Review of On the Bright Side by S.R. Johannes

Title: On the Bright Side
Author: S.R. Johannes
Published by: Coleman & Stott
Pages: 285
Source: Author
Format: ebook
Rating: 2.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, SkyFones and InnerNets are all the rage. At her first Bright ceremony, G.O.D., the automated assignment system, spits out Angela Black, Gabby’s arch nemesis and longtime fencing rival. As a Bright, Gabby has to protect Angela, her assigned mortal, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven.

Note to self: Don't text while crossing the street. It's a crappy way to die and Gabby knows that first hand.  Once Gabby left the earthly plane she traveled to Cirrus and became a Bright in Training (aka Angel).  There was a lot of explanation in this book of how everything in Cirrus worked.  It was interesting to see the different take on Heaven and Angels that S.R. Johannes had.  She created this fictional place to resemble a working city with a very futuristic view.  It was interesting learning about the new gadgets and I actually coveted some of them.  Maybe S.R. Johannes can hook up with Apple and we could get some of these awesome toys!

While Gabby is training to become a Bright she has to guide and protect her number one enemy, Angela, who is after Gabby's old crush.  Gabby is pretty immature throughout most of the book and plays harmful pranks on Angela.  It actually crossed over to the point where I thought Gabby was cruel and let her anger take over her emotions and rule her behavior.  She always seemed to be breaking the rules and didn't care who she brought down with her. 

Gabby does end up trying to redeem herself, but I'm not sure I bought it.  I felt she changed her behavior really fast for it to be truly believable.  I know it was extremely hard for her dealing with the situation she was put in, but I wish she would have handled it better.  The end threw a big twist at the readers.  It was something that I was not expecting, but it tied up the story nicely and almost gave an reason for Gabby's bad behavior. 

This book is based for younger readers and may be a reason why I had a hard time with Gabby's immaturity.  It was a easy read and the idea behind Brights and Cirrus was quite interesting.  I'll be interested to see what more adventures Gabby will go on now that she's handled the worse.