Review - Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Consort is the third book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter Series.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel
Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new
evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer,
vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire
after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael
himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms
darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…

This is the continuation of the Guild Hunter Series. I was a little apprehensive since I was not a big fan of the last book Archangel's Kiss. However, this book contains loads more action as well as character development than the previous and I really enjoyed the read. The story still focuses on Elena and Rapheal,but many of the other characters have more of a storyline.There is still a great amount of focus on their love... blah blah blah. Normally I have no problem with love in a book, after all Black Dagger Brotherhood focuses a lot on love, but in this case three books talking about their complicated love life is enough for me. I ended up reading the book wanting to know more about the other characters such as Illium, Dimitri and Jason. This definitely has a setting reminiscent of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and has quite a bit of potential for more storylines. There is also a great plot line about the complicated relationship of Elena and her father. In the end I still connected with Elena and her attempts to adjust to the new life she now lives.  The action was seamless and flowed nicely, and kept the plot moving forward.

Overall the book was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it as a read. There is also an upcoming book on Dmitiri(super badass vamp) which I'm super excited about. 

Rating: 4/5

~Arianna

Review - Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Kiss is the second book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter Series.

From back cover:

"Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority…

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…"

This book is alot about the development of Rapheal and Elena's relationship. Both have extremely rough histories that come back through out the book, which ties in some of the earlier plot lines. With that being said, I was not as impressed with the second book as the first. Part of it is because the action speeds up and then slows back down. However, the secondary characters of Dimitri and Illium helps to give comedy and light heartedness to a book that could easily become mired in Elena and Rapheal's constant fight for dominion of Elena's future.

Rating: 3/5

~Arianna Sunrunner

Review - Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Angels' Blood is the first in the Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh.

 

Summary from her website:

"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…"

The basis of this series places a good twist on the usual vampire vs human hunter series. Instead, humans can petition angels to make them into vampires in return for 100years of servitude. If the vampires try to break this contract they are hunted by Guild Hunters and brought back to their masters. The main character is Elena Deveraux, one of the best guild hunters. She is contracted by the archangel Rapheal to hunt a wayward archangel instead of a vampire.

This book was a great read from beginning to end. What I really enjoy is that Nalini makes no excuses for the angels, she doesn't try to humanize them, instead showing that with immortality comes no sense of morality. The other characters in the novel are also great and add a lot of depth to the book. The obvious attraction between Rapheal and Elena is one of the main plot points in the book, but the action is great if a little slow at some points. This book is definitely worth reading and in the end you are completely wrapped up in their world.

Rating: 4/5

~Arianna