The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker

It was the summer of storms and strays and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident--and young Samuel Chambers would have done anything to turn back time. Even today, he can hardly believe it all happened . . .

Prompted by three strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Sam begins his search for the Tree of Life--the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death will entangle him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict, forcing Sam to grapple with an unwelcome question.

Reading The Day the Angles Fell by Shawn Smucker was a really interesting and engaging reading experience. The magic realism he uses is fantastic. I love that it is set in our world, but that the spiritual world has a visible and powerful presence in all of it. The writing was engaging and made for a quick read. I am also very intrigued and interested to read the next book by Smucker as he left it open for more to come. I am especially interested in his explanation of how the angles work and what else it takes to protect the tree of life. I will admit, I found the character of Abra more interesting than Sam and I would continue to read this series to learn more about her, most of all. A great debut novel one that will be enjoyed by a YA audience (maybe even upper middle grade) and adults alike.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

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