Dark Angel

In a departure from what, four books into a nine book series, has already become formula, LJ Smith presents the story of Gillian, a girl who nearly dies, only to be saved (and eerily inhabited) by a mysterious being named Angel.The Night World elements take a back-seat to the story of Gillian's rise to social power thanks to Angel's advice. High school, and the lonely, complicated lives of high schoolers, is also at the forefront here. Gillian's miserable home life (alcoholic mother, absent father), social invisibility, and low self esteem are related with stunning and painful accuracy. Although there are plenty of parentless children in YA literature, there are few truly poor kids and fewer latchkey children. It was difficult to pinpoint precisely what was so spot-on about Gillian's life, but the details--particularly her troubled relationship with her best friend Amy, who has recently ditched her for a boyfriend--probably had something to do with it. I couldn't get over the feeling that I knew Gillian, or girls very nearly like her, during my own high school career.And the situation Smith creates with Angel is appropriately horrific. Angel infests her and instructs her to climb socially. He also convinces her to enact magic spells against her social enemies and tries to convince her that they belong together emotionally, that he is her soulmate. The conceit is strange and fairly original (although I think Stephanie Meyer did something similar in the Host?), which makes for fast, gripping reading through the novel's first third.Unfortunately, the Night World elements--the forced presence of Gillian's true soulmate, the lazy inclusion of a few recurring characters--distracts from the really solid elements of Dark Angel. What should be a scary, honest book becomes instead a neatly resolved ghost story. This definitely should have been a stand alone novel; the concept easily warrants it. ( )

One winter day Gillian Lennox almost dies... and is saved by an angel. His hair is golden. His eyes are as violet as her own. And when Gillian comes back from her near-death experience, he comes with her. An invisible guardian that only Gillian can see, her whispers the secrets of popularity in her ear. Overnight, the once-shy Gillian becomes a sensation. David, the boy she has loved for years notices her.

But then Angel begins to make bizarre demands. To draw Gillian into a world of risk and dark excitement. At last, she has to face the terrifying question: Who is Angel? What has she brought back from the Other Side? And can sht his secret before it is too late...?

To me this was the weakest book in the series. I loved the series, but this is the lowest book for me! ( )