General Fiction
Plot/Idea: Guardian Angel is a mystical suspense thriller that features engaging characters and a compelling plot. A melding of the real and the supernatural, the storyline sees two opposing realms spectacularly collide while a burgeoning love story brews in the background.
Prose: Bowen's text is accessible and easy to follow, with some pleasant passages of description that help consolidate the tense atmosphere. The battle scenes are engaging and dynamic while the relationship that develops between Dawn and Mike is tenderly wrought.
Originality: Ultimately, Guardian Angel is a fairly run-of-the-mill suspense novel which is at best an engaging blend of supernatural intrigue and drama. And although the plot and character development are slightly undercooked, there is enough stark melodrama to keep readers on their toes throughout.
Character/Execution: Bowen's central characters, Dawn and Mike, are written tenderly and sensitively, even though they are fairly one dimensional. The depictions of angels are quite impressive despite long stretches of often uninspiring dialogue.
Plot/Idea: Hallberg starts with a strong plot hook, exploring the complexities of growing older by fusing the lives of two people who have nothing in common on the surface. Subplots throughout the novel don't quite measure up to the main storyline, but readers will be intrigued by Letty Mae's travails.
Prose: Letty's voice is swift and succinct, delivered in compact, crisp sentences. Other sections of the novel come across as more fluid, but Hallberg capably uses those contrasting styles to portray different perspectives.
Originality: The main premise of Hallberg's novel—two people discovering unexpected solace with each other in the midst of hard times—has been done before, but there is a deeper meaning behind this narrative that probes life's more subtle paradoxes.
Character/Execution: Letty is a relatable protagonist, though her character lacks depth aside from her dissatisfaction with her marriage. Drucker is interesting, an enigmatic character who has moments where he is decidedly unlikable, but Hallberg later provides background to his story that will help readers better understand his development.
Plot/Idea: Pink Tuxedo sets its sights high, pulling in several threads that promise action and a hint of suspense. Unfortunately, the novel doesn't quite realize that ambition, though readers will find Tomasz's journey amusing at times.
Prose: Acosta writes formal, sometimes robotic prose that leans heavily on philosophical asides to illustrate the novel's underlying themes.
Originality: Tomasz is a classic picture of a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in an unlikely situation that forces him to rethink his interactions with society.
Character/Execution: Throughout Acosta's writing, Tomasz comes across as a man in over his head, bumbling through circumstances that challenge him at nearly every turn. That personality drives the main events as well—they unfold erratically, mirroring the way Tomasz navigates his progressively confusing world.
