Agresti, Aimee. Illuminate.

Agresti, Aimee.   Illuminate.  Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt Brace  514p  $17.99 978-0-547-62614-7       hs          VG      Fantasy    

In Illuminate, the first in an expected trilogy, Agresti creates an interesting tableau and a classic tale about good versus evil.  The brilliant Haven Terra and her friends Dante and Lance are very surprised to learn that they have each been given a prestigious internship at the soon-to-open, high-end hotel The Lexington in Chicago.  As their internships begin, the friends are excited to meet Alexia and Lucian, the owner and her lead employee, and The Outfit, a group of young adults who appear to be perfect.  When Haven’s photographs begin to show signs of disfigurement that grows over time, she begins to get a better sense of what is really happening at The Lexington.  The characters are all well written, and the author builds suspense, from the first hints of demonism and Satanism, until the somewhat angelic and predictable conclusion.

Young adults interested in angels and demons will find this book engaging and satisfying, and it is a highly recommended addition to high-school and public library collections where there is an interest in this kind of fantasy story. 

Fantasy – Fiction, Satanism – Fiction, Angels – Fiction

n  Lynn Fisher