This book was every bit as good as the first!
***Spoiler alert*** if you haven’t read Sweet Evil…
Like every paranormal adventure, Anna finds that she is a “Chosen One” of sorts, prophesied to bring redemption. In this case, she is the Creator’s chosen instrument to offer heaven to the demons a second time–as well as to offer the Nephilim their a chance to be redeemed, just as humans have. Her task requires her to be able to wield the Sword of Righteousness, a weapon made from celestial metal and used in the original battle in the heavens when Lucifer fell and took a third of the angels with him into hell.
But in order to wield that sword, Anna must 1) stay hidden (if the Dukes find out what she is, they’ll kill her,) and 2) stay pure of heart, so that the sword will respond to her touch. The second requirement isn’t too much a problem, though, since Kaiden Rowe apparently wants nothing to do with her. Or does he?
There’s a bit of a love triangle in this series too (what paranormal romance would be complete without one?), but it’s significantly less annoying than most, because Anna is completely aware of her own heart the whole time. It’s circumstances only that force her into the arms of Kope, another Nephilim friend. The dynamics between her, Kope, and eventually Kaiden are every bit as addictive as in book one… this is quickly becoming one of my favorite series!
My rating: *****
So I loved *most* of this book… until the very end.
The progression of Anna’s and Kaiden’s relationship was unexpected and delightful–trying not to spoil it here, but I was definitely grinning ear to ear. I will say certain parts tended to drag on a bit, when it didn’t feel that way in earlier books in the series, though. I love “happy” scenes when we just get to see characters hanging out and getting to know one another, even if there’s no direct progression of the plot, but I felt like there was a bit too much of that in the middle of this one.
But of course, that can’t last. The Last Battle has to come, and it did in this book. What I most disliked was one sacrifice that occurs at the end, and really didn’t have to. Not only was it sad, but I felt like it didn’t even make a lot of sense in the context of the story–other characters easily could have stopped it, and didn’t even try. But I think they didn’t because the author felt it needed to occur, in order to make a theological point (and one which I also happen to disagree with, so that didn’t help.)
Also, how the final showdown goes down feels like a let-down. (Why gather everybody together to fight, if *that* was all that was required? Couldn’t Anna have done what needed to happen from the very beginning, as soon as she learned of her role as the Child of the Prophecy? And why did it have to be *her*, after all, if that’s all that was needed?)
I still listened addictively and obsessively, and I still love the world and the characters. Just wished it had a stronger finish. (I’m still listening to “Sweet Temptation” next though — a retelling of the whole story through Kaiden’s eyes!)
My rating: *** 1/2
