Gwen’s review of Archangel’s Consort (Guild Hunters, Book 3) by Nalini Singh
Urban Fantasy released by Berkley 25 Jan 11
Let me just start by saying that Nalini Singh is a goddess. I adore her writing and am always entertained by her books. Her heroes are hot, tender, and yummy. Her heroines women I can see myself befriending. However, whomever designed this cover knows NOTHING about the heroine Singh created in Elena – she’d never care about wearing this much make-up. Just sayin’… But I’m here to talk about the inside of the book, so let’s carry on, shall we?
I’m a huge fan of this series. LOVE the otherworldly-ness of Raphael. Love that he loves and can’t imagine his existence without Elena. Their relationship gets bigger and better with each book.
Elena’s safe place with Raphael is helping her slowly heal from the brutal loss of her sisters and her mother’s suicide. Elena is even beginning to feel more about, and acknowledge those feelings, her severely dysfunctional relationship with her bastard of a father (and can I just say that I wish Raphael would just end that useless dad already?). Her character development is by turns joyful, cathartic, and utterly devastating. I cried a few times for her.
I’m not entirely sure what the overall series’ story arc is building to, but it’s going somewhere – you can feel an underlying thread of some impending “big bad”. The characters’ abilities are developing and evolving for some greater purpose.
This entry deals with old enemies and a new threat. It is this part of the plot is a little slow moving in Archangel’s Consort. It seemed to take forever for things to happen, and yet there’s lots of action. A conundrum for me that I couldn’t identify fully.
The Archangel world is full of profoundly interesting characters – possible heroes, heroines, wonderfully evil villains, and funny sidekicks. I wouldn’t mind seeing a whole host of 0ther characters getting their own books. Fill out this world so that we can see it from more than just Raphael and Elena’s point of view.
This series is for anyone looking for an “alternate Earth” story full of supremely powerful beings and their enemies. The romance is there but we get lots of deeper character development that is often missing from more traditional romances. If you’re new to the world, I think you’ll enjoy this entry, but I’d read the previous books to get the full impact of all Singh’s imaginative prose.
If you’re a fan of these books already, I get the feeling that this book is setting up some future actions, so don’t miss it.
Grade: A
Read more reviews for this series by following its tag here.
Summary:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…
A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.
The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.
An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…
Read an excerpt here.
Other books in the series:
 |
 |
 |
 |
