I usually don’t pick up many angel-books to read, as I find then not-quite-original, mostly repetitive and usually plain boring with the good vs. bad battle where, how could it be any different, the good shinny angels usually get to easily win. (Mark my words.. This is not the case!)
Of course, I’ve also read a few good angel-books, but – except for probably “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” – none of them made me feel as attached to the storyline as this beauty here.
… Because this, my dears, is a hidden gem, one of the best you can find if you go looking for them!
Anyways, back to the point – I’ll start my review with this statement/quote:
“Angels are violent creatures.”
“So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind.”
“Why would you think that? Even in your Bible, we’re harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn’t make us altruistic.”
So maybe it is just that we (as in “me and the author”) think on some aspects somehow alike, maybe it is because I always thought that religion is the most manipulative weapon of them all and I finally stumbled upon a book that showed it right. Maybe it is because I was sick of all the fluffy reads with the good shinny angels and I needed something different, or realistic, or creepy in a complete awesome way; or maybe it is just the fact that the story was so full of surprises that made me like it even more.
The fact is that I really loved every bit of it, and I have to give a big thanks to all my GoodReads book friends, because without them I probably wouldn’t have found about it. So thanks you all, you are the best!
There were so many things I liked about this story and the characters, that made it hard for me to point to it and say: “hey, this is the reason I liked it this much!”
The dynamic between the main characters was so damn good (in my opinion). There is no love at first sight, there are lots of action moments, so many verbal fights, and so much mystery to add up to beauty of it all.
“Oh, please. Your giant head is getting too big for this forest. Pretty soon, you’re going to get stuck trying to walk between two tress. And then, I’ll have to rescue you.” I give him a weary look. “Again.”
I liked how Penryn was constantly helping Raffe saving his skin, or wings, or his life for a matter of fact, and I liked how he was at first grateful, and by the ending he started to care for her (keep in mind that i didn’t use the word ‘love’). In a world as cruel as that one, it felt right not to have a big romance in the middle of it all. Their relationship was more than that – it was about gaining each-other’s trust, and helping out each other, and fighting together but for very different reasons. It was more about survival and less about emotions, but what can I say, in this way their story got strait to my heart.
“It is not the gentle kiss of a couple on a first date, nor is it the kiss of a man driven by simple lust. He kisses me with the desperation of a dying man who believes the magic of eternal life is in this kiss.”
Reading this book felt more like tasting a drink. It made my head spin, and left me wanting for more.
It didn’t give all away; and there are so many questions about Penryn’s mother (who didn’t seem so crazy in my opinion, and I am sure she will have a lot to do with what comes next), about Penryn’s ability to use an angle sword, about her sister and Raffe that seem to share a bit of the same destiny, about the war between the angels and the humans – it’s only the beginning, and I have so many scenarios in my head, I can’t wait to see which one is THE ONE.
All in one, a great book and an amazing way to start the reading year.
I only have one thing to tell you: pick it up and read it. I bet you will like it a lot!
And, BTW, I hate how every book in the world is compared to The Hunger Games.. get a grip people, there are nothing alike – and as a proof, there’s no guy waiting for Penryn at home, LOL :p
Happy midnight reading!
End Note:
Dear publishers around the world,Why do you publish so many bad books (I won’t even bother to mention them, you know there are plenty), while wonderful stories like this one have to be self-published for us to be able to enjoy them?
All I have to say is that this book puts some of you at shame.
I wonder if this book would have been better if edited, or if it would have been turned into a boring commercial story as many others out there. *sigh*
Fan Art:
LEAVE A COMMENT