Review: Archangel's Legion by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Legion
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunters, Book 6
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 29 October 2013

Nalini Singh, the New York Times bestselling “alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) returns to an 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...

Just when I think Nalini Singh can't possibly outdo herself, she proves me wrong. From the earliest pages in this book, until I turned the very last one, I was on the edge of my seat - unable to think of anything but needing to know what happened next.

I'm not even sure how to review this book without fan-girling, I loved it so much. I've read the whole thing twice now and done scenes even more.

This is the fourth full-length novel focusing on Raphael and Elena - and despite my thoughts that their story was pretty much told in Archangel's Consort, there's still plenty to explore as evidenced here. I've always loved the relationship dynamic between Elena and Raphael. There's such a huge power differential and, unlike a lot of books that will just gloss that over and make it seem like it's dealt with, Nalini Singh continues to actually deal with it. Raphael is a centuries old Archangel - one of the most powerful beings in the world - and Elena is a new-immortal, with only twenty-some years of life behind her. That alone will create a gulf that a lot of people might not be able to overcome. Yet, Raphael and Elena are continuously negotiating their boundaries...in a smart, intelligent, caring way - they talk about it. When something comes up that is going to press up against Elena, potentially leaving her in a very large power deficit, she finds the words to discuss it with Raphael and he listens. They may not always resolve it satisfactorily for them both right away, but they're always working towards that. That, right there, shows their love for each other so clearly to me.

The overarcing plot of the book, I'll admit, had me in tears more than once. The first scene with angels falling from the sky was heart-wrenching, the aftermath as much so. It's clear for most of the book that things are coming to a head; there are overt signs of war, and insidious signs of something else - something that's nearly stalking Raphael, and we're not quite sure what it is. It's a challenge for him, though, that's for sure - and again, it's Elena that helps keep him grounded, a little bit mortal, if you will. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book; I had to know what was going on. The last 100 or so pages are so intense that I stayed up until 2am just to finish; I immediately turned to the beginning and started again so I could take the journey a little more leisurely.

Also, we finally get to learn more about Naasir - and can I just say what he manages to do with just two other people in the climactic scene was amazing, and made me grin completely unexpectedly. Raphael's Seven, and Elena's friends play important roles in this novel, and as always I'm left wanting more. They're, each and every one, fantastic.

Archangel's Legion is a thrill ride of a novel, heart-wrenching, exciting, beautiful, romantic and absolutely game-changing. I was blown away, and I can not wait to see what's next!

Grade: A+

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