El ángel perdido
Javier Sierra
Publicado: 2011 | 453 páginas
Novela Intriga

Mientras trabaja en la restauración del Pórtico de la Gloria de Santiago de Compostela, Julia Álvarez recibe una noticia devastadora: su marido ha sido secuestrado en una región montañosa del noreste de Turquía.A partir de ese momento, Julia se verá envuelta sin quererlo en una ambiciosa carrera por controlar dos antiguas piedras que, al parecer, permiten el contacto con entidades sobrenaturales y por las que están interesados desde una misteriosa secta oriental hasta el presidente de los Estados Unidos.Una obra que deja atrás todos los convencionalismos del género, reinventándolo y empujando al lector a una aventura que no olvidará.

This is my first read of Javier Sierra. The book has been translated into English from Spanish. I'll admit it is a bit Dan-Brownish, but... This is a bad thing? I say NAY to the nay-sayers that dog any inspired work by a man who clearly "got it right." I'm all for it as long as it isn't a photocopy and this book is an original!

It had all the factual mysterious elements that I like in a novel of this sort. The ah-ha ending was a little lack-luster for me, hence only four stars. The pacing was dicey-but the interest was definitely there..

Now I'm on to his other works! ( )

Book Title: "The Lost Angel”
Author: Javier Sierra
Published By: Atria
Age Recommended: 18+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: A scathing book about terrorism and the possible end of the world. This book is at once frightening and true. Written with an insightful rendering of the hopes and fears of mankind and leaving you with the burning question… what if… could this truly happen?
A wonderfully dark read with many twists and turns, interesting characters and a sound plot! ( )

An interesting story that held my interest from start to finish. Angels, Noah's Ark, Secret Agents, Kidnappers and more all contribute to another entertaining tale from señor Sierra. ( )

This book had almost too much going on, with an extensive glossary in the beginning pages - complete with color photos - that I needed to read beforehand to keep up with the plot. Javier Sierra made a point of mixing fact with fiction in this novel, and the book reads like an extensive 'conspiracy theory.' My husband is much more familiar with many aspects of the plot, and I often asked him if what I was reading about was really true or not. The book opens with a quotation of Genesis 6: 2-3, which states "...the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" This is followed by a quote from John Dee, who figures prominently in the plot, though I did not find the quote to be especially inspiring.
The main focus of the book is about a group of people who consider themselves descendants of those angels that joined with "the daughters of man," and want to find a way to get back into heaven. They will use any means necessary to accomplish this -- murder, deceit, even putting the whole planet in jeopardy.
The main character, Julia Alvarez, is a psychic who is completely duped by their antics. I understand that the author means for the reader to feel sympathy for the angelic descendants through Julia's narration, but the way that Julia allows herself to be used and deceived by even her own husband disgusts me. She believes whatever they tell her and does not question anything. In fact, anyone that does question this main family is characterized as foolish and forgettable, such as Ellen Watson and Inspector Figueiras.
There was one main problem I had with the plot, which is that in the Bible, the angels that mate with human women are 'fallen' because they disobeyed God, which is never addressed. What is also never addressed is any scriptural substantiation for what they believed about Noah and the ark. They believed they could force God to take them back into heaven with their thrown-together mish-mash of technology. How is that believable? God kicked the angels out - they certainly can't force their way back in! Not to mention, this family does not back up their belief that they are descendants of angels with actual scientific proof, such as DNA tests, even though they all claim to be men (and woman) of science.
Overall, the book twists a blasphemous tale of Biblical scripture, using factual information to support a fictitious plot. It has suspense, intrigue, and even a bit of romance, but the end is neither believable nor enjoyable. While books of this nature became popular thanks to the works of Dan Brown, (yes, I've read his stuff, too), I found this book to be merely an okay read. ( )