Rebel Wars - 2018 Awards [CLOSED]

HORROR/PARANORMAL/MYSTERY/THRILLER WINNER || The Angel of Vengeance

The Angel of Vengeance

By ReneeShantel

Review by AmyMarieZ

Overview: The Angel of Vengeance is a paranormal story that captures the reader right from the start. The combination of its unique plot, relatable and endearing characters, and intense mystery make this story an absolute page turner and difficult to put down.

The story follows Zoe, a high schooler with a special power(or perhaps curse)—she dreams deaths of strangers before they happen. While the dreams themselves are traumatizing, the story really kicks into high gear when Zoe dreams about a group of men coming to her door and killing her father. Determining that they only have two weeks before the event will occur, Zoe and her father scramble to find safety and figure out who it is that is coming for them, and why.

Plot and Pace: The prologue of the story kicks it off with a bang, as the final minutes of Hayden's life are shown when he perished in a house fire. From there, the next chapter opens with Zoe on the other side of the world having just dreamed of Hayden's death. The prologue and first chapter are a great way of introducing Zoe's ability in an engaging and intense way.

The chapters that follow introduce the reader to Zoe's life as it is. We learn about how her power affects her and makes things challenging. We learn how much she cares for her friend Matt, and we learn about the strong bond between Zoe and her father. But that's not all! This set of chapters also introduces Nate and Paris, a pair of new students at Zoe and Matt's school, which according to them is an unusual occurrence. While showing Zoe's life endures the character to the reader, the new kids at school add just a hint of mystery to make the reader wonder what is up with them.

The pace picks up once again when Zoe experiences another dream where she witnesses her father's death. This chapter really got my heart pounding, and I didn't even realize it was a dream. I was terrified, what a relief when it was all just a dream...but wait a minute... Zoe doesn't have dreams, she has premonitions.

So, from here, things start to get really intense as Zoe and her father make plans to get out of town before the men from her dreams come to kill them. They calculate based on the details of the dream that it will occur in two weeks' time.

Here's the point where I was expecting Zoe and her dad to jump in the car and zoom across the country, but I absolutely love that that is not what happens in this story. Zoe and her father are realistic, and they know that is not an option. They can't just pick up and leave that easily, they need to plan, they need resources, and they need money.

In the meantime, while Zoe's father acquires the means to get them out of town, Zoe continues going to school. You could say that these scenes are a bit slow compared to the rest of the story, but they are so necessary for making it feel real, important, and more than just a thriller. It's also about the pain Zoe goes through saying goodbye to her friends... or not saying goodbye, which is perhaps more painful, since Zoe can't even tell them she is leaving. It's just plain heartbreaking.

Right when I started to think the story was starting to get a bit side-tracked with Zoe going to hangout with the new student Nate after school, the plot pulled back together and surprised me once again! I won't spoil the story any further, so I'll just leave off with saying Zoe is in for an unfortunate surprise when she arrives at Nate's house.

Characters: It is difficult to say what is the best part of The Angel of Vengeance because it is an all around star, but I'll say that the characterization is one of the things about it that impresses me the most. The way Zoe's relationship with her father is shown is so heartwarming. It is clear how much both of them care about each other through all of the little things they do. It's the details that make them seem real, for example how they always have pasta night on Fridays (until one of Zoe's dreams unfortunately ruins that) and how Zoe's father comforts her but never pushes her to explain anything after she has one of her dreams. I loved the scene where after Zoe dreams about her father's death, they both stay up together all night watching a classic horror movie, because that's just their thing.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Matt and Zoe. It is clear that she cares about him, although their relationship has a bit more tension to it. It seems like Matt likes Zoe, since he is so protective of her and moody/angry when she starts talking to one of the new kids. This adds a bit of drama into the story. Then, the fact that Zoe has to leave him without saying goodbye makes their friendship heartbreaking.

Description and Writing Style: I absolutely love the descriptions and writing style in this story. The descriptions are vivid and intense in the scenes where they need to be (for example when Zoe is having one of her dreams) but when they don't need that intensity they are tamed down. The descriptions do their work to develop the scene without ever becoming distracting. I can picture everything that is going on in the story with ease.

The writing style is admirable as well. The writing flows so smoothly, making it easy to get lost in the story. I can't stress enough how much I love all of the little details that are worked into the story telling. They bring the characters and the story to life and make it feel real.

Summary: The Angel of Vengeance is a beautiful combination of a paranormal thriller and a tragically heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story about a young woman who is suddenly forced to leave everything she once knew and loved behind. It is a masterpiece of characterization. The nuances and details in each of the characters make them feel so real and genuine, which only makes it that much more heart wrenching to read about their struggles. I can't wait to find out how this story will conclude, and I can clearly see why this story not only won its category in the Rebel Awards, but also received a perfect score from ALL of the judges! Fantastic work!