Archangel's Ascension

Archangel's Ascension (Guild Hunter 15)- Nalini Singh

Berkley Publishing

Release Date: May 6, 2024

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Aodhan and Illium. Adi and Blue. Sparkle and Bluebell. Friends become lovers, their future a wild unknown.

Finally reunited in New York, they must now learn to navigate the monumental shift in their relationship. But for these two members of Archangel Raphael’s legendary Seven, there is no time to rest. As they investigate a case for the Tower that echoes the darkness from Aodhan’s past, they will be forced to confront not only the scars that mark them both, but the promise of a vast power that flickers in Illium.

The threat of ascension has haunted and troubled Aodhan’s Blue for too long, the forces of change immutable and without mercy...and uncaring of Illium’s fierce wish to remain part of the Seven. Change is a constant in an immortal’s life, and this new horizon will bring with it both terrible heartbreak and a joy extraordinary enough to reverberate through time…

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Archangel's Ascension threw a curve right from the start by being broken into two timelines: "Today" which is actually 700 years in the future, and "Yesterday" which is the present for the series' normal timeline. I admit to a moment of panic when I fiugred that out, but I should have had more faith in one of my favorite authors. The majority of the book takes place in the current timeline, so situation normal.

Aodhan and Illium admitted in their last book that they loved each other and in this book we get to see them trying to figure out what that means. Because despite what they think, both men still have some issues they need to deal with. Together in New York they investigate the murder of a young vampire and his human girlfriend that has some similarities to Aodhan's past. Meaning he has to face that past, and we as readers get to learn some more about it. 

The murder investigation is pretty basic, but does a good job of helping reset a 'situation hopefully normal' and reminding everyone life doesn't need to be all about wars, zombies and other major craziness, but can be about the more day to day concerns as well. And perhaps should be. It also allows Aodhan a chance to consciously fit more into himself in a way he hasn't before. We see him trying to talk to strangers, to allow physical contact with friends. We see both Adi and Ilium talking to others to try and figure out how not to mess up their changing relationship and hurt each other as they grow. There's plenty of angst along the way, perhaps more than is needed, but readers who have been with the series since the beginning and have been cheering the two on will probably be more lenient with the repetition than they would be otherwise.

The title gives away what the "today" section will be about, and on the whole I thought that was really beautifully done. I did cry a bit in a few places, have to admit. You can tell the series is almost wrapped up, and it will be interesting to see if Singh goes back to the present day for the end, or jumps to her new future and shakes things up there.

This sequel to Archangel's Light is what readers have been waiting for- the conclusion of Illium and Aodhan's story.

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

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Archangel's Prophecy

Archangel's Prophecy- Nalini Singh
Berkley/Penguin Group
Release Date: October 30, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: Midnight and dawn, Elena’s wings are unique among angelkind—and now they are failing. The first mortal to be turned into an immortal in angelic memory, she’s regressing. Becoming more and more human. Easier to hurt. Easier to kill. 

Elena and Raphael must unearth the reason for the regression before Elena falls out of the sky. Yet even as they fight a furious battle for Elena’s very survival, violent forces are gathering across the world. In China, the Archangel Favashi is showing the first signs of madness. In New York, a mysterious sinkhole filled with lava swallows a man whole. In Africa, torrential monsoon rains flood rolling deserts. And in Elena’s mind whispers a haunting voice that isn’t her own.
 
This time, survival may not be possible…not even for the consort of an archangel.

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Elena Deveraux.  Vampire Hunter. Hunter born.  Bad-ass fighter. Archangel's Consort.  The first mortal to become angel-made.  Elena has grown into her role as all of these things over the course of the Guild Hunters series.  But now she is regressing into a mortal and no-one, angel or vampire, can figure out why.  With the world still shaken from the effects of the Cascade and the madness of Lijuan fresh in everyone's memory, everyone is jumping at the smallest strangeness.  Sudden lava pits, a strange set of murders, and ghost owls only Elena can see take things to a whole new level of Cascade-Weirdness.  Elena and Raphael must try to change destiny and protect their friends and their world or an ancient prophecy will come true- and Elena may not survive it.

Like most of the Guild Hunters series, (Archangel's Viper) Archangel's Prophecy does a good job of walking the fine line between personal problems and relationships and world-shattering change and clashes of archangels.  And Elena is, as always, the heart of the series.  Her view guides readers through the harsh world of immortals while at the same time reminding many immortals of their own capacity for kindness and wonder.  And she does her best to always remember (and remind others) that what is most important in the world, whether you are human or immortal, is love, friendship, and family.  So it is really no surprise that even when her own world seems to be crashing down around her, what she focuses on is a sudden threat to her sister and niece.  And it is a testament to Raphael's love and understanding that he doesn't try to wrap Elena up and hide her safely somewhere, but supports her hunt for a murderer even when she is at her weakest.  Elena and Raphael remind me a lot of Eve and Roarke in J.D. Robb's In Death series.  They may view the world very differently at times, and have come to the same place in very different ways, but despite the occasional fight, they are a perfect partnership.  Supportive, wildly in love when they thought it wasn't possible, they compliment and anchor each other perfectly. 

It's hard to talk too much about Prophecy without giving away too many spoilers.  But it is another example of Nalini Singh's wonderful writing genius: emotional, compelling, fast-paced, edge of your seat action, with just the right amount of humor and softer moments mixed throughout.  Readers new to the series would probably do best to read some of the earlier books first to get the most out of Prophecy and long-time series readers won't be able to put it down!  Just be aware that it ends with the biggest cliff-hanger Singh has ever given us and will leave you begging for the next book to find out what happens!

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

ArchAngel's Viper

Archangel's Viper (Guild Hunter Series)- Nalini Singh
Berkely
Release Date: September 26, 2017

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Rating(out of 5):
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Once a broken girl known as Sorrow, Holly Chang now prowls the shadowy gray underground of the city for the angels. But it's not her winged allies who make her a wanted woman--it's the unknown power coursing through her veins. Brutalized by an insane archangel, she was left with the bloodlust of a vampire, the ability to mesmerize her prey, and a poisonous bite.
 
Now, someone has put a bounty on her head...
 
Venom is one of the Seven, Archangel Raphael's private guard, and he's as infuriating as he is seductive. A centuries-old vampire, his fangs dispense a poison deadlier than Holly's. But even if Venom can protect Holly from those hunting her, he might not be able to save himself--because the strange, violent power inside Holly is awakening...
 
No one is safe.

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Taking place at the same time as Archangel's Heart, Archangel's Viper follows the members of Raphael's Seven who stayed in New York to hold down the fort while Raphael and Elena are away.  Specifically, it follows everyone's favorite venomous vampire as Venom, rather accidentally, finds true love. Long time readers of the Guild Hunters series may remember Holly Chang, once known as Sorrow, as the girl Elena and Raphael rescued from the insane Archangel Uram in Angel's Blood.  Holly is beginning to accept her new life as a not-quite vampire but no-longer human.  She works with Janvier, Dimitri and others to keep New York safe. She has reconnected with her family, and the nightmares of her torture by Uram aren't quite 24/7 anymore.  But, like Vemon and Nassir (Archangel's Enigma) Holly is unique.  And in this world of immortals and angels, unique is not always a safe thing.

Because of her fast reflexes and poisonous bite, Holly is assigned to Venom for training.  Where others treat her gently, Venom treats her the same as any other new recruit.  He pushes her, annoys her, and makes her test her limits. When a botched kidnapping attempt alerts them to a bounty on Holly's head, Venom is the natural partner to help her figure out who's behind it.  But things become complicated and past becomes present as Uram's shadow continues to haunt Holly and it turns out that the past may not be quite as behind them as everyone thought.

As enjoyable as Elena is, the Guild Hunter books who follow the 'secondary' characters are just as good, if not better.  Each of Raphael's elite Seven is unique in some way and we've been able to get to know the men behind the warriors in these books. Venom may be one of the ones we know the least about, so it's no surprise how eagerly anticipated Archangel's Viper is by fans!  I think everyone will agree this story was worth their wait.  Holly has grown into a strong woman who may still be working on her confidence, but is learning in leaps and bounds and carving a place for herself in the Tower.  She and Venom have a nicely antagonistic relationship from the beginning that shows a great chemistry- even though neither believes it at first.  Venom thinks she's too young for him, Holly thinks he's a jerk.  But in the best Nalini Singh tradition, the more they work together, the more they discover about each other- and themselves.  Emotions like love sneak up on both of them, which really worked here.  Neither was looking for a relationship with anyone, especially each other, so it felt like a genuine journey of discovery on both sides.  I also liked how, even though Venom thought Holly was too young for him as a woman, he treated her as an equal partner in their investigation from the beginning.  She didn't have to prove herself to him, if anything he proved to her what she was capable of.

Much of the conflict in Viper comes from Holly's past trauma and what Uram did to her, but I don't think readers who haven't already read Angels' Blood will be lost.  There's enough background given and Holly does enough flashbacks, that new readers will catch up quickly.  Holly's story is one that she herself is still discovering, and the questions readers (new and old alike) have are questions Holly is looking for answers to: what did Uram do to her? What is she now? Why does she have the abilities she has, and what is the darkness inside of her?  The answers we get by the end are both a surprise and not a surprise. Holly has to learn what Nassir and Venom, and plenty other Nalini Singh characters, have learned: you are unique, an individual, and it is your choices that make you what you are, not what others try to label you.  

A great addition to a great series- Nalini Singh fans and paranormal romance fans will love Archangel's Viper!

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

Archangel's Heart

Archangel's Heart (Guild Hunter Series)- Nalini Singh
Berkley
Release Date: November 1, 2016

Rating (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.
 
Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within—truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is…

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Two years have passed since the events of Archangel's Enigma and life has returned to normal for Elena- or as normal as possible when you're consort to the Archangel of New York.  No one has seen or heard from Lijuan, the insane Archangel of Death, since the last major battle and no one knows if she's alive, dead, or Sleeping.  But China is beginning to fall apart without an Archangel in charge and so the mysterious order of angels called the Luminata calls the Cadre to meet and resolve the situation.  While a meeting of archangels is never a lot of fun, Elena discovers this meeting is just the beginning. . .

In many ways, Archangel's Heart  goes back to the basics: Elena and Raphael continue to learn to work together as a team; the world altering power plays and politics is peripheral to the book's ultimate mystery; and love and family remain at the heart of everything.  I love how family has so many meanings to them- there is the immediate blood family and all their complicated associations; and there are friends who become family. Heart does a great job of showing how interconnected Elena and Raphael's families have become, especially between Elena and Caliane.  Caliane might not play a pivotal role in Heart but she has amazing impact each time we see her, and some of her scenes became my favorites.  As "other" as angels, especially archangels, may be, Archangel's Heart shows us some of their more "human" moments and values.  Both Elena and the reader see additional facets to each archangel's character, new layers that may only be seen for an instant, but remind us of the hidden complexities (both good and bad) inside each of these archangels.  Likewise, Aodhan gets to 'sparkle' with a larger role.  We get to see him start to come out of his shell and begin to find himself again.  I'm definitely looking forward to when he gets his own book!

While the question of Lijuan hovers over the Cadre and the purpose of this meeting, the mystery itself surrounds the Luminata. Singh does a fantastic job combining some of the original purpose of the Luminata- their search for enlightenment, their desire to preserve beautiful works of art or literature- with the gritty reality of what happens when a group of people begin to feel that they are untouchable and can do whatever they want.  Singh blends great cruelty, love, obsession, indifference, and hope together into a compelling and wonderful story.

I was a little disappointed by the constant repetition used throughout the book.  We were often told something four or five times when once would have been enough.  Some pieces that were fine on their own (like a knife throwing challenge at the beginning, or the number of times Elena and Raphael have brief, touching "I love you" moments) seemed, to me, to distract from or jar the flow of the story.  While I've come to expect that from some authors, this was the first time I've noticed it enough to detract from one of Singh's books.  Hopefully it is an aberration and future books will return to the more tightly written and edited style of Singh's other books.

Overall a great addition to the series.  Readers discovering the series with Archangel's Heart won't be floundering to figure out what everything is about, although they'll get much more out of reading the series in order.  Wonderful continued development of characters and some shocking (both bad and then ultimately good) twists at the end will leave readers eager for the next book in the series to see how things develop!