I received a digital galley, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
I am not really sure what I was expecting, and I started reading this tentatively because not all angel books are created equally. But I will say that I was not disappointed, this was a fun read to say the least. It was fun getting to know Griffin and Basil. At the beginning I felt sorry for Griffin, and at the end I did as well. The difference would be that I think Griffin was at a place where he could handle himself a lot more. I don’t want to get into the myths or beliefs in angels, because it’s a nonissue. Sometimes when someone is reading stories about things that may or may not exist the author/reader gets stuck wrestling with the belief of existence. Griffin and Basil are Terrae Angeli- Earth Angels. The whole point of their existence is to stay on Earth and help people. They have free – will and can be either good or evil.
Griffin is a Tiro- an angel – in- training, so the story is about his preparing for the Proelium, a test that if passed he becomes an official Terrae Angeli and if failed he has to become mortal. Griffin had a rough start with his first mentor that was a tad abusive. I loved watching Griffin grow from a shy and low self-esteemed Tiro to a strong and compassionate Terrae Angeli. I loved the innocent romance that he found with his neighbor who is able to accept his angel-status. The banter between Menotr/Tiro (Basil/Griffin) was hilarious but underneath you knew that they cared for each other. Karchut did an excellent job with the research an amazing job with the story-telling. This was warm and fuzzy, but I found myself slowly getting wrapped up in the story, and I felt as if I was personal friends with Griffin and Basil.
The ending? I liked it because it was the least expected route. But I didn’t because I knew what it would mean for Griffin, but again I think he is in a place where he can handle it. I do have to say that I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.
Recommendation: Fans of YA and Angel books, this is a fresh look on such an ancient race of beings.
What’s Next? Griffin’s Fire

4 stars **** ( )

A short and sweet coming of age story with some pretty cool paranormal elements. I very much enjoyed this book. Told as a series of journal entries, as a reader, we are treated to a few different characters and their POVs. I really liked this aspect of the book as It helped me feel connected to each character in a different way. Each journal entry was so personal - the core of each character was right there - I felt drawn into the story very quickly and even with it's short length, the power and strength of story was very well played out.

My favorite aspect of Griffin Rising is it's characters. In the world Griffin finds himself in, his life very easily could have turned out very different. I loved his interactions with Basil and it was uplifting to see how much they loved and took care of each other. Perhaps a little confusing when a new character, Katie, was added into the mix but it passed quickly as I got used to her voice and looked forward to seeing her take on Griffin, Basil and their strange life.

A quick read with lots of background details that kept me interested and a strong cast of characters that gave the story depth. A book I really think younger male readers would really enjoy.

I'm keeping my eye on Darby and I would definitely read more of her books in the future. ( )

Holy crap, Batman! I don’t know where Darby Karchut has been (actually I do, I read the author info) but I can tell you, she is a welcome addition to the world of young adult writing! Her first-in-a-series novel Griffin Rising was a fantastic read that had me hooked at page one of the prologue.

Griffin Rising is a novel that follows Griffin (DUH!), a young Tiro or apprentice who is learning the skills necessary to serve the world as a Terrae Angeli or guardian angel. This particular caste of angels is completely earthbound and often blends into society at large which allows them to better perform their jobs. For the most part, the guardians look just like other humans but unlike the humans they protect, they have a unique skill set which requires training and years of practice to master. Griffin Rising traces Griffin’s life and training with his mentor Basil, a lovely British Terrae Angeli who comes to love Griffin as if he were his own. When Basil first encounters Griffin he finds a thirteen year old boy who has been abused by his first mentor, Nicopolis; Griffin is scared and virtually untrained despite his innate ability to control both earth and fire.

Rather than bogging the reader down in the minutiae of the training years, Karchut advances the story three full years following the meeting of Basil and Griffin. At this point, Griffin is sixteen, a funny and talented apprentice who is able to fully participate in rescue missions alongside Basil, and totally smitten with Katie, the girl across the street. It is in these aspects that the reader will find one of the novel’s greatest strengths: characters that are real and completely accessible to readers of all ages. Karchut establishes early on that the Terrae Angeli must blend into the human world. To support this she had to create characters that the reader could understand and fully relate too. Mission accomplished! Throughout the book there is humor, witty conversation, moments of anger, anguish and tension, as well as moments of fun and pure joy - all emotions that the reader can certainly identify with. Add to this the complete and utter likability of Griffin, Basil, Katie, and her parents and you have a wonderful cast of fully developed characters whose story you eagerly follow.

Rest assured dear reader there is drama aplenty in Griffin Rising as well. All Terrae Angeli apprentices must, at the end of their three year training period endure a wicked and awful test known as the Proelium. Unfortunately during the performance of his Proelium, Griffin’s tortured past comes back to haunt him in the form of Nicopolis. Oh Nicopolis, how I hate you!! This is yet another of the book’s great strengths, the level to which you find yourself actually hating a character. Thank you Darby Karchut for making me wish evil, awful, and vile things to happen to a guardian angel – I feel so good about myself now 

At the end of the day, Griffin Rising is an excellent book by an exciting new author in the young adult world. Take the time to read the information following the end of the novel: you will find that Karchut is an extremely well-educated writer who thoroughly researched her topic before setting pen to paper. Her research and preparation has paid off! Griffin Rising is an extremely well written first novel with strong characters (both likeable and not) an intriguing plot, and the potential to be an outstanding series. My only complaints about Karchut’s novel: 1) it ended and 2) the next book in the series Griffin’s Fire is not slated for release until April of 2012. ( )

Griffith Rising is a sweet story that will charm its way into your heart. ( )

Griffith Rising is a sweet story that will charm its way into your heart. ( )