Review: Collide by Ashley Stambaugh

CollideCollide
(Collide #1)
by Ashley Stambaugh
NA Urban Fantasy
ebook256 Pages
March 9th 2014 by Astraea Press

Summary

Melina Rowe never thought her quiet, simple life could change to one full of fear and confusion just by accidentally bumping into someone. But after she collides with an elderly man named Walter, she starts to hear people’s thoughts and have unsettling visions.

Walter reveals himself as a guiding angel and explains to Melina that she’s a rare type of human who can absorb angel powers. But her special ability is more of a problem for her than a gift.

The powers are too strong for humans and will eventually kill Melina unless she can successfully use them to help a select individual who’s in need of guidance. Her chances are slim, though, seeing that the handful of other humans this has happened to before didn't survive.

Scared for her life, Melina desperately tries to help a young man named Lee, but his continual resistance and her struggle with the powers make it almost impossible. Her situation only grows worse when a trio of soul-snatching demons is sent by an unknown entity to take her soul and kill her.

As a determined Walter sets out to discover who sent the demons and why, Melina must defend herself from their relentless attacks all while trying to use powers she doesn’t fully understand to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. If she can’t figure out how to break through to Lee, the powers will ultimately destroy her. But if the powers don’t kill her first, the demons will.
  


My Review

I have enjoyed tales about humans and angels in the past, so Collide peaked my interest since it takes a little bit of a different slant on the usual story. There was no angel falling in love with a fallen angel or with a human. There was no great leader of demons fighting against a great leader of angels. Instead this was a story about a human who ends up with these amazing powers and because she does, becomes a target for some demons and their leader and must earn the trust of another human to save herself.

I really liked Melina. She is mostly where she wants to be professionally, but not personally. She has a good and loyal small group of friends. She is pretty much your usual human. She runs her parents' book shop and she likes to go run in the mornings and hang out with her friends. Then she literally runs into an angel and comes away with new powers. That one occurrence changes the course of her life. She suddenly has it much tougher. She must help a man named Lee to help her with her new powers and he doesn't even know that he needs the help or needs to help her. There is a slue of characters with Melina and her friends and Walter and the angels, but there are only a handful that play main roles.

I liked the plot, for the most part. I did want to see a lot more explanation and development. I wanted to really be immersed in the characters and the setting so that I was really pulled into the story, but I didn't feel that I was. I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Melina and Lee. I felt more like she was a stalker and I wanted things to come about differently. I also felt that the characters seemed to accept things so easily as did the angels, all things considered. I felt like the back-story, the build-up, and the main plot just needed a lot more feeling and depth and explanation (not through info-dumping, but just as the characters figure things out).

This was still an enjoyable story and I loved that it was clean. There is a lot of potential here. Collide is for those readers who enjoy reading sweet, clean, and light stories with some action and angels woven in.

Content: Clean

Source: From the author, which did not affect my review in any way.


What do you think? Have you read this or plan too?


15 comments

  1. "Destined for Doon" looks amazing, why haven't I heard of this series before? Now I'll have to add it to my ever-growing TBR list!
    You can find my WoW here

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  2. Tried and True looks cute. I have Doon but I haven't read it yet. I need to, since Destined for Doon is coming out soon!

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  3. kirstymariejonesstudioreads6/18/14, 8:03 AM

    Haven't heard of either, but both sounds really good! And loving Destined for Doon's cover. :)

    Here's mine


    Kirsty @ StudioReads

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  4. Both of these look great! I am going to add them to my TBR pile, along with the Doon #1 book!

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  5. I have to agree with Sofia.The Doon series looks amazing and why have a never heard of this series before.I have never heard of the musical it's based on.
    Tried and True looks great too.I love books set around or after the Civil War.The heroine sounds independent and strong.

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  6. Cali Willette6/18/14, 3:40 PM

    Good review. I like the cover. ;)

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  7. Both sound great...I have had Doon on my TBR list for a bit. I love that you guys always know what is coming out!

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  8. I never read Doon, but it does sound good, I should check it out! Do you know if it's just the two books or will it be more? Great picks! ~Pam

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  9. You're welcome, Kimber. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. I need to hunt that song down too...

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  11. Me too. There are certain songs I think could inspire a whole story on their own.

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  12. I hope you enjoy it when you read it!

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