Official Review: Ramatel's Vow by Joel Crofoot

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 29 Mar 2017, 20:40

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ramatel's Vow" by Joel Crofoot.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever thought what it would be like to die and meet an angel? You might think, that it would be the most perfect moment ever. It would be a moment of peace, joy and tranquility as you and your angel walk hand in hand into the gates of heaven. Now, imagine that the reason you’re dead is because someone killed you. You didn’t live the most holy life on earth, so you’re not allowed into heaven. Fortunately, you won’t go to hell either, as the creator gives you a task to complete on earth and if you succeed, you get to enjoy an eternal paradise. The task, is to partner up with the fallen angel, Ramatel and find help him fight demons on earth. That doesn’t sound too hard…right? It wouldn’t be if Ramatel wasn’t so rude, chauvinistic, desires you but then acts like a sullen teenager around you! What’s a dead, newly demon hunter supposed to do?! Are you curious yet? In Ramatel’s Vow by Joel Crofoot, all those questions will be answered and more!

The first thing I enjoyed about this book is how it jumped right into the plot. There was no long and dreary introductions to the characters. The book didn’t open with pages and pages of backstory that should have been assimilated into the main story. None of that, it opened straight into the story and I was eternally grateful. We are first introduced to Ramatel’s character, who is quite a character, indeed. Angry, hurt and vengeful that he had been sent to hell for sleeping with humans, Ramatel is one angel you shouldn’t even dream of meeting.

I watched Ramatel and his chinfon (mentee in angel language) develop over time. It wasn’t just their relationship, but the characters as well. Character development is one of the most crucial things in a novel to me. In the story, we witness Ramatel’s character go through a series of changes in terms of his character. I was impressed as that translated to me that the author put a lot of thought in his development. I was a little disappointed with Clara’s development, however. When we’re first introduced to her, she starts off as this strong feminine presence who can kick butt and is quick to put Ramatel in his place. In the plot, the author seems to be so preoccupied with Ramatel and his relationship with Clara that he weakens her character and she becomes nothing more than a regular girl who is overly concerned with romance. It was so tragic that I found myself screaming at her to snap out of it until I reminded myself she doesn’t really exist…. thank goodness for that!

In terms of the plot, I understood the overall plot, but not much else. It wasn’t until more than halfway through the book before I figured out that the story was about more than just Ramatel and Clara’s “I love you but I hate you,” relationship. I was relived about that, but all the sub plots were so rushed and unclear that I still don’t specifically know what the characters were doing in most scenes. It started off as an interesting story with a great plot but it became consumed with the romance. Don’t misunderstand… I love romantic stories but I don’t like when the romance becomes the whole plot.

Even though the plot was lacking content and Clara’s character became a disappointment, surprisingly, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed Ramatel’s character and his development. He really was an enjoyable character to read about. There was also a little humor in the story that had me chuckling. Honestly, I simply really enjoyed reading it. I also didn’t find any grammatical errors that I usually find in eBooks. That’s probably the reason I rate it so high even though, it could’ve just as easily been rated a 2. Okay… I need to be a little nicer. I’m trying to get into heaven after all. I don’t want to die and then come back and be stuck with a hot, bipolar angel who….wait…yes I do….umm….never mind!

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Ramatel's Vow
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Dh_ · Post by **Dh_** » 30 Mar 2017, 16:32

Meeting an angel? Cool! This is my first time seeing a book like this. It sounds pretty interesting, yet the subplots do sound confusing. Nice review!

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 30 Mar 2017, 16:51

Dh_ wrote:Meeting an angel? Cool! This is my first time seeing a book like this. It sounds pretty interesting, yet the subplots do sound confusing. Nice review!

Thank you very much! I think you would like this book. If you're into romance, angels and demons, then this is a good read. Despite some of my confusion, I enjoyed it.

Donnavila Marie01 · Post by **Donnavila Marie01** » 31 Mar 2017, 06:34

To die is to rest but in this story, to die is to work hard. The thought of death and be fallen in to the hands of the devil is head spinning. This book is provoking.

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 31 Mar 2017, 07:44

Honestly, it will be a provoking book to certain audiences. For example, I would never recommend this book to a conservative religious audience. They would scream and throw the book in a pit of fire lol.

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 02 Apr 2017, 03:42

The premise sounds very promising. Just like you, I pay much attention to character development and I prefer smart and strong female protagonists. Good job on the review.

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 02 Apr 2017, 09:28

kimmyschemy06 wrote:The premise sounds very promising. Just like you, I pay much attention to character development and I prefer smart and strong female protagonists. Good job on the review.

Thank you for reading!
Sometimes I feel kind of biased because if the female character comes off as weak or pathetic, the book instantly lose points with me. Someone else may not care enough but I feel that women have evolved over the years. They shouldn't be depicted as weak or frivolous anymore. Women are now stronger and that should be depicted in novels, film and anything else.