BROKEN WINGS

This second installment of the Angel Eyes series pits gifted humans against the demons of Abaddon, with assistance from some of the Heavenly host.

The story does not recap the events of Angel Eyes (2012) but offers enough clues and explanations that new readers can infer what’s going on. Brilliant dancer Brielle has a bracelet that’s actually an angel’s halo. When she wears it like a crown, she can see the Celestial—the otherwise invisible realm of the angels. A strange race of angels has torn through to the orange-glowing Celestial, where fear flows like a black liquid and worship rises like colored smoke to Heaven. Brielle’s ability threatens Lucifer himself, so he dispatches Brielle’s former foe, the demon Damien, to catch her. Damien also has an interest in Brielle’s boyfriend, Jake, a healer who lives with an angel in disguise. Though the warring factions do plenty of sparring, Brielle and Jake function as observers and targets rather than as fighters. As a result, the book’s suspense is not particularly immersive. Dittemore freely quotes from the Bible and Shakespeare, and she keeps the human side of her story real by giving Brielle’s father a serious drinking habit. The Christian doctrine in the book is not soft-pedaled, but it remains far enough in the background to appeal to general readers. A sequel beckons.

An unremarkable but solid addition to the current angel glut.