As my introductory book by Cate Corvin, I was excited for this fallen Angel story. Milisandre is removed from heaven for crime she didn’t commit. Betrayed, she is forced to find a new life in her new home, Hell. She is captured by a Prince of Hell and must win her fights to win her freedom. I loved Milisandre and her history. This had a good balance between the romance arc and plot aspects of the story. I didn’t want to leave the intricate world Corvin created, particularly the layout of Hell and its boundaries. Her writing style was engaging from the first chapter. It seems I have another author to add to my favorites list this year. (4/5 rating)
Tag: angel
BOOK REVIEW – The Fallen (Hades Castle Trilogy Book 1) – C.N. Crawford
This was my first C.N. Crawford book. Set in an Angel’s and Demons fantasy world, this was a notable tale of Lila in the town of Dovren. It is the first in a trilogy series. I really loved Lila as the main character as her skills were a nice surprise for her plan to murder the Town Count, who also happens to be a fallen angel. I liked the interplay between Lila and, Count Saklas. I thought her characters were well defined and the plot built to a burst ending. I gave this a 3.5/5 rating. If you haven’t read this, it is worth a look and can be checked out on KU.
**Spoiler Alert**
Lila was born in Dovren, but the woman who raised her wasn’t her real mother. Raised with a sister, they taught themselves to fight and defend themselves. Lila began working as a thief at 7, for a local smuggling ring. Her stand in mother racked up lots of debt to pay for her Gin addiction. The collectors set out to find Lila and mutilate her to incentivize her mother to pay them back. While she manages to escape into the upstairs portion of their club by trading places with her courtesan friend, Zahra. Her first customer happens to be Count Sarkas, himself, and he is looking for her. He purchase her services to live at the local castle and be his courtesan for an obscene yearly wages.
When she moves into the castle she becomes stuck between the angels and the Free Men of the city. Claiming to want independence from the angels and create their own country, they identify themselves by a cuff link symbol. They claim the angels are planning to wipe out the mortals but things aren’t as they seem. They try to employ Lila to seduce Sarkas, which makes him mortal for a time, and strap a bomb to his rooms in the castle. She must work through what’s real after her childhood friend betrays her. The future of the realm stands in the balance between the Free Men and the Fallen Angels.
Book Review – The Angel Mage – Garth Nix
This is a stand alone novel by one of my favorite authors, Garth Nix. I first discovered Garth in his Sabriel series many years ago, so this book was my first of his in many years. The premise for magic use and the world building was unique, even for a Nix novel. A world based on magic tied to angels and arch-angels in seventeenth century France, it was wreathed in mystery and betrayal and friendship.
I Really struggled to rate this book, but finally landed on a 3.5/5.
** Alert Spoilers Below**
In this universe, magic users must call on angels to utilize it. This wreaks havoc on their body as the spells require life in exchange for magic. The more powerful the angel, the more life required to summon them. The summons require icons, beautifully crafted ringlets and symbols, specific to each Angel.
Our main antagonist, Lilliath, is a very powerful angel mage, if not the most powerful we encounter in the book. She is immune to the life drain normal to utilizing Angels for spells. She has just awoken from a century long slumber, before which, she had caused the Fall of Ystara. Her only driving need is to be united with her arch angel lover, Palleniel.
In the Fall of Ystara, all of it’s people were either killed by the ashblood plague, or evolved into hideous beasts. The survivor’s followed Lilliath into the closest province, Sarance. The descendants will never join the city as equals as performing magic on their blood transforms it to ash. They are shunned by most of the city and now called the Refusers.
Now, in the modern age, she simply promises them their dreams but has no intention handing it over. She is cold and heartless and a great villain. Due to her power, there are many protagonists that choose to stand against her, but the four at the top are four descendants of Ystara but they remain untouched by ashblood plague and capable of magic. Lilliath intends to recruit them, but only to use them to meet Palleniel. They have no plans to become fodder and it sets us up for an incredible battle.
The four descendants are: Simeon, a large man and doctor in training; Agnez, a new musketeer recruit; Henri, a clerk moving up the ranks in employment of the architect building a new palace; and Dorotea, a gifted icon-maker and scholar of the mages college. They are drawn together, due to their heritage, as though brothers and sisters. The final culmination of deception and betrayal happens within the Temple if Ystara and Lilliath betrays the 4, trying to sacrifice them to Pallenial. They thwart her plans and Dorotea manages to convince her to ascend to Pallenial rather than trying to force him to the surface.
Altogether, a good read.