Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow *REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!!*

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Geared Towards: Ages 12 and up
Published By: Razor Bill
Publication Date: June 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59514-251-1

In a day and age when young adult fans flock to paranormal reads like the Twilight and Vampire Academy series, Lili St. Crow (also known as Lilith Saint Crow on the adult lit spectrum) has released her first YA novel in the form of the eerie and oh so chilling Strange Angels.

There are things out there, dark and nasty things, that most people prefer to pretend do not exist. They're out there though, and as Dru Anderson will tell you, you're better off living in that world of make believe where everything smells like roses.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Raised by her grandmother and father, after her mother's death when Dru was only five, Dru has come to see the world through different eyes than most other kids her age. At sixteen she should be working towards finishing up her last couple of years of school, shopping at the mall with girlfriends, and even dating a high school hottie. Instead of this grandious picture of modern teenage life, however, Dru travels across the country with her dad hunting down things that go bump in the night. They're not your average father daughter duo, but what Dru and her dad have together works for them. It's not always easy or safe, yet at the end of each day they can rest knowing that maybe, just maybe, the world is a little safer because of what they do.

And then, the unthinkable happens.

When her dad fails to return home after a hunt one cold winter night, Dru knows something bad has happened. Perhaps it's her sixth sense, the touch - as her grandma called it, but whatever it is though Dru knows she's got plenty to be worried about. Caught in the middle of a battle against things no sixteen year old should even know about, Dru Anderson must push beyond everything she thought she knew about life and The Real World if she's going to ever see another day of either again.

Alone and afraid, still the new girl in town, Dru turns to an unlikely source. With the help of her new found friend Graves, the somewhat attractive goth boy from American History, Dru sets out to solve the mystery of what happened to her father. She knows what became of him, but not who or what was responsible. Yet that is the million question she must answer if she's to ever avenge his death.

She is the hunter and the hunted. Running for her life, Dru must work in ways she never knew herself capable. She must learn to put her trust in those most likely to hurt her. And she must push herself farther than ever before.

In this brilliant coming of age tale, Crow has created a highly unnerving and bizarre world right here within the realm of our own. Her layout is seamless and the story developement is spot on. I particularly enjoyed how despite her character's backgrounds, Crow has made sure they don't come across as brash and unbelieveable. Dru's still just a regular teenage girl at heart. She can, for a time, hold her own in this world of darkness and pain, but despite her strength and attempted bravado Dru is not ashamed to recognize her own inexperience and weakness. The same goes for Graves, and even, to a lesser extent, Christophe. It's this naivete which adds to the overall realistic vibe of the story. You feel for the characters, and you are able to really see through their eyes because the voice of the story is believable while being utterly engaging.

I think readers will be really pleased with how entertaining this novel is, and with the news that there's a sequel on the horizon for Spring 2010!

If you'd like to give Strange Angels a go for yourself, then now is your chance. Thanks to the kind publishers (more specifically to Emily) at Penguin Group (USA) I have an extra copy to giveaway one one lucky Ready Set Read Reviews reader (US only please... unless you already commented and aren't within the US.. then I'll still enter you because it's my fault for not making this specification initially.)! All you have to do to enter the draw is leave a comment here, by July 11th, telling me who you'd like to win for and why. Sound easy enough?

Want more entries? Do any or all of the following in addition to the first required post. Then comment back after doing each to let me know you did it so I can enter you again. This gives you a possible 6 entries in to the draw.

1.) Become a Ready Set Read Reviews blog follower/or let me know you are already one. (on the right hand side of the screen) ***1 additional entry***

2.) Follow me on Twitter (Twitter id is: monkeygirlsmama - Be sure to include your twitter id with your follow up comment.) ***1 additional entry***

3.) Retweet and link back to this giveaway on Twitter (Be sure to include your twitter id with your follow up comment.) ***1 additional entry***

4.) Subscribe to the Ready Set Read Reviews blog feed. (on the right hand side of the screen) ***1 additional entry***

5.) Post about this giveaway anywhere else online (Facebook, your blog, etc) and post a link back. (Be sure to include a link to your post with your follow up comment.) ***1 additional entry***