TLR Fan Feature (15): Interview with the Fan

Today's post features TLR's fan interview with Nicole.

About Nicole:

Hi there! My name is Nicole Mainardi and I'm addicted to reading. I am a college student with an English major, and an avid reader, mostly of young adult paranormal novels. I'm living in the Los Angeles area, though I've lived in Arizona and Michigan. I play soccer, but that's about the only exercise I can stand. The first book website I belonged to was Goodreads where you can find many more of my book reviews. Since then I've become a member of netGalley and Librarything. I am currently finished with a very rough draft of my first novel of 103,000 words, which is a YA paranormal romance, tentatively called Of The Broken. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me on the blog, on my Goodreads page, or at mainardi.nicole(at)gmail(dot)com.

Find Nicole Online: Twitter | Facebook | Blog

TLR: What captivates you the most about this series?
TRA: It's so unique. When I first started reading it, I couldn't believe that no one had thought of having a YA series with reapers like Courtney Allison Moulton did. Ellie is a great heroine. She's fierce, but she's forced into this world that she's expected to remember, so she's still an American teenager from the 21st century. And Will is... well, he's kind of everything you want in a guy. This series captivates every one of my senses.

TLR: If you could trade places with any of the characters from the book(s), who would you choose? Why?
TRA: Well the obvious answer is Ellie. One reason is because she can kick butt all of a sudden and I would love to be able to just punch walls in. Sounds weird, I know, but in dreams, whenever I'm trying to beat someone up (yes, this is totally normal) my punches and kicks are always really soft and don't do anything and it's really annoying... Too much? Okay. The other reason is the obvious one: Will. Being a reader and a writer, I know that authors write about the perfect boy that they would want or would have wanted at that age. Courtney Allison Moulton has created the perfect male to swoon over. Will is definitely one of my fictional boyfriends.

TLR: What did you think of Courtney Allison Moulton’s (CAM) twist on the angel mythology?
TRA: I'm always looking for a unique book that has angel mythology. I hate when it's all the same. A lot of YA authors are coming up with creative ways to bring out certain aspects of the angel mythology, but with this series it's almost like they're not angels. I mean, they are because they have wings, but they don't fight like the typical angels. And they don't fight demons or just some sort of human-paranormal bad guy, but they actually fight reapers. Which is awesome. Obviously.

TLR: What are two books you would recommend to Angelfire fans?
TRA: Hmm good question. The first series that comes to mind is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. While Nora doesn't kick as much butt as Ellie does (because, really, who can?), she's still a very likeable heroine. And Patch is just as yummy, and maybe even yummier, than Will. I know hard to believe, but this book is definitely on par with Angelfire. Another one is Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly. I kind of recently discovered this series and I love it. The heroine, Willow, is actually the angel this time, although her angel self is kind of detached from her human self. It's definitely a fresh take on the angel mythology. And Alex is pretty sexy as well, even though he's just a human. Although he is angel-killing human, so that gets pretty crazy when he meets Willow. There are other angel books that I would recommend but these were what I thought of.

TLR: If you were Ellie, how would you have reacted the first time you saw a Reaper?
TRA: Umm... I would totally freak out. I wouldn't believe it for one second, even upon seeing the bad reapers. It kind of helped Ellie that she had Will there to help her through it. If I didn't have someone to help me, I think I would have found myself in an insane asylum. Hmm, that may have been an interesting twist to this series... Anyway, not the point. If I saw one, I think I might even pass out. I've only passed out once, but I think it could be a reality in this case.

TLR: If you went out to hunt with Will, what would your outfit look like?
TRA: I like this one! I'm not as girly as Ellie, so I wouldn't think to dress as cute as her. Let's see, I'd wear black skinny jeans that are able to stretch a little (you know, for kickability) and a tight black t-shirt that's either short-sleeve or long-sleeve depending on the weather. I would wear kick-butt black boots with a light heel that lace up. And that's it! Yes, I have thought long and hard about this outfit. Guys like a girls in tight black clothes; it's statistically sound.

TLR: Besides swords, what other weapon would you choose to use to fight/kill reapers with?
TRA: This might sound weird, but there's this really awesome sword that they use in the game Halo. There's a sort of handle and two swords come out of both ends of it. But instead of metal blades they're blue energy blades. Now put Angelfire on that and you'll be gold.

This or That: Angelfire Edition

TLR: Strawberries or carrots?
TRA: Definitely strawberries.

TLR: Hair up or hair down?
TRA: If I'm fighting? Up. Normally? Down.

TLR: Lake or ocean?
TRA: Depends on my mood. I used to live in Michigan (I know pretty much every nonfictional place that she's talked about), and so lakes are really cool with bonfires and night-boating. Oceans are great during the day when you want to get away from the inland heat (I know this because now I live in California about 8 miles from the ocean). So both are pretty awesome for different reasons.

TLR: Puerto Rico or Minnesota?
TRA: Puerto Rico would be a great place to vacation or have my honeymoon at. Minnesota is also a place you visit, but only if you have family. I love snow, but it's really frickin' cold there.

TLR: Ability to be invisible or read minds?
TRA: Definitely invisibility. Harry found out so many things with his invisibility cloak. And he didn't need the ability to fly because he had a broom. Ellie obviously doesn't to fly either because she has Will and her swords. Invisibility would suffice for her to get the better of her enemies.

TLR: Green or blue?
TRA: GREEN!

TLR: Winter or Summer?
TRA: Winter. I know, I'm weird. But I love snow, and here in California you actually have to drive to the mountains to be in snow. Cold weather is more my friend than warm weather is.