Cocktails and Books
Written on Jun 22, 2012
Anazakia is the youngest daughter to the Heavenly King of Arkhangel'sk. As Grand Dutchess, her only concern was sneaking out to gamble in the demon enclave, Raqia, or to ride her horse. But her world is turned upside down when her beloved cousin slaughters her entire family. Forced onto the demon Belphagor and his friend, Vasily, she is hidden in the realm of man in present day Russia. Unfortunately, for the trio, the evil queen who has taken over Heaven is bound and determined to see Anazakia dead, after discovering her secret magic trick from the night of the slaughter. Anazakia must now depend on two demons, who admittedly were only using her for money, to help keep her hidden.
When the story starts off, Anazakia does appear to be a very spoiled, very selfish seventeen year old. She used magic to leave a "version" of herself at the palace while she wandered about gambling and whatnot. But after the death of her family, you start to see Anazakia in a different light. She lived a very sheltered life and was not at all prepared for what she was about to embark on. She had to grow up fast and figure out who she should trust.
While initially Anazakia though Belphagor was that person she could lean on and trust, her discovery of his relationship with Visaly actually helped pave the way for the bound that would develop between Anazakia and Visaly. Visaly may not have like Anazakia at first, he soon discovered there was much more to this young woman than her title.
Then there is Belphagor and Visaly. Belphagor was a hard character to warm up to. Even when he was protecting Anazakia, I couldn't trust that he was doing what was in her best interest. Even when he went to the lengths he did to ensure the Seraphim wouldn't come after them any longer, it seemed he was really doing it to save Visaly. Even when he sacrifice himself to the Queen, it was to save Visaly.
Visaly, on the other hand, I like immediately. I think he originally disliked Anazakia because she was competition for Belphagor's attention. I don't think he discovers his need for Anazakia until after Belphagor's presence is removed from the equation. Then he realizes, that he needs both Anazakia and Belphagor. They both bring something to their relationships with him that is different from the other, and calls to the different halves of him.
This book has a little bit of everything. Angels, demons, nephilim, fae, grigori, and seraphim. It was fascinating to see the story unfold and discover the similarity between ancient buildings and families in Russia and how the closely resembled what was found in Heaven. I only wonder if those similarity will have an impact on the storyline down the trilogy. This was definitely a book that kept my attention and had me wondering "what next". I can't wait for the next release, Midnight Court, slated for an August release.