Guild Hunter #6
Nalini Singh
Adult Paranormal Romance
384 pages
Jove/Penguin
Available October 29th
Source: ARC from publisher for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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…
MY THOUGHTS
Archangel's Legion returns us to the smoldering relationship between archangel Raphael and Guild Hunter Elena; this sixth installment perhaps a bit quieter than those that came before it, but the slower nature of it is more gift than curse as it allows us to reestablish our valued connection to this pair after two books apart. Books four and five of the series switched the romantic focus from Raphael and Elena to two of Raphael's elite Seven and the women who captured their hearts, so the slow but steady progression of the disease that threatens the immortality of this world's vampires in this latest book gives us time to really explore the nuances of an already-established romantic relationship, their various problems and insecurities a treat to witness for the emotional proximity to them it grants us– grounding them in reality when so much of their world is breathtaking fantasy.
Elena has always been a gorgeous combination of badass fighter and haunted daughter, the weight of her mother and sister's death combining with the disapproval and borderline hatred of her father to lay her bare before our eyes even as she refuses to so much as flinch in the presence of a physical threat, and she's at the very peak of vulnerability in Archangel's Legion. Her love for Raphael, while unwavering and indisputable, terrifies her more than it has in previous books; an ingrained fear of abandonment rearing its ugly head as the Cascade brings about significant changes in Raphael. It's the realization that her very presence could play a part in his downfall that nearly unravels her, a brutal history threatening to repeat itself just when she's truly started to live again thanks to a frighteningly powerful archangel.
Raphael, who has previously been rather remote and at times cold given his impressive age and things he must to do to hold his position within the Cadre and within New York, continues to shed some of his otherworldliness in this installment, repeatedly demonstrating a dry wit and surprising sense of humor as he teases Elena out of her melancholy. Together the two of them are an unforgettable romantic pair, pushing each other to their limits but always providing safe harbor when the other needs it most, all the while constantly challenging each other yet standing united against any and all threats. They fight, they dance, they tease, and they prove to all of us perhaps doubtful readers that an established relationship can be every bit as hot as one still in the many stages of courtship.
Though the journey in this one is categorized by soft footfalls rather powerful, stomping strides, Ms. Singh ends book six with a rather epic showdown high above New York City, our lead pair and their beloved assortment of loyal friends causing us to tense every muscle in our bodies as they fight what appears to be a losing battle, but even in the darkest moments of those concluding pages our love for them provides much-needed warmth. Peace for Raphael, Elena and Raphael's Seven is clearly but a distant hope by the time we reach the last page, yet our faith in all of them is at its all time highest and we can only smile in gleeful anticipation as to what the next book will bring.
Rating: 4/5
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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review.
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.
