Angelhood by A.J. Cattapan
Vinspire Publishing
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy

Hi, Aadi here.

This week I’m reading Angelhood by A.J. Cattapan.

It’s such a touching story about a subject that we deal with a lot in Nacerma. Suicide is common here; even expected sometimes. I wish everyone in Nacerma could read this book and discover their true worth as human beings. Unfortunately, they can’t, but you can. Check it out.

Seventeen-year-old theater geek Nanette believes her life is headed toward stardom on Broadway. But when her dream theater college rejects her and her best friend dies in a terrible accident, Nanette decides the world would be better off without her. Unfortunately, the afterlife offers something less than a heavenly situation. Trapped between alternating periods of utter darkness and light, Nanette is stuck following a high school freshman around. Soon, she learns she’s a guardian angel, and the only way she can earn her wings is to keep her young charge, Vera, from committing the same sin she did—taking her own life. Unfortunately, Nanette is missing more than just her wings. She has no tangible body or voice, either. Frustrated by her inability to reach out to Vera and haunted by memories of her old life, Nanette wants to give up, but then she sees what happens when another Guardian at the high school turns his back on his charge. The shock is enough to supercharge Nanette’s determination. She’s going to find peace in the afterlife…as soon as she can convince Vera that living is what life is all about.

Excerpt:

A boy I’ve never noticed before is sitting in the back corner. He looks much too old for this freshman English class. By the stubble on his chin, I’d guess he’s at least a senior, but he could pass for college-aged. His hair is thick and wavy, and he wears a sweater that looks like it’s straight out of the 1950s—v-neck with a button-down shirt underneath. Apparently, he likes retro looks. A quirky smile plays on his lips, and I’m thinking he could break a lot of hearts despite his throwback style. Yes, I definitely would’ve noticed him if he had been in the room before. Did he just move to the district? Or was he transferred here from another class?
The bell rings, and Ms. Kitchin starts class. The students break into groups based on the colored strip they pulled, and Ms. Kitchin directs them to look at the poem on page 345. As the students move their desks, I watch the new boy, but he sits there, watching Ms. Kitchin. She ignores him. I wonder if she’s even noticed there’s a new kid in her class. He has no books. He doesn’t even have a colored strip of paper.
I glide around the room to avoid the students as they move their desks. I know from my experience in the church that they can move right through me, but old habits die hard. Besides, it’s too weird to know people can penetrate your space. When I shift to a new spot out of everyone’s way, I realize the new boy is now looking at something behind me, and the smile that was playing on his lips before has broken into a full-on grin. I turn to see what has caused this amusement for him, but there’s nothing behind me but an empty whiteboard. I turn back. He’s still smiling, and his eyes are fixed on me. I figure there must be some mistake, so I glide a few feet to the right. His eyes follow me. I glide back to the left. His grin broadens even more.
“Do you think I can’t see you?” he says.

Check it out. It’s available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle additions.

Have you already read this book? Tell us what you thought of it.