Desert Angel is a short and fairly easy read. It’s a story about a tough 14-year old girl with a strong survival instinct. She finds herself on the run from her latest “step-father”, Scotty, a ruthless man who is hunting her down, after he killed her mother during one of their monster fights. He believes the only way he will walk away with what he did is to silence Angel for good.The begging of the book was quite gripping, depicting intense survivalist scenes. Then, the book makes a turn and we see Angel getting the help she needed. Several Mexican-American families go out of their way to hide her, despite putting themselves in great danger. The cat and mouse chase continues, but at a slower pace.Angel isn't necessarily a likable character, nevertheless, as the story unfolds, you do understand why she keeps lying and stealing. She has had a terrible childhood, neglected by her drug-addict mother, Lila, and often hurt by Lila’s abusive boyfriends. She is used to not being able to rely on anyone with her well-being. Therefore, Angel’s inability to thrust other people or the “system” becomes one of the great forces behind the conflict. To me, it seemed that the second half of the book was supposed to show Angel’s transformation through this ordeal, but I failed to see any growth or depth added to her character during her stay at Rita and Vicente’s.However, what really bothered me, at times, was the pacing. Certain parts of the book seemed so disjointed, like whole sequences were skipped, which made it difficult to understand what exactly was going on. It’s almost like the author didn't have the patience to fully unfold those particular scenes.I found the ending a bit abrupt, everything seemed wrapped up too quickly. Though, overall is was a pretty enjoyable book.P.S. You can also view this review on my blog.
