Review: Archangel's War by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Return to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s darkly passionate Guild Hunter world, where human-turned-angel Elena Deveraux, consort to Archangel Raphael, faces a new challenge that threatens the balance of the world.

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed . . . far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel’s Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon its becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough . . .

This war could end them all.

Series: Guild Hunter, 12 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz (26 September 2019)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

Archangel’s War is the twelfth book in Nalini Singh’s brilliant Guild Hunter series. It continues the story of Guild Hunter Elena Deveraux and of her archangel Raphael. Tensions have been building for a while in the Guild Hunter world, and things really come to a head in this book. The Cascade has been causing chaos in the previous books which has left everyone reeling, there have also been whispers of prophecy. Singh brings together a lot of the plot threads that have spread over the previous eleven books, and in a lot of ways Archangel’s War can be seen as a series climax.

There is a lot going on in this book. A lot. It is also the largest book in the series. My copy has over four hundred and fifty pages. Despite its size this book is a real page turner. Once I picked up Archangel’s War, even though I strung it out over three days, I really did struggle to put it down. The story just pulled me in. Although there is a lot going on Singh managed to make it all easy to follow, and a really enjoyable read. It was also really easy to fall straight back into the world and the story, which I really appreciated.

This book is actually really difficult to talk about without the risk of potential spoilers. I really do feel that this is a book you should go into pretty much blind. It is a real treat for fans of the Guild Hunter series. As I’ve already said, things come to a climax in this book so I did wonder going in if this was the final book in this series. The good news is, at least according to Singh’s website, there are going to be at least three more books in this series which I am supper excited about. So whilst I say that this book brings this to a climax it is not the end.

I think Archangel’s War is a game changer for the series, and something fans will definitely want to dive into as soon as they can get their hands on it – sorry my review is so late, but I hope it’s helpful nevertheless. This might be my favourite book in the series, or at the very least it is one of my favourite. I love the way Singh writes Elena and Raphael, and the chemistry between them – and the very obvious love. They have both come along way from their first meeting in Angel’s Blood. I’m really excited to get my hands on the next book in the series, which probably won’t be out until later in the year.

Review: Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Return to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s darkly passionate Guild Hunter world, where human-turned-angel Elena Deveraux, consort to Archangel Raphael, is thrust centre stage into an eons-old prophecy . . .

Midnight and dawn, Elena’s wings are unique among angelkind . . . and now they’re 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 it’s too late, and Elena falls out of the sky. Yet even as they fight a furious battle for Elena’s very survival, violent forces are gathering in New York and across the world.

In China, the Archangel Favashi is showing the first signs of madness. In New York, a mysterious sinkhole filled with lava scallows a man whole. In Africa, torrential monsoon rains flood rolling deserts. And in Elena’s mind there’s a haunting voice that isn’t her own.

This time, survival may not be possible . . . not even for the consort of an archangel.

Series: Guild Hunter 11
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz (1st November 2018)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

Eleven books in, and Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series is really raising the stakes. The Cascade has caused problems before but in Archangel’s Prophecy Elena, the first mortal to be turned into angel in angelic memory, seems to be regressing – making her easier to hurt, and easier to kill. With so little known about once mortal angels, it is extremely difficult for anyone to unearth information that may help her. Whilst Elena and Raphael fight to find out what is going on, the rest of the world stands on the brink of chaos: New York has a lava filled sinkhole, the deserts of Africa have monsoon floods, and the Archangel Favashi shows the first signs of madness. Survival is not looking good for anyone, mortal or immortal.

First of all I just want to mention how pretty the cover of my edition of the book is – I really love the grayscale image with the vibrant colours on the wings just pops. I have really enjoyed the Guild Hunter series so far, so of course I was excited to get my hands on Archangel’s Prophecy. Singh always manage to surprise me, and this book was no different.

I did really enjoy it, but in a lot of ways it does read like the first part of a series – there is some serious setting up going on. Archangel’s Prophecy really sets the scene and let’s us know what exactly is at stake. I don’t know how many books there will be in the series, but to me it almost feels like Singh is gearing up for the endgame of the series. I’m probably reaching, but I definitely think there is that quality to the setup in the book. I don’t think that the next book will be the last one, but I do think Singh may be drawing things to a close.

As always, there is a lot going on – I found it easy to keep track of everything, though I did think that one of the resolutions in this book came a bit out of left field. I really admired Elena’s determination in this book, how she never stopped fighting. Although the story primarily focuses on Elena and Raphael, I did enjoy the return of some familiar faces – and I would have loved if there had been more of them, but that’s just a minor gripe. I also thought the way that the voice in Elena’s mind was handled was really well done, and interesting. Archangel’s Prophecy has definitely left me excited for book twelve.

Bout of Books 24

Bout of Books 24

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 24 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

From the Bout of Books team

Writing this post has been an interesting experience, as WordPress seems to have updated/changed the writing posts portal. It’s been interesting learning how to use it. I guess I really have been away for a long time…

This post is going to act as a permanent spot to keep track of my progress during Bout of Books 24, rather than creating a new post every day. So be sure to check back here if you want to see how I’m doing.

  • Monday Jan 7th
    • Currently Reading: Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh
    • Pages Read: 109
    • Challenges: Currently Reading (on Instagram)
  • Tuesday Jan 8th
    • Currently Reading: Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh
    • Pages Read: 164
      • Total Pages Read: 273
  • Wednesday Jan 9th
    • I didn’t do any reading today.
  • Thursday Jan 10th
    • Yeah, no reading from me today either. This is really exciting, and top content right?! 🤔
  • Friday Jan 11th
  • Saturday Jan 12th
    • Aaaand back to no reading. 😓 I did however take part in the Twitter chat, and I had lots of fun. An hour is just not enough!!!
  • Sunday Jan 13th
    • The final day. Eek. And what do you know…
    • Finished Reading: Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh
    • Pages Read: 99
      • Total Pages Read: 372

Bout of Books 24 Wrap-Up!

So Bout of Books 24 has finished. Where did the time go?! I guess I better get this wrap-up written and stop procrastinating.

Although I only read one book, I do think for me Bout of Books 24 has been a success. I did actually read 372 pages. In an ideal world I would have loved to have hit 700 pages or at least finished a second book. Archangel’s Prophecy was a really enjoyable read, and a good set up for the next book in the series – which I now have to wait for, boo!

I took part in a Twitter chat, and a couple of the Instagram challenges. I think next time, if I can take part, I want to be better at visiting other people’s blogs and leaving a comment to say hi. I was really bad at that this time. Normally I manage to leave a couple of comments a day, or maybe every couple of days, but this time I did not visist any blogs at all.

Thank you to everyone who reads this far, and who has stayed with me for this journey. 😘

Review: Archangel’s Viper by Nalini Singh

Photo of the UK edition of Archangel's Viper by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Viper by Nalini Singh (UK ediiton)

Title: Archangel’s Viper (Guild Hunter, 10)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz (28th September 2017)
Blurb:

Enter New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s breathtaking passionate Guild Hunter world with the story of a woman who isn’t a vampire or an angel. . . or human . . .

Once a broken girl known as Sorrow, Holly Chang now prowls the shadowy grey 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. Brutalised by an insane archangel, she was left with the bloodlust of a vampire, the ability to mesmerise her prety, 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.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S VIPER is the tenth addition to Nalini Singh’s brilliant Guild Hunter series. The story follows the story of Holly Chang, a woman who named herself Sorrow and who is neither vampire nor angel nor human but somehow all three thanks to an insane archangel – the combination leaving unknown power coursing through her. Someone places a large bounty on her head, enough to tempt anyone. Venom is assigned to protect her from those who would dare to face Raphael’s wrath, and to help her discover who is behind the ransom and why they want her. At the same time the strange power inside of her is starting to get stronger, and Holly fears what this will mean for her future.

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Review: Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Heart (Guild Hunter, 9)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  Gollancz (3rd November 2016)
Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us back into a dangerous and exhilarating world where a deadly, beautiful archangel and his once-mortal consort are caught in a fury of twisted darkness . . .

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 archangel lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, Guild Hunter-truned-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 . . .

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S HEART is the ninth book in Nalini Singh’s sumptuous Guild Hunter series. In this instalment of the series Singh returns to Elena and Raphael. Lijuan, one of the most vicious archangels, has disappeared and no one knows if she is dead or has chosen to Sleep. What they do know is that her lands are falling into chaos, and the vampires she once held under rigid control are falling to a rising tide of bloodlust. Things are still somewhat under control but the Luminata, a mysterious and ancient order of angels, have decided that it’s past time the Cadre step up and discuss the fate of Lijuan’s territory.

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Review: Archangel’s Enigma by Nalini Singh

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.

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Review: Archangel’s Shadows by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Shadows by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Title: Archangel’s Shadows (A Guild Hunter Novel, 7)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz (6th November 2014)
Blurb:

Return to New York Times best-selling author Nalini Singh’s sensual and painfully beautiful Guild Hunter world, and a new novel about sacrifice, loyalty, and the choices of love that can shatter the heart.

In the wake of a brutal war, the archangel Raphael and his hunter consort, Elena, are dealing with the treacherously shifting tides of archangelic politics and the people of a battered but not broken city. The last thing their city needs is more death, especially not death that bears the eerie signature of an insane enemy archangel who cannot – should not – be walking the streets.

This hunt must be undertaken with stealth and without alerting their people. It must be handled by those who can become shadows themselves . . .

Ash is a gifted tracker and a woman cursed with the ability to sense the secrets of anyone she touches. But there’s one man she knows all too well without a single instant of skin contact: Janvier, the dangerously sexy Cajun vampire who has fascinated and infuriated her for years. Now, as they track down a merciless killer, their cat-and-mouse game of flirtation and provocation has turned into a profound one of the heart. And this time, it is Ash’s secret, dark and terrible, that threatens to destroy them both.

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

ARCHANGEL’S SHADOWS is the seventh addition to Nalini Singh’s brilliant GUILD HUNTER series. The book is split into two main plots – the fallout from the events of the previous book in the series, and the hunt to find and destroy the monster bringing death to the recovering New York City.

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Review: Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Legion (A Guild Hunter Novel, #6)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (31st October 2013)
Blurb:

Nalini Singh, the New York Times bestselling ‘alpha author of paranormal romance’ (Booklist), returns to the immortal world of violent passion and lethal power . . . on the brink of a deadly archangelic war.

Angels are falling from the sky in New York, struck down by a vicious, unknown force.

Vampires are dying, impossibly, of disease.

Guild Hunter Elena Deveraux and the Archangel Raphael must discover the source of the wave of death before it engulfs their city and their people, leaving New York a ruin and Raphael’s Tower under siege by enemy archangels.

Yet even as they fight desperately to save the city, an even darker force is stirring, its chill eyes trained on New York . . . and on Raphael. Rivers of crimson and nightmares given flesh, the world will never again be the same . . .

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

ARCHANGEL’S LEGION is the sixth book in Nalini Singh’s brilliantly hot GUILD HUNTER series. The story focuses on the Archangel Raphael who lives in New York, and his consort Elena Deveraux – a Guild Hunter. In ARCHANGEL’S LEGION the events of the previous five books come to a head, and The Cascade crests. Things are changing in the world of the archangels, and nothing will ever be the same.

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Review: Angels’ Flight by Nalini Singh

Angels’ Flight by Nalini Singh

Title: Angels’ Flight (Guild Hunter 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 3.5)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (10th January 2013)
Blurb:

Open the cover for four fabulous novellas set in the world of Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series.

Angels’ Pawn is a tale of flirtation and danger set in the Guild Hunter world. Ashwini and Janvier have no reason to be drawn to each other – but they are. Will the spark between them be fanned to become flames . . . or are they both the pawns of angels?

In Angel’s Judgement Sara and Deacon are Guild Hunters; their life’s work is catching and capturing – or killing – rogue angels. They have to make life or death decisions in a moment, but when judgement comes, should love be allowed to get in the way . . . ?

In Angel’s Wolf Noel may have been promoted, but in the Guild Hunter world that’s not always as positive as it sounds. And now that he’s working for the beautiful, dangerous, seductive Nimra there are a whole host of new risks he has to contend with . . .

And in the compelling never-before published Angels’ Dance read the compelling story of Jessamy, a beautiful flightless angel who has always held her own in a world of angels and archangels . . . until she meets Galen, and begins to dream of flying . . .

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

ANGELS’ FLIGHT is a compilation of four short stories written by Nalini Singh and set in her GUILD HUNTER series. Three of the four stories have already appeared, with ANGEL’S DANCE being the only new addition to the compilation. In the short stories Singh gives voice to the stories of characters who have only been minor players in the main series – readers of the GUILD HUNTER series will recognise them because although they are only minor, each has played an important role in the main series.

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Review: Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh (UK cover)

Title: Archangel’s Storm (A Guild Hunter Novel, 5)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (13th September 2012)
Source: Local Library
Blurb:

With wings of midnight and an affinity for shadows, Jason courts darkness. But now, with the Archangel Neha’s consort lying murdered and her rage threatening cataclysmic devastation, Jason steps into the light, knowing he must unearth the murderer before it is too late.

Earning Neha’s trust comes at a price – Jason must tie himself to her bloodline through Princess Mahiya, a woman with secrets so dangerous, she trusts no one. Least of all an enemy spymaster.

With only their relentless hunt for a violent, intelligent killer to unite them, Jason and Mahiya embark on a quest that leads to a centuries-old nightmate . . . and to the dark storm of an unexpected passion tht threatens to drench them both in blood.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Archangel’s Storm is the fifth book in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series. The story focuses on Jason, one of the Archangel Raphael’s Seven. Singh introduces us to Princess Mahiya, who has ties to the Archangel Neha and who lives at her court. Singh also continues Dmitri and Honor’s story from Archangel’s Blade through occasional chapters.

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