Are there any more out there? The teen blog new books posts have been inundated by angels recently (see this, for example), and we’re told that they’re the new vampire. We were told previously that zombies were the new vampire, but it’s tough being a romantic love interest when you’ve got no brain (or is it?). Last year I thought maybe fairies would do the trick.

So, if you’re getting picky about your supernatural creatures (fair enough), then here’s a tip on how to search for them in the library catalogue: in the classic catalogue, choose a keyword search and then type, for example, zombies young adult fiction (or zombies fiction if you want to broaden your search). You’ll end up with a list that looks a little something like this. So, they’re all here: zombies, fairies, angels, vampires.

If you want to do some more in-depth browsing then Fiction Connection in MyGateway would be an excellent place to start.

Getting back to angels, here are a few novels that feature angels, but not necessarily in the dark, brooding, fallen romantic sense that you might be interested in:

Meridian, Amber Kizer (2010). While, yes, this does appear to be romantic, the angel is a girl angel, so worth noting.

Going Bovine, Libba Bray (2009). Going Bovine contains a bizarre collection of characters, including Dulcie, who is, I’m pretty sure, an angel, with pink hair and white wings even.

Skellig, David Almond (1999). Michael moves into his family’s garage as his premature baby sister fights for her life and his home becomes an anxious place. In the garage is Skellig, a creature that appears to be part owl, part angel, who is not doing too well, so Michael and his neighbour Mina nurse him back to health.

Dark Angel, L J Smith (1998). Once again, L J Smith is so cutting edge that she’s got in at least 10 years before others (the first Vampire Diaries book was published in 1991), and she’s already done angels. Angel saves Gillian’s life and becomes like her guardian angel, who only she can see. Gillian’s star is on the rise, thanks to Angel’s influence, and her crush starts to notice her, but then her life becomes increasingly dark and dangerous…