Archangel’s Enigma by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Enigma (A Guild Hunter Novel, 8)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (3rd September 2015)
Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of fark passion and immortal power and to one of the most seductive and impenetrable heroes ever to stalk the Guild Hunter landscape . . .

Naasir is the most geral of the powerful group of vampires and angels known as the Seven, his loyalty pledged to the Archangel Raphael. When rumours surface of a plot to murder the former Archangel of Persia, now lost in the Sleep of Ancients, Nassir is dispatched to find him. For only he possesses the tracking skills required, those more common to predatory animals than to man.

Enlisted to accompany Naasir, Andromeda, a young angelic scholar with dangerous secrets, is fascinated by his nature – playful and brilliant, sensual and brutal. As they race to find the Sleeping archangel before it’s too late, Naasir will force her to question all she knows . . . and tempt her to walk into the magnificent, feral darkness of his world. But first they must survive an enemy vicious enough to shatter the greatest taboo of the angelic race and plunge the world into a screaming nightmare . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S ENIGMA by Nalini Singh is the eighth book in her fantastic Guild Hunter series. This book follows the story of Naasir – one of the Archangel Raphael’s Seven – who Raphael asks to locate and wake a Sleeping Ancient, a task that is considered taboo. To complete this task, Naasir needs the help of Andromeda, a young angelic scholar.

These type of stories within the Guild Hunter universe are not typical my favourite. I prefer the books that focus on Raphael and Elena, and what is going on with the Cascade, the Cadre and that world. That being said, I really loved this book. Singh interspaces Naasir and Andromeda’s story with scenes of the wider picture of the world, and this worked for me as it allowed me to both connect with the main characters as well as continue to watch the overall arc of the story play out.

Naasir is an interesting character, who has made appearances in previous books and I really enjoyed the chance to get to know him a little more. Andromeda makes her first appearance in this book, and I thought she was interesting and I enjoyed getting to know her on the page. I also enjoyed the return of characters we have met in previous books, though I think by having them as secondary characters Singh keeps a good balance in the book so things don’t become too complicated.

ARCHANGEL’S ENIGMA is everything I have come to expect from a novel by Nalini Singh – there is plenty of plot to get your teeth in to, and there are also moment of scorching romance. Singh was superb, as always, in balancing these two aspects to make a really enjoyable, cohesive read. The main plot of the novel was made of several different threads that wove together to make a complicated story, which was fun and engrossing to follow. If you are a fan of Nalini Singh’s work, then you are sure to enjoy this new addition to the Guild Hunter Novels.