Amanda
Written on Jul 8, 2011
Felicia and Tara both talked about a specific scene that was slightly bothersome. Perhaps being prepared for it helped, but I did not share the same hesitations. It worked for Raziel and Allie’s story. Theirs was not a perfect love story, but I liked it that way. It was perfect in its imperfection. I love the struggle, the denial, the inevitable moment when the last bit of resistance comes crashing down, and even after that, when they still want to deny it, the characters are helpless to do anything but love each other. These stories grip me in their emotional roller coaster, and that is the way I prefer it.
That said, Raziel did start out slow and bumpy. When Allie dies, she experiences memory loss for a short time, and the constant references about not remembering anything were repetitive and annoying, even if they did emphasize Allie’s loss of memory. Once we got beyond that, the story settled into a steady pace that ended far too soon for my liking — partly because I simply wanted more of Raziel and Allie, and partly because certain aspects of the plot felt as though they were wrapped up too quickly (either that, or I read too fast because I wanted — no, needed – to finish the story). Nearing the end of Raziel, I was almost frantic in my reading, pissed off at anyone who dared to interrupt me, pressing the button for the next page like a madwoman, chest constricted with the need to know what happens.
Raziel, as the first book in the series, does a lot of world building. Even as we are provided with the necessary information, there are enough gaps in our knowledge to make picking up the second book seem like a necessary action. There are not cliffhangers, but our instincts tell us that the story of the Fallen is far from over. Raziel is told from the point of view of both Raziel and Allie. Knowing Raziel is important, because without that insight into him, we would have been as lost and confused as Allie. Raziel’s point of view added a vital depth to the story, and it is likely that without it, the story would have failed. Although Raziel and Allie both narrated using the first person, the shifts between them were relatively smooth and worked, even if they weren’t always welcome.
Between reading previous reviews and the beginning of the story, I was skeptical that I would enjoy Raziel, but it is always nice to be proven wrong.
