4 out of 5
Book by Sara Downing
An interesting slow-burn story about self-discovery
Eve Chapman is trapped in a coma. No matter how hard she tries, her family, friends, and not so loyal boyfriend Nathan, can’t hear or see her. But Eve is there. She’s just in another plane of existence, trapped and alone. But then she meets fellow coma patient, Luca Diaz, who takes her under his wing and teaches Eve how to use her new angelic abilities to help the living. But the more Eve struggles to find a way back to her body, the more she cannot fight her attraction to Luca. Is her old life worth going back to at all?
The book certainly has an interesting, somewhat dark premise, and contains both sad, happy, humorous, and tragic moments, with several stories interconnecting. It is a slow-burn story. The writing is clear and simple to follow, but lacks the intensity to be gripping. It’s only till about a third of the way through the novel that Eve and Luca start to have feelings for each other, and by that point, the romantic development between the pair is somewhat rushed and disappointing.
The novel is cleverly told through Eve by two different points of view. One trapped in her comatose body, and the other outside of her body. Not only does Eve struggle to return to the waking world, but she grapples with her new angelic abilities to do good. She is a guardian angel to the outside world, determined to help others. The more she sees and experiences life from her spirit form, the more grateful she becomes for own life.
Overall, this book lacks in romance, but makes up for it in Eve’s moments of enlightenment and self-discovery.