The WordSmithe

First off, this was not something I would normally read. It was book one in a collection of paranormal stories. "Darkangel" by Christine Pope was a surprisingly interesting story.

Although there are numerous tales about witches, this one was quite inventive. One of the secondary characters, Sydney, summed the story up quite well--the Montagues and the Capulets (that's 'Romeo and Juliet' for anyone who has never read or seen the story). In Pope's version, Angela McAllister is Juliet and her Romeo is Connor Wilcox. The McAllisters and Wilcoxes are two clans of witches who have been in battle for decades. But, there's no fatal pledge between the two 'clan-crossed' lovers. Instead, it's more of a 'love you to death and beyond' sort of thing. After all, they are witches.

This was not a typical paranormal romance tale either. This first book has the main character, Angela, looking for the man of her dreams (literally) but it's not an obsession for her (yet). That's the concern of her clan. She's destined to rule them and the head of the clan is supposed to have a mate.

I appreciated Pope's use of description. Although I've traveled through Arizona and have an idea of what it looks like, anyone could easily picture Jerome from her detail.

Although I enjoyed the plot and characters, the overall story was rather humdrum. There wasn't any real action until the final chapters. The rest of the book was more like a very long prologue.

The last two chapters had me eager to pick up the next installment. I recommend Christine Pope's "Darkangel". It is a well-written and creative story. Just be patient. The best is yet to come.