Monday, March 26, 2012

Review: Angel's Flight

Angel's Flight (Guild Hunter - Collection) by Nalini Singh


Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Pages: Paperback, 368pp
ISBN-13: 978-0425246818
ISBN: 0425246817


(Received for an honest review from Berkley Sensation)


Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Nalini Singh on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter


Books in the series: Angel's Blood (2009), Archangel's Kiss (2010), Archangel's Consort (2011), Archangel's Blade (2011), Archangel's Storm (2012) Angel's Flight (2012 - collection)


CoverArt: Click on the picture for a larger, clearer image of the covers in this series.






Excerpt from Angel's Flight


Synopsis


In "Angel's Wolf" a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.


In "Angels' Judgement" a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly test placed in her way by the archangel's themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all... 


Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT 
In "Angels' Pawn" a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless...


And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED
In "Angels' Dance" an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court. 


Thoughts:


Nalini Singh is a highly respected author in the paranormal romance realm. Her Guild Hunter series is a fan favorite and her latest book is a collection of stories from the Guild Hunter universe. Angel's Flight features three previously released novella's and one new one that is sure to have Guild Hunter fans clamoring for more. Singh's intensity as a writer is well showcased her, as well as, her world building and character development skills. A must read for Guild Hunter fans!


First of all, I want to make it clear that I have not previously read any of Nalini Singh's other books or short works. That being said, I may not have been the best reviewer for this book. When I requested it, I did not realize it was an anthology. I had assumed it was the continuation of the Guild Hunter series. Often as a reviewer I have to jump into a series in the middle, and my reaction to each book, generally decides for me whether I want to go back and read the other books in the series or whether I want to pass. Angel's Flight definitely made me want to go back and catch up on what I've been missing.


Singh's guild Hunter series is paranormal romance at it's best. Singh has created a very unique world, where angels are rulers, landlords, lovers and anything else readers could possibly think of. Singh's angels are not your typical halo wearing, harp playing beings. They are warriors, strong and very sexual. It was certainly different than what how I normally view angels. The bad guys in Singh's series are vampires who have broken contracts with their angel leaders or rogue archangels that are not following the rules. The Guild Hunters are those sent to track them down and neutralize the problem. Sounds simple, but that's soooo not the case. 


This anthology consists of three previously before featured stories and one new story. Each story has merit of it's own. And I admit I had to do a little research into how each one fit with the Guild Hunter series since I had not read any of the other books, but I think I give readers insight into what they'll be getting if they purchase this book. I liked it a lot. I liked each story for different reasons, but overall this is just a very well written book. The world building is fantastic and the imagery is breathtaking in some instances. The characters only get a short amount of time, since this is an anthology, but Singh uses that time wisely to draw the reader in. It certainly made me want to take a closer look at this series.


"Angel's Pawn," originally released in 2009 as a stand alone. It introduces readers to Ashwini a guild hunter who is little on the crazy side. She is hunting down a rogue vampire who has broken a contract with his angel ruler. She quickly figures out she's bitten off more than she can chew and enlists the help of Janvier, a Cajun vampire to help her track him down. The banter between these two was sexy and a lot of fun to read. Their chemistry leap off the page. I definitely hope to read more about them in the future. The strength of this story was definitely in the character development. Singh leaves readers wanting more from these characters.


"Angel's Judgement" was originally published in the anthology, Must Love Hellhounds. It is a prequel of sorts to Angel's Blood. This story details how Sara becomes head of the guild hunters and how she ends up with Deacon. It is really where the Guild Hunter series begins. There is a lot of action in this story, packed into a small amount of time. I thought it was interesting and it made me want to know more about Singh's world and how the balance of power was set up and how these characters interacted. It was more of what I would call a set-up to the series. I liked the two main characters very much and look forward to reading more about them. The strength of this story was in the details. Singh draws the reader in quickly and doesn't let go.


"Angel's Wolf" was originally released in the anthology, Angels of Darkness. This one was my favorite in Angel's Flight. I really seemed to connect to Noel. An angel who is recovering from a terrible beating. He is tortured soul of sorts and I thought Singh did a great job of making his story believable in the short amount of time a novella gives an author to develop her characters. His romance with Nimra an ancient angel who has never experienced what other angels have seen and done was riveting. I loved every part of it. 


"Angel's Dance" is the only new story of the bunch. It centers around a confined angel, Jessamy and one of Raphel's Seven, Galen. There is a real sense of darkness or loneliness about this one. It is very sensual and the emotions run high. I liked the pairing. They seemed to compliment each other despite their circumstances. There dance is almost over before it begins and to see them tackle everything that comes there way was amazing.


I may never have read any of the Guild Hunter books before, but it's obvious even to me that Nalini Singh is a fantastic writer. This is a very unique world. It is different from most paranormal romance in that the patterns are a little different. There is romance, but it's not always the center of the story. There is action and adventure, but they are only secondary to the story itself. This is one of those series' that has a lot to it. I can't wait to read the rest!


Angel's Flight is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.


I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
Nalini has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. As a child, when she wasn't daydreaming, she was scribbling her ideas down in her notebook. Somewhere along the way, she figured out that a writer was as close to a professional daydreamer as it was possible to get. Writing then became her main career choice. However, a somewhat unexpected practical streak had her attending university and graduating with degrees in English literature and law (as spots for professional dreamers are scarce).

No comments: