Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Storm
Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-24658-0
Pages: 337
Series: Guild Hunter #5
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


When the archangel Neha's consort is murdered in the jewel-studded palace that was his prison her rage threatens to destroy the world. Raphael lends her his spymaster Jason, but to earn Neha's trust he is forced to swear a blood oath with her niece Mahiya. Mahiya hides secrets so dangerous she doesn't trust anyone and is loathe to find herself tied to an enemy spymaster. But Eris's murderer isn't done yet and Mahiya and Jason must work together to prevent Neha's court becoming a bloodbath.

This is the fifth book in the Guild Hunter series (after Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Consort and Archangel's Blade) and the narration switches to Jason, Raphael's midnight-winged spymaster, while the setting moves to Neha's court in India which gives a host of new characters to get to know.

The storyline is densely plotted with several big twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The writing is as descriptively lush as always, made more prominent by the gorgeous jewel studded palace. I was worried I'd struggle with the change of location but descriptions were delicately interwoven with the storyline to create a three dimensional world. The mystery of the killer soon leads Mahiya and Jason into the twisted political machinations of an Archangel's court and I was glued to the page throughout.

Jason has always been featured as dark and secretive, barely showing any expressions and playing his cards close to his chest so to see him thrust together with Mahiya who has secrets of her own was an interesting mix. Each has their backstories interwoven with the main mystery and I soon came to like Mahiya for managing to survive a brutual childhood and not become tainted by it. Their romance develops while honouring each character's background and it is interesting to see how they relate to each other.

There is a background story showing Honor and Dmitri's marriage and progressing relationship. As Jason's story is quite dark overall, these sections work as moments of lightness showing their love and dedication to one another clearly. Venom also plays a role when he comes to pay his respects to his creator Neha. I really like him as a character and I'm hoping he gets to narrate a story in the future.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Blade
Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-24391-6
Pages: 310
Series: Guild Hunter #4
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


When the tattooed severed head of a nascent vampire is discovered, the case should have been passed directly to the Guild but Dmitri has an ominious sense of familiarity. In his long life as a vampire, Dmitri has seen many things and his search for the truth of the killing leads him to work alongside Guild Hunter Honor. But while Honor is a competent Hunter, she has just survived a brutual imprisonment by vampires and the last thing she wants is to be forced to work with one...especially one as powerful as Dmitri.

This is the fourth book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series (after Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss and Archangel's Consort) and is the first to move away from Elena and Raphael as lead characters. Instead the book focuses on Dmitri who has been a supporting character from the start and introduces a new Guild Hunter named Honor. Elena, Raphael and all the other characters I've come to love are still featured despite the narration change.

The book is tightly plotted with dual storylines running together. The investigation into the severed head leads us into Dmitri's past while a concurrent investigation tracks down the vampires who abducted Honor. There is a fair amount of tension and some scenes manage to be deeply creepy which makes for compelling reading. The romance takes a backseat to the character's healing from their pasts, which works well both for the storyline and overall development of the characters.

Dmitri has been a favourite character of mine since the beginning of the series. He's always been portrayed as arrogant and controlling so it was fascinating to see why he is that way. He has lived a long existence but never recovered from the events surrounding his turning, leading him to become darker and more deadly. However, when he meets Honor he begins to change and it is fascinating to see how he develops.

I found Honor to be incredibly well written and the way in which she gradually deals with the horrors of her past feels believable. She is very different to Elena as while Elena is physically very strong and confident from the first page, Honor is broken and delicate yet holds herself together with an extreme level of self-control.

Holly (a survivor of Uram's rampage in the first book) and Venom both stand out as supporting characters with Holly's recovery being aided by Honor and Venom showing a slightly softer side. Interestingly the book steps back from the global changes in the previous installment to tell a tighter, more character focused story and this was a refreshing change.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to Archangel's Storm.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 48/50

Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Consort
Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-24013-7
Pages: 324
Series: Guild Hunter #3
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


When a vampire attacks a girls' school in a fit of viscious madness, it is only the first in a string of violent events. Vampire after vampire is consumed by rampant bloodlust and Raphael is struggling to control them when he himself begins to show signs of uncontrollable rage. But when a massive storm threatens the New York the pattern behind the events becomes clear. An ancient is awakening and she seeks to reclaim her son. Caliane has returned...

This is the third book in the Guild Hunter series (after Angels' Blood and Archangel's Kiss) and is probably my favourite in the series so far. The storyline is densely plotted and packed with twists and turns, and the threat of an Ancient awakening is threaded through the book adding a vein of tension that enhances the plot. The suspense woven into the storylines is one of the things that I love most about this series, and this installment takes it to the next level.

After watching Elena's growth after the past few books, I was looking forward to seeing what was next for her and this takes things back to her family. It allows us to understand more about how her family functions and what role she was in. There is also a few surprises hidden in Elena's past and the flashbacks give her character even more depth. Her romance with Raphael is still going strong although at times I felt it drew attention away from the action.

The presence of Raphael's mother Caliane also means that flashbacks are again used to help develop their relationship by giving a window into their past. The flashbacks are always in italics and fit well within the story. Raphael is also dealing with the echoes of Lijuan's ascension and the changes that has made to the balance of power between the Cadre of ruling Archangels.

Once again the supporting characters shine through, particularly Dmitri who has been running things in New York while Elena recovered from her transformation. His book is up next and I'm eager to find out more about him. Bluebell also returns and there are some truly heartwrenching scenes with him that really made me feel for him.

All in all this was a great read and I'm really looking forward to Archangel's Blade.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 49/50

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Kiss
Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-23336-8
Pages: 323
Series: Guild Hunter #2
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Elena Devereaux has spent the last year in a coma, her body healing after the fight that nearly took her life and transformed her into an angel. She awakens changed, but weakened and with much to learn. Elena is forced to learn quickly though as an invitation arrives to a ball at the ancient and deadly archangel Lijuan's home. But even as Elena and Raphael prepare, someone is determined to remove Raphael from power and strikes at the heart of the angelic sanctuary they are calling home.

This is the second book in the Guild Hunter series (after Angels' Blood) and picks up a year after Elena's transformation. I would recommend that new readers start at the beginning, and also don't read further as this review is likely to contain spoilers for the first book.

This book has a slightly slower pace than the last installment as a large amount of time is spent with Elena learning how to be an angel. She needs to learn the history of the angelic race and even simple things, like being able to walk with her wings folded, are a struggle. That said there is a layer of tension as someone is targeting Raphael and attacking people at the sanctuary, and there is the lingering threat of Lijuan's ball.

Elena develops a lot in this book as she is trying to find a balance between her new existence as an angel and her old life as a hunter. Her hunter born skills haven't deserted her and if anything are beginning to develop into something more complex, meaning Elena is able to gain some independence from her relationship with Raphael. Slightly more of Elena's past with the rogue vampire Slater Patalis is revealed, alongside the revelation that Elena herself doesn't fully remember the incident. The story is not complete though so I'm assuming it will continue on in the next book.

It isn't just Elena's past that is revealed though as Raphael begins to reveal more about his past and the nature of angels. Raphael is determined to protect Elena, and this means that Dmitri and Illium play key roles along with the newly introduced Jason and Galen. This book also reveals more about Raphael's Seven and their roles.

Elena's relationship with Raphael develops more, although this is much to the disappointment of jealous Michaela and Dmitri who thinks Elena is a threat to Raphael's safety. The romance itself is well developed as Elena and Raphael gradually let down their guards and begin to reveal their pasts whilst learning to deal with the fact that Elena craves independence as Raphael needs her presence.

All in all this was another great read and I'm looking forward to Archangel's Consort.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 47/50

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Title: Angels' Blood
Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-22692-6
Pages: 339
Series: Guild Hunter #1
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Elena Devereaux is the best vampire hunter in the world, but even she may not be good enough for her latest assignment. She has been hired by the dangerous, and beautiful, archangel of New York Raphael to track down an archangel gone bad. This job will place Elena at the centre of a killing spree unlike any other...and put her at risk of falling for her employer's charms, either of which could mean her death.

This is the first book in the Guild Hunter series and, as a big fan of the author's Psy-Changeling series, a book I expected great things from. I definitely wasn't disappointed as the world building is just as unique and complex as that of her other books, taking vampires and angels in innovative new directions. Angels are the creators of vampires and as such own them for the first hundred years of their existence. Elena's job is to retrieve those who attempt to break that contract.

The storyline is cleverly plotted and well paced, although at times the density of the world building made it difficult for me to stay caught in the storyline. Unlike the Psy-Changeling books, this series stays with Elena and Raphael for more than a single book so their backstory isn't covered fully leaving lots undiscovered. I was a little annoyed that only snippets of Elena's history are revealed which means that the storyline will continue in the future books, but ends up being frustratingly incomplete in this installment.

Elena is an interesting lead character. As I mentioned before her traumatic past isn't fully revealed which leaves the reader only able to partly understand her, although her relationships with her friends (good) and family (bad) do explain a lot about her motivations. Likewise Raphael is fascinating and it is great to see him both acting normally and within "the cold", a side effect to a method of angelic communication. The cold removes all traces of humanity from Raphael and leaves him as a very scary being.

There were a few background characters that managed to steal scenes throughout the book: Raphael's right hand vampire Dmitri whose seductive scent keeps Elena on her toes, and Elena's bad boy hunter friend Ransom who adds a cute sideline as he realises he's fallen in love with his latest fling. The other character I loved was Illium who is the most accessible angel introduced in the book.

The villain of the piece Uram is incredibly disturbing and leads to some particularly horrifying scenes that place this book a lot closer to a gritty urban fantasy than a romance. Some of the scenes are quite graphic which I wasn't expecting, although they do fit within the storyline and aren't excessive.

The ending is outstanding and entirely not what I was expecting at all. I can't wait to see where the storyline goes next!

All in all this was a great read and I'm looking forward to Archangel's Kiss.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 7/10

Overall: 44/50