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Feb112011
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Angels’ Blood’ by Nalini Singh
by Carolyn • Posted in 4.5 Star Reviews, Authors Q-T, Book Reviews, Gollancz, Nalini Singh, Paranormal Romance, Reviews by Carolyn
Title: Angels’ Blood (Guild Hunter #1)
Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Gollancz (UK) | Berkley (US)
Publication Date: Feb 2010 (UK) | March 2009 (US)
Paperback: 339 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Urban Fantasy
Source: Review Copy
Reviewed by: Carolyn
RATING: 9/10
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she’s the best—but she doesn’t know if she’s good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option…even if the task is impossible.
Because 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…
REVIEW:
Wow! This book is amazing. ‘Angels’ Blood‘ had me enthralled from the first page – I loved it! It fits into the paranormal romance genre as well as the urban fantasy genre very well, as there are strong elements of both. It’s dark and edgy, and so atmospheric.
The main character is Elena, a Vampire Hunter for the Guild. Her ability is to track vampires by their scent. Angel’s Make vampires and the contract states they cannot go their own way until a year is up, but some don’t want to stick around, Elena is hired to track them down and send them back to their owners.
Elena is very much an urban fantasy heroine, she a fighter, strong and brave. She’s also intelligent and stands up for herself even when she’s terrified. She has a dark and painful past which gives her the depth I love in my characters. However, we don’t get to know everything and are just given snippets of information and glimpses of her past through her memories which she pushes away as they are too painful to remember. I’m looking forward to finding out out what they are, very intriguing.
Elena is also stubborn, even when her life could be at risk. I loved this about her, it gave her a strength I love to see in my heroines.
“You shouldn’t look at me in that fashion, Elena.”“Why?” she asked, prodded by some heretofore unknown suicidal streak. “Scared?”He leaned a fraction closer. “My lovers have always been warrior women. Strength intrigues me.”She refused to let him play with her like this, even if her body disagreed. Vehemently. “Do knives intrigue you too? Because touch me and I will cut you up. I don’t care if you throw me off the nearest balcony.”He seemed to pause, as if thinking. “That is not how I would choose to punish you. It’d end far too quickly.”And she remembered that this was no human male she was parrying with. This was Raphael, the archangel who’d broken every single bone in a vampire’s body to prove a point…And while she knew her worth, she also knew that to an archangel, she was, in the end, expendable.
There’s a rogue Archangel on the lose and he’s causing bloody destruction wherever he goes. The powerful Archangel of New York, Raphael, wishes to hire Elena to track him. She doesn’t know if she can as she’s only ever tracked vampires and isn’t sure if her ability goes as far as detecting the scent of an Archangel, but she takes the job as Raphael doesn’t understand the word no.
Raphael is dark and dangerous, mysterious and so sexy you can’t help but fall in love with him, even with his terrifyingly brutal traits. When Elena first meets him she feels his strength and overwhelming dominance, but his beauty isn’t lost on her either..
She took a deep breath and a step back before turning to face him. The impact hit her like a physical blow. He was… “Beautiful.” Eyes of such pure undiluted blue it was as if some heavenly artist had crushed sapphires into his paints and then coloured in the irises with the finest of brushes.
Yes, he was beautiful, but it was the beauty of a warrior or a conqueror. This man had power stamped on every inch of his skin, every piece of his flesh. And that was before she took in the exquisite perfection of his wings. The feathers were a soft white and appeared dusted with gold. But when she concentrated, she saw the truth – each individual filament of each individual feather bore a golden tip.
The plot is action-packed and fast-paced. The mix of action and romance is very well balanced. The romance which blossoms between Elena and Raphael is just wonderful and will satisfy any romance fan. It’s intense and beautiful, and I can’t wait to see what book two holds for these two.
As well as Elena and Raphael, the other cast of characters are just as brilliantly written. The devastatingly handsome but deadly vampire, Dmitri; the sweet and sexy angel Illium, who Elena has affectionally named “bluebell” due to the colour of his wings; Michaela, a strikingly beautiful Archangel who has a cold and murderous nature and has taken an instant dislike to Elena, which causes a few problems – all are vividly written and are fabulous to read.
VERDICT:
This is an amazing book – I loved the characters, the story, the writing – basically everything. I’m so glad it’s part of a series, and I already have books two and three in my possession – Yay! If you haven’t started this series yet, don’t wait as long as I did, go read it now!
You can find out more about the author here:
Books in Series Order:
1. Angels’ Blood
3. Archangel’s Consort
This book counts towards the following BCC reading challenges:
9 Comments
This is a really great review! I love this series, I have read the first two and I cannot wait to read Archangel's Consort.
After reading your review I just need to reread the series:-)
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So glad you liked this one! I love this series. Singh has created such an interesting world. At first it was hard to stop seeing the angels in the traditional way (that they should be nice), they're just another species and pretty scary to boot.
I look forward to your reviews on the rest of the series.
Jennifer (An Abundance of Books)
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Yay! I love books like this that you just don't want to put down
This has been on my reading list for a while so I think I need to bump it up!
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We will have this one in Spain next month and I'm REALLY waiting for it
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Congratulations! I award you with a Stylish Blog award!
http://samjaymc.blogspot.com/2.....award.html
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I read this last week and was blown away by it. Gorgeous, gorgeous worldbuilding and I absolutely loved the secondary characters.
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I'm adding this to my wishlist as it sounds fab. Thanks for sharing a great review.
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Hi Carolyn – I really admire Nalini Singh's writing. I don't think I've ever been disappointed by one of her books, and I've read quite a few. Have you tried her Psy-Changeling romances? They're hot, intricate, and hard to put down. I recommend them all.
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Mysteriousrose – Thanks! I'm glad you loved the books too. Such a great series and I love Elena and Rachael
Jennifer – I know what you mean about the angels, but I really liked the fact they weren't the traditional or stereotypical kind. I like that they are dark and dangerous, makes them more interesting
Laura – Definitely bump it up, I'm sure you won't be disappointed
Elwen – I hope you get it soon!
Sam – Thanks for the award, so nice of you!
Kelly – Me too – I loved all the characters, they are all so well defined. The worldbuilding is great and I love Singh's writing style.
Tasha – You're welcome and I hope you enjoy it too when you get round to reading it
Rebecca – I do have the first couple in the Psy-Changeling series so I'm sure I will get around to them soon
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