Book Recap: Halflings by Heather Burch (ARC)

Cover Inspection:
Nice cover. I love the wings behind the girl.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.
A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	2.5
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.5
Ending	2.0
Overall Rating	2.5 Good! (85% to 88%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
Modern day Missouri.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character is Nikki. Her parents are antique weapons dealer. She prefers to wear loose shirts and jeans. She also loves motorcycles. And then, there's Mace and Raven. Two of the three halflings assigned to guard her. Halflings are the children of fallen angels.They are considered outcasts. They do not belong on earth, but they do not also belong with the angels. Mace is sort of the goody two shoes halfling, while Raven is the bad boy. They are polar opposites, but both are attracted to Nikki.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
The story opens with hell hounds chasing after Nikki. But lucky for her, three halflings are watching over her. As far as the halflings are concerned, she is human; so why would four hell hounds be after her? They even enrolled in school to make sure no harm comes to Nikki. Things get more complicated when Nikki finds herself falling for her watchers.

LOVE:
The love triangle in this story is pretty good. Raven is the bad boy in the story. He was presented as the one having a darker side. I love the fact that Raven acts like a tough guy, but gets derailed whenever he's around Nikki. I found it cute. On the other hand, there are also tender moments between Nikki and Mace. I also love the forbidden love theme of the story (halflings cannot fall in love with humans). I was deeply affected when Mace rejected Nikki. Most of all, I love the brotherly moment between Mace and Raven. Even though they don't see eye to eye most of the time, I can say that they care for one another.

NO LOVE:
The beginning of the story dragged on. I didn't know where the story was heading. It even made me very sleepy at one point. I also did not like (and understand) the fact that Nikki barged into the halflings' home out of the blue. I really don't understand why this was necessary. It's rude and intrusive. It made me dislike Nikki.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I like Raven. He's the most pragmatic character in the story. I loved the part when Raven was teaching Nikki how to fight.

FAVORITE LINE:

“Raven,” she whispered, tilting closer. “Thanks for teaching me
how to destroy you.”
“Anytime.”

MUSINGS:
The writing was okay. It's probably the main positive thing I can say about this book. But what makes this book interesting for me is the convergence of science and beliefs. This is the only reason why I would pick up the sequel. For me, this book is forgettable. It has its good parts, and it has its bad parts. It's an angel book. But that's just it, it's another one of those angel books. Nothing stands out.

DOODLES:
none at the moment

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Heather Burch

SIMILAR READS:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild to moderate
violence: mild
sexual content: mild
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+