Review: Angels vs Demons
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 22, 2013
I recieved this book free in exchange for an honest opinion (LoP). Alyx is a warrior angel. Her job is to hunt and kill the Darkened (humans who have been possessed by demons). She has never questioned her duty to do this, until she starts having dreams where she is seeing and feeling through the eyes of another darkened. Once she meets up with him, she realizes that he is mortal, not darkened, and that they have a special bond and she must/will protect him at all costs. Israel is the mortal. He is killing other darkened, leaving unsubtle messages, in his quest to find Adere, an ex-lover who has become darkened herself. Along the way, the bounds of good and evil get flip flopped for Alyx as she learns that the Elders are lying about different things, and not all the things that she has been told all her life are true.I really liked the premise if this story. It was just enough different from the other Angel vs Demon books that I have read to make it a new type of read. The caste system for the different angels was one interesting twist. You had the Elders as the total supreme voice in everything. The middle class (sorry, can't remember the name), still privileged (think snotty rich kids with too much money and time and feeling entitled to do what they want). Then the warrior class, they are the ungifted. They are the actual fighters, hunting the Darkened and the Rogue Angels (angels who have left the angel cities to live outside the rules). The other major twist I really liked was the bloodink. This is the distilled blood of the upper classes, used to tattoo the particular magics that the angels use. It must be refilled as these tattoos are temporary, disappearing through use.The major thing I did not like about this book - the definitions of the different magics. I like that they are explained, but wish that they are explained in the course of the actual story, not as a between chapter filler. To me it really detracted from the flow of the story. Overall though, Ms. Peach weaves a wonderful story designed for the older teens and up. I like the different spellings for common names, hidden angel cities named after major archangels, the character development, and the action. The book grabbed me, drew me in and kept me held to my seat until the end, leaving me wanting more when it was finished. Looking forward to the rest of this series.