Tagged: linda poitevin

Sins of the Warrior by Linda Poitevin

Sins of the Warrior by Linda Poitevin

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Heaven and Hell are at war

The clock is ticking

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis’s niece is missing and pregnant with Lucifer’s child, her sister has descended into madness, and the human race has begun a relentless spiral toward self-destruction that Alex is desperate to stop. Now Michael, the Archangel she holds responsible for Earth’s plight, has returned—and he’s demanding her help to track a missing god.

Heaven is losing

Fighting for the very survival of his own realm—and that of humanity—Michael’s only chance to defeat Hell lies in returning Heaven’s long-lost daughter to her throne before it’s too late. But first he’ll have to convince Alex to help him—and to keep her out of Seth’s clutches long enough for her to do so.

There can be no right choices

In a desperate bid to save both their worlds, Alex and Michael must put aside their animosity and find a way to work together in the face of increasingly impossible decisions…and unimaginable sacrifices.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

One of the things I’ve found in a lot of books is that if the main character’s ‘soulmate’ dies, they come back by some miracle or were never actually dead in the first place.  But oddly enough, the Grigori Legacy doesn’t play with those rules as it’s not the sort of book to have a cut-and-dry good versus evil plot.  It definitely doesn’t follow the conventions of the urban fantasy genre and despite missing the ‘soulmate’ in question, I personally wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sins of the Warrior is the darkest book yet in a series of quite dark books.  Alex has to make some awful choices: does she pursue the daughter of God as asked by Michael in order to balance Seth’s power or does she try to focus on saving humanity, starting with her niece who has only days to live?  It’s a brutal push-and-pull dynamic and Alex has to make absolutely unthinkable decisions.  I can’t go into much detail without spoiling some of the shocking twists, but needless to say she has to choose between a) saving humanity in exchange for a possible eternity in Hell if Seth nabs her and b) letting the angels and the Fallen battle it out without her so she can save her niece from certain death.  Again, if you’ve read the previous two books it’s not that hard to predict what Alex chooses, especially given her current state of mind.

The thing I love about Linda Poitevin’s Grigori Legacy is that despite the whole Heaven and Hell existing thing, there is no clear good and evil.  Her God (a woman, no less) is a benevolent creator who gave people free will but arguably takes it a little too far when it comes to not monitoring what Lucifer plots in Hell because she loves him so much.  Her Heaven is one where angels had free will before the fall but had it give it up (along with their soulmates) afterward because God couldn’t bear more of her angels defecting to Lucifer.  Poitevin’s God isn’t one who is cruel or overly nice; she simply is.  And she has flaws of her own, just like her creations.  These are some fascinating characterizations that I’m sure will be very controversial among certain sects but they’re refreshing nevertheless.

Alex goes through a lot in this book.  With her newly gained immortality that she never wanted and the end of the world looming over her as the Naphilim grow, she’s teetering on the edge of insanity.  Yet she still soldiers through with seemingly no regard for her own welfare in a desperate attempt to save everyone that she can, even if it means working beside those she despises, like Michael.  We also get to see some chapters from Michael’s perspective as he wrestles with keeping Alex sane while knowing if she loses her sanity it may be the kindest thing for her because of what she (and the rest of humanity) faces.  Michael was never a sympathetic character in the first three books but Linda Poitevin does an amazing job with his characterization in this last book.  He too goes through quite a bit by the end of the novel.

Basically, if you’ve read the first three books, you’ll probably love Sins of the Warrior.  I know I did.  You’ll be up reading into the wee hours of the morning much like I was in an attempt to find out how Alex’s story finally does end.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Sins of the Lost by Linda Poitevin

Sins of the Lost by Linda Poitevin(Cover picture courtesy of the book tour a couple of months ago.)

From the author of Sins of the Angels and Sins of the Son comes the newest novel in the “electric, thrilling and extremely intelligent” (Ex Libris) Grigori Legacy series.

Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war as Lucifer builds his Nephilim army and waits for his new agenda to become a reality — that of having a Nephilimchild of his own bloodline to lead his forces to cataclysmic victory.

With rumors of the pending war rampant on Earth, Alex fights to save humanity from its own panic –­ leaving little time for her fledgling
relationship with Seth, the man with heavenly origins who has captured her heart. But when Nephilim children begin to disappear, along with Alex’s own vulnerable niece, the inevitable war between Heaven and Hell becomes as personal as sin.

Heaven has its own plans to fight the coming apocalypse, but first it needs Seth back. Asked to betray the man she loves, Alex must turn for help to the soulmate she thought she’d given up — the Archangel Aramael, who may be her last chance to save her family and humanity from the ashes of Lucifer’s Armageddon.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through the blog tour a while back in exchange for an honest review.]

The phrase ‘action-packed’ is bandied about quite carelessly when it comes to describing books, but let me tell you I’m dead serious when I say that Sins of the Lost is action-packed.

Not only is poor Alex trying to stop the oncoming apocalypse, she’s lost her soulmate and is trying to love another (who just happens to be the possible catalyst for said apocalypse).  To say that there’s a lot of drama and tension in this third book in the Grigori Legacy is an understatement.  It never gets into soap opera ridiculous drama levels but it really is the kind of book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  That’s why I ended up reading this book until four in the morning when I had to work at 8:00am; I just couldn’t stop no matter how much I tried to exercise my self-control.

Alex is of course my favourite character, just like in the previous two installments.  This time she’s dealing with even more psychological scars and although some readers may be frustrated with her I believe her reluctance to join in the fight between Heaven and Hell is more realistic than if she were gung-ho about the whole thing.  Let’s face it, she’s gone through a lot and it’s all because of their idiotic war that could have been prevented.  While Alex is my favourite character, Seth is the one with the most surprises up his sleeve.  His character arc, looking back, is very realistic but at the time you really don’t know where his character is going to go.  He’s wonderfully ambiguous which ratchets up the tension even more.  As for Aramael, I can’t really say much without giving away some major spoilers but let’s just say that his fans will be pleased.

As for the concept, I believe that some would call it ‘blasphemous’ or ‘heresy’ but I love how Linda Poitevin has arranged her versions of Heaven and Hell.  God being a woman doesn’t even touch some of the other unique spins on classic Christian theology.  I won’t go much further into it because I don’t want to bring my personal beliefs into things but if you’re reading this series, take it for what it is: fiction.  It’s not intended to offend or harm and Linda Poitevin does an amazing job at world-building.

I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get to Sins of the Lost but I’m really glad I did.  The only bad thing about it?  Because of that insane cliffhanger I’m now desperate for the fourth book to come out.  I guess that’s just the mark of a great book.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin

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.

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Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin

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.

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