Review: Isabella's Heiress

Isabella's Heiress
N.P. Griffiths
Adult, Paranormal

Newly dead and struggling to cope with her new reality, Emma Elliott is thrust into a dark and desperate vision of London.

In her fight to survive she meets friends, both old and new, and uncovers a world inhabited by two warring clans of angels, one bent on the ultimate destruction of mankind, the other committed to our salvation. A way out presents itself but with the forces arrayed against her Emma starts to wonder why, of all the people who have found themselves in this position; she is being singled out for such special attention.

As time passes more questions arise for Emma. Who is Isabella, the woman she is constantly mistaken for? Who are the mysterious Cado Angelus who cast a shadow over Emma's every move? And what part does Emma have to play in the events that will soon unfold in her world and ours. 

I received this book for an honest review from the team at Authoright. Thank you!!

I had thoughts all over the spectrum for this one. Leggo:

- It was BIG. Now, sizable books are SO my cup of tea, but if they're not yours avoid this.  In the case of Isabella's Heiress, it was both a pro and a drawback - it worked in the sense that we got to explore Emma's life in the Twilight plane and before, and a lot happened. However, the novel started off very slow and only picked up about halfway through.

- The plot: Definitely was original, which was refreshing. It also has a lot of crossover potential; I had debated whether to categorize it as YA or Adult. I decided to go with Adult for a few reasons, the first and foremost being that there are a few harsher elements that I would recommend for an older audience. Torture, rape, and family disasters play roles, but small ones, therefore prompting me to say that it could work for teenagers, too. The other reasons I chose Adult in the end are Emma's age (not mentioned, but twenty-something implied) and the frankly, the lack of romance that all we young ones seem to want (if you are an exception to this understandable but ridiculous rule, by all means pick up this book). 

-Characters: Nothing remarkable on this front. Emma is realistic, brave and guilt-ridden, but not as kind and smart as we have come to expect from our protagonists. I liked the character of Father Eamon, and feel that Sister Ignacia could have been an interesting person to hear more about. 

-Setting: I ADORE London, and it was part of the reason I decided to read this book. However, I wish the idea of the Twilight plane was explained more. What do the inhabitants do all eternity? Is it London for all the initiates or is that just how Emma perceives it? What do the Cado Angelus and the Cordoban Council really want? What does the church have anything to do with this? What did the prophecy say and who issued it? The whole background story was murky and unclear, and I was left with more questions than answers.

Overall: As you can tell from above, I was really ambivalent about Isabella's Heiress- there was a lot I liked and a lot I didn't.  I think, though, that good structural editing and proofreading could fix most of the problems I had with this book(:
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Hope you've been having a wonderful holiday, be it Easter or Passover!
Love,
Esty