Originally posted on Christa's Hooked on Books 
 Until Next Time, the first in a new series, is definitely a unique take on the traditional young adult angel novel. 
 There are two main reasons I found this book was set apart from others like it - its setting and the presence of religion within the story. I want to speak to each of these elements and why they worked (or didn't) in this novel. First off the setting, the majority of this book takes place in a historical Ireland. This was a big plus right off the bat. I love stories set in Ireland. It's beautiful, filled with history and just a little bit magical. Amy Lignor put so much thought and detail into the setting, at times it felt like I was being swept away by a historical fiction novel, instead of a paranormal. It was beautifully done. 
 Then there was the heavy religious connotation to much of the story. In many ways I appreciated it. I'm not a very religious person but I have to admit it irks me that many of the recent angel novels, go out of their way to avoid talking about religion. If you're going to write about angels, you should at least acknowledge where they came from. From the beginning of Until Next Time, we're introduced to heaven and a whole legion of angels and saints, including Gabriel, Michael, Mark and Thomas. I thought this was an interesting choice and it sets this book apart from many others I have read this year. 
 Unique or not, there were a still a few elements of this story that really didn't appeal to me. Though I appreciated the religious element, I didn't find it very well done and at times was more than a little confused. Matt and Emily are partners. Angels sent down to heaven to assist/carry out job left unfinished. However the logistics of this were never very clear and whenever they were sucked back up to heaven for a "lesson" or to save some souls I ended up rereading passages and becoming very confused over who knew what and who was responsible for specific jobs. I was also lost in regards to the whole "soulmates" situation. Apparently Matt and Emily are soulmates but when she's on Earth she's playing the part of the human so she's allowed to experience things like love and falls for another guy. This becomes a major source of conflict between Matt and Emily in the angel scenes that are interspersed throughout the novel. But if they couldn't fall in love until they were human, why was there soulmate situation so strongly emphasised before they went down? Exactly what emotions are the angels capable of feeling? There was just too many questions for me. 
 Overall this was a really interesting book and the main, earthly story line was really captivating, the setting was beautiful, there are some stellar characters. I personally really loved Faith. There were times she actually made me laugh out loud. The angel-half of the story wasn't really for me but I can recommend it to those who enjoy other YA angel novels. You'll find some similar elements you're sure to love, but they're within a story that's fresh and exciting.