Teen Review: Devine Intervention

Devine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough
Release Date ~ June 5, 2012
Arthur A. Levine Books ~ Scholastic
ISBN13: 978-0545382137
Review copy received from Scholastic Canada

Goodreads Synopsis
There is a great legend of the guardian angel who traveled across time and space for the human girl he loved, slaying those who would threaten her with a gleaming sword made of heavenly light.

This is not that story.

Jerome Hancock is Heidi Devine's guardian angel. Sort of. He's more of an angel trainee, in heaven's soul-rehabilitation program for wayward teens. And he's just about to get kicked out for having too many absences and for violating too many of the Ten Commandments for the Dead.

Heidi, meanwhile, is a high school junior who dreams of being an artist, but has been drafted onto her basketball team because she's taller than many a grown man. For as long as she can remember, she's heard a voice in her head - one that sings Lynyrd Skynyrd, offers up bad advice, and yet is company during those hours she feels most alone.

When the unthinkable happens, these two lost souls must figure out where they went wrong and whether they can make things right before Heidi's time is up and her soul is lost forever.

Martha Brockenbrough's debut novel is hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, with a sense of humor that's wicked as hell, and writing that's just heavenly.

I knew as soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis for this novel, that this would not be a normal guardian angel story. And that impression was completely right!

1. Not the usual guardian angel:
   
   Like I said before, this is NOT the usual guardian angel story.  Jerome is not the perfect "guardian angel".  He is not described as being "incredibly attractive", and he's a lot more than just an angel.  He doesn't always give the best advice, and Heidi even gets fed up with him sometimes.  At the same time, Heidi's also not one of those girls that always needs saving, and boys do not come first on her priorities list.  These two characters made for a very different but enjoyable guardian angel novel.
   
2. Shorter Timeline:
   
   The timeline for this book is a bit different.  It runs over the course of one night, instead of multiple days, like most books are.  This shorter span of time meant that the whole night was written in a lot more detail that what it would have been like, had this have happened over say, a week.  I liked this aspect quite a lot for that reason.  The extra detail made it that much more enjoyable.
   
3. Heidi's character growth:
   
   The great thing about the short timeline is that it allows for concentration on the characters and their own personal growth.  In particular, there was a lot of this in Heidi's character.  I really liked that over the course of the novel, she became a much stronger character as a whole.  Through her struggle, she was able to change her view on a variety of things and grow up.  Her journey in this story is really what makes up the best parts of this book.     

I didn't really know what I was getting into when I started this novel, but I really enjoyed the experience.  I'd really recommend it if you are looking for something a bit lighter to read.