No Angel by Helen Keeble
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication date: October 8th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Rafael
Angelos just got handed the greatest gift any teenage boy could ever
dream of. Upon arriving at his new boarding school for senior year, he
discovered that he is the ONLY male student. But what should have been a
godsend isn’t exactly heaven on Earth.
Raffi’s about to learn that St. Mary’s is actually a hub for demons-and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he’s no angel-but it’s pretty hard to deny that there’s some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.
Helen Keeble’s debut novel, Fang Girl, has been praised for its pitch-perfect teen voice, and VOYA called it “refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series.” No Angel brings you angels and demons like you’ve never seen them-complete with the wry humor of Vladimir Tod, sinfully irreverent romance, and some hilariously demonic teenage dilemmas.
Raffi’s about to learn that St. Mary’s is actually a hub for demons-and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he’s no angel-but it’s pretty hard to deny that there’s some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.
Helen Keeble’s debut novel, Fang Girl, has been praised for its pitch-perfect teen voice, and VOYA called it “refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series.” No Angel brings you angels and demons like you’ve never seen them-complete with the wry humor of Vladimir Tod, sinfully irreverent romance, and some hilariously demonic teenage dilemmas.
Purchase:
No Angel excerpt
In which our hero arrives at his new school…
The shiny new sign above the towering wrought-iron gates said St. Mary’s Boarding School for Girls and
Boys, which, as it turned out, was wrong by one letter.
“Wait,” I said, staring at the Headmistress with a slow-rising
sensation of dread. “You mean I’m just the first guy to arrive,
right?”
“If you fail to understand the meaning of the word only, Mr. Angelos, I will
have to schedule you for remedial English lessons,” replied the short,
severe woman. “But to make it crystal clear, you are indeed the first,
sole, singular member of the male gender here.” It was obvious that
she considered this at least one boy too many. “I trust you will be
a worthy representative of your species. Welcome to St. Mary’s.”
Declarations of outright war had been uttered in friendlier tones.
I grabbed my dad’s arm as he came back from the car, carrying the
last of my suitcases. “I’ve changed my mind,” I said, turning
us away from the waiting Headmistress. “Don’t leave me here!”
“You were the one who begged to come to your mother’s old school
when you found they were accepting boys this year. ‘A way of honoring
her memory’, you said.” He dropped my bags in front of the school
gates and raised an eyebrow. “Not to mention ‘a heaven of honeys
in very short skirts’, as I recall you saying to your friends.”
I flushed. I hadn’t realized he’d overheard that conversation.
“But I thought there would be at least a few other guys around.
Who am I supposed to talk to?”
“Girls?” Dad suggested mildly.
“Ha ha. Seriously, Dad!”
“You want serious?” Dad folded his arms, looking up at me. “It’s
cost me a serious amount of money to enroll you here, so I expect you
to actually make an effort for once, Raffi. St. Mary’s has always
been one of the most exclusive schools in England, and we’re incredibly
fortunate that they’re opening up to boys at last. And even more fortunate
that they’re allowing you in for just the final year.” His finger
jabbed me in the center of my chest. “You will work hard.”
Behind him, the Headmistress’s expression suggested that she personally
thought boys were best put to work down dangerous mine shafts.
I scowled down at my feet, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my
new suit. “If it’s so fabulous here, then why didn’t any other
guys apply?” I muttered under my breath.
“Our entrance requirements are extremely strict,” the Headmistress
said as if I’d spoken normally. “There was no shortage of male applicants,
I assure you. Were it not for your late mother, I would have rejected
you along with all the rest. But she was a personal friend of mine,
as well as an outstanding member of this institution.” She fixed me
with a piercing stare. “I trust you will live up to her legacy.”
“You hear that?” My dad poked me again. “This is your last chance,
Raffi. You’re lucky to get into any school, after what
happened at your last one. You should be grateful for this opportunity.”
In my head, I started reciting the inevitable speech along with him.
I’d heard it enough times to have it memorized. “You can’t keep
wandering around in a dream, absent-mindedly strewing chaos in your
wake.“
Honestly, incinerate one lousy building by
accident once, and your dad will
never, ever let you forget it. “That fire wasn’t my fault!“
“Perfectly ordinary toasters do not spontaneously spout four-foot
pillars of flame!”
The Headmistress took a phone out of her pocket and murmured into
it, “Memo to self: Mr. Angelos is banned from Home Economics.”
My dad was still on a roll. “Your problem, Raffi, is that you’re
too unworldly for your own good. You have got to quit goofing off and
start paying attention to what’s going on around you-“
His voice droned on, but I didn’t hear another word. I was too busy
falling in love.
She was tall, only a few inches shorter than myself, but so light
and slender she seemed to float on the breeze. Her feet barely made
any sound on the gravel as she slipped round the gate and headed for
us, her waist-length blonde hair rippling behind her like a cloak. Even
though all the girls must have been warned boys were joining them this
year, she still did a very gratifying double-take at the sight of me,
her summer-sky eyes widening. For my part, it was all I could do not
to gawp at her like a total idiot. The instant I saw her, I knew her.
She was The One.
For a moment we stared at each other. Then the girl shook herself,
her hair shimmering with the movement. A delicate rose tinted her high
cheekbones, but — my stomach dropped into my socks — she didn’t
look pleased. A small frown marred her perfect face as she turned decisively
away from me. “M- I mean, Headmistress?” Even her voice was perfect,
so soft and sweet I half-expected her to break into a duet about kittens
and rainbows with a passing bluebird. “Everyone’s ready and waiting.”
“Thank you, Faith,” the Headmistress replied. She lifted a hand,
cutting off my dad’s lecture. “Major Angelos, while I am certain
your son’s head has not yet been filled with your sound advice, time
grows short. I must ask you to make your final farewells.”
“Of course.” Dad put his hands on my shoulders, looking me squarely
in the eye. “Now promise me you’ll apply yourself, Raffi.”
“Oh,” I said, staring past him at Faith. “You bet I will.”
“That’s my boy.” To my utter mortification,
Dad ruffled my hair, then pulled me in for a hug. “You’ll do fine.”
“Mr. Angelos, you may leave your bags here for now,” the Headmistress
said as I disentangled myself as fast as possible. “Faith will escort
you to the hall. A last word with you please, Major Angelos?”
“This way,” Faith said, holding the gate open for me. She avoided
my eyes, her own gaze lingering on my dad and the Headmistress as they
headed back toward his car. “Your dad seems nice.” There was an
odd, wistful note to her musical voice. “You’re lucky.”
“I certainly am.” Falling into step with her, I tried out the
charming, enigmatic smile that I’d spent the summer practicing in
front of the mirror. “Though not because of my dad.”
“Yes, of course we’re all lucky to get to go to a school like
this,” Faith said, a little too quickly. She indicated the carefully
tended flowerbeds lining the path, and the landscaped woods beyond.
I had to admit, it was all very pretty. Also, unspeakably girly. I could
already feel my testosterone draining away. “It’s so beautiful here,
don’t you think?”
I edged a little closer, trying to keep up my smile while also throwing
in a hint of smolder. My face was starting to ache. “Yes, I do.”
“Some of the buildings we use for classrooms are hundreds of years
old,” Faith said, in the bright, brittle tones of someone determinedly
paddling against a conversational undertow. She lengthened her stride,
like a tour guide on a tight schedule. “Look, there’s the main school
building. It has many unique architectural features.” I had a horrible
feeling that Faith was about to start listing them all. Given that the
monstrosity rising in front of us sported everything from Gothic gargoyles
to a sort of bonsai skyscraper, she could probably keep going for hours.
“It started as a chapel, though of course it’s been extended a lot
since then. St. Mary’s used to be a convent, you know.”
I was beginning to feel like it still was one. Faith wasn’t looking
at me at all. Time to deploy the big guns. “I know a lot of things,
Faith Jones. Especially about you.”
That got her attention. She stopped dead, swiveling to
face me. “What do you mean?”
Going for broke, I reached for her hand, gazing deep into her astonished
blue eyes as I lifted it to my lips. “I mean that you’re the reason
I’m here.”
This was absolutely true. School brochure, page three, full-page picture:
“After a hard day’s work, nothing
beats a swim in our beautiful outdoor pool!” — Faith Jones.
The photographer had captured her rising from the water with her head
thrown back and water streaming from her hair, looking like some sort
of classic sea-goddess. In a red bikini.
The instant I’d seen that picture, I’d known this was the school
for me. And now all my research in the romance section of the library
was about to pay off big time. All the wariness had vanished from Faith’s
face, chased away by incredulous, breathless hope. Her fingers tightened
on mine as my lips brushed the back of her hand-
“Ah, Mr. Angelos,” the Headmistress said from right behind me.
“I see you’ve introduced yourself to my daughter.”
… Daughter?
Grand prize giveaway
Prize (open internationally):
-A
signed copy of No Angel
AUTHOR BIO
Helen
Keeble is not, and never has been, a vampire. She has however been a
teenager. She grew up partly in America and partly in England, which has
left her with an unidentifiable accent and a fondness for peanut butter
crackers washed down with a nice cup of tea. She now lives in West
Sussex, England, with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a variable
number of fish. To the best of her knowledge, none of the fish are
undead.Her first novel, a YA vampire comedy called FANG GIRL, is out 11th Sept 2012, from HarperTeen. She also has another YA paranormal comedy novel (provisionally titled NO ANGEL) scheduled for Sept 2013.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Interview With Helen Keeble
1. Describe your new book No Angel in a single Tweet.
Boy thinks life at an all-girls school will be heavenly, but it's hell on earth. And he's the angel sent to fix things. Help!
2. Do we need to have read your first novel, Fang Girl, to enjoy No Angel?
Nope, they’re entirely unrelated to each other. Well, apart from containing the same brand of humor!
Even though No Angel isn’t a sequel to Fang Girl, I hope that readers who enjoyed the way I affectionately mocked vampires in my first book will get the same sorts of giggles from the way my new one makes fun of the whole ‘angel boyfriend’ subgenre of paranormal romance.
3. Is No Angel a stand-alone novel or the start of a series?
It’s definitely a stand-alone novel. Not to give away any spoilers, but the plot is very much wrapped up at the end of the book.
4. Why did you decide to set No Angel at a boarding school?
My dad went to various VERY traditional English boys’ boarding schools from the age of seven to eighteen, and although he doesn’t talk much about it, he’s told me a few horror stories. I’m fascinated by old-fashioned boarding schools as these little self-contained worlds, with their own history and culture, completely isolated from normal life. Due to Harry Potter, I think most of us now have a pretty romantic idea of boarding schools as a magical wonderland, but they could just as easily be (and often were) utter hell-holes. Bullying is bad enough, but when you can’t even get away from your tormentors at the end of the school day…? Scary!
5. Your vampires in Fang Girl have some unusual (for the paranormal genre) traits based on traditional Eastern European folklore. Have you done anything similar with the angels and demons in No Angel?
Definitely! I had a lot of fun researching angels in early Christian traditions. I took a lot of inspiration from De coelesti hierarchy, a 5th Century text on angels that is utterly cracktastic to modern eyes. Let's put it this way: When you think "angel", do you think:
Let’s just say that Rafael Angelos, the hero of No Angel, is not exactly happy about his newly discovered angelic tendencies…
6. Fun fact about No Angel?
I guarantee it’s the only light, fluffy YA comedy you’ll ever read that includes higher-dimensional mathematics as a pivotal plot-point.
(Don’t worry, there are no equations)
7. Would you rather be an angel or a vampire?
Definitely an angel! I’ve always wanted to fly. I, uh, may have spent an entire year hooked on a computer game called Aion just because it let me play a character with beautiful big wings. *blush*
Although I have to say I would prefer to be an angel from someone else’s book, not my own. The angels in No Angel are… not exactly eye-candy.
8. What are your favorite books, shows, or movies about angels and demons?
For books, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I’m also very fond of The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan.
9. Favorite funny movie or TV show?
Galaxy Quest, which is a movie about a group of actors from a second-rate, long-cancelled TV science-fiction series (which is of course in NO WAY based on a real TV show *cough* Star Trek *cough*) who get abducted by real aliens, who have based their entire culture on the show. Or, as the aliens call it, “the historical documents”, as they believe it’s all real. Hijinks ensue!
If you are at all aware of science fiction fan culture, Galaxy Quest is screamingly funny. The fact that I went to Star Trek conventions as a teenager, owned a lovingly-painted collection of Enterprise models, and once won a Halloween costume competition with my home-made Spock outfit, may go some way to explaining my deep and abiding love for this movie.
(no, you can’t see pictures of me in my Spock costume)
Boy thinks life at an all-girls school will be heavenly, but it's hell on earth. And he's the angel sent to fix things. Help!
2. Do we need to have read your first novel, Fang Girl, to enjoy No Angel?
Nope, they’re entirely unrelated to each other. Well, apart from containing the same brand of humor!
Even though No Angel isn’t a sequel to Fang Girl, I hope that readers who enjoyed the way I affectionately mocked vampires in my first book will get the same sorts of giggles from the way my new one makes fun of the whole ‘angel boyfriend’ subgenre of paranormal romance.
3. Is No Angel a stand-alone novel or the start of a series?
It’s definitely a stand-alone novel. Not to give away any spoilers, but the plot is very much wrapped up at the end of the book.
4. Why did you decide to set No Angel at a boarding school?
My dad went to various VERY traditional English boys’ boarding schools from the age of seven to eighteen, and although he doesn’t talk much about it, he’s told me a few horror stories. I’m fascinated by old-fashioned boarding schools as these little self-contained worlds, with their own history and culture, completely isolated from normal life. Due to Harry Potter, I think most of us now have a pretty romantic idea of boarding schools as a magical wonderland, but they could just as easily be (and often were) utter hell-holes. Bullying is bad enough, but when you can’t even get away from your tormentors at the end of the school day…? Scary!
5. Your vampires in Fang Girl have some unusual (for the paranormal genre) traits based on traditional Eastern European folklore. Have you done anything similar with the angels and demons in No Angel?
Definitely! I had a lot of fun researching angels in early Christian traditions. I took a lot of inspiration from De coelesti hierarchy, a 5th Century text on angels that is utterly cracktastic to modern eyes. Let's put it this way: When you think "angel", do you think:
a. A noble, handsome/beautiful
protector with big white wings, glowing with pure, holy goodness
b. Two massive bicycle
wheels jammed crossways into each other, set on fire, and COVERED IN
EYES
… Yeah. Let’s just say that Rafael Angelos, the hero of No Angel, is not exactly happy about his newly discovered angelic tendencies…
6. Fun fact about No Angel?
I guarantee it’s the only light, fluffy YA comedy you’ll ever read that includes higher-dimensional mathematics as a pivotal plot-point.
(Don’t worry, there are no equations)
7. Would you rather be an angel or a vampire?
Definitely an angel! I’ve always wanted to fly. I, uh, may have spent an entire year hooked on a computer game called Aion just because it let me play a character with beautiful big wings. *blush*
Although I have to say I would prefer to be an angel from someone else’s book, not my own. The angels in No Angel are… not exactly eye-candy.
8. What are your favorite books, shows, or movies about angels and demons?
For books, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I’m also very fond of The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan.
9. Favorite funny movie or TV show?
Galaxy Quest, which is a movie about a group of actors from a second-rate, long-cancelled TV science-fiction series (which is of course in NO WAY based on a real TV show *cough* Star Trek *cough*) who get abducted by real aliens, who have based their entire culture on the show. Or, as the aliens call it, “the historical documents”, as they believe it’s all real. Hijinks ensue!
If you are at all aware of science fiction fan culture, Galaxy Quest is screamingly funny. The fact that I went to Star Trek conventions as a teenager, owned a lovingly-painted collection of Enterprise models, and once won a Halloween costume competition with my home-made Spock outfit, may go some way to explaining my deep and abiding love for this movie.
(no, you can’t see pictures of me in my Spock costume)
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