Review: Angelopolis

WARNING: DESCRIPTION CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ANGELOLOGY!
 
Summary: A New York Times bestseller and global sensation, Angelology unfurled a brilliant tapestry of myth and biblical lore on our present-day world and plunged two star-crossed heroes into an ancient battle against mankind’s greatest enemy: the fatally attractive angel-human hybrids known as the Nephilim. With Angelopolis, the conflict deepens into an inferno of danger and passion unbound.

A decade has passed since Verlaine saw Evangeline alight from the Brooklyn Bridge, the sight of her new wings a betrayal that haunts him still. Now an elite angel hunter for the Society of Angelology, he pursues his mission with single-minded devotion: to capture, imprison, and eliminate her kind.

But when Evangeline suddenly appears on a twilit Paris street, Verlaine finds her nature to be unlike any of the other creatures he so mercilessly pursues, casting him into a spiral of doubt and confusion that only grows when she is abducted before his eyes by a creature who has topped the society’s most-wanted list for more than a century. The ensuing chase drives Verlaine and his fellow angelologists from the shadows of the Eiffel Tower to the palaces of St. Petersburg and deep into the provinces of Siberia and the Black Sea coast, where the truth of Evangeline’s origins—as well as forces that could restore or annihilate them all—lie in wait.

Conceived against an astonishing fresh tableau of history and science, Angelopolis plumbs Russia’s imperial past, modern genetics, and ancient depictions of that most potent angelic appearance—the Annunciation of Gabriel—in a high-octane tale of abduction, treasure seeking, and divine warfare as the fate of humanity once again hangs in the balance. -- Viking

Just last week, I finally got around to reading ANGELOLOGY by Danielle Trussoni, and I absolutely loved it. You can read my review here! I waited a few days and started the second book in the series ANGELOPOLIS, and I admit that my expectations were pretty high. Overall, I do think ANGELOPOLIS lived up to what I wanted from this novel -- I was still fascinated by the story; but I still don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as ANGELOLOGY.

ANGELOPOLIS picks up where ANGELOLOGY left off -- only ten years later. I hesitate to go into too much detail about what happens in this novel because I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't started this series yet. Having said that, the publisher's description that I used at the beginning of this review definitely has a few spoilers! So read it at your own risk!

Let me just say that ANGELOPOLIS is once again a fantastic thriller that merges fantasy and biblical lore as it examines the state of angels in today's world. While ANGELOLOGY introduced many of the concepts of angel lore and actually raised many questions for me, this novel does a great job of explaining some of the history of angels and angelologists. In addition, like the first book, this one contains a few shockers that really threw me for a loop (or two!)

There is no doubt that ANGELOLOGY ended with a twist of sorts that definitely made me want to read this next novel. Well, it's probably no surprise that ANGELOPOLIS ended in a somewhat similar way. I was a bit surprised by something that occurs near the end of the novel, and the author set up an ending that ensures that there will be at least one more book in this series. I can't wait to see what happens with the battle between the angelologists and the angels. However, unlike last time when I just waited a few days to learn more, this time I suspect I will be waiting for many months (or even a year or so!)

I had many of the same reactions to ANGELOPOLIS as I did ANGELOLOGY, and that probably won't come as a big surprise to those of you who have read both novels. As a result, this review might sound somewhat repetitive to the one I wrote last week. Once again, I am extremely impressed with Ms. Trussoni's storytelling abilities, as well as her creativity. I can't not get over how unique this story is and I love how she managed to blend mythology with real life history and biblical lore. It truly is impressive just how well this novel comes together.

In addition, I loved the thriller aspects of the story. The intrigue and mystery, along with surprise,s are so entertaining, and I honestly had a hard time putting this book down. While I couldn't read it in one or two sittings because "real life" got in the way, I did find that I read it in pretty big chunks. The story moves extremely fast between the various story lines, and I was extremely curious to see what happened to (and between) the characters. I also loved how well the various secrets that were revealed and how they played such an essential role in the story. Truly, this novel is very smart; and the author certainly has conducted a tremendous amount of research as background for her books.

I do think ANGELOPOLIS would make an interesting book club pick, and it probably does work as a standalone book; however, I recommend reading the books in order to appreciate them more. There are some pretty heavy themes surrounding faith and good vs. evil that might be fun to discuss. In addition, I think the characters' actions and motivations are fascinating -- especially as they relate to ethics and honestly. Some additional themes you might want to talk about include love, obligation, secrets,parent/child relationships, and betrayal.

I enjoyed ANGEOLOPOLIS a great deal and I highly recommend this series to fans of myths and thrillers.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Make sure you check out my great giveaway for copies of ANGELOLOGY and ANGELOPOLIS!