REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5+
Sometimes you read a book and just have no idea how to write a spoiler free review (long dramatic sigh). So here it goes.

Archangel’s War picks up shortly after the major cliffhanger of Archangel’s Prophecy (book 11, I would highly, highly suggest reading this series in order). We learn the fate of Elena and Raphael and nothing will ever be the same. There is an epic battle with Lijuan for the future of the world. Not everyone will survive this battle.

I loved this book. I love this series. I love that Nalini has that ability to write such amazing characters that I get way to invested in. Raphael and Elena are amazing together even after 12 books I do not get tired of seeing these two grow.

I listened to this book on audio and love every second of Justine Eyre reading to me. I love her talented voice and ability to make each and every character their own. I look forward to her reading me the next books.

I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. Fingers crossed that it is Illium or Aodhan or Illium and Aodhan :D.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Penguin Random house in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a copy of this audiobook and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

One of the best book paranormal romance this fall. The beginning of this book starts with the awakening of Elena form the capsule that form around her after she lost her wings. With her new power can she and other Arch- angels gather together to the final battle again The Archangel of China. Many are needed friends, love ones and even once enemy will have to work together. The war will kill some and give power to others so that the world can be balance again.

Bookstagram of Archangel’s War with the BaeCrate subscription recovery box: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vKF24Aq5Y/?igshid=1317dijihoh8j

I will admit, I am a sucker for most stories that calls for a team effort. I love the idea of bringing back favorite characters to reassemble to defeat the villain. That's the gist of the story here. She-who-must-not-be-named is back and she is as insidious as ever. It's only through the combined efforts of our Archangel team (the Seven plus E's crew) can the good guys win. When I read through the battles scenes, I was amazed at how much choreography it takes to write each strategic move. It makes me appreciate Nalini Singh's talent for storytelling that much more. I had problem with the previous book because it was bogged down by complicated prophesies. However, if you consider that book a prologue (albeit a long one) to this story, it makes perfect sense. I thought after Archangel's Prophecy, I might be ready to wean myself off this series, but this book changed my mind. I am ready and eagerly awaiting the next book!

My review appeared on Dear Author on September 26, 2019.

Archangel’s War begins where Archangel’s Prophecy ended, with Elena in a strange chrysalis too small to hold her. Has Elena survived or is a repository of power for Raphael all that is left of her?

As the novel starts, Raphael, also dormant, mentally contacts his Seven and the Legion to tell them to clear the area. A huge explosion follows, and Raphael wakes next to what may be a remnant of Elena. Elena made Raphael promise to kill what’s left of her if her soul doesn’t survive, saying “I would rather die as Elena than live as a shadow.” Raphael and Elena have also made a pact to face everything together, even death. So Raphael waits to see if Elena has survived her transformation. If not, he will have to kill her, and then himself.

Of course, readers of the series can guess the answer to that question. Without Elena there would be no Guild Hunter series. She is the central character of the series. Nevertheless, the opening is suspenseful since we know that even if Elena has survived, she will have been changed.

It turns out that while Elena is a spirited as ever, intent on kicking the Cascade’s ass and saving Raphael and New York from whatever lies in store for them, she is also physically fragile, her skin paper thin and her body emaciated. Worse, she is wingless. To save her while she was trapped in the chrysalis, her body had to discard anything nonessential, anything she could survive without. The image of the midnight blue and dawn gold wings she once had is tattooed on her back, and she can almost feel their presence the way amputees sometimes feel their lost limbs.

Nourishment restores the rest of Elena’s body, but her mind remains troubled by the loss of her wings. She is also concerned about the anxiety her friends and loved ones experienced while her life hung by a thread. Her youngest sister, Eve, has been angry and acting out, and other family members, while outwardly calmer, were no less vulnerable and terrified. Nevertheless, Elena has survived, and she’s determined to face whatever comes next with courage.

And what comes next requires courage to face. Lijuan has been growing in power. No one knows if even the combined efforts of all the other archangels can defeat the being—goddess, in the eyes of some—now thought of as the archangel of death. A fog has rolled over China, and when it clears, those left behind are either dead or missing.

Across the world, ancient angels are awakening, posing a challenge to the survival of the Cadre, since it can be comprised of no more than ten. Further, one of these ancients is well known to Raphael, a figure from the past, and not one to be trusted.

Raphael is stalked by a power that whispers of godhood to him, and he must combat it. Every time he begins to see anyone as expendable, he fights that view with all of his strength, while Elena reinforces his humanity.

There are other changes in him and in Elena. Raphael literally gave Elena a piece of his archangel’s heart, and it remains to be seen how Elena’s body will process that archangelic power. Her body seems to have been scrambled to an extent, since in addition to the wings tattooed on her back there are tiny feathers at the tips of her hair, and a green Legion mark appears on her face.

Raphael, too, has undergone physical changes, both due to his sacrifice of a chunk of his heart and to the tiny pieces of Elena’s heart now floating in his bloodstream. His powers are changing as are Elena’s, and yet they must stand between Lijuan and New York.

The awakening of the ancients, the dangers and plagues unleashed by Lijuan, fluctuations in the climate and in the Cadre’s powers, all coalesce into one huge conflict—a war the like of which the world has not experienced in millennia. Will Elena, Raphael, their friends and their city survive? Or will some have to make the ultimate sacrifice?

In addition to introducing important new characters and elements, Archangel’s War has some things in common with Archangel’s Kiss and Archangel’s Legion.

In the former book, Elena came to consciousness in a new body and had to learn to adjust to being an angel. In this book, she emerges from a second coma and transformation and has to adjust again. She has lost her beautiful wings but acquired new powers.

This is a partial review. The complete review can be found at Dear Author: https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-reviews/review-archangels-war-by-nalini-singh/

Archangel's War
Guild Hunter - Book 16
By Nalini Singh

Berkley Sensation - October 2019

Urban Fantasy


This review assumes that the reader has read the previous books in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, and does contain spoilers to those books, and in particular, the previous book, Archangel's Prophecy which ended with a cliffhanger. It is strongly recommended to read this series in order.

Time had passed, but Elena and her Archangel Raphael had not risen. The question remained, how would Elena be changed due to the power that had consumed her? Now is the time for emergence, and Raphael and Elena wake. Elena and Raphael may have each other's heart, but the Cascade is causing havoc and changes worldwide. Their wishes, desires, and love may not be strong enough to withstand it. Raphael knows that there is only one choice if Elena is no longer herself, but what she has become might be the only chance to protect the world.

It appears that the Archangel Lijuan is finally making her return. While the rest of the world struggles with the chaos created by the Cascade, an eerie fog and calm has settled over Lijuan's territory. Everyone waits and watches, never expecting the horror that emerges.

Thankfully, Archangel's War begins right where readers need it to begin. Answering the question of what has happened to Elena. From there, it is an intense read. Archangels around the world have to decide which side of the war they are on. This is the most violent of the Guild Hunter series, and a large portion of the book is the war. It will be interesting to see how the world has changed in the aftermath with the next book.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I can't talk about it because its too awesome to put into words!

Archangel's War picks up right after Archangel's Prophecy. It is a rush. It starts from page 1 and does not stop until the end. It is war and it has been building since the beginning. It's against Lijuan and her undead legions, but its also against the rising Cascade. Elena and Raphael will find themselves fighting against enemies known and unknown and the worst just might be themselves.

This book was amazing. There was so much going on that I won't even try to cover it. But I loved the Hummingbird. I need more of her. Elena and her wings. Her wings!!! Raphael was awesome. The legion made me cry. I don't know what I'm going to do with Bluebell and Sparkle. Neither are allowed to go anywhere. After this book I have a hard time hating Michaela, impossible as that is to believe. Also Cassandra deserves a novella or a whole book, I'll take either.

I do not know where this is headed next but I cannot wait for there to be more.

After the insane ending of the previous book, to say I couldn’t wait for ARCHANGEL’S WAR is an understatement. I actually was a bit miffed at Nalini Singh for the torturous ending, but this book made up for it and then some. It’s a longer read, and every single page was jammed packed, the action, and the stakes never left up, not even for a moment. All of the previous cascade events pale in comparison, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I made the mistake of starting this book later in the evening, and couldn’t put it down. There was no sleep to be had that night, but the next day exhaustion was more than worth it. It’s simply that good. All of the favorite main characters play an important role in this book, and things come to a head. I can’t really say much more for fear of spoiling, just trust me when I say this book was simply amazing!

Guild Hunter fans, RUN do not walk to your nearest bookstore and grab this one as soon as you can. A penultimate read of epicness, ARCHANGEL’S WAR was the best in the series yet. I can only imagine where things will go next. Bravo Ms Nalini, bravo!

Archangel's Prophecy left us with an Elena whose ever depleting energies culminated in her being consumed by a chrysalis, but not before Raphael put his heart within her (and vice versa) in order to, hopefully, give her the power to survive.

Months later and Elena and Raphael emerge from the chrysalis alive, even is they're not entirely sure of what physical/powerful manifestations will occur. One thing is for certain, Lijuan, the archangel of China, supposedly still in sleep, is still amassing power. It'll take the entire Cadre working together to keep the Angel of Death from spreading her destruction. War is on the horizon and no one is safe.

Again and again Nalini Singh shows that she's one of the best in terms of balancing long overarching story arcs with huge casts of characters. She seamlessly moves characters (both old and new, central and secondary) in and out of the narrative and makes each appearance an essential part of the story. I don't know that I've read another author who does this in such a way.

Archangel's War is the culmination of all the books that have preceded it in the series. The Cascade has been building since book one and now twelve books in and we see it crest. I think I give nothing away, since it's all in the title to begin with, when I say that war is at our characters's doorsteps. What comes after this game changing book is as exciting as it was heartbreaking to see everything that transpires as Raphael, Elena, and the Seven fight for the world's survival.

It's a difficult book to talk about because there is so much that happens within its pages. Plus there's the fact that I don't want to give anything away. It's definitely a book that you can't just pick up and read. You have to be caught up in the series, fully invested in these characters, in order to appreciate the ramifications that will come about from this book both good and bad.

I loved the history that is infused here. So much about family and parentage. So much that hearkens back to the beginning of the series when Elena was still a mortal guild hunter and Raphael was a cold archangel. I enjoy the fact that the journey of the series hasn't just been Elena's, but Raphael's as well. They've both been through transformations and power upgrades and they've both dealt with it as a unit.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here. Suffice it to say Archangel's War certainly brings about the end of a story arc. While there are interesting hints at things to come, I think we'll be turning away from Raphael and Elena for a bit to focus on Illium and Aodhan's stories respectively. For me, I read a lot into where Aodhan's story can pick up, but Illium is also faced with some stark revelations that came out of this war which I'm assuming will have to be dealt with.

One thing is undeniable though, you can never go wrong with Nalini Singh.

Nalini Singh continues to wow me with every book. Archangel's War is holy shit good. The work put in to the previous books pays off BIG, and she opens such exciting new paths for the future novels. Emotional gut punch and big action? SOLD.

Only Ms. Singh can take her readers to the edge of a cliff where she leaves her two main protagonists fighting life and death and then bring them back evolved in a way that her readers gasp in awe. This is one of the most difficult reviews to write since the entire book is a spoiler and you really have to read it to believe. The author's attention to detail to each aspect of the battles and the battle strategies is precise and of course there's Raphael and Elena at the heart of it all unique in their world for who and what they are.....

Lijuan's evolution into the Archangel of death is described in sickening horror as she consumes her people to build personal power or transforms the children in her territory into monsters. Clearly Raphael with his wild fire seems to be one of the few individuals in the world who can withstand her dark legacy. Elena's reference to her as her creepiness is very apt.
From Elena and Raphael's awakening the story gets a slow start as the author gets very descriptive of the possible powers they posses and the impact of the cocoon and Raphael's heart and blood on Elena but fortunately the story picks up pace with the introduction of new ancients. We get to meet Illium's father and see the hummingbird deal with the trauma of his return even as she learns knife throwing from Elena to help her deal with a possible future confrontation with him.
While elements of the battle scene are familiar as Raphael tries to hold the line against Lijuan and is almost exhausted to the end of his power the actual battle scenes and strategies are described in loving detail and are fascinating how New York uses old and new battle techniques to face a formidable enemy.
With the introduction of a lot of new characters and a possible love interest for Aodhan, I believe the author is posed to deliver us a new story arch in this series that will steer away from war. Potentially we might even get Illium's happily ever after. All in all a good story but in order to get the most from it you do have to read it in some order otherwise you'll be lost.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the book where all the pieces of this epic series come together in a breathtaking finale. It’s a single sitting read and I’m not sure I remembered to breathe, let alone move as I devoured every last page. All the characters, all the plot threads of the past eleven books explode into an unforgettable immortal battle.

It’s almost impossible to review this without spoilers. I will say that the focus is once again on Raphael and Elena – but the scope of this story is huge and every character from every previous book is present. While there have been several contained paranormal romance (PNR) stories within this series, this one is definitely urban fantasy (UF). It’s a story about the power struggles between archangels and ancients that spiral out of control, bringing chaos and death to every part of the planet. And it is a story about the brave but unlikely warriors who step up to defend their world.

This might be the best book Nalini Singh has ever written and I love the mix of action, politics, romance, and friendship in this story. With eleven books building the background to this epic adventure, it manages to be genuinely epic in scope without losing any heart or humanity. We know all of the characters intimately and my heart bled with each injury, each death, and each setback. I love that this is darker UF than we’ve seen in the series before – though some PNR fans might need a bit less blood and a bit more of a happily ever after. It goes without saying that this story won’t stand alone but I promise that fans of the series will absolutely love every moment of this terrifying adventure.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Spoiler-Free review, where I don't discuss the plot itself, rather how it was delivered.

Archangel's War is the 12th installment of the Guild Hunter series, and it goes without saying that it cannot be read as a standalone.

Archangel's Prophesy ended with one doozy of a cliffhanger, where readers were eager with trepidation to discover the fate of Elena and Raphael.

The beginning portion of Archangel's War had me on the edge of my seat, pages turning at a rapid rate, evoking true emotions within me, as I watched Elena emerge from her chrysalis and transform into who she would become. Dmitri, Illium, and Raphael's emotions as Elena was revealed. The deep connection between Raphael and his Seven, as well as Elena to her friends and family. I was beyond pleased with how the story was unfolding, and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the meat of the story.

That meat of the story took me nearly ten days to read, when ordinarily I read a book by Singh in half a day at most, because I always need to know what happened next. In the case of Archangel's War, it was just too much, too soon, with no development or time to process what was occurring on the pages, to the point I lost interest with what I was reading.

After this amazing beginning, the novel turned into a Travel Guide of Destruction, devoid of emotion or humanity. From a half page to two pages at most, each chapter break jarred me from the story itself, the scenes not truly developed as the beginning was.

A sentence here or there to explain away why there was no humanity written on the pages, no emotional connection between the characters. A page and a half to traverse the whole of China. A blink later, they're back in New York. Half a page, we're visiting Raphael's mother, with the turn of the page, we're at a destroyed village or helping another archangel's vampire, then a passage later, back to Raphael's mother. A heartbeat later, one of them is on another continent.

The scenes did not flow together, without even a prompt to explain how they got from point A to B. Yes, I am a reader who never wants over-description, where I don't need to know what happened in the journey from the bathroom to the kitchen, but we're talking about going from New York to China here, where the last dialogue read was "we need to go to China and check it out" and suddenly the reader is teleported to China. It was the in between that creates a fluid, cohesive story and it was missing.

A page and a half to describe what happened to entire villages of human beings, siphoned into empty husks, left as nothing but dust, or left to walk the earth as blank zombies. They deserved more than being a footnote, as did the rest of what occurred. A half page, maybe only a sentence or paragraph to describe how the landscape froze over, the ocean was nothing but glowing light, or some other unnatural act of destruction of the cascade continued to wreak havoc. Followed by a paragraph or two of Elena taking a bath or a fade-to-black smexy scene with zero steam.

No aftermath, no humanity, no showing how everyone in those areas picked up the pieces. It was meaningless in the large scheme of things, since it left a meh/shoulder shrug, because we were on to the next event and the next and the next and the next. Three to five events could have been a book, any more than that, it's overkill, where the reader is desensitized and the characters' voices cease to matter.

I felt apathetic as page after page of events happened, because I could have easily skipped twenty-page sections and not been lost as to what was currently happening, then another twenty-page section, and another.

It was jarring, fractured, chaotic, and not a smooth, organic read, devoid of emotional connection and destructive to character development. It read as a detailed plot outline, scenes not developed, just a truncated few lines to describe an entire chapter, and onto the next and next.

There was so much going on that there was no way to digest it, not without a break of everyday events that connected the reader to the characters. It was literally something new every few pages, before anyone was able to come to terms with the previous twenty events.

There is fast pacing, but then there is paragraph chapters, where even the act of clicking to the next chapter tugs the reader out of the story, and several of these chapter breaks were in the middle of scenes, attempting to leave a chapter on a dun-dun note of tension, only it wasn't as if it was a cliffhanger, since what happened next was literally on the next page. Instead of amping up my excitement, it left me feeling disinterested, as it was a manipulation tactic that backfired.

Simply adoring this series and the world and characters Nalini Singh has created, I needed to feel the hope, joy, fear, anger, sadness, grief, and the love and intimacy of friendship and connection between mates. Singh delivered all this and more in the beginning, everything that I've come to expect from the author... I only wish that would have transferred to the rest of the novel.

This book is everything. Everything I love about the Guild Hunter series. Everything I love about Raphael and Elena. Everything. It had me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, sighing, tearing up, smiling. I went from one emotion to another in the blink of an eye. That is Nalini’s superpower. She pulls you in and doesn’t spit you out until the last page. Maybe not even then.

Spoilers from the series will be abundant in this review, though I will try to keep spoilers from this book to a minimum.

Archangel’s Prophecy ended on a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger for real. I almost divorced Nalini for that. Okay, that would never happen, but still. A cliffhanger like that? The last year has been hard, not knowing if Raphael and Elena would come out of the chrysalis alive, if Elena would be herself, the possibilities were endless with the Cascade working to do a hard reset on the world.

The Cascade is organic. It is always changing. It has been around before now and it will be around again (assuming everyone survives). The Cascade has made it clear that Elena is to be sacrificed. It is clear she is to be an instrument to be used to manipulate Raphael. The love that Raphael and Elena have for each other and the strength of their bond can’t be manipulated. It is put to the test to be sure, but nothing can tear these two apart.

Elena went into the chrysalis with her wings cut off by Raphael himself. They both knew that it was unavoidable. They both could only hold onto hope that her wings would grow back. When they do emerge from the chrysalis, Elena is the same, but different. She’s Elena, but different. She’s still Raphael’s Elena, a Hunter, a sister, and a friend. She’s just different in a way that I couldn’t put my finger on. Not in a better way, not in a worse way « Hide Spoiler.

While they were in the chrysalis, Dmitri has been holding New York together with the help of Archangel’s Caliane and Elijah. Raphael emerges at just the right time; vampires are starting to run rampant in the city without their Archangel to remind them who’s da boss. One thing I adored about this book was that it showed the bond that Raphael had with his Seven. It’s always been there, yes. We’ve always been able to see and feel it. This book just showed it a little more. It will get to you more than it has before. If it doesn’t, I worry about you.

The showdown between Raphael and Lijuan finally arrives and holy hell, Nalini does it justice. The battle is long and bloody and fucking awesome. I loved how real she made it. It was phenomenal. It just did their feud justice. This book, the title, the cover? Everything is so well done that I can hardly find anything wrong with it. Except View Spoiler ». That almost made me cry. I’ve come to expect this when reading Nalini’s books. I get all the feels.

I know this review was all over the place. I’m okay with that. I felt the exact same way while reading this book. You’re welcome.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The story continues with Elena and Raphael in Singh's 12th book in the Guild Hunter series. If this is the first book you pick up in the series , STEP AWAY NOW AND GO TO THE BEGINNING! It's well worth the ride.

Phenomenal! Archangel's War is an explosive entry in the Guild Hunter series. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was so busy and I wanted to know what happened that release day was upon me so I bought the audiobook also. I love the narration in the audiobooks and this is a series that I re-read or re-listen quite often. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the vividness of the characters. When I read about Illium's feathers, the description is detailed that I can picture it like a colored photo or like watching a movie.

In Archangel's War, the title sort of speaks for itself. There have been multiple skirmishes throughout the series as Lijuan grows in power and loses more of the little bit of "humanity" or care for humans and other angels that she had. She is a brilliant tactician and serious "delusions of grandeur" except in her case they may not necessarily be delusions. Thinking that the other archangels will just bow to her and give up their people and territories is maybe the biggest delusion that can be attributed to Lijuan. Each of the archangels that have known her throughout history has memories of her being more humane but when the reader meets Lijuan it is clear that she likes playing games and manipulating everything around her.

What I love about Archangel's War is this innate desire to make the story go slow so that it is not over too soon. It is action-packed. I have to admit that something rare happened when I read this latest installment in the series. I hit a part that brought tears to my eyes. Elena and Raphael are so likable that the reader empathizes with them so it can be quite gut-wrenching when they feel emotional pain and sometimes when they feel physical pain. I admit to a fair amount of apprehension that this might be the end of things. But, I am happy to see that things just keep rolling and Nalini Singh is just the person to keep the readers hooked and looking for the next Guild Hunter book. This review can also be seen at Lady Techie's Book Musings http://LadyTechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com.

The Cascade has reached its peak and the final battle is here in Archangel’s War. At the heart of it all is the Archangel Raphael and his angel-made consort, Elena Deveraux. Everything in the previous eleven Guild Hunter novels has led to this: a battle for the world’s survival waged against a seemingly invincible enemy – Lijuan, the Archangel of Death.

If you’ve read Archangel’s Prophecy (and you absolutely should before starting this book), then you know that the events in that story changed Raphael and Elena. How, I cannot say without spoiling the book. Unfortunately, there’s a lot in this book I cannot write about without spoiling it. I will say that I enjoyed watching the build up to battle, seeing Elena and Raphael discover what the Cascade has done to them now and how they might use it against Lijuan. And make no mistake, Lijuan is coming. Her power is dark and cruel, fascinating to read about in its horror. The Cadre alone may not be enough to stop her, even with all their Cascade-born talents.

Archangel’s War brings all the major players in and I enjoyed their interactions. Nalini Singh has created a vast and varied cast of characters and all of their personalities are unique and well-defined. It brings depth to this world and is a consistency that’s much needed when the Cascade plays havoc with the rules of power and change. Everyone has a role to play and fans of the series will undoubtedly be delighted that most of the past heroes and heroines get some page time in this story.

About a third of Archangel’s War is devoted to battle scenes and how much you enjoy this will depend on personal taste. I don’t personally love long, drawn-out battles – even though the action keeps moving – but for Ms. Singh to do any less would be a disservice to the characters and the threat she has been building over the course of the series. At times I felt like things got repetitive, but again, I could understand the logic of it. I did feel like a few things were rushed at the end regarding supporting characters new and old (again, spoilers so I apologize for the vagueness), but I hope to see these plot points played out in future books. And while the stakes have never been higher, I never really felt the tension. Never felt that the characters I loved most were in danger, a direct contrast to how I felt reading Archangel’s Prophecy. This is a pity, but I definitely don’t want to indicate that I didn’t like the war sections of this book. Even though they’re not my personal favorite and I had some niggling issues, Ms. Singh’s writing never fails to suck me in.

Archangel’s War is a satisfying ending to a complex storyline that has spanned twelve books. I always enjoy time spent with Elena, Raphael, and their loved ones, and this time was no exception. Now, with the war over, I cannot wait to see where Ms. Singh takes the Guild Hunter series next.

In Archangel's War, Singh fans will find themselves dropped into NYC some months after Elena and Raphael were wrapped in a chrysalis. The first part of the book deals with their emergence and its consequences. The rest of the book is overdone details and more of the usual Cascade problems. This installment is repetitive to say the least, and downright boring if you don't want to be flattering about it.

I enjoyed this story. It wrapped up several plot points the readers have been following for most of the series. Ms Singh does a great job of mixing hard decisions with softer emotions. Her writing is a unique blend of reality and fantasy that creates an engaging and wonderful story.

2.5 - 3 Stars

So....I’m in the minority here...but definitely not my favorite of the series.

Things were VERY slow to get going...there was a LOT of rehashing of some of the same information from previous books (Caliane leaving Raphael “broken” on the field all those eons ago, Raphael not being the same archangel who forced Elena to cut her own hand in book one, the deaths of Elena’s sisters in childhood - all mentioned MULTIPLE times...as they have been mentioned MULTIPLE times in all the previous books. Again.)...

Ambiguity. SO much ambiguity. Everyone and everything was constantly being changed and re-changed in unclear ways. All shrouded in mystery. All because...Cascade.

And then the battle. I was so excited to get there because it felt like it took SO long to finally get there...but I felt like it dragged on a little too long. Actually, I didn’t just feel that way. It DID. It dragged on way too long. I’m pretty sure Raphael and Lijuan had like ten million final showdowns. And by the 10 millionth showdown, it’s like, someone just fucking die already.

But whatever. I’m totally in the minority and probably have reading PMS. I’m just hoping that the next book is more...grounded. That the rules for this world become more clearly hewn like they were in the earlier books. Things were just too murky world-wise for me the last two books.

This review will go live on The Blogger Girls on September 30th, 2019.

Okay, WOW! I don't even know what to say about this one because I'm kind of in shock with how it ended (which now seems to be a trend LOL). I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the last book, Archangel’s Prophecy, because I had a hard time with that one and wasn't a fan of how it ended BUT after starting this one, I was amazed at what Elena had developed into and why she had to go through losing her wings. I mean now her wings are definitely one of a kind and I adored the power she now holds. It was interesting seeing the affects to both Raphael and Elena from being in the chrysalis and the new power they hold. It was intriguing to see them hesitate to understand what had changed within them but also seeing them trying to really understand their new abilities. One thing I really love about this series, though, is how fiercely loyal Raphael is. Not just to Elena but also to his friends, to his people and to the Legion. He will literally lay his life down for them and I really loved seeing how that strengthens him. Add to that, it was interesting to see all the Archangels come together to fight Lijuan but what made my jaw drop was how some of the really selfish ones realized they couldn't just ignore what Lijuan had become. I loved seeing them all work together and the intensity and suspense in seeing all their powerful abilities in action at once and all geared towards a common goal.

While I really enjoyed this one and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat, I struggled to get into it at first. It was very slow for the first half of the story because there was so much tension on when things would happen. And then when the fighting started, it really picked up and I was so intrigued by everything that I zoomed through it but then the fighting went on too long, which I know is ridiculous to say because it's a WAR but after a while, it became too repetitive and dragged slightly again. I feel like we needed to see all that fighting, especially as it had been brewing for multiple books, but I wished it could have been a little more condensed. Add to that, I still don't understand why Lijuan is so dead-set on Raphael. I still don't get why she would fly over other Archangels' territories just to get to Raphael. I don't think we ever truly got an answer to why she was so obsessed with Raphael. I would understand if she was coming at Raphael from the West but she attacks Raphael from the East, which means she flies over all of Europe to get to Raphael and I don't understand why.

All in all, this was a really great addition to the series. I absolutely adore Raphael and Elena and what they've been going through. I enjoy seeing them work together to conquer so much and their love still shines through. It was a little slow in the beginning but things soon picked up and we finally get that fierce battle we've been anticipating for so long. Things have definitely changed after this one and while this book feels like 'the end,' I noticed that there's at least three more books to follow and I can't wait to see them. I have to say, we BETTER get Sparkle and Bluebell's story (AS A COUPLE) because Ms. Singh has been teasing us for years on them and I want them now!! They can't end up with anyone else but each other or I'll be so disappointed! Anywayyyyy, definitely give this a go if you've been reading the Guild Hunter series. And if you haven't read this series at all, what are you waiting for?? Start it!!