Primal Sin (Primal Sin, #1)

by Ariana Nash

[moraa]

3.5 stars

After sleeping on this review, I bumped the rating up from 3 stars to 3.5 stars (yes, I know I round them down anyway but) here's why.

This book is written in the typical Ariana Nash style (though that isn't to say there's something wrong with it when done well) which is enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers. The cycle can sometimes go further depending on the number of books and depth of the characters but it's basically those two stages over and over again.

Primal Sin is currently on the spoiler and this is one of the reasons I liked it so much. Compared to The Black Prince which tried to fit the entire arc (for both characters) into one book (some 300 pages if I'm not wrong) it felt rushed and a little contrived. Here, though, with the promise of more books and further character development, it feels satisfying.

It's the same formula that hooked my attention in the Silk and Steel series and I don't find myself in the least bit bothered that it's being used again. The characters (Mikhail and Severn being the main ones) are fully fledged though it seems to me that greater care was taken in crafting Severn's backstory (this is explained by Nash by as the product of centuries' worth of memories angels have) but I'm hoping to see a little more in the sequel as well as the Seraphim plot twist.

The Samiel plot twist is something I want explored too because if all this turns out to have been some plan to set them on the course of destiny... I might just lose my shit... and beg for even more sequels.

In any case, a little digging revealed that pre-orders of Eternal Sin, the sequel, have been cancelled for now. I'm not sure when we can expect the book and little has been said about an actual date but I suppose there's nothing to do but wait.

What I didn't like about this book:
1) the language in some of the scenes
2) underdeveloped secondary characters
3) too little exposition and world introduction (never thought I'd say this in my life)
-basically all I know are a bunch of names denoting species of demons and angles
-how was the Aerie founded? are there others around the world? have the angels from around the world ever come together to fight (or do something else)?
-what is Haven?
-does God exist? (always the first question when you read about angels)
-can they use magic and how? (the physics of it)
-what does clipping an angel's wings do to them (not just physically but emotionally and psychologically)?

I had several other minor questions but these are the ones that I still can get around. I hope Nash goes to some lengths to answer them in the rest of the series.