The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker

Provided Summary by Book:
When a summer thunderstorm drives 12-year-old Samuel Chambers into a local antique shop, he finds himself watching through a crack in the door as three old fortune tellers from a visiting fair scratch a message onto the surface of a table: “Find the Tree of Life.” Tragedy strikes his family less than 24 hours later, and as those words echo in his mind he realizes that Finding the Tree of Life is his only hope. His quest to defeat death entangles him and his best friend Abra in an ancient conflict, and a series of strange events leads them closer to the Tree, closer to reversing the tragedy that took place. Can death be defeated? But as his own personal quest unfolds, Samuel comes face to face with a deeper, more difficult question: Could it be possible that death is a gift?

First Impressions:
It was very nice to receive a hardback for a change, while all books sent to us for reviews are adored and added to our collection the hardbacks just look nicer come photo-shoot time because the spine hasn't been bent awkwardly.
The use of simplistic colors and patterns makes me think of the simplistic authors that write young adult novels that I read like five and six years ago which is nice, kinda nostalgic.
From the side of the books (not the spine, the other side) you can already tell that the book has been divided into sections which will make it nice to section off for separate days of reading. Along with this, the use of quotes at the beginning of each section is nice.

Notes:
*will be updated soon*

Overall Review:
This novel was rather difficult for me to get deeply engrossed in, which seemed rather odd given how much I have looked forward to and enjoy receiving books to read and review from companies and fans. Initially the book flashed a lot between past and present without explanation which left me with many questions. Eventually these questions were answered but it would have been nice to be eased into the situation than just left to ponder the course. The topic itself was very heartening and I am sure that in some ways it may be a good novel for preteens who have experienced some form of loss and are having trouble grasping what has happened as well as for the youth who are ill themselves and fear what is to become of them. I highly doubt this is what the author intended but it comes off as such a novel to me. It may not be the best novel for everyone but it is something I am sure plenty of people will enjoy regardless of the critics.