Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 323
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Archangel's Kiss had been sitting on
my bookshelf for a long time when a March Challenge to dig into my TBR pile
finally prompted me to read it. I feel bad only giving the book three stars as
Nalini Singh is one of my favorite authors, but three stars equals "I liked
it" and that is the truth. I liked this book. Archangel's Kiss was a quick, engaging read that I
definitely enjoyed, but it by no means knocked me off of my feet.
I read Archangel's Blood three years
ago, so I had a hard time remembering all of the details of that book. They
came back to me as I read and I was reminded why I'd made sure to pick up Archangel's Kiss and the next book in the series, Archangel's Consort. Nalini Singh creates characters and
worlds that are vivid and engaging - very, very close to the world we currently
live in, but different in subtle ways that really matter. Even if I didn't like
Raphael, Elena, Illium and Dimitri, I'd be tempted to read Nalini's books just
for the world building.
Archangel's Kiss picks up almost right
where we left off in the previous book - newly minted angel Elena has woken up
in Raphael's home, far from her native New York and the Guild Hunters she
considers family. Given that Elena and Raphael are almost dysfunctionally (in
the best way possible) in love with each other, Elena's new surroundings aren't
as much of a problem as one might think.
What is a problem is the fact that the
angel community is not happy with Elena's transformation and she might just be
too weak from her injuries to stay alive. Raphael's Seven - his band of loyal
angels/vampires - have a major problem with their boss making himself
vulnerable because of Elena. They see her as a weakness that Raphael's enemies
will exploit and make no secret of the fact that they don't trust/respect her -
which is a testament to how deep their resentment goes considering Raphael's
less than forgiving nature at having his decisions questioned. The lone
exception, of course, is Illium, which is more dangerous than noble as I'm
pretty sure the blue-winged angel is in love with Elena.
That won't end well.
Raphael and Elena's burgeoning relationship is framed by
two distinct threats - a ball hosted by the oldest (and arguably most detached
from reality) Archangel Lijuan and a power play by an unknown enemy to bring
about a war among the Archangels. Raphael is adamant that Elena regain her
strength quickly - if she doesn't, it could mean death for both of them.
As with the Psy-Changeling series, family - and more
specifically children - are at the heart of everything. Protecting one's own is
the motivation for nearly every character in both series and that's very
apparent here where an otherwise acceptable series of political maneuverings
becomes a matter of life and death when an angel child is attacked. The attack
brings memories to the surface for nearly every character and as a result we
learn a lot more about Elena - what caused the rift between her and her father,
as well as her sisters/mother's deaths - and Raphael's past.
For all of the build up to Who's Trying to Star A War and
What is Lijuan Up To, the actual denouement happened fairly quickly. That's not
a complaint, really, as Nalini's books have always been more about the
relationships of her characters than the plot, but it's worth noting.
I'm still having issues with the wings. I just keep
thinking about how awkward it would be to cart the damn things around. I did
enjoy how Nalini explained the way the angels adapted their clothes to fit
around the giant extra appendages protruding from their backs. I commend her
for making the wings a very real, very permanent part of the angels. While it
may have been more to my tastes if the angels were somehow able to "put
their wings away" when not in use, I also think it would have been
something of a cop-out to do so.
Oh, since this is a romance novel, I will also say that
the sex is pretty damn hot - wings and all. I expect nothing less from Nalini.
So, there it is. A review of a book that I definitely
liked, but can't really gush over. I'm looking forward to reading the next
book.
Hopefully it won't take me another three years.
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