A Terrible Fall of Angels
- Downloads：7318
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-18 04:19:18
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Laurell K. Hamilton
- ISBN：B091DNXTMM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Shelley
，
*Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy / Paranormal*Rating* 3。0*Full Review Shortly*Likely my last book by this author。 She wasted a whole lot of unnecessary time on things that weren't wrapped up。 *Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy / Paranormal*Rating* 3。0*Full Review Shortly*Likely my last book by this author。 She wasted a whole lot of unnecessary time on things that weren't wrapped up。 。。。more
FV Angela
，
DNF- I tried， but I am just not interested and I feel like the entire 20% that I did read was just so incredibly slow and tedious。
Court
，
DNFWas hoping this would be an improvement over the later Anita Blake books I read way back when。 Unfortunately not。
Jennifer Ricketts （Donnie Darko Girl）
，
DNF at 16%， review to come
Lovely Loveday
，
A Terrible Fall of Angels is the first book in the Zaniel Havelock by Laurell K。 Hamilton。 An intriguing kick-off to a new contemporary supernatural mystery series。 A fast-paced read with lots of action， mystery， and lots of paranormal fantasy。 Once you start reading， you will not want to put this one down。
butterfliesandbooks
，
For those of you who’ve read other works by her， this is different from what your use to。 Angels that walk among us and Demons that no longer hide in the shadows！ Unhappy with the life he life was going， Zaniel Havelock left the College of Angels， walking away from all his friends and everything he’d had become comfortable with。 But the one he he couldn’t seem to give up was his ability to communicate with the angels。He now uses those said talents to aid him in his job in the police force， but i For those of you who’ve read other works by her， this is different from what your use to。 Angels that walk among us and Demons that no longer hide in the shadows！ Unhappy with the life he life was going， Zaniel Havelock left the College of Angels， walking away from all his friends and everything he’d had become comfortable with。 But the one he he couldn’t seem to give up was his ability to communicate with the angels。He now uses those said talents to aid him in his job in the police force， but it’s a branch not many get on。 It’s the paranormal unit of the police force。 Zaniel works alongside colleagues with different faiths and special skills （psychic’s mainly） This task force is charged with keeping the peace between humans/angels/demons。 And it’s not an easy thing to do most days。 So we have a new case for Zaniel to work…。。At first glance it’s a case for homicide， but upon closer inspection there seems to be an angelic side to this case。 Could an Angel have killed the victim？ Why？ We also have demons to contend with， and like angels there are demons that are different from their kind。 What are they up to？ And when they start doing things they shouldn’t be able to do， Zaniel has no choice but to reach out to old friends。 But with old friends come the old betrayals and secrets， and it’s those secrets that he’s keen to see kept buried！！ There is a religious tone to this book， but not enough to put me off from reading it。 And with a new book/series comes the obligatory backstory and world building， which happens to be one of my favourite parts in a book。 Now It makes a change to see a male in the lead in this authors work， it’s usually a kicka$$ female。 And the use of bedroom antics is missing too。 It seems to be focusing on the detective work rather than orgies and bed hopping！ It’s a story a lot good versus evil。 About personal choices and how the wrong choice can take you down a path that’s hard to turn from。 It’s a murder/mystery story with an angsty romance thrown in （Zaniel is married！） So who did kill our victim？ Is there something more going on？ I’m hoping we don’t have to wait too long for the next book out。 🦋 。。。more
Sarah
，
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads。This is a weird and wonderful treat from a favourite author。 LKH has swapped vampires and shifters for angels and demons - and she immediately pulled me into her fabulous new world。 LKH isn’t the first Urban Fantasy writer to take on angels， but this feels fresh and exciting。 Part jaded cop， part angelic interpreter， there is nothing straightforward about Zaniel。 This first book is part theology， part police procedural and part I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads。This is a weird and wonderful treat from a favourite author。 LKH has swapped vampires and shifters for angels and demons - and she immediately pulled me into her fabulous new world。 LKH isn’t the first Urban Fantasy writer to take on angels， but this feels fresh and exciting。 Part jaded cop， part angelic interpreter， there is nothing straightforward about Zaniel。 This first book is part theology， part police procedural and part horror。 Zaniel and his team are chasing something demonic。 The tense encounters between the police and the demonic being and the trail of gore left behind will satisfy fans of Anita Blake the marshall。 Zaniel’s messy personal and professional life will appeal to readers who love a complex central character。I really enjoyed the world building here。 I love the murky sense of good and evil that develops in this first book as nothing is quite what it seems。 Zaniel’s early experiences as an Angel Speaker prompt reflection from readers。 Zaniel’s struggle to hold onto his faith while rejecting the cruelty and inconsistency of the cult-like group who raised him will be relatable to many readers。 I feel like this book works on many levels。 On a basic level， Zaniel slots easily into the role of a self-destructive Scandi-noir detective in the tradition of Wallander or Harry Hole。 The first book is fast paced， carefully plotted and exciting。 On a more complex level， readers are only given a taste of this new world and left with many questions。 I can’t wait for the next book in this series！ 。。。more
Shelleen Toland
，
Detective Zaniel Havelock is a man with the special ability to communicate directly with angels。 A former trained Angel speaker。 A terrible betrayal compelled him to leave that life behind。 Now he’s a cop who is still working on the side of angels。 But where there are angels， there are also demons。 There’s no question that there’s evil at work when he’s called in to examine the murder scene of a college student。 Zaniel is forced to confront his own very personal demons， and the past he never tru Detective Zaniel Havelock is a man with the special ability to communicate directly with angels。 A former trained Angel speaker。 A terrible betrayal compelled him to leave that life behind。 Now he’s a cop who is still working on the side of angels。 But where there are angels， there are also demons。 There’s no question that there’s evil at work when he’s called in to examine the murder scene of a college student。 Zaniel is forced to confront his own very personal demons， and the past he never truly left behind。Zaniel's marriage is also on the rocks and he wants to mske it work。 I could not stand his wife。 She seems a little self centered to me and I have a feeling that we will find out more about her in the books to come and what makes her tick。 Zaniel is one of those guys that you want to meet in real life and see if he is to true to be real。This is the first book of a new series and I can't wait to get reading more of this series。Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC to review。 。。。more
Meigan
，
Review to come。 3。5 stars。 *Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the digital arc。
Darlene Harbick
，
I received the book in a Goodreads giveaway。I'm really torn about continuing to read in this series。 On the one hand， few authors are as good at world building as LKH， and this is a new world that might be interesting to explore。 On the other hand， this book was not much more than an explanation of how politics work between people and angels and demons， I am used to some discussion of vampire politics， or fae or werewolf politics， etc， from LKH， but frankly I think she has been taking that much I received the book in a Goodreads giveaway。I'm really torn about continuing to read in this series。 On the one hand， few authors are as good at world building as LKH， and this is a new world that might be interesting to explore。 On the other hand， this book was not much more than an explanation of how politics work between people and angels and demons， I am used to some discussion of vampire politics， or fae or werewolf politics， etc， from LKH， but frankly I think she has been taking that much too far lately， and I got bored with this book's angel politics， to a great extent。 I guess I will decide about a next book when we get there。This first book was all introduction， and the series shows a little promise。 As an introduction， it introduces， but this book is not action packed and not dramatic and not very fun。 As a standalone book， I don't recommend it。 As an introduction， it is going to depend a lot on the rest of the series。 。。。more
Bea
，
Dual blog review to come
♡Ellie
，
Immerse yourself in a world where detectives and Angels collide， 。 I was instantly intrigued， and the way this world building was laid out and described， I imagined a hit sitcom from the 90’s like something out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the spin off Angel， just more grown up and sophisticated almost。 it was refreshing， it was comforting （because I loved watching those type of paranormal shows when I was younger。 The mystery kept me reading， and the characters intrigued me enough to find out Immerse yourself in a world where detectives and Angels collide， 。 I was instantly intrigued， and the way this world building was laid out and described， I imagined a hit sitcom from the 90’s like something out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the spin off Angel， just more grown up and sophisticated almost。 it was refreshing， it was comforting （because I loved watching those type of paranormal shows when I was younger。 The mystery kept me reading， and the characters intrigued me enough to find out， what’s going to happen？？What I loved: The narrative， first person narrative will ALWAYS keep me reading。 As the reader you understand the main character like no other。 I also loved the fact that it’s not only a mystery。。 it’s got a bit of angsty romance， some suspense， and lots of what I believe to be good looking Angels among us eh？Move over Vampires。。 the Angels are back in town。。 。。。more
Amy
，
Another great read by Hamilton。 Visually stunning。 I have always love her ability to paint with words。 Her descriptions not only tell the story， but allow the reader to step into it and truly be a part of action。 I am a lover of crime novels， and have been since I was a pre-teen。 In my early 20s I discovered the Anita Blake series and， with that series， Hamilton brought me into the supernatural world。 Now， she's giving us both in one。 I admit that I was a little slow to get into the book but onc Another great read by Hamilton。 Visually stunning。 I have always love her ability to paint with words。 Her descriptions not only tell the story， but allow the reader to step into it and truly be a part of action。 I am a lover of crime novels， and have been since I was a pre-teen。 In my early 20s I discovered the Anita Blake series and， with that series， Hamilton brought me into the supernatural world。 Now， she's giving us both in one。 I admit that I was a little slow to get into the book but once I did I was hooked。 I cannot wait to read more of this series and get to know Detective Zaniel Havelock。*I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathy Davie
，
First in the Zaniel Havelock paranormal fantasy series and revolving around Detective "Havoc" Havelock。This eARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Berkley for an honest review。My TakeI know 。 。 。 it's a Laurell K。 Hamilton without erotic sex！ Yet， like Hamilton's Anita Blake， Vampire Hunter and Meredith Gentry， the underlying theme is of good versus evil。Hamilton has created an alternate world that blends the otherworldly with the everyday。 One of cops and murderers， of different religions and First in the Zaniel Havelock paranormal fantasy series and revolving around Detective "Havoc" Havelock。This eARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Berkley for an honest review。My TakeI know 。 。 。 it's a Laurell K。 Hamilton without erotic sex！ Yet， like Hamilton's Anita Blake， Vampire Hunter and Meredith Gentry， the underlying theme is of good versus evil。Hamilton has created an alternate world that blends the otherworldly with the everyday。 One of cops and murderers， of different religions and magical practices， one in which anyone's faith or actions can impact others' actions or appearances， i。e。， angels and demons。 It's kind of scary to think that "mere" belief can spell an angel's downfall。Another part of this world is the angels themselves and the interaction they have with the Angelus。It's easy to feel a connection with these characters from the PD's Metaphysical Coordination Unit， as they experience the same struggles of being a cop as our own world does。 I do like what the College teaches about skin color。 As for the description Zaniel makes about Emma with all that energy and light around her that he hadn't seen since the College of Angels， well， this'll be fun in the second book。 Look out， Suriel！I feel betrayed by this College of Angels。 From what Zaniel says （and discovers）， it is a cult that brainwashes the students it takes from their parents into believing that their way is the only way and everyone else is influenced by Satan。 Hmmm， sound like any groups you know？ Oh， lol， it also sounds like people who believe the idiots in government and broadcast that vaccines are the work of the devil *more laughter*。I had to laugh through all the PC issues raised。 Yeppers， it sounds like our world all right， always worrying about how people are referred to。It is fun to see how Hamilton blends our world's beliefs and pulls them into A Terrible Fall of Angels。 Hamilton also raises the point about what hell is 。 。 。 and I do prefer her idea about it！On the plus side， everyone has a Guardian Angel！ On the other hand， Guardian Angels can't do anything for you unless you ask。 Unlike the totems。 I suspect I'd prefer those animal guides！Hamilton is using first person protagonist point-of-view from Zaniel's perspective， so we hear all about his sins and his whining — why does he have to be persuaded to save that hand。 Oy。 That man is in such denial！ Of course， his wife is a nightmare。 No wonder he's panicky about any moves he makes。Geez， the demon finally "explains" why these women are dying。 Just like a rapist to create an excuse for doing what he wants。I'm confused about the difference between an Infernal and an Infernalist， The first is a demon？ and the second is one who gets rid of demons？？ Although， the way Suriel behaves， I'm wondering if she's part demon。 At the least， she's hypocritical， judgmental， and rigid in her thinking。 AND she's starting to wonder about the College， even as she acts in illegal ways herself。The prose varies between College of Angelese when Zaniel is thinking about his previous life and how he got where he was， and everyday speech with his Unit。 Okay， yeah， there's a bit of the psychological in here as well， especially when it comes to Jamie。 Yep， Hamilton is making sure we get acquainted with all the core characters。Ooh， yeah， enjoy the good things of life， be grateful for it， be happy。 Those few aphorisms of positivity are rare but encouraging。 What isn't rare is all the action as the good guys battle the bad guys， as they try to figure out who the bad guys are！ So many of the core characters are unique people， which drives the story with their unique issues and pasts and tackling the current events。 Including the gay community。 I love how Hamilton simply gives them a history without any judgments！Yep， that ending is a cliffhanger 。 。 。 with a lot of loose ends: why those healed wounds keep bleeding， how this possession works as it switches back and forth， why the Sentinels are leaving the College， what's going on with Jamie， the theft of totems， the demonic perfume bottle， and so much more。 And this appeals to my paranoid side what with all those secrets that exist within the College of Angels。 Then there are all those hints Hamilton keeps dropping about Zaniel's "sins" and the suspicions raised when he reunites with Suriel。 Hmmm 。 。 。 The StoryWhen Zaniel is called to the murder scene of a college student， all signs point to a murderer from the angelic realm， but a cryptic message from an angel warns Zaniel that the killer is something else entirely。 Something that not even the all-knowing angels have a name for。 Now it’s up to Zaniel and his team to uncover what the murderer is — and how to stop it — before it can kill again。When Zaniel’s past begins catching up with him and old wounds reopen， he realizes that Heaven and the College don’t let go of their messengers easily。The CharactersDetective Corey Zaniel ‘Havoc’ Havelock， angel expert with a direct connection to Heaven who walked away from the College of Angels and a member of the Metaphysical Coordination Unit。 Zaniel's gift is speaking with the higher forms of angels without dying or going mad。 Reggie， a high school teacher， is his angry wife — they're separated。 They have a three-year-old son， Connery。 His great-aunt Matilda seems to have been a stern woman。 There was a seraph in his life。Metaphysical Coordination Unit， a。k。a。， 。 。 。。 。 。 the Heaven and Hell Unit， is part of the City of Angels PD in California and investigates supernatural-related crimes。 Lieutenant Adinka Charleston is also a Voodoo Priest。 Detective George Gimble is young and impressionable。 Detective Lila Bridges is a strong woman and a powerful psychic null。 （Lila has an ex-wife， Annie， and an ex-husband， Rob。） Detective Carlos Antero needs to get in shape。 （Carla is his beloved wife。） Detectives MacGregor and Goliath MacGregor are the old one and the young one， respectively。 The short Detective Raymond Stiltskin is a serious weightlifter。 Officer Odette Minis rescued Havoc from Adam and is on a test run for the Unit。 Detective Athena Ravensong is a Wiccan with a slew of totems and is second-in-command。 She has a wife， Louie。 （Ravensong's great-aunt Lottie sounds pretty glamorous。） Her totems include a raccoon， a bear， a Goddess， and more。Officer Miller responded at the hospital。 Officer Sato saw through the angel wings。 Richardson is with SWAT。 Berger is a tech。 Adam Thornton is the medical examiner's assistant， and he has the social skills of a cranky rhinoceros， although he does have a very specialized type of remote viewing。 Dr Trent is the medical examiner。 Officer Stevens was a good guy。The Metaphysical Injury Unit is 。 。 。。 。 。 required in any hospital。 Dr Paulson has tightly held shields。 Ray Gonzales， Hazel Prescott， and Bunny are nurses。 Belinda is a security guard。 Kate is a patient whose great-great-great-grandmother had been Baba Yaga。 It certainly adds color as to why Kate is in the hospital。Becki Patterson is a female paramedic partnered up with Neil。 Roger and Sam are another pair of paramedics。The College of Angels is 。 。 。。 。 。 more of a boarding school that keeps its students forever。 I don't think Ambriel survived。 Cosmiel was another fellow student with pale skin and red hair。 Master Donel is in charge of training the Sentinels， Angelus Extium， a。k。a。 Angels of Destruction。 Harshiel and Turmiel （Donel is Turmiel's uncle） are two of the Sentinels。 Donel also has a sister。 Suriel "Surrie" is the only one of the three friends who stayed， and now she's an Infernalist。 Bachiel listens to thoughts of the human world。 And I've got my suspicions about him。 Master Sarphiel is into tea。 Jamie， a。k。a。 Levanael "Lev"， a。k。a。 Levi， was thrown out of the college when his abilities went haywire。 I'm not thinking too highly of that college 。 。 。 He was/is Zaniel's best friend， surviving on the streets。 An orangutan is Jamie's animal guide。Angel Speakers， Angelus Dictum; Listeners （to Angels）， Angeli Auditor; and， Angel of Light， Angelus Lucis， a。k。a。 Lights， are some of the categories the students are separated into。Abrahamic faiths are Christian， Jewish， and Muslim。 Satan is also known as the Adversary， the Devil， the Enemy， Lucifer。 An Infernal is a demon。 Harm None is 。 。 。。 。 。 a metaphysical shop that offers magical therapy， and where Bast is the boss who's has been active in the pagan community for over 40 years。 Emma works there and does reiki and reads tarot。 Emma's brother is a doctor。The Cozy Cauldron is a coffee shop partly owned by Harm None。 Miranda is a flirt with some tips for Zaniel。 Shelby Jackson and her boyfriend， Jeff， are targets。Megan Borowski is an undergrad college student。 Sergeant Macintosh had been Zaniel's drill sergeant back in his army days。 Dr Martin conducts couples therapy。 Doris is the apartment manager at Zaniel's building。 Fred is Doris' elderly pug; Donald and Charlie are the pug puppies。 Totems， a。k。a。 spirit guides， co-walkers， animal guides， are with you for days， months， years， your entire life。Mark Cookson is on academic probation at University of California in the City of Angels （UCCA）。 "Sam" Cookson is his brother。 Uh-huh。The Cover and TitleI love the cover！ It so accurately reflects the primary character with Zaniel/Havoc strolling across the pale gray background， as we look down at him from above， his shadow with wings and that gun he's holding following behind him。 At the very bottom is a slightly darker gray skyline。 At the very top， in a dark gray， is an info blurb。 The author's name is vertical， crossing Zaniel's wings and is in a deep red that darkens more where it intersects with the wings。 In between and above Zaniel's head is a testimonial in a blend of dark gray， and light burgundy。 Below Zaniel's feet is the title in dark gray。 Below that is the series info in the light burgundy。The title is more of an anticipation， as Hamilton exposes us to the potential of A Terrible Fall of Angels。 。。。more
Amanda
，
As intriguing as this premise is。。。it really missed the mark。 With any new series there will be world-building， any avid reader would expect this， however， there is usually backstory and a flow and reasoning。 This book had none of that， it was truly all over the place with the information dump and at times very random and in the most awkward ways。Our male protagonist， Zaniel （Havoc）， is just plain exhausting。 I felt no real draw to him， nor to any of the other characters， they really fell flat f As intriguing as this premise is。。。it really missed the mark。 With any new series there will be world-building， any avid reader would expect this， however， there is usually backstory and a flow and reasoning。 This book had none of that， it was truly all over the place with the information dump and at times very random and in the most awkward ways。Our male protagonist， Zaniel （Havoc）， is just plain exhausting。 I felt no real draw to him， nor to any of the other characters， they really fell flat for me。 There was one intriguing character and that was her， the nameless angel。 Hopefully there will more of her in the follow up book。 The plot， if you can truly call it that， was weak at best and truly the timing of it all just felt rushed。 Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read a copy early。 。。。more
Karen
，
There is so much going on in this world！ I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one。
Liz （Quirky Cat）
，
Wow。 It feels like it's been a hot minute since Laurell K。 Hamilton sat down and started a new series。 Naturally， that fact alone was enough to get me curious about A Terrible Fall of Angels。 A Terrible Fall of Angels is the first in her new Zaniel Havelock series。tAngels are real。 This is a fact that Detective Zaniel Havelock has always known。 For a time， he trained to be one of those that could communicate with angels until he turned away from that path and became a detective。tHis training and Wow。 It feels like it's been a hot minute since Laurell K。 Hamilton sat down and started a new series。 Naturally， that fact alone was enough to get me curious about A Terrible Fall of Angels。 A Terrible Fall of Angels is the first in her new Zaniel Havelock series。tAngels are real。 This is a fact that Detective Zaniel Havelock has always known。 For a time， he trained to be one of those that could communicate with angels until he turned away from that path and became a detective。tHis training and abilities serve him well in his new role， as he deals with crimes surrounding angels and the fallen。 It's complex and dangerous work， but work that needs to be done， especially when something demonic is on the rise。t"Someone had to keep the peace between beings that could tear the world apart if they ever went to war again。"tI'll say it once again: wow。 A Terrible Fall of Angels is such an intense and captivating read。 So much so that I found myself surprised by how invested in the story I had become。 I don't normally love reading overly angelic novels， so this is a rare exception to the rule for me！tTrust me when I say that this novel is nothing like Laurell K。 Hamilton's other novels。 I don't mean that offensively – it is merely a statement。 The main character is Zaniel Havelock – that's right！ A male protagonist。 That's not the only significant difference between this new world and her others， but it is one of the more prominent ones。tThe series， while having religious entities， is surprisingly not overly religious。 It is very careful to dance around some aspects at times， which I actually kind of appreciated。 However， it took me a while to get into the swing of things with this new world。tThe first part of the novel does throw a lot of information out to the readers。 It kinda makes Havelock look like a bit of a know-it-all。 But then again， he sort of is！ He's the only one in his unit with this sort of training， and it shows！tI should probably mention that there are some heavy subjects covered within this first novel。 For example， Havelock is first and foremost a detective。 That means he's dealing with crimes， including a very graphic one that comes up within the first few pages。 Consider yourself warned！tOverall， I really enjoyed this new world and style of writing for Laurell K。 Hamilton。 I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next and how Havelock （and his unit） will react to the inevitable chaos that comes with it。tThanks to Berkley and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks 。。。more
Erica Chilson
，
This pains me to write this review and give a rating of 2 stars， as I've read LKH's novels numerous times。 One of her largest fans， seeing the author as an influence on my own writing。 Anita Blake & Merry Gentry are constant comfort rereads of mine。 Hardcover， paperback， duplicate paperback， Kindle， audiobook， a graphic novel or 3。。。 to say I'm a fan would be an understatement。 I was beyond excited for new characters， a new world， and a male protagonist。 Never thought I'd abandon an LKH book at This pains me to write this review and give a rating of 2 stars， as I've read LKH's novels numerous times。 One of her largest fans， seeing the author as an influence on my own writing。 Anita Blake & Merry Gentry are constant comfort rereads of mine。 Hardcover， paperback， duplicate paperback， Kindle， audiobook， a graphic novel or 3。。。 to say I'm a fan would be an understatement。 I was beyond excited for new characters， a new world， and a male protagonist。 Never thought I'd abandon an LKH book at 25% but I must。 Perhaps after the world building， the second book would resonate more， but I found the MC to be an emotionless， loathsome creep。 It's impossible to read a series if you can't stand the narrator。 Irony with how Zaniel is directly tied to the big man himself。 G O D。 The struggle was real。。。 especially in the beginning， during a tedious convo with an angel at a murder scene。 The poor dude just wanted to relay a short message， but Zaniel （LKH） just had to be tedious and exhausting for the reader & the angel。 I'm sure some of her fans will understand that statement better than a new reader。 Imagine Anita arguing with the detective in charge at a murder scene， who obviously has biases against her， instead of letting it go， she has to be unbelievably difficult。 Yeah， now you get Zaniel。 Out of everything I read in quarter of a novel， only that nameless angel made me curious。 That was the hook for me， but I found Zaniel impossible to wade through in order to get to the angelic world-building。 LKH's voice shined through the voice of the character。 As one of her biggest fans， this was an issue because I could "hear" Anita- Anita's less than easy to deal with qualities & none of her deeply flawed human ones that were so easy to relate to as a reader。Zaniel was stiff， more overview narrator than a fully fleshed-out character who emotes feelings。 I don't mean because he's a new character。 Just that he has no inner monologue about his personal life outside of world building until it's the most inappropriate time。 No feelings whatsoever， so me （the reader） had zero emotional investment in the story or characters。 It was constant world-building， police procedural， and demonic action。 Once a small slice of downtime came， Zaniel was beyond inappropriate with what little information about his personal life was given。 Just as Anita， every conversation was like pulling teeth。 Just get to the point。 Five pages later， Anita （Oops， I mean Zaniel） is still going back & forth with an angel， doctor， nurse， police officer。 over the most mundane of things， none of which has anything to do with the plot。 What is meant to be banter comes off as frustratingly tedious。 Why does every conversation feel as if the MC is combative， having to justify or prove herself （excuse me， I mean himself） Zaniel Havelock， aka Havoc （can you guess where Havoc came from？） In the first 25%， every character calls Zaniel "Havoc"， or says something like， "Your parents didn't like you， did they？ Naming you Havoc Havelock。 Hahaha。" Where the reader is subject to once again hearing how it's a nickname。 Then he （we） has to hear how cool the name Zaniel is， because Zaniel is just that dang AWESOME！Seriously， time & time again， I was pretty sure the characters heard him tell others seconds ago， then purposefully lined up so we could go through it again。 How hard is it to figure out it was a play on his last name？ These people are doctors/professionals。 Then again， why would they care？ When people in a professional/hazardous situation meet， they don't examine why you're named what you're named。 EVER。 They don't even care what your name is， they just need to know what to call you should you mess up so they can report you to your superiors or put your name on a medical chart。 This was redundantly tedious， not cutesy in any fashion。 I mean， there's a time & a place， & distraught and terrorized hospital staff could seriously give af about a nickname。 C'mon！Then there is Kate， a patient in the middle of being sexually assaulted， physically tortured， and threatened with a gruesome murder via DEMON， after she witnessed a man's arm pulled from his body and a fellow nurse nearly murdered， and she has to stop everything to be insulted that the demon called her Katie instead of Kate。 Seriously， why？ Really？ Is this the hill Kate wanted to die on， the indignity of being called Katie？ Is this even remotely what would happen based on the human condition？ Of all that， she's insulted he called her KATIE， not when he called her a bunch of ridiculously misogynistic derogatory names？ Huh？ Oh， we even had to hear about Hazel's name too。 WHY？！ I'm sorry， but Zaniel was a creep。 Full stop。 And the other characters were just as frickin' bizarre in their behaviors。 Only being I could accept this from was the nameless angel in the beginning， as he's in no way subject to the human condition。 Irony on how the demon （rider & horse） was a "Nice Guy" incel who raped & murdered a coed， who was holding a hospital hostage， tore a guy's arm off， almost killed a male nurse， & just raped a female patient。。。 Hazel the nurse- old enough to be Zaniel's mother， because that's super important -they flirt while he BLEEDS from an injury just sustained， they do that "Havoc" routine， and suddenly Zaniel drops how he's married with a 3-year-old out of nowhere， all the while feeling super duper randy。 Suddenly， after LKH realizes she never properly introduced the character， at 25%， when it's the most inappropriate time， after nonstop world-building， battling， tediously combative conversations， & nickname explaining， Zaniel gets too personal， disgustingly so。Seriously， 25% before the reader learns the MC is married with a kid， while he's actively flirting at the scene of a violent crime and rape。 At that point， the only personal stuff we knew about him was his occupation & height and angelic background。Inappropriate。 Zaniel's a messenger for angels， who are messengers for God， but he's on multiple marriages， while flirting with a nurse， with a rape victim waiting to speak to him。 Does God employ emotionless， unethical sociopaths now？The victims & staff dgaf about your marital woes or frickin` nickname！ Time & place， dude！ Time & place！ Even the reader needs the appropriate time & place to "hear" it。Hazel the nurse， you suck too！ Your colleagues were just terrorized & your patient needs your HELP。 Get your hormones in check！ Then as Hazel the nurse leads Zaniel to see Kate "Don't call me Katie" who was just brutalized by a demon in all ways （after Hazel & Zaniel made her wait while they flirted） he brazenly stares at Hazel's rear like a total NICE GUY as she leads him to。 See。 A。 Rape。 Victim。 Staring at Hazel's ass while thinking this has been a painfully long 6-month celibacy since he started banging like a stud at 15。 He just quite literally listened as a demon attacked a woman in the most grievous of ways， and this is where his head is at。 This is where I need to point out， this was a make or break moment for me。 LKH isn't known for treating female characters with dignity and respect， strong misogynistic vibes with the NLOG energy （Not Like Other Girls） Look at how dippy Kate and Hazel were written。 First， Hazel the nurse insinuates that Kate will be needy with romantic and sexual desires for Zaniel since he saved her （saved her from a situation he directly placed her in， but why mince words， right？） so he better gently let the RAPE VICTIM down。 Make or break。 Without Zaniel's misplaced lust， & perhaps an ounce of survivor's guilt， sympathy & compassion， empathy maybe， or 2 seconds to stop & think about what just happened so even the reader could catch their breath and digest how the world building and plot fits in with Zaniel's newly shown personality， I wouldn't have thought Zaniel a monster but no。。。 he suddenly wants to bang both the nurse and the rape victim while currently married to a woman he loves， sharing a 3-year-old with her。 But， ya know， she told him it was okay to see other people， so now is the PERFECT opportunity for the Nice Guy Opportunist。 C'mon！Why LKH introduced Zaniel's marital history， need to get laid， seconds after a huge battle， while being injured himself， with people who lost their lives or were irreparably harmed all around them， then to worry the rape victim would "WANT" him （for "not" saving her， white knight that he is） as he mulled over the merits of her height & age as whether or not she was phuckable， while she was lying vulnerable in a hospital bed moments after being violated。 Irony with the "Nice Guy" demon when our hero was one himself。。。 All of that is NICE Guy in the extreme。 The entitlement and ego and one track mind。 LKH turned Zaniel into a monster for me right then & there， & I was so done at that point。 So done。 So gross， so not the time nor place。 Only monsters get hot & bothered after allowing a woman to be victimized （there was a hospital bed in front of the cracked door。 How hard was it to have three guys shove hard， since the beds are literally on WHEELS！） while others were quite literally torn limb from limb， then honestly believe himself so irresistible that he'd have to let Kate down gently。。。 as she healed in all ways from being violated！ While he reduced her to her height & age & whether or not he thought her bangable。 He expected undying love & for her legs to pop open because he was her "savior" & how uncomfortable it would be to tell her no。 Instead of Kate going boy crazy for Zaniel， we （Zaniel and the reader） get some odd mythical creature world building from Russia that I'm pretty sure doesn't rear its head again。 That's on LKH。 Full stop！ WHY DID YOU HAVE TO MAKE HIM CREEPY & DISGUSTING。 RIGHT。 THEN？！？ Book ruined for me because of it。 Why？After all that， while Kate is suffering the indignity of a rape kit （administered by Horny Hazel who warned Zaniel off the needy but not actually needy victim）， right outside her door in the hallway， Zaniel & his cop buddies go on and on about his workout routine & how strong & amazing he is， while he inner monologues about how his "fat & out of shape" coworkers try to hook him up with their "hot and young" relatives， while he is currently married with a kid （idgaf if he's separated， the ink isn't dry on yet another divorce decree and he still wants to be married to her） because we need to understand how cops need to destress from the job。。。 outside her door， as she was being re-violated。。。 which is where I found no redeeming qualities in him。 None。 Hot "Nice Guy" Zaniel， vapid & emotionless "we can't take our work home with us" excuse as to why he shrugs it all off （but you can at least wait to get out of the vicinity of the victims） with no empathy， yet beyond religious。 Hmm。。。 this character profile doesn't seem to add up。 Doesn't need to be pious just not a full-fledged C R E E P。 And what's up with giving everyone's height as a descriptor？ I knew nothing of these characters， but I know Kate is 5' 7" as if measured while lying prone in a hospital bed， not standing upright， with a blanket covering said legs。 Did Zaniel get out a dang tape measure？ Zero emotions but we must know their height in feet & inches。 I miss the clothing descriptions LKH is infamous for， but we do still get weapons and ammo details。。。 and height。 DNF。 Put a fork in this series， I'm not trying the next。 And this makes me very unhappy， makes me feel awful。 I tried for a solid week to read past that point but the rage kept coming up every time Zaniel spoke or thought。 。。。more
Astrid - The Bookish Sweet Tooth
，
DNFIf it takes me more than a week to make it to 20% it's a sign that the book isn't for me。 This was a bit of a mess， I couldn't connect with Zaniel， the writing is all over the place and while I know that world building in PNR/UF is tough if you still want to keep the reader's interest at the same time。 This was info dump galore with no real background from the start and so， so confusing。 Pains me to wave the white flag because I found the premise fascinating。 DNFIf it takes me more than a week to make it to 20% it's a sign that the book isn't for me。 This was a bit of a mess， I couldn't connect with Zaniel， the writing is all over the place and while I know that world building in PNR/UF is tough if you still want to keep the reader's interest at the same time。 This was info dump galore with no real background from the start and so， so confusing。 Pains me to wave the white flag because I found the premise fascinating。 。。。more
Darcia Helle
，
I love supernatural thrillers。 The premise for this book fascinated me。 And， so， I expected to at least like， if not love， the story。It's a DNF （did not finish） for me。The short and not so sweet of it:The plot execution is a mess。 The story is all over the place。 Nothing made much sense。 The characters are just sort of there。 And I didn't care about any of it。I gave up a little past the halfway point。*I received a free eARC from the publisher， via NetGalley， which they're probably now regretting I love supernatural thrillers。 The premise for this book fascinated me。 And， so， I expected to at least like， if not love， the story。It's a DNF （did not finish） for me。The short and not so sweet of it:The plot execution is a mess。 The story is all over the place。 Nothing made much sense。 The characters are just sort of there。 And I didn't care about any of it。I gave up a little past the halfway point。*I received a free eARC from the publisher， via NetGalley， which they're probably now regretting。* 。。。more
Lorena
，
This is a whole-ass mess of a book。 There is zero， and I mean ZERO reason for any of you to read this。 For those of us still hate-reading the Anita Blake or Merry Gentry books because you at least know the characters and it's entertaining to see what craziness they are now involved in， even if said craziness is terribly written。。。well， all you have here is terrible writing about characters you don't and won't care about in the least。 Seriously， there is no way this would have been published if H This is a whole-ass mess of a book。 There is zero， and I mean ZERO reason for any of you to read this。 For those of us still hate-reading the Anita Blake or Merry Gentry books because you at least know the characters and it's entertaining to see what craziness they are now involved in， even if said craziness is terribly written。。。well， all you have here is terrible writing about characters you don't and won't care about in the least。 Seriously， there is no way this would have been published if Hamilton were not already an established author who could literally barf on a page and have her publishers enthusiastically print a giant run of her vomit in hardcover。 I'm going to kind of spoil some stuff about the book now， maybe？ There's honestly so little plot and so much filler， it's really hard to tell。 But if you don't want to know what happens for whatever reason， stop here。 Our hero is Detective Zaniel "Havoc" Havelock。 We first meet him at a crime scene， which is covered in angel feathers。。。not because an angel was the perpetrator or the victim， but apparently to make sure someone who knew something about the supernatural would be called in right away， because otherwise the police might think it was just a regular old rape/murder， and not a demonic rape/murder。 At the scene， an angel appears to Zaniel to explain all of this to him， because Zaniel is an Angel Speaker， who was trained and raised in the College of Angels， where they take kids with these particular types of magical talents。 The angel says this was done by some weirdo kind of demon thing that doesn't follow typical rules， and tells Zaniel to deal with it。 The actual sort of plot， if it were to go in a linear and rational fashion， basically goes （from here）: Zaniel and fellow magic police figure out a college incel dude summoned the demon， he's merged with it in some kind of weird way that no one understands so that both he and the demon are sharing a malleable body that is neither fully demon or human， he's tracking down women he wanted but who didn't pay him enough attention to rape/murder them， he's hard to kill because he's not following the usual rules for demon-possessed humans， but then Zaniel kills him anyway by grabbing him and channeling holy fire， which， since this is apparently not that hard for Zaniel and causes no damage to anyone or anything else， seems like a relatively straight-forward solution to the issue， in no way necessitating any of the rest of the 90% of the material in the book， most of which is trying to set up some worldbuilding （kind of）， or some recurring characters （maybe）， but mostly is full of long expository plot diversions that go nowhere （of the sort familiar to any regular Hamilton reader） and end up having no bearing on the "plot，" such as it is。 （For example， Zaniel gets a couple of supernatural wounds that do weird things for reasons no one really understands， but seem like they might be relevant through the story， until he does the holy fire thing and apparently that cures them and we never really hear any more about what that was all about， and it didn't really affect anything along the way。） There's also a side plot about Zaniel's history at the College of Angels， which apparently takes kids in really young （like 7） and cuts them off from their families entirely， and raises them to believe only in Christian theology and the power of angels， even though other theologies clearly have powers of their own， and these are visible to Zaniel and apparently other people trained at the COA。 Piecing together the history from here and there， Zaniel was tight with a girl named Suriel and a boy named Levanael （all names assigned by the COA when they joined）， until Levanael got kicked out of the COA because his powers drove him crazy， and then Zaniel kinda started an affair with a seraphim， which was frowned upon， and he was already disillusioned by the Levanael thing， so he finished his initial training and then left。 After he left， with no means of support and no real world experience， Zaniel joined the army， married a stripper， saw active duty combat， got divorced by the stripper （apparently in the middle of the active duty combat， because she was hoping he would die and she would get his benefits but he hadn't yet， which makes no sense as a motive because clearly you would wait until he was definitely safe before giving up on that plan and just keep stealing the paycheck until he got back at least？ But whatever。。。）， then he joined the police and married some other chick named Reggie and they have a 3 year old but they have been separated for 6 months at this point because Reggie。。。I don't even know。 Reggie's character is all over the place， and half the time Zaniel is madly in love with her and wanting to get back together and half the time he's convinced it's all over and she kinda sucks and is flirting with every woman in sight （and then MAKES OUT with an LKH lookalike in a coffee line in the lead up to the final confrontation for no discernible reason）。 But he's also going to couple's therapy， so you get to sit in on a long， boring， pointless chapter or two of that， in the middle of demons trying to rape and kill everyone。 （Incidentally， I apologize if all of this history makes it sound like Zaniel is in any way an interesting or compelling character。 He is not。 The whole book is in his monotone， detached voice， without an ounce of real feeling or heart in it。）In the meantime， we learn that Levanael took back his birth name of Jamie and has been homeless and mentally ill this whole time， Suriel stayed with the COA and became a high ranking demon expert。 Suriel gets sent over to the police to help a witch who was cursed by contact with some demon blood， and hints that maybe some stuff isn't right at the COA， and there's a bunch of pointless macho posturing with her COA body guards。 Levanael/Jamie turns up out of the blue， better than he has been in years， and says it's all because of this pagan girl that some prophets sent him to see， and she has helped him shield from what the COA did to him all those years ago， and he's now going by Levi， and wants to introduce Zaniel to this world。 This is hard to piece together， not only because of all the random digression scenes that end up having nothing to do with the plot （there's a whole thing with a neurodivergent lab tech trying to get something from the police office that goes on FOREVER for literally no reason， and other examples too numerous and boring to get into）， but because the writing is so sloppy and the timeline isn't consistent from page to page or even sentence to sentence。 Granted that I am reviewing an ARC， and maybe they will catch some of this before it goes to final print， but the level of mess is WAY higher than in the average ARC from a major author， where you might find a single typo/wrong verb tense in the whole thing。 For example， through most of the book Zaniel describes Levanael/Jamie/Levi as having been on the streets for a decade/10 years。 When Levi shows up and they talk about what's going on， though， you get these two sentences together:Levi: "Maybe， but everyone else wakes up。 I've been trapped in a nightmare for over thirteen years。" Zaniel: "Do you think the last fifteen years has been just dreams and nightmares？"Just。。。what？ And then Levi talks about this girl he was led to by "prophets，" and specifically says it happened 2 weeks ago， and then a couple of chapters later， Zaniel meets the girl， and she talks about something that clearly happened some amount of time ago as having happened "a few weeks" after she and Levi met， so it sounds more like they have been together for a month or more。 There's also a weird sequence in which Zaniel is making tea for Levi， and specifically talking about the rapid-boil kettle he's using to heat the water， and then a couple of paragraphs later the timer on the microwave sounds and lets them know the tea is ready， and then they decide to make a whole pot and the rapid-boiler makes another appearance， so she can't even keep track of which appliance is in use for the space of a few pages。 Also， Zaniel keeps mis-naming Levi OVER and OVER， in the same conversations， even after Levi has yelled at him for it repeatedly， and Zaniel seems not to be doing it out of spite or anything， and I get that it's hard to remember a new name for someone you knew under another name for a while， but it's so repetitive and insistent that it becomes weird。 There's also a whole long scene of Zaniel in the pagan girl's shop， talking to another witch， who keeps telling him that she can see someone else's "totem animal" （and let's not even get into all the appropriation there） attached to him because of earlier events， and she keeps stressing that he needs to call the real owner of the totem animal and return it "before work calls，" and it is clear that this call is an imminent thing， and Zaniel。。。just wanders around the store， lost in thought about non-relevant things， and looking at crystals and pondering boring thoughts about how they chose to arrange the display shelves， all while this lady in the background who is CLEARLY psychic is frantically reminding him to MAKE THIS CALL AND RETURN THE ANIMAL BEFORE THE THING HAPPENS OR TERRIBLE THINGS WILL OCCUR AS A RESULT， and eventually he does， and arranges to meet up with the person the animal belongs to， but then the work call DOES come in， and it's time for the final showdown with the demon thing， and he doesn't get to return the animal after all。。。and NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS as a result。 He wakes up in the hospital after 2 days unconscious， spends time talking to various people there， goes home。。。and the totem animal is not mentioned at all， in terms of whether it got back where it belongs， or what any of the ramifications were or might have been。 It's all utterly pointless and takes up SO MUCH TIME for nothing。 It's unclear whether this book takes place in the same universe as the Anita Blake and/or Merry Gentry books （I don't even know if those ones explicitly take place in the same universe）， but there is a lot of carryover between them。 Obviously， everyone is obsessed with exercising （and shaming those who don't exercise to a point of perfect buffness）， and everyone's exact height and ethnic background， and pointless conversations where everyone repeats the same things to each other 46 times in a round， much of it about how "political correctness" has run amok。 Amok， I say！ More than that， though， this feels like the book/series where Hamilton is trying to address the spirituality plot holes that never really get explained in her other books。 You know， like Edward/Ted being an atheist when spiritual belief， of any kind， has scientifically provable and obvious protective effects against various bad things。 Only this book also has a kind of "Jewish light" [self-described] doctor who is effectively atheist， and the question of "why" is never really answered or explored there either。 More than anything （because every Hamilton story is a self-insert， even if she tries to at least disguise it a bit this time by having the main character be a tall man instead of a short， busty woman）， this feels like Hamilton's attempt to grapple with her own evolving theology， which is， if this story is any indication， an illogical and irrational mess。 Zaniel and his history seem like an obvious stand in for someone raised Catholic but who eventually decided they liked having sex in a manner the church didn't approve of， and so decided to jettison everything about their religion that stopped them from doing whatever it was they really wanted to do， while keeping some vague notion that angels are still real and helping you because you are Still A Good Person。 And also some other religions are real， especially Goddess-powered ones， and are cool and shit， so you should pick and choose some parts of those to maybe incorporate because they are cool。 Which。。。OK。 It's not like I know the true secrets of the universe or how any of that really works， either。 But I'm also not trying to write books that say stuff like:"There are always angels around us; they wait to help， to heal， to share God's grace with us， but they can't help us unless we ask them to ， give them permission to - so do it with me now， say， 'Angels around me， I give you permission to help me and help those around me。' There are more formal words， but simple ones will do。 Angels only need to be freed to help us; Guardian Angels hover near everyone， and some people have more than one， but they are trapped watching us screw our lives up， unless we allow them to help us。" Which， at least on the surface， is coming from the perspective of this fictional character。 Only the way it's written， it really does sound like Hamilton's voice and beliefs being parroted， especially the part where the reader is urged to say this inspiration-a-day-calendar stuff out loud， right then。 The whole book comes across， to me， as a childish and underformed theology screed wrapped in a modicum of messy plotting and cardboard characterization。 The whole thing both bored me and gave me contact embarrassment for the author， for putting something this poorly thought-out and executed into the world。 Look， I don't know if I've made this clear enough yet over the course of this very long rant， but， uh。。。AVOID。 。。。more
Sophia
，
A cop in a special unit specific to investigating supernatural-related crime gets an angelic visit at a murder scene that sets in motion an investigation that resonates in the highest courts of Heaven and lowest of Hell。 An already top author for earlier urban fantasy triumphs， I was keen to give this author a go in an all new urban fantasy series。My full review will post on Sept 15th at Books Are My Heart blog
Merve
，
Finally she decides that she needs to write something new。 Welcome male Anita I suppose。
Avid Reader
，
A Terrible Fall of Angels （Zaniel Havelock #1） by Laurell K。 Hamilton3。5 starsM/F Paranormal I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads。Havoc， aka Zaniel is a police officer in the Metaphysical Coordination Unit （MCU）。 His job is to notice details that other officers might not notice or see details that others simply can't see。 Havoc is trying to find out why there has been an uptick in deaths with angel feathers in connection to the deaths。 That's not normal for angels。Havoc is A Terrible Fall of Angels （Zaniel Havelock #1） by Laurell K。 Hamilton3。5 starsM/F Paranormal I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads。Havoc， aka Zaniel is a police officer in the Metaphysical Coordination Unit （MCU）。 His job is to notice details that other officers might not notice or see details that others simply can't see。 Havoc is trying to find out why there has been an uptick in deaths with angel feathers in connection to the deaths。 That's not normal for angels。Havoc is also going through a trial separation。 I'm not entirely sure why this is in the story。 It seems strange to have this line in the book， but maybe it'll play a larger role in the coming books。 For this one， it was off topic and didn't mesh well。The mystery behind the College of Angels and what they are supposed to be teaching is what makes this a mystery。 Havoc has only known that the college was doing good， training those around them to be conduits for God。 To fight off the evil in the world。 But， when his long lost friend is found again， with no signs of being as disturbed as he had been， Havoc has to question all that he was taught。 The， on the job， Havoc has to deal with a demon who simply won't die in the normal way and has an uncanny ability to evade them。 What's going on？ How is the demon able to travel and be part of a human？ Is the human a willing participant？ All of those questions are planned out and asked。 This book is intriguing and I definitely want to see where this goes。 There are a lot of characters introduced in this first book and I hope we get to see them more in the next one。 。。。more
Jen
，
Taking her readers into a world full of angels， demons， and magic， bestselling author Laurell K。 Hamilton introduces a fantastic new series with A Terrible Fall of Angels。 Disillusioned with the life he was living， Angel Speaker Zaniel Havelock left the College of Angels， giving up all he knew and the friends he had。 One thing he didn’t give up， though， was his ability to communicate with the angels。 Using his talents to serve on the paranormal unit of the police force， Zaniel works beside those Taking her readers into a world full of angels， demons， and magic， bestselling author Laurell K。 Hamilton introduces a fantastic new series with A Terrible Fall of Angels。 Disillusioned with the life he was living， Angel Speaker Zaniel Havelock left the College of Angels， giving up all he knew and the friends he had。 One thing he didn’t give up， though， was his ability to communicate with the angels。 Using his talents to serve on the paranormal unit of the police force， Zaniel works beside those of varying faiths and psychic skills in order to keep the peace between Heaven and Hell。 But when demons start doing things they shouldn’t be able to do， old friends come back into his life， and age-old secrets are revealed， Zaniel will put his faith to the test and find new inner strength。 I’ve been an avid fan of Hamilton’s Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series for ages， so I was very excited to see a new series featuring a new area of paranormal fantasy。 I found A Terrible Fall of Angels very reminiscent of the early Anita Blake novels: heavily on world building and character introduction with plenty of room to fill out both of those aspects in later books。 The personal relationships in this book are mostly professional and platonic; the sexy scenes that the Anita Blake novels have become known for are completely missing from Zaniel Havelock’s introduction。 I think Hamilton does a great job at creating these fictional， magical elements within the real world。 I did have many questions early on about these unknown fictional elements - background information， characters， abilities - and Hamilton did eventually resolve many of these unknowns。 There were definitely characters and hints of Zaniel’s history that were left unexplained， setting up for future character development in the next books。 There were a couple of elements of Zaniel’s personality that I didn’t care for， like his inability to call his friend by his friend’s preferred name， but I’m hoping to see Zaniel grow throughout the series and outgrow his smaller worldview。 I loved the interweaving of faiths in A Terrible Fall of Angels。 Having followers of God working alongside practicing Wiccans， and not only working with them but being their best self while making each other stronger， was a great message woven throughout the plot。 Readers have seen the mixing of faiths to a character’s advantage before in Anita Blake， but A Terrible Fall of Angels takes it to a whole new level。This was a fantastic launch to a new series from Laurell K。 Hamilton。 I love the paranormal elements Hamilton chose to use and I am excited to see if Hamilton takes Zaniel down the same sort of path that Anita had to travel or if his story will be so much cleaner giving his closeness to the angels。 Zaniel has a lot of fleshing out to go through， and I can’t wait to see what the next step will be on his journey。 。。。more
Barrie Brown
，
Hamilton’s new series is set in a world where demons， angels， witches， and people with angel related gifts reside。 The main character is a man， a change of viewpoint for Hamilton， who is a police detective and an angel speaker trying to stop a demon possessed killer。 As with most new series， this first book spent a lot of time on world building。 The premise of an entire group of people with various angel related gifts and the people/organizations that train them is not a typical paranormal conce Hamilton’s new series is set in a world where demons， angels， witches， and people with angel related gifts reside。 The main character is a man， a change of viewpoint for Hamilton， who is a police detective and an angel speaker trying to stop a demon possessed killer。 As with most new series， this first book spent a lot of time on world building。 The premise of an entire group of people with various angel related gifts and the people/organizations that train them is not a typical paranormal concept， so the book seemed to drag in the middle while explaining the intricacies of this new world。 I’ll be honest， I spent much of the book waiting for Hamilton’s sexual-heavy scenes （which I like）， but instead found only many looks and glances。 Perhaps in the next book。 All-in-all I found I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the next in the series。 I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review。 。。。more
Handcrafted Librarian
，
I was intrigued by the potential for this novel as Laurell K。 Hamilton started out writing amazing science fiction/paranormal novels that had none of the romance/sex crap。 She went down hill in her writing for many years， but in the past couple had rededicated herself to the original strength of her writing skills instead of sex books。 That combined with the unique take on angels in this world was intriguing。 I liked Zaniel's character and I REALLY liked the world that she built。 It is such a un I was intrigued by the potential for this novel as Laurell K。 Hamilton started out writing amazing science fiction/paranormal novels that had none of the romance/sex crap。 She went down hill in her writing for many years， but in the past couple had rededicated herself to the original strength of her writing skills instead of sex books。 That combined with the unique take on angels in this world was intriguing。 I liked Zaniel's character and I REALLY liked the world that she built。 It is such a unique combination of paranormal mishmash of beliefs in a normalized way。It is also an intrigue case for this paranormal detective division to be working on that opens up a lot of future plot points and stories that delve into all the hidden possibilities hinted at within the plot。 What I didn't like is that it seemed to end so abruptly that I had no idea the end way coming since I was reading this on my Kindle。 It just seemed to cut off when I wanted more。 That isn't to say this is a bad thing as I will definitely be picking up other books in this series， but it did leave a slightly off taste in my mouth for the ending that I will remember when the next book comes around。I received this novel as an ARC from Netgalley。 。。。more
Glennis
，
This is an all-new universe setting and has the usual first book in a series feel to it。 Zaniel Havelock is a police officer that works on crimes that have a supernatural bent。 In this world there are devils and angels in the world。 Zaniel used to be at the College of Angels and was trained to speak to and for Angels but something happened and now he is no longer there and had become a cop after being in the army。 There is a lot of infodumping for worldbuilding and the idea is interesting but th This is an all-new universe setting and has the usual first book in a series feel to it。 Zaniel Havelock is a police officer that works on crimes that have a supernatural bent。 In this world there are devils and angels in the world。 Zaniel used to be at the College of Angels and was trained to speak to and for Angels but something happened and now he is no longer there and had become a cop after being in the army。 There is a lot of infodumping for worldbuilding and the idea is interesting but there is almost too much of it 。 The background of the school， Havok trying to work things out with his wife in therapy， backstory for almost everyone you meet on the page。 I’ll be interested to see what happens in future books but hope for more show and less tell。 Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss 。。。more
Sarai Henderson
，
A riveting concept full of angels and demons。 What more could you want？I was really pulled into this story by the promise of some amazing spiritual fiction full of light vs。 dark and I wasn't disappointed。 From the very first page， I was thrown into an action packed crime drama with some really incredibly staged fight scenes with a demon twist。 I mean， a man with the power of an angel trying to prevent a demon from wreaking havoc， kinda tight in my opinion。The main character， Zaniel started off A riveting concept full of angels and demons。 What more could you want？I was really pulled into this story by the promise of some amazing spiritual fiction full of light vs。 dark and I wasn't disappointed。 From the very first page， I was thrown into an action packed crime drama with some really incredibly staged fight scenes with a demon twist。 I mean， a man with the power of an angel trying to prevent a demon from wreaking havoc， kinda tight in my opinion。The main character， Zaniel started off a little bland for me， but quickly came into his stride as we got to know him and his background。 I could feel how passionate he felt for his job and why he left his old life behind。 The one thing that really bothered me and was the reason why I couldn't give this book five stars was every time Zaniel looked at a woman， he made a comment about her boobs。 At one point he made a comment that he wasn't listening to a conversation with a female character because he was staring at her boobs。 It was always boobs。。。I've read that this authors other books are more on the steamy orgy side of things， but this book didn't have any of that。 It was fairly clean。。。 Except for the boob thing。。。Any who， besides the awkward sexual references， I really liked this book。 It had great action and mystery to keep my reading。 A unique story。Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review。 Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina 。。。more
Jenn
，