Demon Angel (The Guardians, Book 1)

I'll lay a little groundwork but try not to spoil anything. The series premise is based upon the biblical tale of Lucifer's fall. Evidently, you have three "pure-breds" - angels, demons, and nosferatu. The angels stayed true to God, the demons sided with the Morningstar/Lucifer, and the nosferatu wouldn't choose sides but hid until the war was over, and so were cursed. From these, you have many other varieties of things that go bump in the night. One of the problems with angels trying to protect humans was that they weren't human enough - mankind looked on them almost as gods. So, a corps of Guardians was formed. The book starts out in like 1217 or something, with Hugh and Lilith. Another reviewer griped that the author spent the first half of the book writing a prologue, but honestly, I don't see it that way. Yeah, it is a prologue, but IMO it made the book better by being so detailed. You get to see the history between Hugh and Lilith, and you also get to see 800 years of sexual tension. But, like any good film, Ms. Brook moves quickly through the "set-up" stage and onto the "main" story. I just don't think the book would have been as powerful had she done it any other way. I remember thinking the other night "Man, when these guys finally give in and admit how they feel, it's going to be explosive." I was right. Anyway, I'll just wrap up by saying that they have one itty-bitty problem. Hugh's a guardian. And Lilith? Let's just say that she calls Lucifer "Daddy" ;-)

Eight hundred years ago a seventeen year old man - and seventeen WAS a man back then - met a woman...considerably older than he. He was captivated by her. She was intrigued by him. Damned by a combination of his integrity and raging fever for her, events are set into motion that led to his death. Her frantic unwillingness to let him go led to his ascension from human to Guardian. He is Hugh, formerly human, now a warrior for Above, walking the earth and ridding it of the darkness that are the creatures of Below. Like demons. Like the woman who damned him, then saved him. Lilith. For eight hundred years they dance to a wicked tune, he intent on saving her, she certain she can't be saved. Both craving each other, dedicated to each other in a way that they aren't to their respective callings. Hugh's side, Above, has been tolerant of his inability and unwillingness to kill Lilith for all of his years of service, but Lilith is Lucifer's daughter... ...and Daddy's pissed. Two people in impossible positions, unable to be together, incapable of being apart...and a whole lot of baggage on both sides. Not to mention the relatives. Then there is the war Below between Belial and Lucifer, the Nosferatu killing vampires and performing heinous rituals, and the Guardians Ascending Above en mass. For Hugh and Lilith, finding any sort of happiness is going to be hell...literally. With extremely intelligent writing that creates and supports a complex and layered plot, with complicated and conflicted characters and a wealth of breathtaking world building, with unparalleled originality and imagination, Brook has taken a swipe at the paranormal romance genre, gripped it by its throat, and choked it until it begged for mercy. There are so many twists and turns, Machiavellian schemes and insidious conflicts, power struggles, bargains and lies, such a desperate struggle for survival and redemption, for peace, for love, that I was often in awe of the power of it all. Demon Angel is a strong, moving, sweeping masterpiece with nearly unlimited scope and import. It's told with a delicate attention to detail and grace that forces the reader to connect with the characters and experience with them the full spectrum of emotion - despair and hope, resignation, fear, love, lust, fury, failure and triumph. It's not always comfortable, it's never easy, but it is at turns breathtaking and tragic, fulfilling and broken. My only complaint...not that I would call it that, exactly...is that at times there was SO much going on and so very many conflicting machinations and motivations and deals with the devil that I felt the plot got a little muddy, and the pacing of the narrative slowed when that happened. This is a book that has everything but the kitchen sink in it as far as plots go, and perhaps it could have been a bit more tightly paced if it had been a bit LESS encompassing, with a few less twists and turns. I hesitate to suggest that, because perhaps that would have robbed the book of the very traits that make it stand out so dramatically. I can't deny, however, that there were a few times that I struggled with the narrative, most notably during quick scene changes and abrupt plot developments, where I had to either reread a section or wait to have something explained further along. It disturbed the flow for me a bit. That being said, I truly enjoyed Demon Angel and loved both Hugh and Lilith. I've not often read characters as layered, flawed, and endearing for all their faults. I was captivated by their long, torturous, and occasionally heartbreaking journey and thrilled to be along for the ride. As a start of a series, Brook has hit with gangbusters, and I look forward with rabid enthusiasm to continuing The Guardians series with Demon Moon . Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

This is one of the few authors that makes me cry while reading a book. Whatever it is about Meljean Brook that makes her write this series, I hope her inspiration does not dry out for a long time yet. The construction of the world and its characters is woven out of emotional fabric and of course the artifice of non-human to represent archetypes is blown by the complexity of the souls whose stories she melds together. The majority of the books in the *Demon* series are, even stripped of sexual content (which she does wonderfully), a voyage into love and all its flavours. It is rare to find an author who delves into the paranormal without making it seem ridiculous and overdone. Quite the opposite, these books make you wonder why she did not write at least 100 pages more per volume. The story is there, the plot is there the depth is there. If you have never picked up one of her novels before, start with this one. You fall in love with both protagonists, as well as the mind of the author herself.

unclear if i ever really understood what was going on, but the vibes were solid and i had a good time. what more can you ask for? loved: angels and demons and vampires, oh my; a strong, tortured heroine (nice change from the tortured heroes), lots of fun side characters, seeeexy scenes not as great: really scant explaining, vague handwaving of many many years of history, genuinely unclear what a lot of the side characters’ backstories were (though maybe will learn more in other books of the series?)

There is so much to love about this book. Beautiful prose, magical characters, tragic love story all wrapped up in an imaginative yet completely believable plot (especially if you once dabbled in Catholicism). I literally couldn't put it down, a fact made all the more pleasurable by the fact that there is so much to read. 14 hours with a 4 hour sleep in the middle and my only regret is that I eventually got the end. Thankfully book 2 is already waiting but even as a stand alone novel, this one works on every level. If you enjoy being challenged, if you love unravelling puzzles then this is a book for you. Undoubtedly the best Meljean has written (and I already thought her work magical).

Hugh und Lilith treffen das erste Mal im 13. Jahrhundert aufeinander...zu der Zeit ist er ein siebzehnjähriger menschlicher Ritter und er erfährt schnell, dass Lilith ein Dämon ist. Ihr Auftrag auf der Erde: Menschen sozusagen vom rechten Pfad abbringen...Hugh schafft es zwar ihren Plan zu vereiteln, aber er wird infolge dessen getötet. Zwischen Hugh und Lilith herrscht von Anfang an eine starke Anziehungskraft, deshalb ist Lilith auch aktiv an Hughs Rettung beteiligt. Hugh wird zum Guardian (unsterbliche Menschen, die Engelskräfte verliehen bekommen und gegen Dämonen und Nosferatu kämpfen und versuchen die Seelen der Menschen zu erretten) und hegt die Hoffnung auch Lilith retten zu können... Aber die beiden stehen nun mal auf verschiedenen Seiten, wobei auch Lilith insgeheimz wünscht, dass es eine Möglichkeit für sie gäbe von Hugh erettet zu werden...aber sie ist an das Abkommen gebunden, dass sie vor einem Jahrtausend mit Lucifer schloss... Der nächste Teil des Buches war meiner Meinung etwas langatmig...es gibt kurze Begegnungen zwischen Lilith und Hugh über die Jahrhunderte verstreut, die für mich irgendwie immer ein bisschen aus dem Zusammenhang gerissen schienen, deshalb habe ich für den ersten hundert Seiten auch zwei Tage gebraucht... Der "Prolog" endet damit, dass Hugh zu dem Schluss kommt, dass es nur eine Möglichkeit gibt Lilith zu retten. Er tötet sie und gibt dann seinen Job als Guardian auf... 16 Jahre später...das Jahr 2007...Lilith wurde ernaut von Lucifer zum Leben erweckt, aber eines Großteils ihrer dämonischen Kräfte beraubt, und Hugh ist wieder menschlich...doch ihre Gefühle füreinander sind stark wie zuvor...doch ihre Liebe scheint aussichtslos, denn der einzige Grund warum Lilith noch am Leben ist, ist um Hugh zu töten...und dann ist da noch Lucifers Plan den Himmel zu erobern... Wie gesagt, der hundert Seiten Prolog war etwas langatmig aber wenn man damit erstmal durch ist entwickelt es dich zu nem wirklich spannendem Buch... Dämonen, Guardians, Vampire, zahme Höllenhunde...die Rettung der Welt und ne wirklich schöne Liebsgeschichte...die Folgebände stehen schon auf meinem Wunschzettel...

The stories follows Hugh and Lillith through the ages as the ages in a great paranormal romance. If you like Nalini Singh, you're probably going to like this too. Characters are three dimensional and difficult to cast as simply good or bad and the writing style is very readable.

fängt spannend an, aber dann fehlt irgendwie die Umsetzung. Hat mich nicht vom Hocker gerissen. Schade, die Idee an sich ist interessant