Angels Strange and Beautiful by Gina Fiametta

Something prowls the forest surrounding the small New England village of Reason, sending locals into a panic as they try to protect themselves and their children from the shadows and bumps in the night. Among these villagers, a young man follows his first crush—and his curiosity—into the woods and uncovers a tangled web of mystery, superstition, science, and true love. 

Several years later in a not-so-far city, a young orphan girl arrives from across the ocean into an uncertain future. When she’s found by an “angel-man” and his wife, she also finds herself pulled into the warmth and love of something she’s never experienced before: family. 

But is it enough to keep back the deadly fires of an arsonist?

And will the surge of fear and panic throughout the city push its leaders into uncovering the secrets her newfound family have kept—secrets that involve a certain village and its monster?

Narrated in a beautifully classic prose, Angels Strange and Beautiful weaves the two stories together through the eyes of the children who witness them. I was immediately reminded of classic American literature in the stylings of authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving, which fit the somewhat-ambiguous timeframe and more definitive geographical setting perfectly. Even between the different ages of each narrator, Fiametta matched the expected vocabulary and truly made it feel like I was listening to the character tell me the story over a coffee. 

While a romance is central to the overall events, it doesn’t make this book necessarily a romance novel. It’s clean in terms of spicy content, although there was a very slight hint at something “closed door” that made me giggle! 

I’d place this more in the Inspirational genre, with supernatural/paranormal effects woven into the story enough to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Recalling my earlier comparison to Washington Irving, the first half of Angels Strange and Beautiful definitely reminded me of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in its similarities to the narrative voice, superstitious villagers, eccentric “outsider” scientist, and the Is-It-Real-Or-Not/What-Even-Is-It creature haunting the wild woods of a young New England society.

Readers and booksellers should note that there is a strong Christian focus in the second half, with passages discussing Scripture, faith, and what it means to be Christian. While I personally loved this and know many of my customers, readers, friends and family will as well, I’m also aware that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. 

One great benefit of this narrative is how it challenges some of the worst perspectives found within church leadership, calling out hypocrisy and underlining the true mission of representing Christ:

“Her eyebrows went up. ‘Do you mean to say you force the needy to seek you out instead of stepping in where the need makes itself known?’

He looked a little flustered. ‘We want people to know that our service comes from God, and that the parish is a safe place to look for help.’

‘And how are they going to know that unless someone goes out of their way to reach them where they are? Are we not supposed to seek out and save the lost?’”

In terms of editorial curation, it is very clear that Fiametta worked with professionals to bring this to its best—clean copy, well-developed structure, and an overall care for details places this firmly among the quality ranks of traditionally-published novels. The beautifully handpainted cover evokes a sense of curiosity and mystery, and Fiametta’s own side comment at her book signing about “red leaves being important” made me eager to know why, how, and where! (They are, but I’m not going to give any spoilers!)

I highly recommend adding her works to your TBR, bookselling catalog, library (personal and/or institutional), and can confidently recommend Angels Strange and Beautiful as the perfect gift to give a reader who needs a cozy, heartwarming reading experience…with just the slightest touch of supernatural mystery.