Review: Couldn't be better!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2014
Angelblood is the penultimate book in the Dark Angel series and what a ride it was!A lot of loose ends are starting to get tied up in this and we see Alyx having to deal with the consequences of her actions.In the last book, Alyx had her memories of Israel and their love stolen from her, giving Alyx the opportunity to fall for Jordan. She found out about it in the end but now that Israel is awake & cured, the guilt is weighing heavily on Alyx – she didn’t mean to fall for two men and can’t choose where her heart lies – both men want her but who will she choose? I wasn’t sure whether I was down with the love triangle that came about, although I had always liked Jordan more as a love interest but things changed in this and the dynamic between Alyx & Israel seemed to change too, I have said throughout that Israel was always in the protected role with Alyx being the ‘protector’ but that changes big time here and I liked that because it put Israel in a new light. He really came into his own in this book and could back himself up, showing Alyx that he was capable and not always a liability and as I said this made a change in their relationship, he became an equal and he became someone who could stand alongside Alyx instead of behind her. I enjoyed the tension between the three of them and was actually glad that Alyx got some more attention as she had had to deal with the ‘Adere’ situation throughout the series, always wondering if Israel’s quest to set Adere free was because he still harboured feelings for her, so it was poetic justice that Israel got some of that back. Jordan was a worthy suitor for her and I thought that whoever she ended up with was a good match.Obviously, the action is going to be good in this because it’s time for the Samyaza showdown and time is definitely ticking because Alyx has made a deal with a demon that either Samyaza will be dead in seven days…. Or she will hand Israel over to the demon Balthazar. So Adere’s welfare becomes a big issue in this because she alone holds vital information that could help in the war with Samyaza – if they can only repair her mentally and bring her out of her catatonic state – so efforts are made to help Adere fight her demons and it is done with style, I thought it was handled great and brought some good imaginative action to this book, even giving it a different feel – in a good way. Time is ticking and it adds a palpable tension to the story, there is a lot of work to do, recruits to the cause, training and of course a plan to get to Samyaza in the first place. Alyx must put everything on the line as she faces opposition to her plans, threats made on Israel’s life & threats to her heart…. She must put her faith, hope, trust and love to the test and so must those who choose to follow them because the losses they took in book three are still being felt here and not all want to fight. We still make some startling revelations throughout the book as new secrets come to light and redemption seems to be on the menu – all leading to a battle for humanity, a battle to save earth from the rule of a demon…. And what a battle it was!! You may think that this is the end…. But it isn’t as we realise that Samyaza isn’t the only threat to Alyx, Israel, the Free Thinkers and indeed, Earth – bring on book 5!!