Strange Angels (Strange Angels Series #1)

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Overview

In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

Lili St. Crow

Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature

Dru Anderson's life has always been less than normal. Her normal life has consisted of moving from town to town with her father as he hunts poltergeists, ghosts, and other characters from horror films. Her father insists Dru get an education, but Dru scoffs at the triviality of school, which is far from what she sees as the real world—the world of paranormal activity. Tough, sarcastic, able to sense anything from the real world, and an expert at tai chi, Dru lands in trouble barely two weeks after moving to a new town. She finds herself without a father and running from something unknown and truly terrifying. In the space of several days, Dru fights zombies, werewolves, burning dogs, and vampires in her quest to discover what is after her and why. A regular kid, named Graves, involves himself when he offers a spot for her to stay the night. Dru, struggling to know whether to trust a group called the Order, forms an unlikely friendship with Graves. The ending points to subsequent books and leaves a number of questions unanswered. Although filled with plenty of action and excitement, readers should be warned that the book contains a significant amount of bad language. While the rest of the book is appropriate for middle school, the language places it at the high school level. Reviewer: Amalia Selle

Publishers Weekly

Dru has always known about the poltergeists, vampires and werwulfen that inhabit the Real World since her father has traveled the country battling them, often with Dru's help. But when he is killed after they move to the Dakotas-and sent back as a zombie to kill her-Dru digs deeper into her history, trying to find out who murdered her mother and who is after her. Graves, an orphan, joins up with her and is soon turned into a loup-garou by a wolf bite, and Dru is able to get some answers from Christophe, a djamphir(part human, part vampire). In her YA debut, St. Crow (who writes adult novels as Lilith Saintcrow) creates with masterful prose a vivid and dark world that will mesmerize readers. Dru's mix of strength and vulnerability peppered with teenage observations (as when she compares mean teachers to sharks, "machines made for eating, with a finely tuned sense for blood in the water") make her a fully relatable character, and teens will dig the Buffy- like blend of supernatural action and wit. Ages 12-up. (June)

More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews

Booklist

Teens will devour this suspenseful and action-packed read but will have to hold their breath until the sequel is released . . .

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–Sixteen-year-old Dru Anderson has grown up traveling the country with her demon-hunter father. When he tries to tackle a powerful “sucker” named Sergej in the Dakotas, he is turned into a zombie. After stopping him from killing her, Dru must save herself when she, too, becomes Sergej’s target. She is befriended by Graves, a classmate who is quickly bitten and turned into a loup-garou (half werewolf), and meets Christophe, a djamphir (half-vampire vampire hunter). Dru also learns that she is growing into her own special powers. This is the first book in a series, and a large portion of it is spent developing the three lead characters, which occasionally slows down the action. While Graves seems to be the love interest, it is clear that both young men are attractive enough to draw Dru’s attention, promising tension in future installments. However, the book is plagued by frequent odd descriptions (a werewolf the size of “a Shetland pony” and Graves, who is half Asian, described as a “half breed”), and the choppy pacing is sometimes distracting. Dru’s inner monologue is a bit wordy during action scenes as well, which drags down the pace. Despite flaws, the similarities to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight Saga” (Little, Brown) will make this book an easy sell (though Dru is, by far, a tougher heroine than Bella, both in her language and her behavior), and the cliff-hanger ending will leave readers eager for the sequel.–Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Kirkus Reviews

Dru Anderson may be 16, but she doesn't live an ordinary teenage life. Her mom died when she was five, and she was raised by her wise woman Gran in the mountains-when she wasn't hanging around with her warrior dad. Dru was taught the truth about the Real World, which is far different from the one most people see. She knew all about the things that go bump in the night-the wulfen, the nosferat, the poltergeists. So she was prepared when her dad was gruesomely murdered and turned into a zombie, and she didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. But now she's on her own, except for her Goth friend Graves, who only wants to grow up to be a physics teacher. Now they are the ones being hunted, because someone doesn't want Dru to grow up to be anything . . . much less a real threat. The book grabs readers by the throat, sets hearts beating loudly and never lets go. The first in a series, it will be all too hard to wait for the next. (Supernatural. 12 & up)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781595142511
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date: 5/14/2009
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 69,597
Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Lexile: HL810L (what's this?)
Series: Strange Angels Series , #1
Product dimensions: 8.20 (w) x 5.44 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Lili Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. Lili lives in Vancouver, WA with her children, a houseful of cats, and assorted other strays.

Read an Excerpt

p r o l o g u e

I didn’t tell Dad about Granmama’s white owl. I know I should have.

There’s that space between sleep and dreaming where things—not quite dreams, not fully fledged precognition, but weird little blends of both—sometimes get in. Your eyes open, slow and dreamy, when the sense of someone looking rises through the cotton-wool fog of being warm and tired.

That’s when I saw it.

The owl ruffled itself up on my windowsill drenched in moonglow, each pale feather sharp and clear under icy light. I hadn’t bothered to pull the cheap blinds down or hang up the curtains. Why bother, when we—Dad and me—only spend a few months in any town?

I blinked at the yellow-eyed bird. Instead of the comfort that means Gran is thinking about me—and don’t ask how I know the dead think of the living; I’ve seen too much not to know—I felt a sharp annoyance, like a glass splinter under the surface of my brain. The owl’s beak was black, and its feathers had ghostly spots like cobwebs, shadows against snowy down. It stared into my sleepy eyes for what seemed like eternity, ruffling just a bit, puffing up the way Gran always used to when she thought anyone was messing with me.

Not again. Go away.

It usually only showed up when something interesting or really foul was about to happen. Dad had never seen it, or at least I didn’t think so. But he could tell when I had, and it would make him reach for a weapon until I managed to open my mouth and say whether we were going to meet an old friend—or find ourselves in deep shit.

The night Gran died the owl had sat inside the window while she took her last few shallow, sipping breaths, but I don’t think the nurses or the doctor saw it. They would have said something. By that point I knew enough to keep my mouth shut, at least. I just sat there and held Gran’s hand until she drained away; then I sat in the hall while they did things to her empty body and wheeled it off. I curled up inside myself when the doctor or the social worker tried to talk to me, and just kept repeating that my dad would know, that he was on his way—even though I had no clue where he was, really. He’d been gone a good three months, off ridding the world of nasty things while I watched Gran slide downhill.

Of course, that morning Dad showed up, haggard and unshaven, his shoulder bandaged and his face bruised. He had all the ID, signed all the papers, and answered all the questions. Everything turned out okay, but sometimes I dream about that night, wondering if I’m going to get left behind again in some fluorescent-lit corridor smelling of Lysol and cold pain.

I don’t like thinking about that. I settled further into the pillow, watching the owl’s fluffing, each feather edged with cold moonlight.

My eyes drifted closed. Warm darkness swallowed me, and when the alarm clock went off it was morning, weak winter sunshine spilling through the window and making a square on the brown carpet. I’d thrashed out of the covers and was about to freeze my ass off. Dad hadn’t turned the heater up.

It took a good twenty minutes in the shower before I felt anything close to awake. Or human. By the time I stamped down the stairs, I was already pissed off and getting worse. My favorite jeans weren’t clean and I had a zit the size of Mount Pinatubo on my temple under a hank of dishwater brown hair. I opted for a gray T-shirt and a red hoodie, a pair of combat boots and no makeup.

Why bother, right? I wasn’t going to be here long enough for anyone to care.

My bag smacked the floor. Last night’s dishes still crouched in the sink. Dad was at the kitchen table, his shoulders hunched over the tray as he loaded clips, each bullet making a little clicking sound. “Hi, sweetheart.”

I snorted, snagging the orange juice and opening the carton, taking a long cold draft. I wiped my mouth and belched musically.

“Ladylike.” His bloodshot blue eyes didn’t rise from the clip, and I knew what that meant.

“Going out tonight?” That’s what I said. What I meant was, without me?

Click. Click. He set the full clip aside and started on the next. The bullets glinted, silver-coated. He must have been up all night with that, making them and loading them. “I won’t be in for dinner. Order a pizza or something.”

Which meant he was going somewhere more-dangerous, not just kinda-dangerous. And that he didn’t need me to zero the target. So he must’ve gotten some kind of intel. He’d been gone every night this week, always reappearing in time for dinner smelling of cigarette smoke and danger. In other towns he’d mostly take me with him; people either didn’t care about a teenage girl drinking a Coke in a bar, or we went places where Dad was reasonably sure he could stop any trouble with an ice-cold military stare or a drawled word.

But in this town he hadn’t taken me anywhere. So if he’d gotten intel, it was on his own.

How? Probably the old-fashioned way. He likes that better, I guess. “I could come along.”

“Dru.” Just the one word, a warning in his tone. Mom’s silver locket glittered at his throat, winking in the morning light.

“You might need me. I can carry the ammo.” And tell you when something invisible’s in the corner, looking at you. I heard the stubborn whine in my voice and belched again to cover it, a nice sonorous one that all but rattled the window looking out onto the scrubby backyard with its dilapidated swing set. There was a box of dishes sitting in front of the cabinets next to the stove; I suppressed the urge to kick at it. Mom’s cookie jar—the one shaped like a fat grinning black-and-white cow—was next to the sink, the first thing unpacked in every new house. I always put it in the bathroom box with the toilet paper and shampoo; that’s always the last in and first one out.

I’ve gotten kind of used to packing and unpacking, you could say. And trying to find toilet paper after a thirty-six-hour drive is no fun.

“Not this time, Dru.” He looked up at me, though, the bristles of his cropped hair glittering blond under fluorescent light. “I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up.”

I was about to protest, but his mouth had turned into a thin, hard line and the bottle sitting on the table warned me. Jim Beam. It had been almost full last night when I went to bed, and the dregs of amber liquid in it glowed warmer than his hair. Dad was pale blond, almost a towhead, even if his stubble was brown and gold.

I’ve got a washed-out version of Mom’s curls and a better copy of Dad’s blue eyes. The rest of me, I guess, is up for grabs. Except maybe Gran’s nose, but she could have just been trying to make me feel better. I’m no prize. Most girls go through a gawky stage, but I’m beginning to think mine will be a lifelong thing.

It doesn’t bother me too much. Better to be strong than pretty and useless. I’ll take a plain girl with her head screwed on right over a cheerleader any day.

So I just leaned down and scooped up my messenger bag, the strap scraping against my fingerless wool gloves. They’re scratchy but they’re warm, and if you slip small stuff under the cuff, it’s damn near invisible. “Okay.”

“You should have some breakfast.” Click. Another bullet slid into the clip. His eyes dropped back down to it, like it was the most important thing in the world.

Eat something? When he was about to go out and deal with bad news alone? Was he kidding?

My stomach turned over hard. “I’ll miss the bus. Do you want some eggs?”

I don’t know why I offered. He liked them sunny-side up, but neither Mom or me could ever get them done right. I’ve been breaking yolks all my life, even when he tried to teach me the right way to gently jiggle with a spatula to get them out of the pan. Mom would just laugh on Sunday mornings and tell him scrambled or over-hard was what he was going to get, and he’d come up behind her and put his arms around her waist and nuzzle her long, curling chestnut hair. I would always yell, Ewwww! No kissing!

And they would both laugh.

That was Before. A thousand years ago. When I was little.

Dad shook his head a little. “No thanks, kiddo. You have money?”

I spotted his billfold on the counter and scooped it up. “I’m taking twenty.”

“Take another twenty, just in case.” Click. Click. “How’s school going?”

Just fine, Dad. Just freaking dandy. Two weeks in a new town is enough to make me all sorts of friends. “Okay.”

I took two twenties out of his billfold, rubbing the plastic sleeve over Mom’s picture with my thumb like I always did. There was a shiny space on the sleeve right over her wide, bright smile. Her chestnut hair was as wildly curly as mine, but pulled back into a loose ponytail, blonde-streaked ringlets falling into her heart-shaped face. She was beautiful. You could see why Dad fell for her in that picture. You could almost smell her perfume.

“Just okay?” Click.

“It’s fine. It’s stupid. Same old stuff.” I toed the linoleum and set his billfold down. “I’m going.”

Click. He didn’t look up. “Okay. I love you.” He was wearing his Marines sweatshirt and the pair of blue sweats he always worked out in, with the hole in the knee. I stared at the top of his head while he finished the clip, set it aside, and picked up a fresh one. I could almost feel the noise of each bullet being slid home in my own fingers.

My throat had turned to stone. “’Kay. Whatever. Bye.” Don’t get killed. I stamped out of the kitchen and down the hall, one of the stacked boxes barking me in the shin. I still hadn’t unpacked the living room yet. Why bother? I’d just have to box it all up in another couple months.

I slammed the front door, too, and pulled my hood up, shoving my hair back. I hadn’t bothered with much beyond dragging a comb through it. Mom’s curls had been loose pretty ringlets, but mine were pure frizz. The Midwest podunk humidity made it worse; it was a wet blanket of cold that immediately turned my breath into a white cloud and nipped at my elbows and knees.

The rental was on a long, ruler-straight block of similar houses, all dozing under watery sunlight managing to fight its way through overcast. The air tasted like iron and I shivered. We’d been in Florida before this, always sticky, sweaty, sultry heat against the skin like oil. We’d cleared out four poltergeists in Pensacola and a haunting apparition of a woman even Dad could see in some dead-end town north of Miami, and there was a creepy woman with cottonmouths and copperheads in glass cages who sold Dad the silver he needed to take care of something else. I hadn’t had to go to school there—we were so busy staying mobile, moving from one hotel to the next, so whatever Dad needed the silver for couldn’t get a lock on us.

Now it was the Dakotas, and snow up to our knees. Great.

Our yard was the only one with weeds and tall grass. We had a picket fence, too, but the paint was flaking and peeling off and parts of it were missing, like a gap-toothed smile. Still, the porch was sturdy and the house was even sturdier. Dad didn’t believe in renting crappy bungalows. He said it was a bad way to raise a kid. I walked away with my head down and my hands stuffed in my pockets.

I never saw Dad alive again.

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jandersson

Posted April 17, 2009

I Also Recommend:

Great read by a wonderful author

Dru Anderson does not have any easy life. Despite being only sixteen-years old, she has seen and experienced more horrors than most people ever will. Her grandmother called it "the touch." Her sixth sense that lets her travel from city to city and hunt ghosts, suckers, wulfen, corpses- you name it! Not to mention her zombie father...
Dru is introduced to two characters: Graves, a goth boy with a big crush on Dru; and Christophe, another kind of dangerous hunter that is very interested in Dru and her abilities. Together they will face off against an old enemy. The question is, can they find the one that hunts them and turn the tables in time to save their lives?

This is the author's first young adult (YA) book. Having read all her other works, this one does not disappoint. It is seen through the eyes of a teenaged girl juggling too many problems to add romance to the list, but sometimes you do not have any control over that. The heroine is faced with tragedy, tough choices and revelations in this story which is sure to have a sequel coming soon. It quickly captures the readers imagination and attention, making it hard to put it down! And the reader is left waiting to find out what will happen next to Dru.

The book has certain similarities with other great YA novels such as the Twilight and Harry Potter series, yet it is uniquely its own. It is not for the faint of heart reader, but rather filled with action, anxiety, and wonderful characters and relationships. It is a great read that is sure to please the young and old readers alike!

18 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
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KJSutton

Posted January 3, 2010

Okay

I thought it would be better, because of how many other people seemed to like it, but I felt let down. The main character was inconsistent, to me, in her personality, and there was the repetitive use of the word goddamit, and that got tiring. The plotline wasn't really great. I hope the next book is better.

6 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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EmSTL

Posted November 26, 2009

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A Surprise of a Good Read

At first, I thought this book was going to be awful. It took me three, count them, THREE turns at picking up this book between others to finally get into it!! Once I got about a third of the way through, and got over Dru's hideous language quirks (ie. "Goddamn", "Kid"), and really started getting into her story, the book really picked up and I was hooked! Dru ended up being much more endearing and vulnerable than I ever expected she could be, and Graves' honest-to-goodness and strength made him more than a little interesting...not to mention the introduction of Christophe, who I suspect will just be simply yum! Another surprise for me was that as I got more interested in the story, I again started to feel let down as I saw the many similarities forming with Vampire Academy, BUT as I read on and now that I've started Betrayals, I feel encouraged that St. Crow has taken on her own twist on the Vampire, Djamphir, Boarding School storyline. I'm excited to continue reading the series now, and would definitely recommend to others! A surprise indeed!!

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Tiger_Holland

Posted October 23, 2010

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Reminds me of the Supernatural tv show.

Dru can sense The Real World (the paranormal world, not the tv show), and she travels around with her Dad, who's a down-and-dirty monster killer. When she's left all on her own--in a dramatic and heartbreaking fashion, I might add--she's in big trouble because something seriously bad is gunning for her.

So much to like, here. 1. St. Crow has an earthy, realistic writing voice with a Deep South feel. The prose style is enjoyably descriptive, and we get simple but lovely lines like, "My mouth tasted like day-old coffee mixed with ash" (pg 106). So good. 2. Most of the character behavior is totally justified, frex: this is a gritty, dark book, and one of the ways the grittiness manifests itself is in some pretty heavy language for a YA, but it all feels natural, considering the MC's rough background. 3. Great secondary characters. It takes a little while, but Graves gets pretty amazing, though he bugged me at first. Then there's Christophe, who doesn't really put in an appearance until halfway through the book but moves the story forward in marvelous ways. 4. The mythology is fresh, complex, compelling, and the longer you read the more interesting it gets.

Another big reason I find Strange Angels appealing is that it's a good example of the kind of writing I'm going to arbitrarily call "Scrape Fiction" where, unlike many novels where the characters have two states: perfect health or almost-dead-from-stab-wounds-and-bullet-holes, the MC can gets little cuts, sprains, and headaches that hurt in a standard bearable fashion, but are annoying or interfere with the MC's activities. In this type of book, busted lips and bruised knuckles are the order of the day instead of broken bones or lopped-off limbs, though those may appear, too. Gotta say, I'm a fan of this approach. In that way, Strange Angels reminds me of one of my favorite tv shows of all time: Supernatural, where the lighting is dim, the monsters are abundant, and the setting feels lived-in and unglamourous. Though now that I think about it, this book's similarities to that show are huge--the backstory is, Dru's and her dad bounce from town to town fighting whatever monster is in residence, with only each other for company. Dru's dad is even a fan of classic rock a la AC/DC.

Dislikes: 1. It's presented as part of Dru's overall gruffness and insensitivity, but I cringe when she mentally refers to Graves, who is part Asian, as a "half-breed". It just sets my internal racism alarms a-ringing. 2. Dru's awesome and tough--sometimes so much so that her POV feels male. Can we have a tough girl protag without making her sound like a dude? Tall order, I know. 3. "Werewolf" in this book is spelled "werwulf," and I can't get behind that. It's like when someone spells vampire as "vampyre," and while I'm fine with more obscure supernatural species being spelled however you like (faery/faerie, selkie/selchie), if you're going to write vamps and wolves I prefer you call 'em that. Leave off the fancy sauce and just give me the chicken.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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BeadQueen

Posted September 12, 2009

Kick Butt Kinda Girl!

I really liked "Dru" in the novel. She is kind of a teenage "Anita Blake". I hope all the books in the series (as it seems there will be sequels) are as good.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted June 29, 2010

I Also Recommend:

OMG!!! Best Book Ever.Love It. Great Sieries!!!!!!!

This is a real thrilling book,I love how the author(Lili St. Crow) is not afraid to put her words on paper.Dru is just my favoite,she's not afraid to say what she's thinking.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Dhampyre

Posted December 10, 2009

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Good Vamp Read

The writing style is hard to get use to. But the story is good and the Characters are fun. It takes the Vamps and Were story to a different level. She was almost real, with her trials and troubles. I love a strong heroine but i can relate to one better when she has the Occasional break down too. i recommend anyone to read it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Vampfan8483

Posted August 29, 2009

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(Twilight Saga Forever) This book can hold its own!!!

I Really like this book. I ended up reading it all in one sitting, I actually wasn't in store for this one but the cover caught my eye and figured what the heck. I haven't gotten so enthralled in book since the twilight saga. I can't wait for the second book in this series to come out.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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spanish-lullaby

Posted August 27, 2009

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nothing special

this book wasn't anything new or exciting for me. the beginning started out okay but then it started to drag on which just made it boring.

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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leah23

Posted July 27, 2009

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Amazing creative book!

This book reminds me a lot of the televsion show called supernatural. I love the show and this book. A lot of books these days seem to be all about vampires but this book is more creative! I love it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Celtic_Spirit

Posted July 22, 2009

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Good Story

I can't wait until the second book comes out in Novemeber! I enjoyed it - and I am in my mid 30s!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Mel_gv

Posted July 22, 2009

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A wonderful book that keeps you wanting more.

This is one of the best books i have ever read. It has all the right things: its thrilling, interesting, crush, can't put down book, funny, edgy, exciting, etc.
I can't wait for the next book to come out BETRAYALS.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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sandySG

Posted June 28, 2009

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Strange Angels is Awesome

I had anticipated this book...I read the summary, loved it and went out and bought the book like a week or so after it came out...and immediately began to read it...and I loved it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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samSB

Posted June 14, 2009

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it was different but good.

i liked this book for many reasons but i also had some issues.one of the good parts about this book was that the charchter of dru. i love the way her attitude is throughout the whole book. her confidence is very contagous. one of the issues about the book, for me, was that it went kind of slow. i think, in my opinion, that the author over discribed some parts and took to much time in doing so. i am still going to buy the next book in the series because i am curious about the charchter,dru. i hope in the next book, it explains her mother more. i would still reccomned this book to the supernatural readers and i hope the next book does well.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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molie111

Posted May 17, 2009

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LOVE IT!

i really loved this book. It was great and i cant wait to read the next one!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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BrookeReviews

Posted May 7, 2009

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Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru's mom died when she was young, and she ended up spending a lot of time with her grandmother and father. When her grandmother passes away, Dru must scour the country with her dad, a hunter, looking for paranormal beings to kill. With Dru's help using "the touch" her dad's hunts have been very successful, until one night when he goes without her on a hunt, and she fails to tell him about her bad feelings. With her father dead, Dru has to figure out how to survive on her own, decide who she can trust, and find the monsters responsible for her father's death. All this while watching her own back for whoever is hunting HER.

I really enjoyed Strange Angels, there is nonstop action which I love! Dru is a strong protagonist, but she also has her weaknesses like all teenage girls should have. She's scared and is determined not to let that show, even when she begins to feel vulnerable around her new friend Graves. St. Crow is a genius when writing intense and heavily emotional scenes. Her descriptions of the "real world" (no, not the reality show), which are shown through Dru's eyes, are dark, scary, and vivid. She has built a world full of intriguing creatures including; Zombies, Weres (werewulfen), Vampires (suckers), and all kinds of big and small monsters.

The only part that sort of got old was that Dru likes to repeat a lot of the same phrases or lines. Which I'm going to go ahead and say is because of the traumatic death of her father.

Overall Strange Angels was a very exciting book, and fans of Lilith Saintcrow's adult series will also enjoy her YA. I'm anxiously waiting to see what happens in book two of the Dru Anderson series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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harstan

Posted April 18, 2009

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A terrific young adult fantasy

Sixteen years old Dru Anderson is used to traveling around; never staying in any place for more that a couple of months. Her father trained her as his sidekick killing deadly supernatural creatures and once the mission is accomplished the pair would pack up and move to the next monster nest; some of these otherworldly beasts have no English word. Her Granmama taught her mostly in dreams and occasional rare visits how to be spiritually psychically stout. As for her mom, there are the curls.-------

Everything changed for Dru in the Dakotas the night her Granmama died. Dad acts strange as he goes out on the mission alone. When he fails to come back alive, Dru has to confront realities. The only two people in her life are dead within twenty-four hours of each other; and though she thought she was a pro at hunting, she realizes she knows nothing about what they hunted beyond her extrasensory gift of the "Touch" and even less about surviving in the mundane world. First she must live through the night as she knows mortal teen boys and creatures from beyond have caught her scent; she is not sure which is more dangerous to her existence, but then again there is her dad's killer stalking her too.----------

The key to this terrific young adult fantasy is the supernatural creatures seem genuine with the representatives of a variety of species possessing differing personalities beyond just their basic "natural" needs. Dru is fabulous holding the story line together in a first person viewpoint as she is a typical teen with a special skill and a radically different childhood than the norm. Fans will admire Dru and her two new associates Christophe and Graves who risk all in a battle against deadly foes who should not exist in the wintry Dakotas.---------

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted April 17, 2012

Give it away woukd u?

Please, stop commenting and telling what happens
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Anonymous

Posted April 10, 2012

¿ber awesome

This book is super duper good! There is a little bit of cussing but there is nothing outrageously inappropriate. This is a new idea and i think it is executed realy well and shows a new kind of charater. Dru is tough but by the end she isn't sure who she really is. This series is going to be a good one. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good paranormal book with just a little itty bitty microscopic sliver of romance.
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-essence

Posted April 8, 2012

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I was searching through Goodreads website some time ago and I st

I was searching through Goodreads website some time ago and I stumbled across some quotes from Saintcrows books and I was like... blown away. I loved the sarcasm, I loved the funny conversations between characters and it all led to one thing: I went to the bookstore the next day and bought myself a copy of this pretty book called Strange Angels. Don't let me start on how much I love the cover and how fierce that girl looks. The things is I adore books with strong female leads, who know how to kick the guys ass and they do it with style. And Dru Anderson was just that.

We follow a story of a sixteen year old Dru who is anything but an ordinary teenage girl. She travels around the states with her father, supernatural hunter. After her grandmother she inherited some twisted powers, which are slowly coming to the surface and she has no idea of what's she capable of. Dru got used to living on the road, switching town every two months are so and never even tried to make friends at school. But her dad goes missing and then there's a zombie crawling into her house... she holds up a shotgun and shoots the zombie. Who happens to be her reanimated father. Suddenly she's left alone with a bunch of questions - who turned her dad in a zombie and why? Is someone after her? What was his dad researching? With a little help of her new friend Graves and a mysterious blue-eyed dhampir Christophe she might get all the answers, or just open many new questions.

The book started a little bit slowly and I was patiently waiting for the storyline to pick up. It's not that it would be plain boring or not interesting. There was plenty of action and plenty of emotion right from the start on. But I just needed that one special element that would pull me in and make me crave for more. I got that element when Christopher came on the scene and I absolutely adore this character. He's mysterious, he's different, he's a hot dhampir and he brings life into the book. From time to time I got annoyed by Dru though. She went on and on how no one would understand about this secret world of hers and how she's all alone. It feels like she already made up her mind how she's so misunderstood and doesn't even give a proper chance to those around her (for example to Graves). But I like Dru for her flaws to be sincere - she screams like a cheerleader, guns freak her out at first, she stumbles, she's quite impulsive and so on.

Since I'm a sucker for details as some of you already now I must add a few little things. For example I absolutely adore how Graves has packages of Ramen noodles in his underground apartment. I love how they were searching through books for explanations - I really like the idea of searching up words like werewolf or dhampir in a old dusty book with raw covers. Also, Dru describes she's feeling like stuck inside a snow globe sometimes. Don't really know how to describe that feeling but I get it too, very often. Overall, I would recommend the book to all fans of YA paranormal books. The ending left me craving for more so I'll be picking the next in series very soon. Can't wait.
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