Archangel's War

Archangel's War (Guild Hunter #12 )- Nalini Singh
Berkley/Penguin Group
Release Date: September 24, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . . .

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . . .

This war could end them all.

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If you're like me, and you've been waiting for this book since October 30, 2018 when you put down Archangel's Prophecy than you have already guessed- there's no way to avoid at least some spoilers in reviewing Archangel's War. If you are new to the series, put down this book and at least read Prophecy before coming back.  You'll be pretty lost on some major issues otherwise.

With that out of the way, Archangel's War does not disappoint those of us who have been waiting desperately to find out what was happening to Elena.  The last time we saw her, she and Raphael were fighting a prophecy that would turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael's increasing power.  And there was the whole chrysalis thing at the end.  Without giving away details, sorting that out is a big part of War (to the surprise of no one. It was kind of a big deal). 

The Cascade has awakened new Ancients before their time, China is a horror movie waiting to happen (hopefully I was not the only one seeing the Miranda scenes from Serenity playing in my head when Elena and Raphael were in China), weather across the globe has turned chaotic and deadly.  If you thought you'd seen Lijuan as creepy-crazy as possible, think again.  It would be easy for a less talented author than Singh to focus on these big picture problems and lose the people along the way.  But War balances nicely the personal issues Elena and Raphael face as they settle into their new 'normal' and the global issues the archangels as a Cadre face thanks to everyone's favorite Angel of Death. Archangels whose defining traits before this had been their oversized egos and personalities prove that they are capable of putting their egos aside and fighting together when faced with a terrible enemy.  Elena especially helps ground the story and the fighting with the people everyone fights to save.  Fans will be happy that Dimitri, Illium, and the rest of the Seven each get some action- and will certainly love one of the personal moments between Illium, Aodhan, and the Hummingbird when we learn that even powerful and deadly angels can be reduced to guilty children by a mom like the Hummingbird.

Once again, Nalini Singh exceeds all expectations for her Guild Hunters series.  Her world-building skills are top-notch, her pacing of the story a perfect blend of war and stolen personal moments. Fans will rejoice in this newest, much anticipated, release- Nalini Singh doesn't disappoint!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review