Review: Amazing!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 25, 2012
You know how you read the first book in a series and you are so impacted by it that you worry the rest of the books in the series won't stack up. Well, this book is the first in a series, but it is a spinoff of Ryals' first Paranormal YA Romance series, Redemption.  Ryals fully engaged me in the world of angels and demons created in Redemption. I rooted for the heroine and fell head over heels in LOVE with Marcas, the dark demon hero. Conor, the hero of this story, is heavily involved in the Redemption series as a potential love interest of Dayton Blainey. While I liked Conor's character, I wondered if he could stack up as a hero next to the image of Marcas I have built up in my mind. Unfair, I know, but I was comparing him from the beginning and hoping that he wouldn't let me down. I have to admit being nervous that this book wouldn't compare to the others.Wow, I was so freaking wrong. This book was amazing.At first glance Emma Chase is a weak heroine, but she has many layers and much depth. Her strength is not obvious and even by the end of the book it is clear that that strength is not even fully developed. Emma is going to turn out to be one badass chick and I can't wait to read book 2 and see that happen.Conor is the star of the book, though, and goes from being the golden boy he was portrayed as in Redemption, to being a flawed and relatable guy. In the Redemption series, he falls for his mark (the half-breed angel he is supposed to be protecting) Dayton Blainey. This causes him to become demoted from Guardian to Escort, which crosses his path with Emma. Transporting her to The Acropolis, a school/prison for hybrid half humans/half demons should be a breeze, but Emma is no ordinary Hybrid. Lots of people want her dead, including Conor's own kind, The Gargoyles. What I love about this story is that a guy like Conor, who has been fighting demons his whole life and hates them intensely, is able to see past all that and find the good in Emma. It's almost like seeing a bigot fall in love with someone out of their race. It was a beautiful thing. After years of watching demons do horrible things and protecting mankind from them, Conor comes to realize that these hybrid demon kids have no say in the matter. They are only half-demon and didn't get to choose their parents. He goes from being their prison warden to being their hero. Beside Emma he is the ultimate leader and the two of them have already proven a force to be reckoned with.As a couple Conor and Emma did not disappoint. Intensity and tension are two things Ryals does well.I so love the tortured aspect of this. Their attraction is forbidden, yet they are drawn to each other uncontrollably. The plot twists in the end couple with the action to deliver a punched-in-the-gut sensation that I have been carrying with me since reading the last words. I cannot wait for the next installment. I have decided from now on to trust Ryals' judgement. I didn't think she could top Redemption...dangit, she made a believer out of me!