Cassie Farrier does not look forward to a good night’s rest. Everyday she fears what is to come in her ‘dreams’- a terrifying journey that ends in the death of a Jewish girl in WW2. This nightmare is not fantasy- it is memory. The question is, how does Cassie remember things from a time 70 years in the past? How can she speak fluent German without ever having been there? Is this her? Who is she? The Doctor has the answers but she isn’t willing to reveal them. For now, Cassie must be satisfied with taking “therapy” sessions with the Doctor, and putting up with the other kids in the manor…

I find it frustrating that more and more YA novels are lumped as either guys’ or girls’ novels. In recent years a divide has been created that defines what girls should read and what boys should read, and neither should delve onto the other side. With a title like Angel’s Fury, this novel could be easily dismissed by my fellows males as beneath us, but it really shouldn’t be because Angel’s Fury is more than just a paranormal romance.

Both the title and synopsis (which portray Angel’s Fury as a somewhat supernatural romance-y novel) are deceptive, and neither quite touch on the disturbing imagery that this novel delivers: pain and death, primarily in a WW2 era (conveyed through flashbacks). I was surprised by the grittiness of it all, which I wouldn’t expect from a book titled Angel’s Fury. The violence of the flashbacks really grounds this as more of a supernatural thriller, something that defines the novel and sets it apart? from the multitude of other novels in the supernatural genre.

Bryony Pearce does well with her characters, too. Several of them have a mystique about them and raise suspicions substantially, though their deal is never quite revealed until the climax, when Pearce starts to reveal the more supernatural thread of the story which was previously pretty un-supernatural. Being set in a therapy centre for teenagers with past-life memories means that all the characters are quirky and slightly weird, and the concept ensures that the characters are really quite good. I particularly enjoyed the subtle romantic undertone between Seth and Cassie (because guys like romances too, you know!) and I look forward to seeing it develop in future books!

As a whole, Angel’s Fury proves to be a satisfying novel quite different from what the cover or blurb promises. It is a concoction of genres and a wholly enjoyable read. The climax may not be as epic as it would like to think it is, but the revelations are really quite bold and Pearce does well with the resolutions, which seemingly makes this part of a series. Angel’s Fury is a greatly entertaining novel written in an easy but solid style. And I definitely want to read on!