Archangel's War by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Phenomenal! Archangel's War is an explosive entry in the Guild Hunter series. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was so busy and I wanted to know what happened that release day was upon me so I bought the audiobook also. I love the narration in the audiobooks and this is a series that I re-read or re-listen quite often. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the vividness of the characters. When I read about Illium's feathers, the description is detailed that I can picture it like a colored photo or like watching a movie.

In Archangel's War, the title sort of speaks for itself. There have been multiple skirmishes throughout the series as Lijuan grows in power and loses more of the little bit of "humanity" or care for humans and other angels that she had. She is a brilliant tactician and serious "delusions of grandeur" except in her case they may not necessarily be delusions. Thinking that the other archangels will just bow to her and give up their people and territories is maybe the biggest delusion that can be attributed to Lijuan. Each of the archangels that have known her throughout history has memories of her being more humane but when the reader meets Lijuan it is clear that she likes playing games and manipulating everything around her.

What I love about Archangel's War is this innate desire to make the story go slow so that it is not over too soon. It is action-packed. I have to admit that something rare happened when I read this latest installment in the series. I hit a part that brought tears to my eyes. Elena and Raphael are so likable that the reader empathizes with them so it can be quite gut-wrenching when they feel emotional pain and sometimes when they feel physical pain. I admit to a fair amount of apprehension that this might be the end of things. But, I am happy to see that things just keep rolling and Nalini Singh is just the person to keep the readers hooked and looking for the next Guild Hunter book.