark evil, and the impossible sparks of intense attraction between the couple, - it pretty much becomes an urban fantasy.
If this book is turned into a TV series I wouldn't be surprised. It has the potential of achieving True Blood success. Cheesy, flashy, overblown, overdramatic and intensely entertaining characters in a mad, mad world obsessed with their existence... Instant win!
It's a fast read, and I enjoyed it very much. Give it a go.
October 12, 2013
This book was really good. I love the mystery and romance to it. The dialogue was so good about there different worlds. I loved the character's personalities, it was great. I wish there is a second book coming out :)
April 11, 2012
3.5 stars
I'll give this author credit. He (and yes, my mind kind of bobbled over the fact that he's a he) surprised me - in a good way. In the massive field of YA/romance angel books, he's managed to craft something a little different from the norm. And that, in and of itself, was notable.
Some things I liked:
- As mentioned above, this was something new, plot-wise. There's certainly the paranormal YA angel romance thing going on, but there's also bit of good old crime drama in here, too.
- The setting is unique, as well, and the time period. It's not dystopian, which is all the rage right now and getting old quick IMHO. Instead, it's... AU, I suppose. Like alternate universe with the introduction of the angels, but present-day RL everything else. That's kind of nifty, to borrow the old term.
- When I started reading this story, I was struck by the amount of sensory description and set up that was given. See, I'm a visual person, so for me, it was a welcome change from the often sensory-starved scenes I often deal with in some of the YA I run across. I had a bit of a chuckle when I checked out the author's profile and saw that he's also a movie and music video director - makes all the sense in the world now.
- I liked Jacks and Maddie. I bought the chemistry there.
- And what's more important, since this was written in 3rd person, it didn't fall prey to the Mary Sue trap. You know what I'm talking about - all these YA books written in 1st person from the perspective of a mousy, brown-haired blank slate of a girl. Sure, there was some of that when we were sitting in Maddie's head, but because it was 3rd and because we also saw Jacks' version of Maddie, we realized that Maddie's opinions of herself were just that - opinions. There was something special about her. She wasn't just some fill in the blank girl. Same thing for Jacks. We saw not only the super hot, charming, perfect angel, but what was there underneath, too. This is why 3rd person is our friend, people.
- I won't spoil, but I rather liked that little twist at the end with the villain. I wasn't expecting it and that's a nice change from the normal YA reader - to be surprised a bit. Usually they're so predictable you can pretty much skim. But no, this book had a nice OH! moment.
- THANK YOU for no real love triangle - the most overused YA angst device ever.
What needed some work:
- You know how I said I loved all the sensory description? I did. But in a few places, it was overdone and it made the story drag.
- Maddie got... a little old with her constant pushing back on Jacks. And the scene at the train station at the end was a little contrived.
- The ending was a little rushed, and that revelation re: Maddie was kind of abrupt. While it was somehow foreshadowed, I'd have liked to have seen some more development there.
- Kill it with all the pop culture references. Some, fine, I get it. But in the end, it severely dates the story. 10 years from now, it won't be relevant at all.
- More character development, especially on the secondaries, is needed.
- The writing, while rather clean and very readable, was a little choppy for my taste - a little too subject-verb-object. I'd like to see that kicked up a little in terms of complexity and sophistication.
All in all, this isn't a bad read at all. I'm impressed by this debut (I'm assuming) work, and go ahead and count me in on the next installment.
I'll give this author credit. He (and yes, my mind kind of bobbled over the fact that he's a he) surprised me - in a good way. In the massive field of YA/romance angel books, he's managed to craft something a little different from the norm. And that, in and of itself, was notable.
Some things I liked:
- As mentioned above, this was something new, plot-wise. There's certainly the paranormal YA angel romance thing going on, but there's also bit of good old crime drama in here, too.
- The setting is unique, as well, and the time period. It's not dystopian, which is all the rage right now and getting old quick IMHO. Instead, it's... AU, I suppose. Like alternate universe with the introduction of the angels, but present-day RL everything else. That's kind of nifty, to borrow the old term.
- When I started reading this story, I was struck by the amount of sensory description and set up that was given. See, I'm a visual person, so for me, it was a welcome change from the often sensory-starved scenes I often deal with in some of the YA I run across. I had a bit of a chuckle when I checked out the author's profile and saw that he's also a movie and music video director - makes all the sense in the world now.
- I liked Jacks and Maddie. I bought the chemistry there.
- And what's more important, since this was written in 3rd person, it didn't fall prey to the Mary Sue trap. You know what I'm talking about - all these YA books written in 1st person from the perspective of a mousy, brown-haired blank slate of a girl. Sure, there was some of that when we were sitting in Maddie's head, but because it was 3rd and because we also saw Jacks' version of Maddie, we realized that Maddie's opinions of herself were just that - opinions. There was something special about her. She wasn't just some fill in the blank girl. Same thing for Jacks. We saw not only the super hot, charming, perfect angel, but what was there underneath, too. This is why 3rd person is our friend, people.
- I won't spoil, but I rather liked that little twist at the end with the villain. I wasn't expecting it and that's a nice change from the normal YA reader - to be surprised a bit. Usually they're so predictable you can pretty much skim. But no, this book had a nice OH! moment.
- THANK YOU for no real love triangle - the most overused YA angst device ever.
What needed some work:
- You know how I said I loved all the sensory description? I did. But in a few places, it was overdone and it made the story drag.
- Maddie got... a little old with her constant pushing back on Jacks. And the scene at the train station at the end was a little contrived.
- The ending was a little rushed, and that revelation re: Maddie was kind of abrupt. While it was somehow foreshadowed, I'd have liked to have seen some more development there.
- Kill it with all the pop culture references. Some, fine, I get it. But in the end, it severely dates the story. 10 years from now, it won't be relevant at all.
- More character development, especially on the secondaries, is needed.
- The writing, while rather clean and very readable, was a little choppy for my taste - a little too subject-verb-object. I'd like to see that kicked up a little in terms of complexity and sophistication.
All in all, this isn't a bad read at all. I'm impressed by this debut (I'm assuming) work, and go ahead and count me in on the next installment.
July 23, 2012
4.5 stars
Scott Speer re-imagined Los Angeles, also known as Immortal City, in this amazing tale where angels aren't really the most angelic, despite their angelic duties. Guardian Angels have been around forever, protecting humans by performing anonymous saves and giving them a second chance at life. Then, the American Civil War happened. The angels were disgusted that brothers were killing their own brothers and they decided that they should make their presence known, refusing to help this seemingly selfish and clueless race. Now, Guardian Angels only protect those who can afford to pay them. Sure, they're carrying out their angelic duties, but doing it for obscene payments seems a bit corrupt, don't you think? Well, a lot of unprotected humans, and even some angels, think so too!
Speer gives us a taste of paparazzi in this novel thing with themes of idolizing celebrities. But in his world, the celebrities are the angels. And the most well known angel of them all is Jackson Godspeed, also known as Jacks--the world's youngest Guardian Angel. And thrown into it all is Maddy Montgomery--a girl who never really cared about the angels, but somehow found herself living alongside Jacks in the spotlight. Such a place is a place that millions of girls across the world would die to be.
Honestly, this seems like a re-imagined Cinderella story to me. Jacks is the perfect Prince Charming and Maddy is our hard-working Cinderella, a girl that lost both her parents that always takes the morning shift at her uncle Kevin's diner. Both grew up naive to the others lifestyles, so their attempts at a relationship or any type of public appearance were in vain. Jacks took Maddy into the spotlight with the hopes of showing her how beautiful he truly thought he was, but let's just say that backfired beyond belief. Their naivety made it incredibly hard for them to see eye to eye. And of course, the odds were stacked against them, but that never seemed to stop them. And just when everything couldn't get worse, their relationship began to plummet while surrounded by non-stop action that had you flipping pages like there is no tomorrow!
Maddy is a great heroine. She's very logical, but Jacks' presence makes her illogical. Thus, her random spurts of logic when the story is moving along are almost aggravating. They come out of nowhere, though you tend to agree with them, I just wish they were brought on more smoothly. Jacks isn't the typical Hollywood "It" Boy. He broke up with Vivian Holycross, the "It" Girl because she didn't truly care for him, effectively turning her into the Evil Step-Sister. She's immediately envious of Jacks and beyond territorial, threatening both Jacks and Maddy any chance she's given.
Oddly enough, I truly adored this story. Despite me feeling the Cinderella vibes, this is definitely different from any form of re-telling that I have ever read. It's not even officially a re-telling, it just seems like one to me, as a reader. My only complaint is that, at times, I wish Speer was more descriptive. But, hey, this is his debut novel so I have to give him the props he deserves. 4.5 stars to this awesome story that kept me turning the pages because I couldn't get enough. I am most definitely anxiously awaiting its sequel!
A nice read for anyone who loves loose fairytale re-tellings, angels, mythology, and action!
Scott Speer re-imagined Los Angeles, also known as Immortal City, in this amazing tale where angels aren't really the most angelic, despite their angelic duties. Guardian Angels have been around forever, protecting humans by performing anonymous saves and giving them a second chance at life. Then, the American Civil War happened. The angels were disgusted that brothers were killing their own brothers and they decided that they should make their presence known, refusing to help this seemingly selfish and clueless race. Now, Guardian Angels only protect those who can afford to pay them. Sure, they're carrying out their angelic duties, but doing it for obscene payments seems a bit corrupt, don't you think? Well, a lot of unprotected humans, and even some angels, think so too!
Speer gives us a taste of paparazzi in this novel thing with themes of idolizing celebrities. But in his world, the celebrities are the angels. And the most well known angel of them all is Jackson Godspeed, also known as Jacks--the world's youngest Guardian Angel. And thrown into it all is Maddy Montgomery--a girl who never really cared about the angels, but somehow found herself living alongside Jacks in the spotlight. Such a place is a place that millions of girls across the world would die to be.
Honestly, this seems like a re-imagined Cinderella story to me. Jacks is the perfect Prince Charming and Maddy is our hard-working Cinderella, a girl that lost both her parents that always takes the morning shift at her uncle Kevin's diner. Both grew up naive to the others lifestyles, so their attempts at a relationship or any type of public appearance were in vain. Jacks took Maddy into the spotlight with the hopes of showing her how beautiful he truly thought he was, but let's just say that backfired beyond belief. Their naivety made it incredibly hard for them to see eye to eye. And of course, the odds were stacked against them, but that never seemed to stop them. And just when everything couldn't get worse, their relationship began to plummet while surrounded by non-stop action that had you flipping pages like there is no tomorrow!
Maddy is a great heroine. She's very logical, but Jacks' presence makes her illogical. Thus, her random spurts of logic when the story is moving along are almost aggravating. They come out of nowhere, though you tend to agree with them, I just wish they were brought on more smoothly. Jacks isn't the typical Hollywood "It" Boy. He broke up with Vivian Holycross, the "It" Girl because she didn't truly care for him, effectively turning her into the Evil Step-Sister. She's immediately envious of Jacks and beyond territorial, threatening both Jacks and Maddy any chance she's given.
Oddly enough, I truly adored this story. Despite me feeling the Cinderella vibes, this is definitely different from any form of re-telling that I have ever read. It's not even officially a re-telling, it just seems like one to me, as a reader. My only complaint is that, at times, I wish Speer was more descriptive. But, hey, this is his debut novel so I have to give him the props he deserves. 4.5 stars to this awesome story that kept me turning the pages because I couldn't get enough. I am most definitely anxiously awaiting its sequel!
A nice read for anyone who loves loose fairytale re-tellings, angels, mythology, and action!
April 15, 2013
So, this was actually...pretty good! I've been looking forward to reading this book for a while now because it sounded really interesting and I'm happy I finally got to read it.
One thing that I really, really liked was the whole concept of Angels charging people for their services. I mean, we never think that if Angels were real that we'd have to pay them to help us since, you know, they're suppose to be guard us humans from the bad things. But no, that's not how things work in this book. Here, Angels revealed themselves to humanity a hundred or so years ago and began to save lives anonymously. But then I guess they though, "Hey! We can make a fortune out of this!" and started charging people for saving their lives. And it's not a small amount. No, apparently only the rich and famous can afford them. It's kind of like insurance - if you manage to get an Angel assigned to you, you pay monthly installments and then an additional amount when you are saved.
But that's not all - the Angel's influence has grown so much that they've become celebrities. From fashion lines to advertisements, Angels are the current hot trend. Poeple have gone crazy worshiping these Angels.
Basically, being a Guardian isn't just about saving lives anymore. It's about how rich and famous you can be.
See, I never read any Angel book like this one. Where in other books, It'd would be mostly about good and bad Angels and how they try to conceal themselves from the mortal world, but in this book, they're famous.
Another thing I liked was how fast paced the book was and how things moved pretty smoothly. I also lived the whole mystery behind who was killing these Angels and why.
The characters were pretty likeable. Maddy, to be quite honest, wasn't anything special or different than those other main female leads in YA books. I was able to relate to her, but she still made the same stupid mistakes and decisions as all those other girls. I'm totally used to this, but I was hoping she'd be different. Oh well. I really liked Jackson. I was fully prepared to find out how he was a jerk who was all full of himself (it's kind of a reflex now after all these YA books with jerk-y guys), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was a very down to Earth guy. It's not his fault he was grown up this way. He was a really, really sweet guy. I hates his nickname though - "Jacks". I dunno, it really annoyed me. Jack would have been okay, but what's with the extra "s"? Or maybe I'm just odd. Yeah.
Oh, and also - I really disliked Maddy's friend, Gwen. God, she was such an idiot. Why is it that in most books, the best friend is really annoying? WHY?! Ugh.
One thing that I didn't like was how some events were kind of...well...cheesy. Like they were scenes and lines pulled straight from an action movie. I felt like I've read these parts already in other books.
But anyways, all in all, this was a very enjoyable book. I was going to give it a 3.5, but decided on a 4 instead because of the creativity with the whole Angel saving business.
I look forward to the second book!
One thing that I really, really liked was the whole concept of Angels charging people for their services. I mean, we never think that if Angels were real that we'd have to pay them to help us since, you know, they're suppose to be guard us humans from the bad things. But no, that's not how things work in this book. Here, Angels revealed themselves to humanity a hundred or so years ago and began to save lives anonymously. But then I guess they though, "Hey! We can make a fortune out of this!" and started charging people for saving their lives. And it's not a small amount. No, apparently only the rich and famous can afford them. It's kind of like insurance - if you manage to get an Angel assigned to you, you pay monthly installments and then an additional amount when you are saved.
But that's not all - the Angel's influence has grown so much that they've become celebrities. From fashion lines to advertisements, Angels are the current hot trend. Poeple have gone crazy worshiping these Angels.
Basically, being a Guardian isn't just about saving lives anymore. It's about how rich and famous you can be.
See, I never read any Angel book like this one. Where in other books, It'd would be mostly about good and bad Angels and how they try to conceal themselves from the mortal world, but in this book, they're famous.
Another thing I liked was how fast paced the book was and how things moved pretty smoothly. I also lived the whole mystery behind who was killing these Angels and why.
The characters were pretty likeable. Maddy, to be quite honest, wasn't anything special or different than those other main female leads in YA books. I was able to relate to her, but she still made the same stupid mistakes and decisions as all those other girls. I'm totally used to this, but I was hoping she'd be different. Oh well. I really liked Jackson. I was fully prepared to find out how he was a jerk who was all full of himself (it's kind of a reflex now after all these YA books with jerk-y guys), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was a very down to Earth guy. It's not his fault he was grown up this way. He was a really, really sweet guy. I hates his nickname though - "Jacks". I dunno, it really annoyed me. Jack would have been okay, but what's with the extra "s"? Or maybe I'm just odd. Yeah.
Oh, and also - I really disliked Maddy's friend, Gwen. God, she was such an idiot. Why is it that in most books, the best friend is really annoying? WHY?! Ugh.
One thing that I didn't like was how some events were kind of...well...cheesy. Like they were scenes and lines pulled straight from an action movie. I felt like I've read these parts already in other books.
But anyways, all in all, this was a very enjoyable book. I was going to give it a 3.5, but decided on a 4 instead because of the creativity with the whole Angel saving business.
I look forward to the second book!
January 25, 2016
This was an action packed read with a lot of ups and downs!
Maddy lives a simple life, her parents died when she was young so she has lived with her Uncle Kevin and worked at his Diner for as long as she can remember. Her home overlooks The Immortal City sign which was put in place when Angel's made themselves known to humans over a hundred years ago. They have created a trade from being 'guardians' to the rich which in turn made them famous. Everyone wants to be protected by them, look as beautiful as they do and live the lavish lifestyle they have created for themselves. Apart from Maddy. She see's it for what it really is, extortionate and unfair to those who cannot afford to protect their loved ones. However, Maddy meets Jackson Godspeed one of the most elite Angels when he turns up at her Diner one night and they instantly feel a connection. Maddy realises that she's more involved in the Angel world than she could ever imagine and her and Jackson must flee to survive.
I didn't like Maddy or Jackson that much if I'm honest. Maddy's voice was harsh especially towards Jackson which didn't help me buy into their relationship. They didn't connect at all really, he turns up and she falls instantly in love with him. I was fed up with Jackson asking Maddy if she felt their attraction to each other like he did as if he thought that they were soul mates. They spent most of their time together arguing about how popular Jacks was and how everything was one or the others fault. However, saying all that they did watch out for one another and trust that they would both do the right thing for the other. Jackson was funny at times, Maddy was hard working and very mature for her age.
The storyline was amazing, I loved the idea of the Angels protecting the rich and the obsession most humans had with them was even more intriguing. I don't usually enjoy seeing an insight from a police detective in novels such as this one but Sylvester's was warranted. The 'demon' was actually scary to me and when it was terrorising Maddy and Jackson in the school I was on tenterhooks. Even thought this book was predictable at times I didn't see the plot twist coming at all and the story was woven together very nicely. I'm excited to read the next one as soon as possible as I can't wait to know what happens to Maddy next!
Maddy lives a simple life, her parents died when she was young so she has lived with her Uncle Kevin and worked at his Diner for as long as she can remember. Her home overlooks The Immortal City sign which was put in place when Angel's made themselves known to humans over a hundred years ago. They have created a trade from being 'guardians' to the rich which in turn made them famous. Everyone wants to be protected by them, look as beautiful as they do and live the lavish lifestyle they have created for themselves. Apart from Maddy. She see's it for what it really is, extortionate and unfair to those who cannot afford to protect their loved ones. However, Maddy meets Jackson Godspeed one of the most elite Angels when he turns up at her Diner one night and they instantly feel a connection. Maddy realises that she's more involved in the Angel world than she could ever imagine and her and Jackson must flee to survive.
I didn't like Maddy or Jackson that much if I'm honest. Maddy's voice was harsh especially towards Jackson which didn't help me buy into their relationship. They didn't connect at all really, he turns up and she falls instantly in love with him. I was fed up with Jackson asking Maddy if she felt their attraction to each other like he did as if he thought that they were soul mates. They spent most of their time together arguing about how popular Jacks was and how everything was one or the others fault. However, saying all that they did watch out for one another and trust that they would both do the right thing for the other. Jackson was funny at times, Maddy was hard working and very mature for her age.
The storyline was amazing, I loved the idea of the Angels protecting the rich and the obsession most humans had with them was even more intriguing. I don't usually enjoy seeing an insight from a police detective in novels such as this one but Sylvester's was warranted. The 'demon' was actually scary to me and when it was terrorising Maddy and Jackson in the school I was on tenterhooks. Even thought this book was predictable at times I didn't see the plot twist coming at all and the story was woven together very nicely. I'm excited to read the next one as soon as possible as I can't wait to know what happens to Maddy next!
June 13, 2012
"What about him?" Brad asked.
"Him?" the Angel asked.
"Yeah," Brad said, and pointed to the tailgate as it slipped under the waves. "Him."
The Angel looked at the sinking pickup as if seeing it for the first time.
"He didn't have coverage," he said.
-p. 4, ARC
IMMORTAL CITY begins with a scene that worms under your skin. Rich, careless Brad causes a fatal car wreck, but escapes with the aid of an Angel - aid he paid for. The other, innocent driver dies. And, as we find out, no one in Angel City (Los Angeles) cares. They're too excited making the protectee a new celebrity and fetishizing the Angels.
You see, in the world of IMMORTAL CITY, Angels are celebrities, as are their clients. Right now people are counting down the days until Jackson Godspeed makes his first rescue. And someone else is doing what is supposed to be impossible: killing Angels.
After the dynamic beginning, IMMORTAL CITY gets off to a slow start. Conceited, arrogant boy meets girl who is only person in city that sees through his crap. Girl and boy are drawn together anyway. Girl and boy fight because lo, they are from different worlds. There are a few touches that add color to this formulaic start. For example, the narrative is very aware of Jackson's privilege and that he needs to realize how well he has it if he's ever going to grow as a person.
But things kick into high gear when Jackson rescues Maddy, despite the fact she could never in a billion years afford his protection. The two must go on the run to protect Jackson from the Angel's excessive punishment. Then the Angels try to pin the recent crime spree on their golden boy. Maddy and Jackson can only save themselves by finding out what the Angels are hiding.
The worldbuilding in IMMORTAL CITY is amazing. At first the Angels as celebrities thing seems just silly. But the book becomes something much more dark and complex as it reveals how the Angels first revealed themselves to the human world and rose to the top.
I waited a long time to read this one because it looked meh, but I'm happy I finally picked it up. It was a very pleasant surprise. I did not expect the noir edge at all. If you like your paranormal romance on the darker side, give IMMORTAL CITY a spin.
"Him?" the Angel asked.
"Yeah," Brad said, and pointed to the tailgate as it slipped under the waves. "Him."
The Angel looked at the sinking pickup as if seeing it for the first time.
"He didn't have coverage," he said.
-p. 4, ARC
IMMORTAL CITY begins with a scene that worms under your skin. Rich, careless Brad causes a fatal car wreck, but escapes with the aid of an Angel - aid he paid for. The other, innocent driver dies. And, as we find out, no one in Angel City (Los Angeles) cares. They're too excited making the protectee a new celebrity and fetishizing the Angels.
You see, in the world of IMMORTAL CITY, Angels are celebrities, as are their clients. Right now people are counting down the days until Jackson Godspeed makes his first rescue. And someone else is doing what is supposed to be impossible: killing Angels.
After the dynamic beginning, IMMORTAL CITY gets off to a slow start. Conceited, arrogant boy meets girl who is only person in city that sees through his crap. Girl and boy are drawn together anyway. Girl and boy fight because lo, they are from different worlds. There are a few touches that add color to this formulaic start. For example, the narrative is very aware of Jackson's privilege and that he needs to realize how well he has it if he's ever going to grow as a person.
But things kick into high gear when Jackson rescues Maddy, despite the fact she could never in a billion years afford his protection. The two must go on the run to protect Jackson from the Angel's excessive punishment. Then the Angels try to pin the recent crime spree on their golden boy. Maddy and Jackson can only save themselves by finding out what the Angels are hiding.
The worldbuilding in IMMORTAL CITY is amazing. At first the Angels as celebrities thing seems just silly. But the book becomes something much more dark and complex as it reveals how the Angels first revealed themselves to the human world and rose to the top.
I waited a long time to read this one because it looked meh, but I'm happy I finally picked it up. It was a very pleasant surprise. I did not expect the noir edge at all. If you like your paranormal romance on the darker side, give IMMORTAL CITY a spin.
September 23, 2014
I think the best way to describe this book is: angels meet True Blood.
Around a hundred years ago (maybe more), Angels revealed themselves to mankind. They are now the elite and charge huge amounts of money for protecting people (capitalist Angels, in other words). Jackson Godspeed is mere days away from being Commissioned and getting his first Protection. Maddy is a regular human girl, who was raised by her uncle, Kevin, and has no interest whatsoever in Angels. Through unusual events, Maddy gets sucked in by the Angel world. At the same time, someone is murdering Angels, leaving their wings to be found by the police, and it seems Jackson might be the next victim.
One thing I have noticed with angel book is how far they have strayed from the original angels, the ones found in religious texts. Not that I particularly care, but I feel like I have to say that, in this books, angels are the farthest away from their biblical counterparts I have ever seen. It is an interesting concept, though, though some might be offended by it (angels letting people die just because they couldn't afford to be protected? That's not very Christian). Once again, I myself don't care, as I'm not religious at all. But if you are, be warned.
I found it to be a really fascinating story, and a page turner at several points. I was guessing who the culprit was until the very end. I also liked seeing Maddy and Jacks relationship developing, and how different they are. It's almost a cultural shock between those two. I do have to say that some elements were predictable (but not in your face predictable, at least, not for me). Furthermore, I also liked how the book doesn't get sappy. There are sweet moments, but they are not overdone or excessive, something that makes this book stand out for me.
After the train wreck of the last book I read (The Death Cure), I was relieved to read this one.
Around a hundred years ago (maybe more), Angels revealed themselves to mankind. They are now the elite and charge huge amounts of money for protecting people (capitalist Angels, in other words). Jackson Godspeed is mere days away from being Commissioned and getting his first Protection. Maddy is a regular human girl, who was raised by her uncle, Kevin, and has no interest whatsoever in Angels. Through unusual events, Maddy gets sucked in by the Angel world. At the same time, someone is murdering Angels, leaving their wings to be found by the police, and it seems Jackson might be the next victim.
One thing I have noticed with angel book is how far they have strayed from the original angels, the ones found in religious texts. Not that I particularly care, but I feel like I have to say that, in this books, angels are the farthest away from their biblical counterparts I have ever seen. It is an interesting concept, though, though some might be offended by it (angels letting people die just because they couldn't afford to be protected? That's not very Christian). Once again, I myself don't care, as I'm not religious at all. But if you are, be warned.
I found it to be a really fascinating story, and a page turner at several points. I was guessing who the culprit was until the very end. I also liked seeing Maddy and Jacks relationship developing, and how different they are. It's almost a cultural shock between those two. I do have to say that some elements were predictable (but not in your face predictable, at least, not for me). Furthermore, I also liked how the book doesn't get sappy. There are sweet moments, but they are not overdone or excessive, something that makes this book stand out for me.
After the train wreck of the last book I read (The Death Cure), I was relieved to read this one.
October 24, 2013
Okay, so I gave this 4 stats because I enjoyed reading it; not because it's amazingly life changing. Actually I didn't like the concept of angel bodyguards at first because angels are supposed to be pure of heart and not care about getting paid to watch over people. I even wondered how God let them sell their abilities for something as common as money.
But Maddy and Jackson's love affair made my palpable dislike of corny angel fantasy books disappear. Maddy, a seeming ordinary human with special abilities meets Jackson, a hot young angel and they form a bond. They play cat and mouse but you know they're gonna end up together in the end.
The angel murders was an added mystery bonus which I liked. I kinda guessed who was responsible for the killings but I still liked the flow of events leading up to the climax. I was pretty glad when Maddy turned out to be an angel and would be undergoing training with Jackson in the next book. It's exciting! I can't wait to read the next installment.
But Maddy and Jackson's love affair made my palpable dislike of corny angel fantasy books disappear. Maddy, a seeming ordinary human with special abilities meets Jackson, a hot young angel and they form a bond. They play cat and mouse but you know they're gonna end up together in the end.
The angel murders was an added mystery bonus which I liked. I kinda guessed who was responsible for the killings but I still liked the flow of events leading up to the climax. I was pretty glad when Maddy turned out to be an angel and would be undergoing training with Jackson in the next book. It's exciting! I can't wait to read the next installment.
April 6, 2017
Rating: 4/5
***Minor spoilers***
In the Immortal City (that would be Los Angeles), angels are huge. After revealing themselves to the world about a century ago, they now use their saving abilities as a business. For large sums of money, a person can receive a guardian angel who will save their life should they ever be in mortal danger. Jackson is in the process of being promoted to guardian angel. He also happens to be the most popular angel in LA, so all eyes are on him. On the other hand, Maddy doesn't follow anything about angels. After the passing of her parents, she lives with her uncle and helps him run his restaurant while balancing school. She doesn't see what all the hype is about, and wouldn't recognize Jackson if he was sitting right in front of her - which actually happens. The two cross paths one night while Maddy is working, and they will soon realize that their family histories may be more intertwined than they thought.
I always love books that introduce a unique take on something that has been reused forever. While not all angel books are the same, of course, they all have the same sorts of traits. They're beautiful, immaculate, hidden on earth, etc. etc. Immortal City offers a new take on angels - they've revealed themselves, and the world is obsessed with them. They save people for money, and they aren't the squeaky clean do-no-wrong angels they can be portrayed as. Yes, it has some tropes from other books I recognized, such as .
While we have Maddy and Jackson's storyline in the book, another plotline has to do with the angel murders taking place in LA. Angels are being mortalized by having their wings ripped out, and then murdered. Due to the pattern, it is believed that Jackson will be next. This was a pretty interesting aspect of the novel and personally I didn't realize who was behind the murders until the moment it was revealed. Maybe I'm just slow, but even during the buildup when you're supposed to start putting things together for yourself, I didn't have it. It was pretty unpredictable for me, which added to my enjoyment.
Overall, this is the best novel I've read in a while, and I love the new take on angels and how they act. The whose superstar thing was a bit excessive at times, but it added an extra source of stress to the plot because of how popular Jackson was. Maddy was a good character, she was quite strong but I think I like Jackson better. This was a fun fantasy book to read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for their next great fantasy read, because I got a lot of enjoyment out of this.
***Minor spoilers***
In the Immortal City (that would be Los Angeles), angels are huge. After revealing themselves to the world about a century ago, they now use their saving abilities as a business. For large sums of money, a person can receive a guardian angel who will save their life should they ever be in mortal danger. Jackson is in the process of being promoted to guardian angel. He also happens to be the most popular angel in LA, so all eyes are on him. On the other hand, Maddy doesn't follow anything about angels. After the passing of her parents, she lives with her uncle and helps him run his restaurant while balancing school. She doesn't see what all the hype is about, and wouldn't recognize Jackson if he was sitting right in front of her - which actually happens. The two cross paths one night while Maddy is working, and they will soon realize that their family histories may be more intertwined than they thought.
I always love books that introduce a unique take on something that has been reused forever. While not all angel books are the same, of course, they all have the same sorts of traits. They're beautiful, immaculate, hidden on earth, etc. etc. Immortal City offers a new take on angels - they've revealed themselves, and the world is obsessed with them. They save people for money, and they aren't the squeaky clean do-no-wrong angels they can be portrayed as. Yes, it has some tropes from other books I recognized, such as .
While we have Maddy and Jackson's storyline in the book, another plotline has to do with the angel murders taking place in LA. Angels are being mortalized by having their wings ripped out, and then murdered. Due to the pattern, it is believed that Jackson will be next. This was a pretty interesting aspect of the novel and personally I didn't realize who was behind the murders until the moment it was revealed. Maybe I'm just slow, but even during the buildup when you're supposed to start putting things together for yourself, I didn't have it. It was pretty unpredictable for me, which added to my enjoyment.
Overall, this is the best novel I've read in a while, and I love the new take on angels and how they act. The whose superstar thing was a bit excessive at times, but it added an extra source of stress to the plot because of how popular Jackson was. Maddy was a good character, she was quite strong but I think I like Jackson better. This was a fun fantasy book to read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for their next great fantasy read, because I got a lot of enjoyment out of this.
August 7, 2019
Imagine if you will, our modern society but instead of actors and athletes as celebrities, you have angels that save people for high fees. Add in a rich boy meets cute waitress romance, and a serial killer on the loose just for fun, and you have the plot for this book. Jackson is the hottest angel celebrity at the moment and is about to be commissioned as the youngest Guardian. His path crosses with Maddy. She's a normal girl who might be the only teenager not caught up in the angel hysteria. She doesn't even recognize him when he ducks into the diner she works at to avoid some trouble. They feel an immediate connection but their backgrounds make it difficult to be together. Then a killer targeting angels threatens both of them.
I did like it. There are several things in the world-building that I still don't understand. That aside, I could get into Maddy and Jack's story. I liked how Maddy was portrayed as down to earth and while Jacks has been raised in opulence, he's still a pretty nice guy. I found it funny that he really had no clue how to deal with a girl like Maddy.
Since I'm always on the lookout for YA books on the younger spectrum, let me make a couple of notes here so I can recall later if someone asks. I don't remember any bad language. There is some alcohol/drunkenness in one scene, but the main characters don't partake. The characters kiss and roll around a little, but clothes stay on and there isn't any sex. As for violence, there is a serial killer chopping up angels but it isn't written about in graphic detail.
I did like it. There are several things in the world-building that I still don't understand. That aside, I could get into Maddy and Jack's story. I liked how Maddy was portrayed as down to earth and while Jacks has been raised in opulence, he's still a pretty nice guy. I found it funny that he really had no clue how to deal with a girl like Maddy.
Since I'm always on the lookout for YA books on the younger spectrum, let me make a couple of notes here so I can recall later if someone asks. I don't remember any bad language. There is some alcohol/drunkenness in one scene, but the main characters don't partake. The characters kiss and roll around a little, but clothes stay on and there isn't any sex. As for violence, there is a serial killer chopping up angels but it isn't written about in graphic detail.
April 19, 2012
Originally featured on www.yareads.com, reviewed by Nichole
Jackson Godspeed is the hottest Angel in a city that revolves around idolizing Immortals like him. He grew up in the spotlight, and in less than a week he’ll become the youngest full-fledged Guardian ever. People around the world are lining up to pay for him to keep them safe. His lifelong dream of becoming a hero is finally within his grasp-and he can’t afford to let the parties, paparazzi, or red carpets distract him.
But Jackson’s high-profile life takes an unexpected turn when he meets seventeen-year-old Maddy. She’s smart and down-to-earth, and sees Jackson for who he is and not for his celebrity. They forge an instant-and electric-connection. Their vastly different backgrounds seem like the only obstacle in their path to being together…until something much more dangerous threatens to destroy their chance at love.
Because not everyone worships the Angels: a bitter killer is murdering the Guardians one by one. And it’s up to Maddy to save Jackson-he’s next in the killer’s sights.
Set in a reimagined Los Angeles that sparkles with glamour and celebrity worship, Scott Speer’s Immortal City is charged with passion and haunted by themes of power and idolatry.
Jacks Godspeed is a growing legend among humans and Angels alike. Not even a Guardian Angel yet, Jacks has found himself on the cover of multiple magazines, has done thousands of press conferences, and has his own fan club. Ever since he was a toddler fans have been drooling over him, and now that he is older, things have amplified that much more. Now it is common to see t-shirts in shops reading “Save me Jacks”, girls stalking his every move, and he even has his own action figure. Life for Jacks could not be more perfect. Every day is a party and all Jacks has to worry about is his future Protections. That is, until he meets Maddy Montgomery.
Maddy is a senior at Angel City High, and a part-time waitress at her uncle Kevin’s restaurant. She does her best to stay under the radar, constantly covering her face with her sweatshirt, and could care less about Angels. In fact, she doesn’t really understand what the big deal is. Everyone is so obsessed with every move and save an Angel makes, and all she cares about is finishing school and going to college. Then she meets Jacks and her whole world changes. Now Maddy finds paparazzi flooding her front door and chasing her to school, walks the red carpet ,and awkwardly attends parties in honor for Jacks. Her whole world has been flipped upside down, and soon she is learning that there is a lot more to her past than she ever knew. Together, Maddy and Jacks must fight for true love, and their lives. For there is a killer on the streets of Los Angeles, hunting Angels. And Jacks is next in line on his hit list.
First reading the synopsis for Immortal City, I was beyond skeptical. Famous Angels living in Los Angeles? It sounded beyond ridiculous. The cover was pretty, though, and I wanted the pleasure of saying I had read a book written by a famous director. Opening it up, I started to realize that I may have been wrong. Yes, it was a little cheesy to have celebrity angels walking the red carpet, but I was a little ashamed to admit that it was kind of addicting. Even after all of my skepticism, I was starting to enjoy Immortal City.
The further the book went on, the more addicted I became. There was something just so special about what I was reading. There was even a point where I made the comment that while the book was not as good as Twilight, it was not too far behind. The character of Jacks was so breathtaking, so perfect, that I found myself clinging to every word that came out of his mouth. He was a mixture of Jace and Edward, and for me, nothing could get better than that.
I devoured most of this book within one day. While I read bits and pieces throughout the course of a couple days, I read over 250 pages within one day. There was this point that my mom started to ask me something while I was reading the book. I don’t think I’ve shot someone with that sort of death glare in quite awhile. Point taken, she avoided talking to me until I was finished with the novel. There was just so much action, adventure, romance, mystery, everything that you could ever ask for wrapped up in this one book. I became detached from my own body, watching the entire story come to life. At times I even felt as if I were Maddy, living out her life and witnessing everything from her perspective.
If had to choose one complaint about this book (and trust me…that’s pretty difficult), it would be that I guessed who the killer was towards the very beginning of the book. I don’t know if I can really count that as a complaint, though, because I was doubting myself by the end of the book. Heck, I was doubting myself by the middle of the book. There came many points where I actually changed who I suspected, but in the end my original guess was correct.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Fans of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments will fall in love with this series, and Jacks will be the new big star of every teenage girls heart. I cannot even express through words how much I loved this book. After finishing it, I found myself in a mourning state, regretting that I did not take the time to savor each word. I wish I could go back in time and read the book so much slower, because it was so good. Now that it is over, I cannot wait till the next book comes out, as the ending leaves so much to crave and question. Scott Speer did such an amazing job with this book, and I cannot wait for the rest of you to read it.
Jackson Godspeed is the hottest Angel in a city that revolves around idolizing Immortals like him. He grew up in the spotlight, and in less than a week he’ll become the youngest full-fledged Guardian ever. People around the world are lining up to pay for him to keep them safe. His lifelong dream of becoming a hero is finally within his grasp-and he can’t afford to let the parties, paparazzi, or red carpets distract him.
But Jackson’s high-profile life takes an unexpected turn when he meets seventeen-year-old Maddy. She’s smart and down-to-earth, and sees Jackson for who he is and not for his celebrity. They forge an instant-and electric-connection. Their vastly different backgrounds seem like the only obstacle in their path to being together…until something much more dangerous threatens to destroy their chance at love.
Because not everyone worships the Angels: a bitter killer is murdering the Guardians one by one. And it’s up to Maddy to save Jackson-he’s next in the killer’s sights.
Set in a reimagined Los Angeles that sparkles with glamour and celebrity worship, Scott Speer’s Immortal City is charged with passion and haunted by themes of power and idolatry.
Jacks Godspeed is a growing legend among humans and Angels alike. Not even a Guardian Angel yet, Jacks has found himself on the cover of multiple magazines, has done thousands of press conferences, and has his own fan club. Ever since he was a toddler fans have been drooling over him, and now that he is older, things have amplified that much more. Now it is common to see t-shirts in shops reading “Save me Jacks”, girls stalking his every move, and he even has his own action figure. Life for Jacks could not be more perfect. Every day is a party and all Jacks has to worry about is his future Protections. That is, until he meets Maddy Montgomery.
Maddy is a senior at Angel City High, and a part-time waitress at her uncle Kevin’s restaurant. She does her best to stay under the radar, constantly covering her face with her sweatshirt, and could care less about Angels. In fact, she doesn’t really understand what the big deal is. Everyone is so obsessed with every move and save an Angel makes, and all she cares about is finishing school and going to college. Then she meets Jacks and her whole world changes. Now Maddy finds paparazzi flooding her front door and chasing her to school, walks the red carpet ,and awkwardly attends parties in honor for Jacks. Her whole world has been flipped upside down, and soon she is learning that there is a lot more to her past than she ever knew. Together, Maddy and Jacks must fight for true love, and their lives. For there is a killer on the streets of Los Angeles, hunting Angels. And Jacks is next in line on his hit list.
First reading the synopsis for Immortal City, I was beyond skeptical. Famous Angels living in Los Angeles? It sounded beyond ridiculous. The cover was pretty, though, and I wanted the pleasure of saying I had read a book written by a famous director. Opening it up, I started to realize that I may have been wrong. Yes, it was a little cheesy to have celebrity angels walking the red carpet, but I was a little ashamed to admit that it was kind of addicting. Even after all of my skepticism, I was starting to enjoy Immortal City.
The further the book went on, the more addicted I became. There was something just so special about what I was reading. There was even a point where I made the comment that while the book was not as good as Twilight, it was not too far behind. The character of Jacks was so breathtaking, so perfect, that I found myself clinging to every word that came out of his mouth. He was a mixture of Jace and Edward, and for me, nothing could get better than that.
I devoured most of this book within one day. While I read bits and pieces throughout the course of a couple days, I read over 250 pages within one day. There was this point that my mom started to ask me something while I was reading the book. I don’t think I’ve shot someone with that sort of death glare in quite awhile. Point taken, she avoided talking to me until I was finished with the novel. There was just so much action, adventure, romance, mystery, everything that you could ever ask for wrapped up in this one book. I became detached from my own body, watching the entire story come to life. At times I even felt as if I were Maddy, living out her life and witnessing everything from her perspective.
If had to choose one complaint about this book (and trust me…that’s pretty difficult), it would be that I guessed who the killer was towards the very beginning of the book. I don’t know if I can really count that as a complaint, though, because I was doubting myself by the end of the book. Heck, I was doubting myself by the middle of the book. There came many points where I actually changed who I suspected, but in the end my original guess was correct.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Fans of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments will fall in love with this series, and Jacks will be the new big star of every teenage girls heart. I cannot even express through words how much I loved this book. After finishing it, I found myself in a mourning state, regretting that I did not take the time to savor each word. I wish I could go back in time and read the book so much slower, because it was so good. Now that it is over, I cannot wait till the next book comes out, as the ending leaves so much to crave and question. Scott Speer did such an amazing job with this book, and I cannot wait for the rest of you to read it.
March 19, 2020
although the plot was semi decent, something just felt lacking to me, but then again i feel that way with a lot of ya books so it’s not too surprising
June 11, 2019
I re-read this a couple of weeks ago to get out of my reading slump because I remembered loving it the first time but it kinda did the opposite. So, I'd say this is a solid 2.5 stars now 😑
November 16, 2021
I went in expecting cheesiness, but I didn’t prepare enough!
The premise is as advertised: angels are revealed and can be paid to serve as guardians to save you when you’re milliseconds from death—but are also kind of assholes (Amazon Prime’s “The Boys,” anyone?). They’ll sweep you out of the car as you’re drowning in a lake, but sure as hell won’t save your property, the other car you hit's passenger, or stick around to make sure you’re okay; that’s not in the contract. The angels have turned greedy from spending time in luxury and being awed at by humans, which may be the reason angel murders start happening in the first place. It’s neigh impossible to kill an angel, so the plot furthering the book is figuring out who did it, how they did it, and how newly-guardianed Jackson ropes into it all.
There are three POVs in this book: Maddy, Jackson, and Detective Sylvester.
I read this book several months ago, and do you know what I remember about Maddy? Like, four key characteristics. As in, the only remarkable thing I recall about her is her ordinariness! Don’t get me wrong though—I liked it. Maddy is a girl that works incredibly hard for everything she has and she is so Jane Doe than you can really put yourself in her shoes if you’d like (think Twilight's Bella), but her character stopped there. She is disconnected from the trendy, hip world of fantasizing over every model angel in the billboards she passes—instead having no idea about Jackson (unlike her obsessed friend), yet still falls for him almost instantly. She alternates between “what a jerk! He’s arrogant and wasteful!” to “oh but he’s so cute, and those muscles!” in the same paragraph. We’re told “Sometimes when it came to guys, Maddy found herself a bit tongue-tied" but then witness Maddy go from being extremely shy in the first chapter to almost immediately kissing one and treating every guy like normal. However, without her, the murder mystery would still be unsolved. She’s hard working and pretty clever—but wishy-washy.
Our second POV is Jackson: the angel extraordinaire. He’s the man we’re told over and over again is THE elite of the entire angel training academy. He’s graduating years early, much to the envy of his former classmates, and has esteemed parents. Everyone thinks Jackson a touch entitled and very clever—a do-no-wrong character. Except, Jackson can’t figure anything out? A large part of our introduction to Jackson features him explaining the logistics of his world (and by a large part, I mean a good 10-20 pages of his narrative) such as which television shows want to air him, which magazines are vying for his next modeling shoot, how many gifts he’s getting from his sponsors, etc., and very little of him actually questions why he’s being set up. Unfortunately, I wish we would have SEEN some of this cleverness the rest of his world seems to see, but instead Jackson’s clueless throughout the book about most everything but his love for Maddy.
Detective Sylvester’s run at POV served to either A) bring the age range of the book up to snuff with an adult reader through vivid depictions of the crime and possible leads or B) present the reader with a snippet of the crime that solves the entire story basically from the first description. Without his POV, you’d basically forget there’s a huge murder mystery happening (as Maddy and Jackson are deep in their love cocoon by this point). It would have been interesting to read the book without Detective Sylvester’s POV to see if it would be harder to guess the answer to the murders. The disconnect between this POV and the others kind of hammered the idea there are two very different plot lines in this book that don’t necessary connect.
The world building was in a league of its own, for better or worse. What is it with YA books and puns? In the first few chapters, we get the last names Godspeed, Godright, Churchson, Templeton, Steeple, Holycross, etc. etc. Speer also went way too in-depth describing a Los Angeles that…wasn’t that different? We still got billboards, we still got celebrities, we still have the same buildings—nothing about “Angel City” was changed except (kind of) the name and the fact the models on ads are all angels. The TV news networks and magazines are now called Angels Weekly, The Angel Network, ANN, A!, etc. A strange hunk of this book is about how Hollywood works—especially in Jackson’s POV as he is THE celebrity.
Despite my issues with the characters and world building, this story flowed well! The original concept is brilliant, and I found the pacing and writing good. When I saw that Speer had directed movies in the past, I completely believed it; the format of the book with telling so much about the surrounding world but lacking in actual character-driven plot reads just like a movie. You'll notice I gave it 4 stars, and that's because it was a fun book that didn't take itself seriously. I'm a grumpy adult, but a YA probably would like it. If you’re not overly invested in reading a character-driven novel, and are just here for a fun story or a cheesy romance or even a lighthearted, Disney's "StarStuck" kinda story with angels, I think you’d like Immortal City.
The premise is as advertised: angels are revealed and can be paid to serve as guardians to save you when you’re milliseconds from death—but are also kind of assholes (Amazon Prime’s “The Boys,” anyone?). They’ll sweep you out of the car as you’re drowning in a lake, but sure as hell won’t save your property, the other car you hit's passenger, or stick around to make sure you’re okay; that’s not in the contract. The angels have turned greedy from spending time in luxury and being awed at by humans, which may be the reason angel murders start happening in the first place. It’s neigh impossible to kill an angel, so the plot furthering the book is figuring out who did it, how they did it, and how newly-guardianed Jackson ropes into it all.
There are three POVs in this book: Maddy, Jackson, and Detective Sylvester.
I read this book several months ago, and do you know what I remember about Maddy? Like, four key characteristics. As in, the only remarkable thing I recall about her is her ordinariness! Don’t get me wrong though—I liked it. Maddy is a girl that works incredibly hard for everything she has and she is so Jane Doe than you can really put yourself in her shoes if you’d like (think Twilight's Bella), but her character stopped there. She is disconnected from the trendy, hip world of fantasizing over every model angel in the billboards she passes—instead having no idea about Jackson (unlike her obsessed friend), yet still falls for him almost instantly. She alternates between “what a jerk! He’s arrogant and wasteful!” to “oh but he’s so cute, and those muscles!” in the same paragraph. We’re told “Sometimes when it came to guys, Maddy found herself a bit tongue-tied" but then witness Maddy go from being extremely shy in the first chapter to almost immediately kissing one and treating every guy like normal. However, without her, the murder mystery would still be unsolved. She’s hard working and pretty clever—but wishy-washy.
Our second POV is Jackson: the angel extraordinaire. He’s the man we’re told over and over again is THE elite of the entire angel training academy. He’s graduating years early, much to the envy of his former classmates, and has esteemed parents. Everyone thinks Jackson a touch entitled and very clever—a do-no-wrong character. Except, Jackson can’t figure anything out? A large part of our introduction to Jackson features him explaining the logistics of his world (and by a large part, I mean a good 10-20 pages of his narrative) such as which television shows want to air him, which magazines are vying for his next modeling shoot, how many gifts he’s getting from his sponsors, etc., and very little of him actually questions why he’s being set up. Unfortunately, I wish we would have SEEN some of this cleverness the rest of his world seems to see, but instead Jackson’s clueless throughout the book about most everything but his love for Maddy.
Detective Sylvester’s run at POV served to either A) bring the age range of the book up to snuff with an adult reader through vivid depictions of the crime and possible leads or B) present the reader with a snippet of the crime that solves the entire story basically from the first description. Without his POV, you’d basically forget there’s a huge murder mystery happening (as Maddy and Jackson are deep in their love cocoon by this point). It would have been interesting to read the book without Detective Sylvester’s POV to see if it would be harder to guess the answer to the murders. The disconnect between this POV and the others kind of hammered the idea there are two very different plot lines in this book that don’t necessary connect.
The world building was in a league of its own, for better or worse. What is it with YA books and puns? In the first few chapters, we get the last names Godspeed, Godright, Churchson, Templeton, Steeple, Holycross, etc. etc. Speer also went way too in-depth describing a Los Angeles that…wasn’t that different? We still got billboards, we still got celebrities, we still have the same buildings—nothing about “Angel City” was changed except (kind of) the name and the fact the models on ads are all angels. The TV news networks and magazines are now called Angels Weekly, The Angel Network, ANN, A!, etc. A strange hunk of this book is about how Hollywood works—especially in Jackson’s POV as he is THE celebrity.
Despite my issues with the characters and world building, this story flowed well! The original concept is brilliant, and I found the pacing and writing good. When I saw that Speer had directed movies in the past, I completely believed it; the format of the book with telling so much about the surrounding world but lacking in actual character-driven plot reads just like a movie. You'll notice I gave it 4 stars, and that's because it was a fun book that didn't take itself seriously. I'm a grumpy adult, but a YA probably would like it. If you’re not overly invested in reading a character-driven novel, and are just here for a fun story or a cheesy romance or even a lighthearted, Disney's "StarStuck" kinda story with angels, I think you’d like Immortal City.
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