Immortal City by Scott Speer

Immortal City (Immortal City #1)

by Scott Speer

Published April 3rd 2012 by Razorbill

Synopsis: 

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

My Review:

I was quite skeptical about reading this book because while I looking for a new take on Angels, making them superstars in Los Angeles sounded a tad... ridiculous. But, as it happened before, the cover drew me in. Yes, a bit shallow and all. But I wasn't wrong. It was good. I mean, there's a freaking hot guy on the cover with a tattoo peeking from his sleeve. C'mon! 

However, Immortal City had its own spin to the Angels vs Demons showdown that had me asking for something different. These angels aren't cloud-hopping warriors but rather almost normal people with seemingly altruistic motives to remain on earth. What they actually do is charge people to save them. Yes, charge them! There is no more miraculous, free save from death. God forbid, lol. The angels are bad, bad, bad. Think of Supernatural fans at a convention and multiply that by a hundred or so and you know what it's like to be an angel. They are super stars.  

Even though it was some sort of love triangle, another cliche nowadays, it wasn't the center of the story and it didn't take much space from the main couple, Maddy and Jacks. Yeah, there were the same insecurities: she's more beautiful, she's from your world and she's an angel kind of stuff. Normal stuff. 

But what I loved about the book was the fact that angels weren't glorified or anything. Yes, they were seen as otherworldly for their immortality and angelness, but they were quite human, too. 
Take Jacks for example, since he was a kid he aspired to be a guardian and he will do anything to become just that. He just wants to save people, be as great as everyone else expects him to be. But at the end of the day he's just another teenager, albeit an angel one, and so he's not any less prone to falling in love at the most inopportune of times. His life took an unexpected turn for when he met Maddy, a girl who doesn't swoon at the sight of him and isn't really an Angel fan. 
Maddy is your average girl next door who is realistic about things and doesn't expect much. She only wants to get good grades at school so she can have a chance to go to college. Maddy is smart, funny and, even though she doesn't think so, beautiful. Oh, and most importantly, she doesn't treat Jacks like he's all high and mighty. She knows better than to be bedazzled with the sparkly world that Jacks comes from. Or at least she thinks so.
The thing is that their love and passion was instant. And soon, they find themselves running for their lives and in the middle of an angelic war in which Maddy could be the key to. 
Anyway, back to the point and why I loved it so much.
It started off a bit slow but then picked up and kept my eyes glued to my Nook because I just had to finish reading it. For some reason, Jacks reminded of Jace Wayland from the Mortal Instruments series. The whole blond and god-like thing sort of really made me (metaphorically, of course) drool all over Jacks. Although, I did find that particular character flat at times. 
As for Maddy, she ran hot 'n' cold all the time. I was able to identify with her, but I found her a bit annoying. She was strong and brave, though. And she did feel real to me. So I do love her. :) The romance between her and Jacks felt real and almost tangible. The tension and passion projected and so I give the author an A+ in that department. It held my attention and all, but what I loved the most was the fact that even though I pretty much guessed who the killer is, they always give this big, meaningful speech that sounds creepy and it makes you scratch you head and go like, 'what?' but I kept second guessing myself. I was right, of course, but I did end up blaming someone else at the end just to have my first guess thrown back on my face. 
Ohh, and before I forget. Did I mention how awesome the demons were? No, uh, well. They were pretty cool. No, sexy, devil may care kind of demon that I absolutely adore, but rather the ugly horned thing that came straight from hell. Oh, yeah, it was awesome. I also give that an A+. 
The grand finale that Scott Speer wrote was explosive and tantalizing. A true epic ending. So I now sit on my chair anxiously waiting for the sequel. I just can't get enough of Jacks now, and no, I would so not be one of those screaming girls. (HA! Yeah, right. I'd so be one.) 


Trailer:

Now, I dare you to deny the fact that that dude looks just like freaking Jace Wayland. 

Rating: 4.5

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