Angel's Fury

July 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-English teenager Cassie is plagued by terrifying nightmares. When she goes on a school trip to Germany, she recognizes the site of an uncovered mass burial of a Holocaust victim from her dreams and reports it to the German authorities. The discovery makes international news. For the first time, Cassie realizes that in her dreams she is living through real people from the past. Her concerned parents decide to contact Dr. Leaza Ashworth, the specialist in past lives they took her to as a toddler. At that time, she became too controlling, and they ran away from her. At Dr. Ashworth's treatment center, Cassie meets others suffering from recurring nightmares. She immediately connects with Seth, an older boy whom she has seen in her dreams, and she soon realizes that her past lives have given her a knowledge of weapons and that instead of curing her the doctor wants to turn her into a killer who will help her destroy humanity. She vows to escape with the other children before it is too late. A taut plot and sympathetic characters will draw in most teens. However, discerning readers will wonder why Cassie's caring parents allow the same doctor they once feared to have legal guardianship of their daughter and why the staff at the treatment center seems to be oblivious to Doctor Ashworth's evil intentions. Biblical references, brief allusions to sexuality, and violent passages are included. Since Cassie is one of the 200 children of a fallen angel and she is determined at the end of the book to locate the others, this story leaves room for sequels.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.