Review: Lucius has promise but the execution is uneven
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 13, 2014
The Fallen Angel trope has some interesting twists: angels lacking certain senses, some with anger management issues, and Lucius as the holder of the group's moral compass and titular leader.Despite a rousing good fight scene that set the tone for an action-adventure/dark urban fantasy, the plot quickly devolved into the love-at-first-site trope, with a scene of affection appearing almost out of context.Lucius might have been the leader but he's depicted as if he's a minor character, with far more emphasis placed on the dysfunctionalities of his "brothers". Of all the characters, he is the least interesting, perhaps because his part of the grand plan is wrapped up a couple chapters in. After that, there's insufficient conflict to make tracing his relationship with Persephone at all interesting.There were parts to the book that seemed to be missing sentences or complete scenes. It made for head-snapping reading, and not in a good way. One should be turning pages to find out what happens next, not flipping back trying to piece together something that's missing.The plot execution needs a decision: be an action-oriented dark urban fantasy, or a standard romance. And make Lucius the main character, make the plot about his journey rather than flying off on tangents exploring all the interesting flaws in the other angels.There were parts I liked - the action scenes, the descriptions of self-harm, adjustments each angel had to make in order to deal with a disability. But overall, the lack of focus is what does this one in.And that's a shame - it has the potential to be much better.This book was received in exchange for an impartial review.