3.5
This is different from the books I normally read since I don't read much contemporary but hearing about the short fantasy parts in Owen's POV made me more interested in reading it. However I ended up enjoying the contemporary parts more since they focused more on Duncan and I connected better with him than Owen. I could relate to his growing feeling of isolation from friends he's had since childhood. I felt those same feelings back when I was close to finishing secondary school and my friend group started growing apart from me and deciding on Colleges. I felt like I was being left behind as well.
This isn't one of those books with a lot of plot, it's more the characters just dealing with life and the troubles that comes with it.
The best thing about it is the friendship that grows between Duncan and Owen, they come together during a hard time in both their lives and they just accept each other for who they are. I also liked Duncan's relationship with his family, they were very supportive and his bond with his sister was spot on.
Unfortunately Owen's POV let it down for me, I think it's because I couldn't relate with his situation as much since thankfully I haven't experienced that kind of loss in my life but I can see how others could relate much more than I could.

A wonderful read, so funny and emotional, a great insight into young men, communication, grief and depression. Such a wonderful story that stays with you long after you finish reading it. It’s so well written, I loved the writing style so beautiful and poetic, the characters are so well developed and relatable, this book is a pleasure to read. My first book by David Owen but definitely won’t be my last

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you for providing an early copy of this thought provoking read. What a unique book about how everyone deals with grief.

This is unsettling and uplifting in equal measures.

I started the book wanting to know more about what was happening to Owen and feeling that I was owed a clearer understanding of the multiple narratives. It’s a bit like high-fantasy in that you’re dumped straight into Owen’s realities without much pre-amble. So I spent a few chapters feeling lost and putting it down in favour of other current reads. That said, David Owen was right. By the end of the novel, I appreciated his structural and narrative choices. The reader had to feel lost to mirror Owen’s own journey of self awareness. In future, I’ll trust David Owen immediately - I’ll certainly be reading his other work.

David Owen has sensitively and beautifully explored death, grief, friendships, identity and family without cliché. “Grief Angels” feels classic - not old - and simultaneously original. It’s a remarkable book which would proudly hold its own on a shelf with Patrick Ness, Rick Riordan, Andrew Fukuda and Laini Taylor.

2.5-3 stars

Let me preface this review by saying that I really felt drawn to this book and its themes of grief. I have a professional and research interest in grief and for me this means that my mind is open, I respect utterly how people grieve according to their individualised needs and nature. I am sad this didn’t work for me in some aspects.

GRIEF ANGELS is an unusual read in many way, I truly appreciated this story that took young adult male friendships, didn’t sexualise them and realistically depicted a compelling story through them. The narrative was told through the two main characters of Duncan and Owen. Duncan was a young guy dealing with depression and toxicity in his long standing friendship group. Owen was a new guy in school, grieving the death of his father and finding himself along the way.

What was unique about this story was that Owen was whisked off in his grief by the ‘grief angels’ (read birds) to a fantastical land where he went on a quest with someone to do something. I remain unclear about some of this, so excuse the vagueness. I do not know if this part of the story was magical realism, analogy, hallucination or what. I feel that by the end I should have known this. I kept reading, kept pushing through with this element, wanting to find out the answer. I can make my best hypothesis about this but this element needed some world building and structure.

It is testement to the great YA story in the contemporary setting that I haven’t rated this book lower. I loved it when the story switched back to life at school and in the friendships. I wanted to stay there.

I’m sad this particular story didn’t work for me but I would definitely read David Owen again. I liked the characters he created and I enjoyed the larger parts of his writing.

Thank you to Atom books for the review copy.

Initially I was drawn to this book because of the cover but the story and characters quickly dragged me into the story. I love it, couldn’t put it down for long. Can’t wait to see what else comes from this author.

This is a powerful, moving book about grief and finding yourself that I really enjoyed.

15-year-old Owen Marlow is experiencing a great, disorienting loss after his father suddenly passed away and his mother moved them to a new town. None of his old friends knew how to confront his grief, so he's given up on trying to make new ones. There is one guy at school who might prove to be different if he gives him a chance but lately, Owen has been overwhelmed by his sadness. He's started to have strange, powerful hallucinations of skeletal birds circling above him. Owen tells himself that these visions are just his brain's way of trying to cope - until one night, the birds descend and take him to an otherworldly forest. There, he is asked to go on a dangerous journey that promises to bring him the understanding he so desperately seeks - if he can survive it.

The writing in this book instantly captivated me, it was beautiful and lyrical with real heart. The imagery he uses is haunting and incredibly striking. The way Owen plays with language is delightful to watch and provides all sorts of interesting ideas on the page.

At the core of the book is the dual narrative of Duncan and Owen, two troubled teenage boys trying to navigate the world. Owen has a real talent for creating believable, authentic teenage characters that you can really relate to and empathise with. He also tears into the ideas of toxic masculinity, somewhat of a recurring theme in his novels and explores the teenage male psyche. The utter alienation and inability of the characters at times to express their feelings is heartbreakingly honest. I couldn't help but root for Duncan to break away from the sexist, toxic group of so-called 'friends' he was enmeshed in.

As the title suggests, this is a book about grief in all its complexities. I felt like the way grief is portrayed was so accurate and it's all intertwined with these imaginative fantasy elements that are utterly enchanting. For me, it really hit home with my own personal experiences of loss, creating a brilliant dynamic that hopefully will help many other people.

Full review will be up on my blog closer to release date.

I just read this on #Netgalley & it is so so good. I laughed & cried, sometimes simultaneously, seamless dialogue & beautiful writing. If those boys were in my school they'd be 2 of my faves & this is my new fave @davidowenauthor book @AtomBooks #UKYA (QT of David's pre-order tweet)

I'm a huge fan of David Owen and have read all three of his YA novels, he deserves to be much more widely read/known. This latest novel is both similar and different to what he has produced before, focusing on teen alienation and more specifically the inability of teenage boys to open up about their feelings. "Grief Angels" is told via a duel narrative - 15 year old Owen Marlow's father has recently passed away, looking for a fresh start his mother moves the family to a new town. In this new town he meets Duncan and they become friends, sort of. Duncan has own problems, including depression and a group of friends he feels he no longer connects with. Through watching the TV show Battlestar Galactica a friendship develops and they slowly open up. However, what this excellent book is really about is the failure of teenage boys to communicate their true feelings. Part of Owen's story is told via a fantasy sequence and in tandem with his failure to cope. A really excellent and moving novel which nailed the teenage male psyche.

This book actually couldn’t have come at a better time for me. Having lost my father only a month ago, I was expecting some emotional connection to the situation and the characters. However, I wasn’t expecting to feel as if my own thoughts and feelings were being presented.
The themes that Grief Angels covers are all envelopes within a beautiful fantasy element that will enchant any reader and having a duel narrative will give those within experience of death a multi-layered approach to empathy.
David Owen is a master of taking a known topic and giving the reader a refreshing new look and Grief Angels is no exception. X