Angel Maker

Angel Maker (True Grime, 2) by Natasha Deen, August, 2012. 312 pages. Published by Blueberry Hill. Source: Author.

For the last two years, human Aponi Runningbear has been training to be part of Grime, the magical police division tasked with protecting humanity from SOAP terrorists. But things aren’t going well. She’s barely keeping up with her studies, failing the physical component, and her Generalized Anxiety Disorder is making her bad days even worse. When her team is given the chance to find a missing coworker and stop SOAP from producing a DNA-altering drug that’s killing humans, Aponi grabs hold of the chance to show she’s meant for Grime. But as the investigation heats up, she’s forced to deal with the tormentor from her past, dead bodies, and the certainty that SOAP’s going to win this battle. Humanity’s dying, Grime’s in trouble, and she’s failing…does a foster kid really have what it takes to save the world and herself?

First Sentence:

In the city crime didn't sleep but if I couldn't defeat the aswang circling overhead, I'd end up napping in a pine coffin for eternity.

Now that things have finally started to settle down post-move, I am working on reviews for books I have read. This week, I am excited to share with y’all my thoughts on Natasha Deen’s Angel Maker the sequel to True Grime.

After the end of True Grime I knew there had to be more since things had been left a little open ended, like the fate of Pepper after her run in with SOAP. While Angel Maker focused more on the story of Aponi 

Runningbear, a straddler, then that of Pepper and Harley. Even though I loved Pepper and Harley's story from the first book, I really enjoyed the change of pace that Aponi's story brought to the series. What I liked most about her story was her imperfection and seeing her struggle to find her place in the group.

One reason that the story line for Angel Maker stands out so much more than the previous one is that there is more camaraderie between the different members of the Grime unit as they try to deal with both what happened to Pepper and the current trouble being caused by SOAP and other people (sorry my mind is drawing a blank). 

   Oops, got a little off track.  
So, what made the plot more interesting in book two, well, that would have to be because it felt like the problems being caused by the enemy touched a little closer to home with the whole Grime Unit. That's not to say that what happened in book one wasn't personal; I'm just saying that the plot seemed to affect the characters more since they were still dealing with the aftermath of book one.

Alright, so what did I enjoy most about this book, well, that would have to be seeing how Aponi slowly began to rely on her friends and teammates instead of trying to do everything herself. I thought it was nice because when you first meet her in True Grime she has nothing and relies on no one for help, so, to see her become more comfortable and to find her place was nice. So, yeah, I just really enjoy great character story lines, especially ones were the character overcomes a personality trait or something from their past to find their place in the grand scheme of things.

While Angel Maker was quite the interesting read, the one thing that failed to impress me in this one was the first chapter or two. I guess what really bothered me in the first two chapters was that it seemed that you were just tossed into the current story line, of Aponi taking a test to join the ranks of Grime, with no warning. Even though I usually enjoy books that get right into the story from page one, I thought that perhaps he opening of this one could have used a little segway or  something so readers could see the importance of it. So, the first bit of the book was a little rough, but all-in-all Angel Maker was quite the enjoyable read. 

Final Verdict: Angel Maker- Is one book I'd recommend for those looking for a different take on the whole fairy/faery world. It's a refreshing look at the genre that I think y'all will enjoy.

Angel Maker earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.