Review: Oracle of Philadelphia

Title: Oracle of Philadelphia (Earthbound Angels #1) 

Author: Elizabeth Corrigan 

Synopsis: Carrie works at a diner in South Philadelphia, dispensing advice to humans and angels wise enough to seek her counsel. But there are some problems that even the best advice can’t solve. Her latest supplicant, Sebastian, is unique among those who have sought her aid. He sold his soul to a demon in exchange for his sister’s life, but his heart remains pure. Carrie has lived for millennia with the knowledge that her immortality is due to the suffering of others, and she cannot bear to see another good man damned when it is within her power to prevent it. In order to renegotiate his contract, Carrie must travel into the depths of hell and parley with the demons that control its pathways. As the cost of her journey rises, Carrie must determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to save one good soul.

                                                              Amazon

My review:

I really love starting a book from a new author because I get into the reading with an open mind and waiting to be surprised, sometimes is for good and others for bad. Luckily Oracle of Philadelphia was a really good surprise.

Corrigan has created a "hidden world" of angels and demons where everything is possible. Her narrative is easy to follow and to understand. She has portrayed a fascinating view of well-known biblical stories which gives a refreshing touch to the development of the characters. 

Carrie is a fierce and faithful heroine who doesn´t give up against anything. Even though through all her lives she has been led down many times, she always  rise up and faces life with more faith and energy than before.

Bedlam is my favorite character and I would love to read more about him. He is an exuberant demon who seems to have bipolar disorder or something like that since his mind is a turmoil of thoughts. He is the "angel" of chaos, which suits him perfectly. He is Carrie´s best friend and he suffers from love, which I think is completely unfair because he is such a cutie! I want him for myself xD

Usually I am not a fan of flashbacks, they tend to confuse me and very often I felt they give irrelevant information. But Corrigan with her seemingly effortless use of flashbacks, she jumps back and forth between past and present so easily that sometimes I didn´t even realize it. Through her narrative style she has made me like them because she uses them as a narrative technique to give relevant information about the characters.  Sometimes I even enjoyed the flashbacks more than what was happening in the present time because I get to know more about Gabriel, Bedlam and the other angels and demons. I would definitely would like to read more about them and it would be really great if Michael had his own books because he is a really complicated character.

Oracle of Philadelphia is wonderful fantasy book that treats angel and demons stories in a refreshing and different way, though maybe very religious people won´t like it, which is a same because they will be missing an amazing book!