Sins of the Angels (Grigori Legacy) [Mass Market Paperback]

It has been some time when I last read a book which sucked me in and held me in such death grip that I couldn't go to sleep and had to stay awake until 3am (on a weekday!) until I finished the story. And even after that I was pulsing with excitement and if I had Book #2 on hand I have no doubt I would have started reading it right away, not caring that I would have to get up in 4 short hours to go to work. That's how thrilling and amazing Linda Poitevin's urban fantasy debut novel is!

I was completely enthralled by Linda Poitevin's lyrical prose, her poetic descriptions were so evocative and vivid, the raw emotions squeezing my own heart:

The ache exploded, scattering its searing fragments throughout his body, spreading until it claimed every corner of his being as its own.

Her throat closed. Memories shifted in the long-ignored recesses of her mind, then began rising to the surface. She tried her damnedest to stop what she knew was coming, but her attempts shredded like tissue-paper boats adrift in a hurricane. Ruthless images stabbed at her, each leaving a new hole in her decades-old defenses.

The complexity of the worldbuilding and how every minor detail was thought out was fascinating. In the Grigori Legacy series Linda Poitevin builds on common religious views and puts her own twist on them. I really enjoyed those parts of the novel where I learned more about the angel hierarchy and how the system works (that for example humans can reject their own guardian angels).

And now time for me to talk about the main characters.

Alex, our emotionally scarred heroine is a weathered and kickass cop. She lost her parents at an early age and tried her best to escape the shadows and nightmares of her traumatic childhood which still haunt her. Her strength and her not-backing-down attitude made her a worthy partner and opponent to any warrior angel, but it was her humanity and vulnerability which made her relatable and endeared her to me. And of course her dry humour was wonderful in lightening up the darkness of the story.

In face of Aramael's irritating behaviour(=every single breath he takes):

Alex summoned up a saccharine smile and reminded herself that cops had a moral obligation not to commit murder.

Aramael is an angel like no other you have heard/read about. He is no white-robed, peaceful and pure messenger of God, oh no, he is a fierce, cursing, dark and dangerous, warrior kind of angel.

Her partner, but not her partner, at the center of the kitchen, with massive wings rising more than a foot above his head and trailing nearly to the floor. Golden wings, their feathers alive with a fire that seemed to surround each and every one of them. Shimmering, pulsing, hypnotically beautiful fire.

I can't tell you how happy I was to see that Aramael wasn't one of those too-good-to-do-anything-interesting ninny angels, but a vibrant, dangerous, sword-wielding-warrior-of-Heaven kind of angel. The kind of angel which is much closer to the original depiction of angels in the Bible than that of current pop culture. Aramael's presence was impressive: whenever he was on the scene it was like a magnetic pull, not only Alex but the reader was drawn to him all the while knowing, feeling that this pull might be something fatal like flame to the moth, but impossible to resist nonetheless.

The chemistry between Alex and Aramael was earth-shattering. The air between these two pulsed with so much current that it was palpable even across the pages. Both Alex and Aramael are extremely well fleshed out, strong characters and together they are a force to reckon with. The forbidden nature of their relationship heightens the tension of their undeniable attraction to each other, an attraction both of them tries to fight, but which proves to be more powerful than their ability to resist.

"I can't feel this way about you," he muttered at last. Embers glowed among the ashes now. "I can't," he snarled. "Don't you understand? You have become the most important thing in my existence, and I am crippled by your very presence. Caim remains free because I cannot track him, cannot feel him. Because all I can feel is you."
What shook me was that the pull between Alex and Aramael ran deeper than just a physical, sexual attraction. They had a deeper connection, something which still remained a bit of a msytery at the end of Sins of the Angels and I cannot wait to learn and read more about them.

Besides the main characters Linda Poitevin introduces some interesting and entertaining supporting characters who I can't wait to see more of in later books (*hint* I'm talking of you Seth *hint*).

"Remember that, above all else, I demand faith from my angels. Not just trust."

Verdict: Sins of the Angels is a dark urban fantasy novel like you haven't read before. It is electric, thrilling and extremely intelligent. Linda Poitevin's worldbuilding is rich and layered and her writing is excellent. A fantastic new series which will appeal to urban fantasy, paranormal romance and thriller fans!

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10 - wonderful!
Ending: 9/10
Cover: 10/10 - love it!

Sins of the Angels and The Grigori Legacy have been on my want to read pile for a while, I just never added it to my Amazon basket for various reasons. Knowing Linda Poitevin through Twitter made me feel a little guilty about it, but it just wasn't the right time. When I did get my hands on a copy of Sins of the Angels I was really looking forward to starting it.

Sins of the Angels surprised me, because as I understood it, it focused on Angels so I went into it expecting a typical urban fantasy novel with a side of crime genre. This was not what I got. First and foremost Sins of the Angels is crime fiction - a detective novel, that just so happens to have angels in it. To be honest the crime genre is pretty hit and miss with me, I much prefer watching events unfold rather than reading them unfold. Having said that, I quite enjoy dipping into an Agatha Christie novel or reading Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series. I also enjoy a good urban fantasy or paranormal with a dose of crime/detective fiction. And once I got used to the idea that Sins of the Angels was actually mainly a detective novel I fell into the story.

Linda Poitevin has obviously done a lot research for this novel. The crime scenes, and Detective Alexandra Jarvis seemed very realistic and believable. I actually enjoyed the contrast between the world of the police, and the world of the angels. Poitevin has also done a lot of research about the angel aspect of the novel, and what I really enjoyed was that she created her own characters and didn't just build on well-known angels/archangels like Gabriel or Michael.

Alex Jarvis was a really compelling character. I liked her in part because she was a strong believable female lead, and partly because she was what I'd want a good police officer to be - she believes in the law she upholds and she believes in justice. I also liked the fact that although she's a bit of a lone wolf, she has a strong connection with her sister. Aramael was . . . interesting. I found Aramael - and actually all the other angels - difficult to relate to, but I think Poitevin did this for a reason - because angels are different from humans, other.

If you like crime fiction and are looking for something with a bit of a twist then you should definitely consider reading Sins of the Angels. In the end I really enjoyed Sins of the Angels, and found myself at the end before I realised it so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Sins of the Son, the second book in the series, and finding out what happens next.

Originally posted on TheFlutterbyRoom.com

Review 6 out of 5

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is trying to catch a serial killer, who is wreaking havoc in her city. Having a new partner assigned to her whilst in the middle of a case is the last thing she wanted. Jacob Trent is arrogant and totally uncooperative. However, if they are to catch the serial killer, they will both have to work together.
Working undercover with mortals goes against everything Aramael believes in, but with his brother's escape from limbo, he has no choice. Can Alex and Aramael work together as a team and catch Caim before he kills again? Will Alex find out Aramael is not who he seems?

I bought this book on a whim. I'm glad I did! It is a fantastic story that swept me away! This book has points of view from different characters, and this made it play out in my mind like a movie.
Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is a fascinating character. She is totally dedicated to her job, and is one of the top detectives in her branch. Her dedication comes at a price though. Her mother was schizophrenic, who killed her husband and herself when Alex was a child. Alex found her parents and their deaths have haunted her ever since.
Aramael is a Power, one of the hunters of the Heavenly realm that hunt the Fallen. When his brother escapes from limbo into the mortal world, Aramael is sent to guard Alex from him.
As I started reading this story, I thought it would be an Angel/Human romance novel. How wrong I was! Instead I began to read the most compelling detective novel with so many twists, turns and sub-plots that I was completely hooked! That's not to say that the attraction the two main characters felt for each other didn't almost burn the pages! However, they both fight the attraction for their own reasons. The main focus of the story however, was the gruesome murders committed by Caim. The ending left me with conflicted emotions, but I can honestly say that it wasn't what I expected.
Linda Poitevin has written a fantastic story that has left me wanting more. I am now looking forward to reading the second book, Sins of the Son. A word of caution: there are several instances of profanity peppered throughout the novel, so if you do not like swearing in your literature, I do not recommend this book to you. However, I highly recommend this book if you love reading a fantastic Urban Fantasy novel that gets your heart pumping!