I went into this book knowing very little. The synopsis doesn’t say much, but the cover art was so interesting, I thought I’d give it a try. I’m happy I did! I haven’t really read much Angel fiction; it was never really a genre I focused on simply because most of the books I’ve seen have been the stereotypical, cheesey romancey type. The Boy A Thousand Years Wide, however, is a very unique story that falls under the YA bildungsroman category like the Percy Jackson series or the Godling Chronicles. Baxter, our main character and narrator, is orphaned at an early age when his mother is chosen as a sacrifice. He and his brother are sent to an orphanage under the tutelage of a woman named Magda, who seems to have magical powers. We fast-forward to a teenage Baxter as he is chosen by the City as a sacrifice, just as his brother and mother were.
While being dragged into the City, he meets another sacrifice, Trent, who has a plan on escaping the cull and asks Baxter to trust him. He does and they escape, barely, then meet up with Trent’s mentor, Milton, a man who tells Baxter of his illustrious background. You see, Baxter is a half angel, just like Trent, just like Milton. Though they have human mothers, their fathers are angels, which make them something called Watchers. Watchers have been in locked in an age long war against a group of demon corrupted watchers called Grigori. It is this very war that Baxter has now found himself at the middle of, though wanting no part.
The mythology behind the story is sound and very interesting. Most of it is explained quite well and leaves the reader with little questions (at least, readers that have a very broad, general grasp of theology/angelology). There are a few times where I was left confused on certain parts and had to reread sections a couple of times, or read ahead, before understanding something, but it wasn’t anything too detrimental to my enjoyment of the story. The characters seem well fleshed out and true to themselves. Baxter can be a bit annoying, but that is to be expected considering his age. Lily was great and I hope we find out more about her if there is a sequel. In all, this was quite enjoyable and an incredibly easy read that can be finished within a day.
