Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1524058 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-06
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .99" h x 5.49" w x 9.06" l, .73 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

From Publishers Weekly
De la Cruz (the Au Pairs series) invents a dark world against an L.A. backdrop in this novel, giving readers plenty to puzzle over and ponder. A fictional social networking Web site called TAP.com lies at the center of this story about a missing rock star, the girl who loved him, and rich boy Nick, who is learning to see beneath the surface. Johnny Silver, Taj's boyfriend and "the kind of star that spoke for a generation," literally vanishes from the stage, and he is not alone. Nick's sister goes missing, and soon, so does his best friend. Through Taj's and Nick's alternating perspectives, readers not only watch the mismatched pair fall for each other, they learn TAP's secrets, from the "otherworldly" punch served at the site's sponsored parties, to the strange ritual that happens in the parties' secret rooms. ("TAP—The Angels' Practice... the website was only the beginning. It was also a movement, a phenomenon, and a drug," says Taj.) Nick suspects the Web site is connected to the disappearances. Memorable secondary characters people the novel, such as Taj's drag queen uncle, Mama Fay, and Sutton, Johnny's teen manager with "the smile of the devil." But the story wraps up before readers get enough of them. Teens may have trouble tracking all the pieces of the mystery, but will compulsively turn the pages—and be haunted by the story's provocative themes, such as the underbelly of social networking sites, and why "sixty percent of America's teenagers believe they will become famous." Ages 14-up. (Mar.)
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From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up—Set in Los Angeles, this novel is a commentary on followers versus leaders and the ease with which teens are influenced by peer pressure. TAP is a MySpace-type Web site; via a secret password, one gains entrée to back-room orgies at special TAP parties where new members are tattooed with tiny angel wings. A drink distributed at these events induces euphoria, and individuals cannot always remember what has happened there. The plot concerns rock star Johnny Silver, who disappears during a concert, and his skateboarder-punk girlfriend, Taj. Sutton, who runs the parties, is the son of a music mogul and Johnny's manager. Taj meets Nick at a TAP event and starts dating him. When she lets him into the back room during a party, it leads to retaliation. In addition to Johnny, others go missing, including Nick's younger stepsister. Taj seeks the truth and learns that she is in deeper than she thought. As in de la Cruz's other books, there is an abundance of pop-culture references. Angels does not hold up against her richer novel, Blue Bloods (Hyperion, 2006). It's a quick, entertaining read, but it will not stand the test of time.—Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library
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From Booklist
When Nick's younger sister disappears after a party sponsored by TAP.com, a social networking site, he is troubled to learn of her participation in a mysterious, TAP-sponsored ritual. His investigations jeopardize his romance with charismatic Taj, a TAP insider whose erstwhile boyfriend, a rock superstar, has also gone missing. Set among Los Angeles' teen glitterati, the story comes with all of the fashion-conscious, privileged trappings that fans of de la Cruz's Au Pairs series will anticipate. The plot's sexual elements, while not explicit, make this even edgier than de la Cruz's prior books; participation in "freelove hippie" orgies (condoms and drugs provided) turns out to be "The Angel's Practice" from which TAP derives its name. De la Cruz's explanation of AP.com's originators will strike many readers as unsatisfying, as will the abrupt, inconclusive ending. Still, many teens will seize upon the ideas underlying the shaky plot--especially, perhaps, the importance of recognizing the difference between authentic connection and the Web's multitude of loose ties. Jennifer Mattson
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