Book Review: ‘All Those Broken Angels’ by Peter Salomon

I started reading All Those Broken Angels one night at around midnight. That was the worst decision I’ve ever made. By the time I finished it at three, I was so scared that I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night (or day, to be exact). Either All Those Broken Angels is downright creepy, or I’m just a coward. The truth is probably that I’m a coward, but for my image, let’s just say it’s the former. Be prepared to be scared.

Richard Anderson is definitely not your average guy. His best friend, Melanie, disappeared when Richard was six. However, some part of her remained, a shadow or some form of ghost that now accompanies Richard everywhere. When a new girl claiming to be Melanie moves to town, Richard must decide who to believe. The shadow leads Richard to her bones, but are those bones really Melanie’s? The clock is ticking, and the stakes are getting higher. Richard has some major decisions to make.

The plot of All Those Broken Angels is simply phenomenal. The author takes the reader on a roller coaster of a read – there are twists and turns when you’d least expect them. One becomes extremely dizzy, but at the end everything becomes clear. There are many possible explanations for the shadow’s existence. However, only one possibility is the truth. Peter Salomon didn’t choose the cringe-worthy route. Instead, he took his time, crafted a brilliant plot, and executed it perfectly. That being said, a great plot doesn’t always correlate with a great book.

Richard annoyed the hell out of me. His dependency on the shadow just sent me over the edge. Yes, it’s hard to lose a best friend and subsequently be haunted by a shadow. Nonetheless, those events do not excuse Richard’s character. His lack of individuality and inability to think for himself made it hard for me to continue reading the book. Considering Richard’s personality, I’m surprised that the book progressed the way it did. One would think that Richard would’ve died by the middle of the book.

Trigger Warning: there are quite of few scenes of abuse throughout the book. Additionally, other mature topics are mentioned. Be sure that you can deal with reading All Those Broken Angels before you actually read it.

All in all, Peter Salomon has written a solid novel. I will definitely check out his other books.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Publisher: Flux (September 8, 2014)

Source: Netgalley

ISBN #: 9780738740799

Length: 240 pages (Paperback)

Valerie Zhang

Valerie is sixteen. She attends a boarding school near Boston, where she writes, reads, and attempts to be a studious student. She's too lazy to write the rest of this bio, so follow her on Twitter @torquoiseworld because shameless self-promotion is alive and thriving!