Archangel's War (The Guild Hunter, #12)

by Nalini Singh

Return to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s darkly passionate Guild Hunter world, where human-turned-angel Elena Deveraux, consort to Archangel Raphael, faces a new challenge that threatens the balance of the world.

Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . . .

The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.

At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . . .

This war could end them all.

• ISBN10: 0451491661
• ISBN13: 9780451491664
• Publish Date: 24 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451491664

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

I have finally caught up on the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. I’ve wanted to catch up on this series since I read the first book in 2014. I’ll be able to dive right into the next release this year (2020). Heck Yes!!!

If you read Archangel’s Prophecy, then you know that Nalini Singh left readers with a cliffhanger. I couldn’t wait to dive into Archangel’s War to find out what would happen to Elena and Raphael. 

I don’t want to give anything away for readers that have not read this book yet, so here are some things I enjoyed about this book.

1. The relationship between Raphael and Elena and how no-one and nothing can get in between them. Not even the Cascade. They are unstoppable, and these two love each other unconditionally. You can see it in this book, as well as the previous books in the series. This book, though, proves they would rather die together instead of life without the other. Be prepared for lots of twists and turns with these two, especially after the previous book’s cliffhanger.

2. Nalini Singh throws in other twists in this book that left me in shock. One of them dealing with my favorite angel (as well as other readers). Our Bluebell and his mother, known as the Hummingbird. Hummingbird has a fierce, strong side.

3. I loved the action-packed scenes between Raphael, Elena, Raphael’s Seven, and the other Cadre against Lijuan and her forces. They didn’t ever give up. Lijuan was determined to kill them all. Readers thought Lijuan was horrible in earlier books; you haven’t seen anything yet. She is one wicked Archangel who needs to be killed already. I think she is by far one of the worst villains I’ve ever read in PNR.

4. There are other Archangel’s and Ancient’s that make an appearance in this book that were fascinating. I hope some of them get their books. One of the Ancients was introduced in the previous book, and I found her entertaining.

I could go on and on many other things that I loved about this book, but the review would be too long. Nalini Singh did not disappoint with the twelfth book in the series. I was turning the pages quickly because I needed to know what happened next in the book. (I’m a fast reader.) I love Nalini’s writing style because all of her scenes are vivid in detail. Now I’m anxiously waiting for the next book to release in November. 

Overall, this book receives five stars from me, and I highly recommend it to readers of the PNR/UF genres. If you haven’t read any of Nalini Singh’s books, then when are you waiting for, get to it! I’m so glad I made time to read this series, and I’ll have to catch up on the other books Nalini has written now. 

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I love the Guild Hunter series. It features angels and vampires. The Guild hunts down vampires who try to skip out on their contracts to the angels who turn them. The series is a mixture of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Mostly it follows the archangel of New York, Rapheal and his consort, Guild Hunter turned angel, Elena. But there are also books that have covered some of the side characters’ romances, which have been a lot of fun.

The series has been mostly following Rapheal and Elena as we’ve been building to this war for a few books now. The Cascade is also coming, which is doing some strange things to everyone’s power, for good or bad.

I don’t want to go into too much detail on this particular story, because of spoilers to this story and the earlier books, if you haven’t read them. What I will say, is that the series has been leading up to this point and this book doesn’t disappoint the anticipation leading up to it. I’m not sure where the series goes from here, but I can’t imagine that the series is done. While the series arc does seem like a finale, there are still a lot of stories left to be told for the characters of this series. And, there will be a large revolt if Bluebell doesn’t get his own story.

This series is highly recommended to anyone who likes paranormal romance or urban fantasy, that has plenty of action and romance, which this series has in spades. Each story builds on the previous, so you will want to read in order.

Narration
Justine Eyre continues to do a great job with the narration of this series. It has a large cast, with more males than females, but she doesn’t struggle with the large cast of characters. There is also the very old angels that are cold and extremely confident, which she brings out in their voices. I really love her narration. I don’t think I could ever go back to just reading after listening to her narration of the series.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[littleread1]

So freaking good, I am excited to listen to the audio.

[booksandcats]

Well, I had to reread this to be able to write a proper Review, there is just so much packed into this book, reading it feels like riding the best roller coaster ever.

First off, this book is absolutely amazing! Stunning storyline, the characters appear just so right and Nalini Singh manages to bring the overall Arch of this Series to a stunning, attention-gripping finale. Despite the high stakes and tension running all through the Book, it has a delightfully light tone and many hilarious little Scenes woven in, that make it one of the most joyous reads of this series. And this is all I can say I think, without giving away any spoilers. So, if you haven't read it and don't wish to know more (which I would highly advise!), do not read on!

(show spoiler)[ So, the last book in this series ended with a bit of a cliff-hanger, as it was not clear in what form Elena would wake. This is settled quickly, Elena being herself and, with a new kind of wings, made of Energy. She, Raphael and the rest of the cadre prepare for war , when Lijuans whole territory gets befogged in a dark mist that kills everything entering it, even an Ancient Archangel. So, with Lijuan having fed on at least thousands of her own people, having engorged her own power, the cadre faces a threat as never before, not knowing if they have anything to match it.

So far for the outline of the story, the stakes higher than ever. Nalini Singh builds a tension so high it seemed impossible to put the book down before finishing.

The Characters in this book are all so interesting, the main protagonists once more the Archangel Raphael and his Consort Elena, with their friends and allies close by. At several instances, Nalini switches her Point of View, which allows the reader to comprehend so much more of the situation and gives interesting insight into the thoughts of several characters. There isn't enough space here to discuss every single side character, as almost everyone ever introduced in this series has been woven into this book masterfully. Let's just say that many familiar faces (sometimes even minor reoccuring characters) reappear and, together, create an intricate net of interactions and relationships. It is visible how the earlier books impacted this one, tricks learned in the last battle, strategies adjusted, the guild hunters so much closer incorporated into Raphael's Forces, every ressource seemed to be put into use.

As written before, even though tension runs through all of this book, there are many delightfull little bubble of funny interactions woven through the storyline perfectly. They release a bit of pressure every now and again, without breaking the natural tone of the whole narrative. Just a bit of normal life and Elena's sarcastic comments to lighten the mood.

Story wise, this books leaves little to be desired, my only complaint being that so much is happening, that the book doesn't seem long enough. There are so many things, additional scenes that seemed a little bit missing. For example, while Raphael and Lijuan battle, there is a seperate battle going on between Titus and Charisemnon, from which we only hear the result and never any details, and even the result isn't shown directly but is only spoken off. And the ending for example, with a surprise Ascencion, seemed rather rushed. Little complaints on a very high level. I do understand however, that it wasn't possible to include everything, as the storyline would have become maybe not focused enough, or the book (already one of the biggest ones in this series I think) too large.
I have proposed this in a fan-forum as well, I think Nalini Singh has an amazing opportunity here to write another book, filled with just novellas and little blinks into the major battles around the world, told from different people. That would make this story absolute perfection.

So, even though the overall Arch seems finished for now, this book still has some loose ends, that can be tied up nice and neatly in following books, like for example the waking of Illium's father.
] (hide spoiler)
In conclusion I think this is one of Nalini Singh's best books, and a great addition to her Guild-Hunter world. I would not advise to read this as a stand alone, this one very much needs to be read after having read every other book of the series, or at least the ones having Raphael and Elena as leads.

[thebookdisciple]

Ok, listen, there is literally NO WAY to review Archangel's War without spoiling Archangel's Prophecy, so consider yourself warned.



So, the book starts with Elena and Raphael in the chrysalis. They awake with some unique changes. But, the key is they awake-Elena is still immortal and Raphael is still...well badass. The cascade still threatens and is causing all kinds of weird issues. Elena's wings are....super fucking cool, but strange things are happening to her. She seems to have taken on some of Raphael's cascade powers. And she can make trees grow super fast.

In their immediate awakening, they have to tackle a few things: Elena is essentially a skeleton, Raphael is ablaze, they are at the bottom of a giant crater caused by their explosion. But even past those, Raphael has to re-secure his territory or there could be war. I loved getting to see all the gang again-Bluebell, Ash, Elijah, Beth. There is a LOT going on in the story and Nalini Singh weaves it all together and it leads up to the big battle with Lejuan. There is a death that makes me sad, but its not a main character or anything (show spoiler)[The Legion dies!] (hide spoiler) . Its about so much more than just what is happening with Elena and Raphael, which makes the book feel like a super fast read.

Archangel's War is triumphant, just like Elena and Raphael! The plot will answer the questions from Archangel's Prophecy, and hint at more to come. The relationship between Elena and Raphael is evolving and it's a beautiful thing to read.

If you are an audiobook fan, I cannot recommend these books enough. Justine Eyre does a magnificent job!! She nails all the various worldly accents.

 

•   POV: 3rd


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: vampires, angels


•   Triggers: none


•   Series/Standalone: series (you HAVE to read at least the books that focus on Elena and Raphael)


•   Cliffhanger: (show spoiler)[nothing like the last book, but there are some open ended events that hint towards more in the series (yay)] (hide spoiler)


•   HEA: (show spoiler)[yes] (hide spoiler)

Christine Feehan's Carpathian series, Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld, Dannika Dark's Crossbreed series...then you will probably like Archangel's War!

 

Archangel's War

 See full review on The Book Disciple

[EBookObsessed]

This is the only War you are ever going to be excited about. It will be bloody and brutal and Nalini Singh will make sure you love every moment of it.

Elena emerges from her cocoon looking a little worse for wear, she is nothing but skin and bones and missing her beautiful new wings. But the most important thing to Raphael and Elena is that, with or without wings, Elena is still Elena. Raphael sent out enough power to stop the cascade’s attempt to make Elena nothing but a battery to store Raphael’s power for the upcoming battle, and maybe it was also enough to destroy the house, but hey, it’s hard to control your super-duper archangel powers sometimes.

Even reduced to skin and bones, Raphael’s hunter is not down and out, and Elena is determined to be ready to fight when Lijuan strikes, even if it means battling without her beautiful wings of midnight and dawn. But the cascade is determined to create chaos and there is no chaos if one individual is too powerful, so it has more tricks in store for Elena and Raphael before the battle even begins.

The biggest problem the Cadre will have — well after the bitter and devastating re-rising of Lijuan and the bloodbath that a war with her will create — is that fact that the cascade is causing too many sleeping ancient angels to awaken too early. Really, how many sleeping angels are there because the sleeping ones are usually a little cray-cray so waking them too early might give us another Lijuan. Anyway, the Cadre, and the world’s territories, can only sustain ten archangels. Any more, and they will be too close to each other and their powers battling and causing catastrophes. So now there are too many archangels around and if all survive the upcoming War, then Lijuan will be just the beginning of the problems to come.

As far as a conclusion to a story arc, Nalini Singh goes all out with this story giving us a devastating battle against evil on many, many fronts. Lijuan has always been, well, crazy yeah but also a brilliant and sneaky strategist and brutal, even to her own people. This war will be ugly and drawn out, like most wars are, it will also be bloody and devastating. Casualties will be high and no matter the winners and losers, it will take the world a long, long time to overcome the devastation and horror that will come. While Nalini drags our feelings out and stomps all over them with each battle, no war, even in fiction, should be clean and easy. And in Archangel’s War, she doesn’t spare our feelings or favorite characters the devastation and trauma since every character we have met so far is a strong individual and fighter, whether an archangel or a newly turned vamp, and most will be right on the front lines of this battle royal.

This was a phenomenal conclusion to the series arc, and as Nalini has proven with her Psy-Changeling series, the end of an arc is by no means the end of the series. I have no idea where the series will go from here, but I am certain that we will enjoy each and every story she brings us next.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[Linda]

I have no idea how Ms. Singh does it - but oh my, she does do it! What does she do? She keeps on writing intricate, heartfelt, action-packed, romantic stories in series that are 12 deep! And her characters are always just as enticing as they were in the first book. They still hook you from the beginning, and keep you rapt. And trying to find a way out of the huge mess they find themselves in.
Elena and Raphael are among my most favorite couples ever. I just love how in tune to each other they are - whether it's when they're just hanging out, fighting (each other, or someone else), loving, strategizing - they are in sync!
And that's really how they needed to be for Archangel's War - which was totally epic. And if you're a fan of Ms. Singh, and haven't read this one yet, you should run to your closest bookstore and get your hands on it right now! You are going to adore it.