Breath of Angel, by Karyn Henley

Every now and then, I pick up a book out of my usual genre range.  I am a sci-fi fan, but never have been much into fantasy.  Karyn Henley's Breath of Angel, book one of her Angelaeon Circle, will appeal to readers of fantasy fiction, especially young female readers.  So as I read, I tried to place myself that target audience (Figuratively, of course.  I did not put on a dress or perm my hair).  From that perspective, Breath of Angel is a pretty good read.

Henley doesn't waste any time getting started with the action here.  In the first couple of pages, we meet Melaia, the heroine, as she fights of an attack from the chief villain.  After that, the story never really slows down.  Melaia is a priestess, and the attack thrusts her into a conflict that will determine the fate of the kingdom.  Melaia, a foundling raised by priestesses at the temple, has to grow into her role as she learns more about her origin and fate.

Henley's breakneck pacing certainly keeps the story moving, but does so at a price.  The kingdom, the characters, the history, all take a back seat to the action.  You pick some up in bits and pieces throughout, but I was left with little feel for the kingdom and its people.  Similarly, Henley doesn't spend a lot of time developing the characters or giving us insight in their personal history and motives.  In the context of the action and dialog, the setting and characterizations come through, but not in a very satisfying way.

Breath of Angel is the first of at least three books in the Angelaeon Circle.  It might be interesting to see how the story develops and how the history of the kingdom and its characters are fleshed out in later books.  Henley's young readers might latch on to the hints and glimpses of this world.  For my taste, though, I think I'll leave the Angelaeon to them.

Go to the publisher's site here.
Go to the author's site here.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.