Thank you NetGalley and Monster House Books!
So excited for this book! I have heard good things about this author and am so eager to check out this book. I know this series was extremely popular, so it's fun to get to set it in a new edition. Maya is a fighter; she is strong and very interesting to read about. Her struggle with identity and her relationships still hold. It doesn't feel dated and the romance was just as good as I wanted.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Angelbound (Anniversary Edition) by Cristina Bauer.

A great revist to a book I read a long time ago!
Lovely editions and very nostalgic.

Absolutely loved it! Characters are beautiful and the writing style is beautiful with an amazing story line.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read this book years ago and it still hold up. The book follows Mya a part demon, part human, part ??? girl as she struggles to survive in purgatory, not for her life as she’s the best fighter there is, but out of boredom as her people are kept under the thumb of their overlords, and her fights in the Purgatory Arenas aren’t enough to excite her. Things start to heat up when she meets the Prince of Thrax, Lincoln who is part human part Angel, and I loved their relationship throughout the books.

What is special about the anniversary special is the bonus story about Walter, a ghoul who helps control purgatory now, but acts like Mya’s adopted older brother. It’s cutesy and with the rest of the drama of the first book, adds a sense of normalcy which is interesting. Loved this anniversary edition of one of my fave series!

I had enjoyed the first edition of Angelbound and was glad that it was updated. The main story worked well overall and I was enjoying the new bonus story. It was a overall great read and it reminded me a lot of what I enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for supplying the ebook for the review.

For those wanting my opinions on the story, please view my previous review of the audiobook. This review will only be covering the anniversary addition inclusions.

The little addition at the ending is cute for readers who love this series. It makes it more personal, and to me, it feels as if the writer created this addition for us loyal readers.

If you’re a fan of Christina Bauer, like I am, then you will love the chance to go back to the beginning of this series again. Although this wasn’t my first time reading this book, there are always details in the storyline that you forget as time passes. So it was great to capture those in my mind again.
I loved the illustrations of the main characters that are interspersed throughout the book too.
If you’re a YA book fan, or you like fantasy stories, then you should definitely get this book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book was amazing and it was so good. Loved the characters and the plot twists . Loved the ending

Well to start off will say I haven't read any books in quite awhile and I really wanted to start off with a good book that would sink its claws into me. This was that book I needed to get back to my reading it held my interest to the end. I liked how sarcastic and funny it was the parts about her tail having a mind of its own cracked me up. The pictures were a great part off the book very close to how I had imagined them. I also enjoyed how different the book was with hell purgatory and heaven I definitely needed a good fantasy book that had heat and fighting mixed with butterfly romance I hope to read the next book soon and highly recommend this one.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Yikes, this book was really bad. I don’t even know where to begin. Cissy is the most toxic best friend ever, Zeke’s a loser, Myla’s . . . Myla, and Walker is useless. I feel really disappointed because the book’s description made it seem like this book was going to be exciting and interesting but there was nothing remotely intriguing or compelling about the characters.

The main character, Myla, struggles with her identity and finds herself in limbo because her mother had a very complicated relationship with her father, as well as the book’s main antagonist (for almost half of the book, her father’s identity is completely unknown to her). Throughout the course of this book, her mother’s secrets are revealed to her but it doesn’t do anything to enliven the story. The book was so boring.

I could care less about her mother’s past as a Senator or her family background and how it all connected to Myla’s legacy. The plot was not engaging, the abilities weren’t enviable, the world-building was incredibly lackluster, my motivations for continuing to read were lacking, the dialogue was limited to the proficiency of middle-graders, not high schoolers, and, while certain characters were more likable than others (because characters such as Cissy were totally unlikable), they weren’t exactly riveting to read about.

I was not invested in the main character’s love interest, Lincoln, whatsoever. I literally could care less about their relationship, let alone their surface-level chemistry. I found the ghouls, demons, angels, and quasi-demons all plain, and these are some of the best creatures fantasy has to offer in terms of coolness! I felt like the entire inspiration for the story was missing, as if the author’s mood-board was dull; there was nothing to captivate me. I struggled not to DNF it; even at 46%, nothing significant had happened. No major event had dramatically transformed the plot. Myla’s life had not yet been severely altered. The chapters still primarily consisted of her fighting with her best friend and mom, or her fighting in the arena. Even the dreams she had were boring, and dreams are normally the most interesting thing about a person. What else can I say? I have to give this book one star.

This was great!! It was so fun to see what the characters looked like because I loved the audiobook. I was interested to see what these people would look like and this helped me want to read the next one with the guide that I also got from NetGalley.

3.5 Stars.

This book is interesting concept and creation. The writing is imaginative and the two leads balance each other well but the book left me wanting for something I wasn't able to get.

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for granting me a 'wish'.
It is an interesting concept the book has taken on. I must say I am interested by the plot.
<b> chev's system for reviews </b>
plot development ☆☆☆☆☆
character development ☆☆☆☆☆
<b> the rating </b>
5/5!!

Angelbound Enhanced is a partially illustrated edition with additional chapter samples of the first book of the Angelbound Origins series by Christina Bauer. Originally released in 2013, this reformat and enhanced re-release is 388 pages and is available in paperback format. Other editions available in most formats.

This is a YA/NA fantasy romance series with lots of angst and drama. Protagonist Myla is a kickass fighter whose day job is to fight opponents who seek redemption in the arena in Purgatory. She's a human demon hybrid (and she's got a tail, which is pretty cool). She's good at her job, undefeated in fact, but that doesn't stop her from having to get through her senior year of Purgatory High School.

The world building and story set up are competent, although I struggled to really build a rapport with Myla. I freely admit that I'm several decades outside the target audience, but the first third of the book dragged for me. The pacing does get better toward the middle, so I would encourage readers to stick around past the first parts of the book.

The language is surprisingly rough for a YA book, although again, I'm certain that no high schooler would blink an eye at the f-bombs and physical descriptions.

The ebook format contains hyperlinks and searchable text (I really enjoy this feature). The audiobook format has a run time of 14 hours 48 minutes and is capably narrated by the author herself.

Three and a half stars for this entry, rounded up for the competent writing and plotting. I would imagine it will likely be higher for the target audience.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Illustrated Edition just made the story come to life more. You were able to put visuals to the words on the page. Then of course this was for Myla. She was it all.

The truth of things has a price so different from love. The reality of things has a different price also. What is truth and what is reality? Myla Lewis finds the difference can be life changing. The reality of things may change this quasi-demon’s view on her world and her place within it. This was a YA read that transported you. Tempted you to think beyond the borders of your imagination and cross lines of reality. This was a woman on the edge of adulthood but this was most certainly a ya read. The violence was violent but not explicit or over the top. The lustful thoughts of a teen were just that. Everything was well rated and contained to suit the audience it was intended for. I loved the read. I was excited to be able to pick up the next book in the series. The flow was great. The characters varied and complex.

This book!!!! I absolutely love everything about it already and now, add in the illustrations and I'm even more addicted!!!

Love love love!

I could not finish the book. I got through 22% and I just couldn’t continue. The flow of the story was too choppy and the dialogue felt off. I had to reread a lot to try to “see” what was going on in the story.

Angelbound is the kind of book that I would have loved when I was just getting back into reading. It had all the components for a good time! I loved the plot and the writing style. I especially loved the characters. I will be purchasing a copy for my library.

Thank you Netgalley and Monster House Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I'd just like to point out that I am thrilled that I would be considered a thrax in this book, Usually people who have heterochromia would be considered evil but not here which is fantastic.

I loved this story from beginning to end, I felt it was engaging and flowed well. The characters were well written and it was great that there were pictures of the characters so I didn't have to visualise them in my head because I quite often get them slightly different.

I would happily read the rest of this series as I want to see how Myla copes with her new position and her relationship with Lincoln.

Angelbound (Angelbound Origins #1, Illustrated edition). By Christina Bauer. 2021. Monster House Books (ARC eBook).

I found Angelbound to be an entertaining read with a good voice for the teenage star, Myla Lewis. The relationships and action are well-balanced and the world building has me interested in the series.