Review Time… Millie’s Angel!

Yoho Amigos!

Wah sorry it has been so long! I’ve been moving and dealing with an apartment not being ready to move into this past week… I love the physical aspect of moving but I hate packing, unpacking, bare rooms, and washing baseboards… So hate washing baseboards…

Anywho, today I bring you our first Review Request! Yup, we here at Booksboxesandbaubles are getting requests! It is the coolest thing ever. Also be warned this review does contain SPOILERS.  So without further ado… Le’sgo!

 

Title: Millie’s Angel: Just Imagine…

Author: Kim Petersen

Published: 2017/02/09

Pages: 412

Version: Kindle

Started: 2017/03/01

Finished: 2017/03/07

Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis: When her mother abandons her, Millie is left to pick up the pieces and care for her little brother, Ace. Just as she begins to accept her mother’s disappearance from their lives, Millie discovers the shocking secrets surrounding her birth; leaving her anguished and torn between her feelings for her father.

Through friendships, romantic connections and heartbreak, Millie learns that she is never alone to face the many obstacles life throws her way – for her life becomes centred on the celestial presence of an angel. As Millie becomes a young woman, she learns that in loving herself and directing the train of her thought-world, she holds the key to the Kingdom of Heaven: right here on earth.

When her mother contacts her a decade later, Millie visits with her just in time to realize her own angelic gift, when she finds she is not alone in discovering her mother’s whereabouts. With evil lurking between the cracks in her family, the appearance of Millie’s gift – a phenomenon that will heal and shine brighter than she could ever have imagined – changes her family’s perspectives and the direction of their lives forever.

My Thoughts: So as I mentioned above, a free copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review, super cool I know!

For starters, I really enjoyed the diary entries. Diaries are so personal and really help readers to connect with a character on a deeper level; personally I think it is more intimate than first person, you can lie to yourself all you want but the truth really comes out when laid to rest with paper and pen. I also really enjoyed the book was not just Millie’s perspective on things, readers got to see Ace’s life, the father, mother, and Emily the best friend’s life and thoughts which provided the audience a more well rounded world than what a single viewpoint allows. Petersen’s imagery is also breathtaking. She knows how to use colors, sights, sounds, and smells in a way that is rarely seen in writing anymore. Finally, while it was sometimes confusing, I liked the timeline; we start out with Millie being a young teen and follow her and the gang through adulthood! Most books I’ve read are just snapshots of the characters lives, this title is the whole movie, and Petersen is working on part two. I’m hoping it spans Millie’s daughter’s life, I would like to see what Petersen has in store for the little girl.

One thing I was confused about was the age of the intended audience; the writing seemed like it was aimed at middle school or early high school, but the subject matter was a lot darker than I would recommend for those ages. One example is Millie trying so hard to impress her new, slightly older, next door neighbor. Emily whips out a pack of cigarettes offering Millie one, and to show that she is totally cool (we’ve all been there right, trying to impress people? lol), Millie takes a drag and suppresses the tell-tale newbie cough. Nothing big right? Pretty typical high school stuff., but later in the book we have continued rape of a minor, spousal abuse, premeditated murder, rape, bullying, alcoholism, drug use/selling/growing, and sexual themes. These are some pretty heavy topics for minors, at least in my opinion.

I also feel like the synopsis provided is the absolute barest tip of the iceberg. Like I listed above, there is a lot more going on in this book than just growing pains, a mom leaving, first love, first loss, and a dad with an uber dark side. This book reminded me of A Child Called It, heavy on the darkness with little glimmers of light.

Overall, Millie’s Angel in an interesting read, it can be a bit wordy but it is definitely a page turner. And while not my usual cup of tea, if you are into books about characters dealing with heavy topics then this will be a quick and well spent read. I’m curious to see more works by Ms. Petersen and will probably be picking up the next installation in the series.

 

Even though it is a newly released work has anyone else read this book yet? What did you think?