Tagged: angels
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
(Cover picture courtesy of Violet Crush.)
A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVERomance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
Like The Demon King I’ve had my eye on this book for years. I just never really considered picking it up until I saw it was on for $4.99 as a promotion for the final book in the series. Why not give it a try for that price? It could be good.
I won’t say that I’m disappointed, but I wasn’t especially impressed either. There were decent enough characters, some humour, good world-building and so-so villains but that was about it. Hush, Hush never really made that transition from ‘decent enough’ to ‘good’ or ‘great.’ It’s one of those books that’s just mediocre, forgettable and generally undistinguished.
Nora is a decent enough heroine but she’s nothing special. She gets assigned to have the mysterious Patch as a lab partner and they insult each other back and forth for a bit and then denies her attraction to him for most of the book. Patch alternatively insults her and encourages her feelings before Nora finally asks him what he is and they begin to admit their feelings for each other. No huge surprises there but it’s not a bad storyline. It’s just predictable, much like the characters who are generally forgettable and occasionally act too stupid to live. Nora just loves going into danger.
The plot isn’t really fast-paced. It’s predictable with the whole Slap-Slap-Kiss sort of sexual tension that’s pretty much always present in YA these days. The problem with the plot is that there are huge bursts of energy and then it grinds to a halt for what seems like days. There are so many stop and starts that I really couldn’t buy into much suspense by the end. Sure, there was suspense, but there wasn’t all that much. Not enough for me to keep reading late into the night but it didn’t lack suspense so much that I wanted to give up on the book.
I liked the fallen angel part of this book. It has the potential for Becca Fitzpatrick to do a lot more with it in the next few books. I liked the glimpses we saw of Patch’s world and his downfall but it’s really not enough to judge whether or not the world-building is truly amazing or just good. Really, this whole book felt like sort of a set up for the rest of the series. First books should sort of be like that, but there should be a little more action going on and more information being given to the reader.
So overall? Meh. If I see the next book in the used section of a bookstore I might pick it up but I’m not going out of my way to finish the series.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven’s plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth’s true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself-even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator…
[Full disclosure: I was originally supposed to review this for the Sins of the Lost blog tour, but my books got lost in the postal system. So now I’m reviewing it after the tour and, as always, my review is honest.]
After that massive cliffhanger at the end of Sins of the Angels I was very, very eager to get my hands on the second book. I had to know what happened to Alex and Aramael. Would they get back together and if they did, could it ever be the same for the two? Seeing as I’m actually emotionally invested in this novel, particularly the relationship between the two, I just had to know.
I wasn’t disappointed in Linda Poitevin either. She manages to juggle a couple of different viewpoints while at the same time writing a complicated story, plot-wise and character-wise. Seeing as I’m a huge fan of characters with depth, I’ll start with the latter.
Alex is a very different person from the one we met at the beginning of Sins of the Angels. Her love for Aramael changed her and honestly, it’s for the better. Despite the fact that he’s been banished and she may never see him again, she’s a much more accepting and tolerant person. The patience she showed with Seth later on would never have occurred at the beginning of Sins of the Angels. I was just astonished by how much she really does change throughout the novel because she goes through some pretty awful things. Still, Alex stays true to herself and I love her for that.
Aramael is changed as well. He’s immortal but without his powers and so he ends up on the receiving end of quite a few of the Fallen’s wrath. He gets kicked around and killed frequently in the beginning, until the enigmatic archangel Michael is introduced. From there on, Aramael’s character is so changed it’s almost like he’s a different person, more devoted to his mission to find Alex. I can’t say much more without giving things away, but Aramael is not perfect and sometimes his emotions get in the way of doing what’s best in a given situation.
I’m the sort of person that tries to predict the ending of books about halfway through. Usually I’m right, but in Sins of the Son I had no idea what was going to happen. Linda Poitevin had so many twists and turns in the plot that I was left reeling from the emotional shock by the end. She spares her characters no pain and has obviously planned the trilogy out well because all of the plot twists make sense.
If you read the first book and loved it, I’d highly recommend Sins of the Son. If you haven’t read the first book yet, go out and buy it now! If you love romance, awesome characters, great world-building and unpredictable plots you can’t go wrong with this trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
(Cover picture courtesy of Were Vamps Romance.)
A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…
Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case-a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.
Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.
[Full disclosure: I received this book as part of a blog tour. Unfortunately the book didn’t ship in time, so I’m doing this review later than anticipated. Either way, the review is still honest.]
I’m not a big fan of urban fantasy in general, but on occasion I do pick out a book that interests me. Some are total duds and others are like Sins of the Angels: amazing.
The world-building in Linda Poitevin’s book is simply amazing. And, if you’re so inclined, more than a little blasphemous. God, in this case, is called the One. And she’s most definitely female, which is something I’ve never seen before in fiction of any sort, let alone urban fantasy. Sins of the Angels touches on quite a number of religious topics like free will, the fall of Lucifer and why there is so much destruction and chaos in the world. Some of the conclusions the characters draw are fascinating from a theological point of view and they do reveal a lot about the characters themselves. However, I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you’re a very orthodox Christian. It does touch on some nerves.
With that said, I loved the characters. I loved how Alex (Alexandra) was such a strong, independent character. She’s tough and struggles with a horrific past as she tries to push down the memories that surface during her murder investigations. At the same time, she can be vulnerable and stubborn especially when dealing with Aramael (who goes by Jacob Trent in human form). Her chemistry with Aramael is great and I love how both of them slowly realize just how much of a connection they really do have.
I didn’t want to put this book down at all. It’s 300 pages long and trust me, those pages go by very quickly. The plot takes so many twists and turns, but it’s never difficult to keep up with them. At the same time, you’re left guessing until the end and when Sins of the Angels does end you’ll be clamouring for the next book. I know I was.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
(Cover picture courtesy of Bookyurt.)
Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?
Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped – and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.
This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.
After reading and hating The Replacement I was pretty skeptical about reading another Brenna Yovanoff book. But hey, the cover was awesome and the first chapter had a little more promise than her debut novel.
I liked the main character in The Space Between so much more than I did in her first book. Daphne lacks emotion and this time it’s not because of poor writing but rather that’s how her character should be (and is). She’s the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer and her rather alien perspective on the human world makes sense in that context. When she starts falling in love it’s interesting to see the war she goes through with herself as she tries to discover if she really is capable of love, unlike her half-sisters the Lilim. Overall I felt her love for Obie her brother was stronger than her love for Truman, but that’s really minor. I did enjoy Daphne as a character.
What I liked this time is Brenna Yovanoff’s world-building. She actually tried to explain certain elements and while she didn’t explain everything to my satisfaction, I could actually understand what was going on. I loved meeting Beelzebub, Lilith and Lucifer and thoroughly enjoyed how tired old heaven and hell tropes had new twists put on them. The ambiguous nature of both sides instead of the traditional good vs. evil was refreshing.
What I didn’t like, however, was the plot. It seemed to slow down to a crawl in the most unnecessary places and then was completely rushed where I wanted to know more. Some of the motives for the characters weren’t very believable to me, but I can’t tell you about that without any unnecessary spoilers. Let’s just say that I’m not surprised about Truman’s father but his father’s actions are poorly justified when we learn what they are. The ending was incredibly rushed and I’m still not sure I entirely understand it. Perhaps that’s just me or perhaps Brenna Yovanoff still needs to work on conveying her story more.
Would I recommend The Space Between? Sure, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. But should you go out, buy it immediately and read it all without taking a break? No, it’s not one of those books. It’s good, but not great.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
(Cover picture courtesy of Michelle Zink’s website.)
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters—one good…one evil…Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents’ deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don’t know whom they can trust. They just know they can’t trust each other.
This book had everything possible going for it: an unique premise, mystery, decent enough world building…I should have loved it. But “should have” does not mean “did”.
I just could not connect with any of the characters, especially Lia. Lia is someone I should have connected with not only because the book is written in first person, but because Michelle Zink has made her a consistent, normally likable sort of character. But I just could not connect to her on an emotional level. I did not really feel her grief at her father’s death, her burning curiosity to learn more about the mysterious mark on her arm, her happiness with her friends…it just didn’t ring true. It felt like it was superficial, shallow, that something was missing. I don’t know if this was just me or it was the very pared down writing style, but I could not connect with Lia and since the book is in first person POV, that tends to make it more difficult to like.
Aside from the lack of emotion in Michelle Zink’s writing I was quite impressed with her world-building and the premise of the book. Prophecies are kind of old, but I love how she adds her own twist to it by making not everything as it seems. The idea that Satan (or Samael as he’s called in this book) wants to return to Earth to unleash the 7 plagues signalling the end of time is not all that new, but the way Zink handled it was. The Spiritual Plane, the different levels of the spirit world, the ‘keys’ to the prophecy being actual people…it was all very fascinating. Sure, I would have appreciated more information in the beginning rather than having massive info-dumps and needless exposition in dialogue, but you can’t have everything.
The plot was fast-paced to the point of being rushed in some places, but it did have lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The cliffhanger at the end is great, but I don’t know if I really want to continue the series yet. But who knows?
I give this book 3/5 stars.