Angels' Blood

Guild Hunter, Book 1

By: Nalini Singh

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best - but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option - even if the task is impossible. Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other - and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break.

©2009 Nalini Singh (P)2010 Tantor

Good, Not Remarkable

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Ok if you're bored.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I realized that I like my stories like the early Anita Blake novels- that is, driven by action with the romance there, but on the side. And that was my expectation going in. However, I found that this was more post-"Narcissus in Chains" where romance was in the driver's seat and action seemed like an afterthought.

The whole first half of the story seemed to be just Elena and Raphael's romance, which was well done, but left me thinking "you know, this whole delusional angel thing seems pretty important, so why has Elena done nothing but talk, hide, and almost have sex?" More importantly, though, I had a hard time believing that Elena was "the best there was" because aside from the opening scene and how Elena can smell vamps, she actually does very little until the second half. And she seems like she could use a little more wear-weariness and hardening. However, one thing I did enjoy was that the author creates a great world and there is a lot of depth to it. It seemed to take sooo much exposition, but it was very original.

OVERALL, while the plot was original and interesting, it at times just felt like an excuse for Rafa and Ellie to be together. It was a fun ride, but you definitely felt the bumps along the way. I have already purchased the second book because I did like the story and I want to see if goes a little more smoothly the next time around.

How could the performance have been better?

I'm used to listening to LibriVox recordings, so at first I thought Eyre did a pretty good job, but as I got more used to hearing her voice, I realized that I had a serious problem with it. She seems too prissy and so the scenes where Elena needed to have a lot of attitude came of as corny and grating. It felt like Eyre isn't the type of person that naturally cusses much, so the curse words come out lacking conviction and sounding weird. I feel like the narrator was part of the reason why Elena didn't come off as b.a. as she was supposed to be. However, I loved her range of accents.

Did Angels' Blood inspire you to do anything?

Yes, it inspired me to go back to writing because I found myself craving something with a little more action and kick-butt-ery.

Fabulous story, narration not so much

I love this story. Nalini Singh has created a wonderful cast of characters in an original storyline. However, I can't listen to it because the narrator's voice takes me out of the story. Her emphasis on certain words and the nasal quality of the tone keeps me from even being able to finish listening. I should have listened to the sample before I ever purchased. This may not matter to you, in which case, the storyline is well-worth it!

Great book. Wonderful start to the series..

I really liked this book. As the first in the series I was very happy with it and found myself wanting more as I finished it. I like Elana and Raphael and thought that while their relationship seemed unlikely at first it grew believably throughout the book and I loved the ending!! :)

Predictable and not terribly enjoyable

Any additional comments?

I had higher expectations because I saw many positive reviews... Very much surprised at the actual quality and content of the story.

First of all, I found this was truly a Harlequin style romance novel, set in a fantasy world. The plot really circulated around the relationship between Elena and Raphael, and the slow escalation of their relationship from animosity to romance. If anyone reading this review is surprised by that or considers it a spoiler, I am shocked, because it was clear to me from the start of the story where this was all heading. In a way the novel reminded me of how some pornos take time to setup a scene to explain why ultimately there will be intercourse ("ooh I broke the sink, I should call the plumber"). The fantasy world seems to be fleshed out only enough to create context for why Raphael would seek out and meet Elena. This is exactly as much plot as 50 Shades of Grey has - the world it is set in has events going on and they impact the main characters and so on, but overall the world is pretty transparently there as just the stage for the shenanigans of the romantic leads. This is a romance novel first, a fantasy novel a distant second.

I didn't like Elena's character, I found her to be very cookie cutter, I have seen characters like her before. She had traumatic events in her past, is sexually repressed, is a lone wolf. She tries to be a strong female lead but it is impossible because ultimately the whole novel is just a vehicle by which she is driven into Raphael's seductions.

Elena is inevitably dominated and seduced, unable to resist the sexy, magical, unbelievably strong Edward Cullen - I mean, Christian Grey - I mean, Raphael. Boring type of male lead as well because I have seen this male character plenty of times before as well. In fact, this is cookiecutter bad boy from Harlequin novels, except he is an angel here because of the fantasy setting the romance is set in, instead of being a 1700s bad boy pirate, or modern era vampire/warewolf, or modern era businessman.

The reading level is low, I found the author repeatedly reused phrases to a maddening extent. I really hope to not hear or read the phrase "cobalt lightning" again for a LONG time. I am also pretty exasperated with constantly being told about how Elena "felt herself get tight" or "felt a tightening", in her... Ahem. It was so constant, she could have crushed coal into diamonds with the below the belt constant crushing, tightening, churning pressure she must've had going on. It was exactly the same sort of wording I found in other romance novels.

Love it!!

love this series from top to bottom cant wait for the next one !!! love it !!

entrancing

I enjoyed the readers voice. she was very enthusiastic and her separation with the character voice changes was on point. defiantly keep me listening.
I enjoyed the story very well, but did wish to here a bit more of rafiels point of view of the situations. Also the extra explanations of feelings that were already expressed could have been cut down to size a bit more.
other then that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will defiantly be looking for the next one.

Delightful!

Love the story and the characters and the
Narration. The author has a great sense of humor and a great vocabulary. There was one point in time where I turned off the book just to roll around a word voice in my head because it was just such a cool choice and created the most wonderful sentence. The sex is well written and not too detailed and the story subject is novel and entertaining, in a world setting that is interesting but not too alien for comfort. It was fun to listen to and, although I found the ending somewhat predictable, it was also fun. I am looking forward to listening to more books in the series.
I also enjoyed the narrator. I saw some reviews mentioned that they didn’t enjoy the narration. I have heard this type of voice before and it didn’t bother me at all, in fact, it could have added to my enjoyment of the story. This type of voice is capable of doing dry sarcasm so well.
I am off to read the next book.

1st Encounter w/ Nalini's Work - Won't Be The Last

>> What made the experience of listening to Angels' Blood the most enjoyable?

While Nalini is obviously a master storyteller, the most enjoyable part of this listening experience was the soul and character that Justine Eyre brought to the narration. Each character had his or her own distinct voice and she never lost track of them. She gave them personalities beyond even what Nalini wrote for them, I think.

>> What did you like best about this story?

The world-building in this story was exceptionally impressive for me. Nalini doles out just the right amounts of information, not too much or too little-- and only when you need it. In terms of craft, it was very cool to see the world she built unfold a few pieces at a time.

>> Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene can be found within the first chapter of the book where Elena is describing the view from her apartment of Archangel Tower, in particular, the sight of the angels taking off from and returning to the massive building. For me, it really set the tone for the rest of the book for how the angels (and vampires) are part of and yet apart from the human race.

>> Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Other than the inability to stop listening to the book and wanting more immediately after the end of the last chapter, no, I didn't have any over-the-top emotional reactions.

>> Any additional comments?

For a more in-depth review of this title, check out my blog.

Riviting

No matter how many times I have this book, it still grabs my attention. Love the series.

I was thoroughly engrossed

I read this story ages ago and when I saw it offered in the Romance Package decided to refresh my memory. So glad that I listened this time, it gave a completely different experience.

The narrator was fabulous and very easy to listen to. She does multiple accents well and her male and female voices were clear and concise.

The storyline was action-packed, world-building interesting and the love story intense. I want to know more about the angels, vampires and hunters.

I will definitely be listening to more of this series. Another winner from the Romance Package.