Archangel's Prophecy

Guild Hunter Series, Book 11

By: Nalini Singh

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Midnight and dawn, Elena's wings are unique among angelkind - and now they are failing. The first mortal to be turned into an immortal in angelic memory, she's regressing. Becoming more and more human. Easier to hurt. Easier to kill.   

Elena and Raphael must unearth the reason for the regression before Elena falls out of the sky. Yet even as they fight a furious battle for Elena's very survival, violent forces are gathering across the world. In China, the Archangel Favashi is showing the first signs of madness. In New York, a mysterious sinkhole filled with lava swallows a man whole. In Africa, torrential monsoon rains flood rolling deserts. And in Elena's mind, whispers a haunting voice that isn't her own.   

This time, survival may not be possible...not even for the consort of an archangel.  

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Nalini Singh (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Intense, vivid, and sexually charged." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

I HATE Cliffhangers

This is the first negative review I've written for any of Nalini Singh's books - and I've read every one she's written. The book is 11 hours and 44 minutes long. I loved all of it until the ending which destroyed the whole book for me. After building and building this intense story, it feels like Ms. Singh got tired of writing and just cut the whole story off at the knees.

And frankly, I don't understand it - she has a very loyal readership. I look forward to the next book and have loved every one of them. But I want a conclusion to the story! Sure, there are things left undone that get answered in the next book (or in some cases in a much later book) and that's fine. It gives me something to look forward to. But to cut off this book, with this couple, practically in the middle of a sentence, is maddening.

Ms. Singh, please - no more cliffhangers.

Loyal readers will definitely want to read this book. But wait until the next book about Elena and Raphael is out so you can continue the story without all the negative feelings I'm having right now...

And things change again

I always appreciate Ms Singh’s books for the quality of her writing: her world building, storyline, characters, all great. It’s all here, but darned if I can say that I’ve got my same warm fuzzies or happy at the end. This transformation and ending is definitely different compared to book 1. It’s as if NS got a new editor who’s a guy who’s a big fan of action adventure books, so the end has to be a cliffhanger. Not at all what I’ve come to expect, or choose, for my preferred reading. I buy the audiobook because that’s how I started the series; but I buy the kindle because I can start and finish the ebook hours earlier. I finished both before reviewing. I did stay up to finish reading this on release, but had to get some rest before writing anything coherent, because this book was different.

The secondary story re Harrison seemed to meander at times but, if you’re paying attention, you’ll figure it out before the author reveals.
It’s 2-1/2 years after Morocco and things have been peaceful, until they aren’t. The starlings are flying in a murmuration, a lava pit opens, and the Cascade cranks up again. Then Elena sees ghost white owls that others don’t, “messengers of a messenger”, and hears the voice of an incredibly ancient Sleeping One who directly speaks to her the prophecy given so very long ago. And Elena can’t change it.
I kept following the primary storyline re Elena’s degeneration with interest until the chrysalis, the heart, Favashi, the pit, the cliffhanger...? Other readers may pick up on things I missed in this first go round. Be sure I’ll read this again.
If you follow the series, there’s no way you’re not going to buy this book. And there are plenty of references to other characters; so those are great, too. And it seems the Legion are starting to come into their own. We finally find out what Aeclari means! And the mystery of Ambrosia!

It makes me wonder if the author is just fast forwarding Elena’s immortality, or if she’s setting up the next book as the final in the series, or both. So much of what is charming about the books is Elena’s remaining humanity and interactions with NY, angelkind, vampires, guild hunters and family. Even though we haven’t been privy to Illium and Aodhan’s stories yet, I can’t say I’m looking forward to the next book with the same level of anticipation. Ms Singh has set a major creative goal for herself. As a major fan I wish her every success!

I really enjoy Eyre’s narration for this book, and the series. She is the voice of Elena.

And Wow, this is my 800th written Audible review! With gratitude to all authors who put their heart and soul into their creations.

Where to start? ... CLIFFHANGER! Really? Why???

This is a very difficult review for me to write because I love all of Nalini Singh's books - some more than others, and would have loved this one except for the cliffhanger. Yes, CLIFFHANGER!

And I don't mean I didn't like the story, it just means the story got drawn-out on one issue, while leaving the most important one unresolved. I am used to this author giving closure to the main characters by the end of each book (even if she leaves an ongoing story open for the next) which doesn't happen here in the closure department. We are simply left not knowing the fate of Raphael and Elena, and that is why I am so upset by this ending. I buy books to feel good, not to end up upset and frustrated, specially after Elena (and therefore Raphael) suffer so much. I couldn't wait to know how the problem with Elena regressing to being human - as read from the excerpt, would be resolved, but guess what, it is not, and hence my conflicting feelings.

I believe this is the first time that we are left completely hanging on the state of both main characters. I am used to her putting the main characters through the wringer, but overcoming all the odds by the end. This is not the case in this book. The main characters are indeed put through the wringer, but we are left in limbo as to how they will be coming out the other side.

Would have been a 5 Star review, except for the very unexpected cliffhanger ending.

Amazing series

5 Stars

Overall Rating ★★★★★
Plot ★★★★★
Humor ★★★★
Characters & Character Development ★★★★★
Narration ★★★★★
Cliffhanger YES

NOTE: There are some spoilers in this review.

Story: As I continue to read this series, I grow more and more attached to this world and these characters. The five year time jump added so much more to this stories. Because these characters are immortal, 5 years is no time to them. For Elena, who isn't used to immortal time, that's significant. Her best friend Sara's daughter, Zoe Elena, is 5 years older (7), her sister Beth's daughter is older and her half sister Eve is a teen now. I can't wait to see more about these individuals but it was nice to see their older selves. Zoe Elena is even more adorable now and so is her her niece.

Here comes some spoilers. I guessed that it was maybe it’s Cassandra speaking to Elena in her mind. After all the talk about her in this book and previous ones, I thought it was likely since she was telling the future. I also guessed that when Cassandra said "one must die for one to live" that she was talking about Elena in both instances. This book was very complex so I'm sure there were some things that I missed. I enjoyed the glimpses into the legion and can't wait to hear more from them. I've started to understand them a little bit more although there is till so much that is unclear.

There were so many fun moments despite the chaos that was going on. Things like Elena and Illium going out, Elena and Raphael teasing one another, and Elena getting to interact with her family. I can't wait to see more interaction and story around Elena's grandparents. The moments with Jeffery were interesting too. Although he's still a mess, he's holding his stuff together more. I was so happy about Jessamy and Galen visiting and what happened while they were there. I always enjoying seeing Elena interact with different people in this new world she's a part of. would like to see more about Andreas in future books and anyone else in Raphael's world that he trusts. Girls night and guys night was also a nice touch.

One thing I love about this series is how strong Elena and Raphael are in their own ways. They have this kind of unbreakable love that is rare. They have learned to depend on each other so much for love and support. Their relationship is beautiful. Raphael is used to being in control. They're both used to having control over some things in their lives. It was extremely difficult to see how things fall apart in some ways in this book. They couldn't control what was going on with Elena's health. There was nothing to do, nothing to make sense of. That was the most difficult part of this book. I felt for Elena because she had received so many things that she cherished so much in recent years for it to be taken away so quickly.

Although I hate cliffhangers, I feel like this was the perfect time for one. There needs to be another time jump in order for Elena to become what she is meant to be. It will take time for her transformation to occur. I’ve realized this almost half way through. I really came to a peace about the whole story and the cliffhanger aspect.

Nalini has never let me down and I don't expected her too. I will be anxiously awaiting another book from this amazing series.

This book made me smile and laugh a little, tear up and want to cry at other times. It was overall amazing. This world that Nalini Singh has created keeps getting more and more intriguing.

A favorite quote: “F the cascade!” - Raphael

Narration: Justine Eyre - Justine does an amazing job narrating this series. I felt like 2 books ago, Elena and Raphael sounded harsher. It seemed maybe Justine had recently been sick or something so her voice was scratchy. I'm glad her voice is back in this book. She really brings the characters to life.

spoliler alert

I waited for this book to be released and was disgusted with the cliff hanger ending. They spent so much time on Harrison's issues which I have to say I really did not care about. That part of the story was so drawn out. The key part of the story related to Elena's degeneration which was an after thought for much of the time. At the end of the book you are trying to figure out if Elena is going to die, become mortal or evolve. The only thing that is clear is that Arch Angel of China is not sleeping and she will have to be defeated in the future using more power than the cadre has at the moment. Elena wakes with immortal eyes and it sounds like Raphael gave up some of his power either temporarily or permanently. Does this mean Elena is now fully immortal and will gain powers so that she can provide a bigger role in defeating the Arch Angel of China? The language used for the prophecy is very confusing and left me with more questions than answers.

The story was well written and creative. She just needed to write one more chapter so you had a clue how it ended.

Extremely Disappointed

This was a tough read for me. I have always felt that her books have always been above reproach. This was a major disappointment. I expect a series to have an unresolved issue or two at the end of a book, but I also want some sort of closure concerning the larger issue at hand.

I am not a fan of the cliffhanger. I feel like it is a cheap ploy to squeeze more money out of readers. I have always felt that Ms. Singh was above these sort of tactics. It totally ruined the reading experience for me. If her books were on $2 or $3 dollars I would not have a problem with the cliffhanger, but I expect a full story if I pay $15 or more a book.

My next gripe is more about preference and will vary depending on the reader. I did not care for the narration. She dragged the end of all her words. I found her affected tone to be more annoying than dramatic or sexy. I would suggest listening to the sample before purchasing the audio version of this book.

Wow

Why why why did this end like that? I need to know what happens NOW like right now.

Cliffhangers suck

Loved it til the very end but it didnt have a real ending. Needs more

Story continues to grow

Very good book. One of the things I like in this series is the character depth and the connection between them. Gave this book 4 stars for story because. to me, it seemed the author over did the push to show how connected the 2 main characters are. Also did not care for the cliff hanger ending when it takes about a year for new books to come out. Hope it is sooner

My poor heart will never be the same

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5
Oh my poor heart!! So many emotions in this book. So many questions!! I was honestly afraid to read (listen to) this story because I had seen that it was a cliffhanger ending. But my need to be back in the Guild Hunter world was to much. I will tell you that if you don’t like cliffhangers at all wait until the next book comes out before you jump into Archangel’s Prophecy.

Archangel’s Prophecy is a wild emotional ride that will leave you wanting more. Ms. Singh is such an amazing writer. She knows all the right heart strings to pull to get you emotionally invested then she pulls the rug out from under your feet leaving you wondering what the heck just happened. Add in the extremely talented Justin Eyre and you have the perfect world! I love to have Ms. Eyre narrator this world for me.

Man alive I am not sure I can’t wait for the next installment (I mean I don’t have a choice) but it will be a rough year waiting to find out what happens next

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audio book and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.