IMPORTANT WARNING: If you have trigger issues, ESPECIALLY if they are severe, please see the starred portion of this review below, before you consider the Weetzie Bat books any further. I love these books dearly, but I don't want to feel like I've led someone into severe panic attacks or a trip to the hospital because I recommended them.And now, the actual review:Dangerous Angels is basically the entire collected works of Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series, and, as I said in my warning above, I love it dearly.This series was sort of an epiphany for me. Yes, it's a glossy, sparkly fairytale, where magic is real, and the Hollywood we were shown in movies is at least partially real, but it at least gives you a glimpse of what life is like beyond the "traditional family" ideal. One that's viewed through sparkly, rose-tinted glasses, perhaps, but a glimpse nonetheless.If you're looking for a starting point to show what life might be like outside the typical heterosexual nuclear family, this may be a good starting point for you.It's also a good jumping off point for those wanting to teach their older kids of that age a bit about polyamory, though it doesn't actually use that term. I would not even remotely recommend this be the end-all-be-all book for teaching either one, but it's a good start, especially if they've never encountered the idea of a non-traditional relationship, or non-traditional family that wasn't made of a single parent or relatives before. (See starred portion below for warnings about maturity levels and trigger issues.)*************************************************************************************************** I will say that this series does have implied sex; (though ONLY implied, nothing explicit at all,) and does touch on some potentially triggery issues like suicide, alchoholism, drug abuse, and in 'Missing Angel Juan,' there is a scene that is almost guaranteed to trigger anyone who has ever been helpless in an attack or abusive situation, or was molested, (it doesn't actually SAY that molestation/sexual abuse goes on, but it's got quite a vibe of it,) so, if you or your kids have those kinds of potential triggers, or if you don't think your kids are mature enough to handle any of that, I'd either give it a pass, or wait until you/they can handle it.***************************************************************************************************Personally, I plan to always keep a copy of this around.
I discovered the Weetzie Bat books a long time ago, at a time when I probably really needed it. I found the first book in a small bookstore that no longer exists today and the little book with a neon-looking fairy changed something about the way I saw the world. I can't say what it was exactly, but as a teenager, Francesca Lia Block made Weetzie Bat relatable to me. Did it teach me tolerance or open-mindedness? I don't know, that could have come before or after, but these books made sense to me.As much as I loved Weetzie Bat, Dangerous Angels got progressively less enchanting, but maybe because the series itself actually got progressively darker - not difficult, but really more eerie and sinister, which made the reading experience less comfortable and probably, less relatable.My personal favorite book of the series was Witch Baby, in hindsight, it was probably because her issues and her age were where I was at emotionally at the time. As a writer, Francesca Lia Block does not employ a very classical, elegant style but it wouldn't make sense if she did. It reads a little bit like a music video - it's fast paced but reads pretty smoothly. I would say that Francesca Lia Block served a specific purpose for a specific time in my life, because upon rereading a friend and I agreed that we felt that we may have "outgrown" the books. I don't know if it's writing style, or subject matter, or perhaps the job was done, but either way, Francesca Lia Block's writing didn't age well with me, but that doesn't mean I threw it away.While I parted with some of my Francesca Lia Block books as I got older (I went through a major phase where I devoured all the books she wrote that I could get my hands on), I kept this book, Echo, and Francesca Lia Block's fairytale retellings. Somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of them.
What do You think about Dangerous Angels (2007)?
This collection was just really fantastic. I had no idea what I was getting into, but even without realizing that these are modern fairy tales, I was completely in love with it. It made me miss Los Angeles a lot. The only thing I object to--and maybe it's just a small thing for everybody else, but it did bother me--was sticking with your "true love" even after he cheats on you. And not even really talking about how much it hurt that he did that. Not one cuckolded lady leaves her cheating man. I applaud the depictions of love, those dangerous angels, in all their forms, but I would have liked to see a character strong enough to leave a relationship after her man cheats on her. Part of loving one's self is knowing when to leave, and that takes more guts than staying. But I still think it was a great collection, and if I ever have kids, this will be on their reading list early.
—Jacquelyn
I really wanted to like this book, because I know that a friend is very fond of it -- but I just could NOT keep reading it. This is where I have to admit that I am not the least bit "slinkster-cool," because I just do. not. get. Weetzie. Bat. I don't get the stupid nicknames. I don't get why it's written at a "See Spot Run" reading level, but completely inappropriate for anyone who actually reads at that level. And I was willing to TRY to get it, but by the time I got to "Weetzie Wants a Baby," I just couldn't do it anymore. I can appreciate that there was nothing like Weetzie Bat when the books first came out, and maybe I would have actually liked them if I had discovered them way back then, but now...they just aren't what I want to spend my time reading.
—Kendra
This is the collection of the Weezie Bat Books all into one book. I picked this up because it sounded like an interesting urban fantasy; that wasn't really what it was.This book follows Weezie Bat's family. Each book is done from a different character's point of view. More than anything the books are about facing the difficulties of growing up and how a person's personality can affect that. For the most part the book takes place in LA. There are odd bits of magic thrown in at rare points; a genie shows up to grant wishes, Baby Witch tours New York city with her dead grandfather. These fantastical happenings are rarities in the stories though; they are written in a way that leaves you wondering if the character really did run into something magical or are they just hallucinating?What makes this book different and special is the way it is written. Block throws in so many crazy ways of describing things that it will leave your mind reeling. She tries to explain the taste of a picture, the sound of a smell, the texture of a sight. The novels are decadent purely because of the descriptions...there is so much glitter, so many feathers, petals falling, raindrops touching. With her descriptions Block turns LA into a fantasy world where one doesn't really exist. She uses this over-describing to give her characters personality. Weezie Bat is full of sunshine and everything she touches seems to turn to gold. Baby Witch is dark and chaotic and when she tells the story it is in shades of grey.Overall I thought these were unique and interesting stories. They weren't what I expected. The characters didn't have a goal or a plot to follow, outside of obtaining their own happiness. Unfortunately like a really rich dessert, the decadent descriptions and frivolous characters started to be too much. By the end of the book, I just wanted to be done with it. The lack of a plot, the characters inability to make anything other than rash emotional decisions, and the amount of time it takes for Block to describe anything started to bug me. I know that these characters are supposed to be teaching life lessons, but they just seemed very immature. And though I enjoyed the novelty of Block's writing in the beginning, by the last story I was sick of it. I would imagine Block's books are something best taken in small doses.Will I read another book by Block? Probably not, unless I am in the mood for something over the top, decadent, and wandering.
—Karissa
