A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton

A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. HamiltonA Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton
Series: Zaniel Havelock #1
Published by Berkley on August 17, 2021
Genres: Urban fantasy
Pages: 560
Format: eBook
Goodreads
three-half-stars
Also by this author: Sucker Punch, Rafael, Smolder

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

About A Terrible Fall of Angels

A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton kicks off a new contemporary supernatural mystery series. If you’re a fan of the early Anita Blake books, you’ll enjoy this new series. This is similar to when there was more crime-solving and less boink-fu,

Zaniel “Havoc” Havelock’s a police detective, formerly an Angel Speaker at the College of Angels. Now he uses his experience with angels to help solve crimes in a world where angels, demons, totems, spirit guides, and loas are all taken matter of factly. He’s called in as the department’s angel/demon expert when there’s a suspected demonic possession.

We also get secondary storylines with Havoc’s wife, Reggie – they’re currently separated and going through counseling.

And Havoc has to confront his past when a classmate from the College is called in as an expert on his case.

My thoughts about A Terrible Fall of Angels

This very much felt like a classic Anita Blake story. You’ve got first-person POV with some serious snark, lots of gorgeous, badass characters with pretty eyes and hair, and relationship angst, and a fair number of fight scenes.

The worldbuilding is really intriguing. And she definitely set things up for future books – lots of unresolved/unanswered questions at the end.

Fast-paced, lots of action/fight scenes. A fair amount of mysticism/spirituality/religious discussions – not surprising in a book about angels, demons, and other spiritual beings.

For those who’ve read the later Anita Blake or Merry Gentry books – there’s absolutely no boink fest in this book. Lots of physical touches, not all of it sexual, some heavy flirting and kissing but that’s it!

Shout out for racial/ethnic and LGBTQIA+ and religious representation.

In conclusion

If you’re in the mood for a contemporary urban fantasy with mystery elements, A Terrible Fall of Angels will scratch that itch.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her family.

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