Book Review: Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh

Angels' Blood
by Nalini Singh

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal / Romance

Ages: 17 and up

Description:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.


My Thoughts:

I checked this book out from my local e-library on a whim, having seen many positive reviews on blogs, and was surprised by how much I loved it. The unique world and brilliantly written characters grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. Not that I fought very hard.

Elena is a very strong, inflexible human. Raphael is a very strong, inflexible immortal. Theirs is a romance destined to be difficult from the word go. The two of them circle warily; Raphael pushing, Elena refusing to bend. Watching the two of them get to know each other is comparable to watching a knife fight between the most skilled of opponents; strike and counterstrike delivered one after another with blinding speed.

There are layers upon layers of sensuality and seduction woven throughout the novel, yet there is less sex compared to other books in the paranormal romance genre. I really like that; it meant the focus was more on the emotional and verbal interactions between Raphael and Elena, both of which were frankly fascinating.

The storyline for Angels' Blood is fairly simple; a very powerful, utterly insane archangel is murdering people and the main characters must stop him. However, the nuances of the world and characters who make up the story are endlessly intricate. Every angel, vampire and human has a full-fledged, believable personality, even the minor ones. Ilium, the bright, laughing butterfly with very sharp teeth when he chooses to show them. Dmitri, the ever-loyal, ever-watching vampire with a dark past. Michaela; bright and brittle and capricious as the wind. I could go on, but you should really read the book and meet them all for yourselves.

The mythology of the world is beautifully developed, from the unique set up of a world ruled by angels who have the power to create vampires to the tiny details that make Ms. Singh's angels and vampires different from other authors' angels and vampires. The Guild Hunters' New York is completely familiar yet utterly foreign at the same time.

I highly recommend this book to all lovers of urban fantasy and dangerous romance.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it an 8.10 for several uses of the f-word as well as other mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it an 8.10 for a couple of descriptive scenes as well as a great deal of innuendo and references.

Violence:
I rate it a 10.10 for multiple instances of torture, murder, fighting and general bloodiness.

                               Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Fallen in Love
by Lauren Kate

Genre: YA Romance / Paranormal / Angels

Ages: 15 and up

I received an advance e-copy of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

What makes your heart race a little faster? It's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original and romantic new stories collected in a novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda.

My Thoughts:

I have enjoyed the Fallen series, though they are not my favorite books, and Passion was my favorite of the lot, so I figured I would enjoy this collection of stories set during Passion. After reading them all, my impression could be summed up with a shrug. There wasn't anything to keep you on the edge of your seat and the stories were a little stilted and predictable. Roland and Arriane's stories give you a little bit of insight into their personalities and past, but not a lot.

Love Where You Least Expect It, Shelby and Miles' story, was rather sweet and shy as the two of them finally get together. While their romance was kind of cute, the story itself was kind of dull. There were several opportunities for them to get into uncomfortable and entertaining situations, but they always fizzled out.

Love Lessons, Roland's tale, was probably my favorite of the lot. He goes to see the woman he loved and lost, only to find her already happily married and in danger of losing her husband to the crusades. Roland is left with a choice to either help him on his way to death or protect his love's future happiness.

Burning Love, Arriane's valentine, is a story of forbidden love between an angel and one of Lucifer's demons. I found it to be a little disjointed and confusing, which lessened the intended emotional impact.

Endless Love was a typical chapter of Daniel and Lucinda's ongoing romance. Since it is one that takes place in medieval times, they cannot be together yet so it is a little sad, but not too sad because you already know what happens in Fallen, Torment and Passion. I liked the masquerade but other than that there really wasn't anything special.

This collection gets a solid meh from me. If you have read the other books in the series, it is worth borrowing but nothing else. I found myself thinking that the gorgeous cover was the best part of the book.
 

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 2.10 for a couple of mild swearwords.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for mild sexuality including caresses and kisses.

Violence:
I rate it a 6.10 for near suicide and a brief fight.

                             Lieder Madchen