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lindsmichelle's review
5.0
Angels of Perdition is the second book in the Chaos of Souls series written by R. M. Garino. Following straight on from Gates of Golorath (You can read my review of that book here), Angels of Perdition lands us back at the Gates following the Menace trial that took place at the end of Gates of Golorath. New conflicts are arising and old ones are continuing to develop in new and interesting ways as Arielle and Angus are now under threat from the E’ine and their Soul Chamber.
The story is beautifully written containing a good mixture of fantastical elements, conflicts, and a little bit of sweet romance. A great combination for this genre of book. The narrative is intriguing and smooth, making it easy to follow despite the multiple elements and emerging storylines and character arcs that were included.
The Chaos of Souls series has an interesting setup as the main story is told as a campfire story 300 years after the events of the book. Interestingly, Garino would occasionally bring the reader out of this story and back to the “Present Day” as the Elder finishes his story for the night. With such a fast-paced and intriguing story, I felt the same eagerness the Extipana (a race of humans that the Elder was protecting) did for him to continue with the story, especially when the transitions were so effectively abrupt.
The characters are incredibly well-written in this book and Garino is good at making you feel a full range of emotions towards certain characters. I never thought I would be able to say that I actually feel sorry for Logan in this book and it’s been rare that I have felt so much anguish for a character as I did for Arielle at the end of the book. A character introduced in this book, Pinar, was particularly interesting due to the ambiguity behind her motives. It was interesting to see where she went in this story. But let’s not forget the amazing relationships between the main characters in this book. I loved the Pride and their relationships among each other. Although I still felt frustration towards them at times – because damn it, can ya’ll just listen to people sometimes and not go rushing into everything? – they were always fun to read about. It was great that Garino still thought about the teenage/young adult conflicts that were to occur despite the larger story arc. The small petty arguments and interactions were always entertaining.
In terms of style, the book was eloquently written and full of intense, visual action sequences. It was very easy to imagine the action happening right in front of me and it was easy to get lost in the book (occasionally almost missing my stop to work!). The ending was surprisingly abrupt, which Garino explains in the author’s note and it has now left me lusting for more. I’m excited for the third book!
The world that Garino has created with these books is absolutely fantastic. The history and lore that he has created and the inclusion of characters’ sin’dels (their auras) are truly intriguing. I’m eager to learn more! I’m also keen to learn more about Reven Marthal, where the mages train and study. A building inside a huge tree is probably my perfect setting, now that I think about it. Garino has also done well to uphold the tension surrounding what exactly the Sur is and what it contains. As something that can taint people and drive them to madness, it’s definitely not something you would want to find yourself trapped in. But that still hasn’t curved my curiosity of the place.
Overall, I really enjoyed Angels of Perdition and there were many occasions when I struggled to stop reading it. It was fast-paced, exciting, and an incredibly satisfying read. A great book which I would definitely recommend.
The story is beautifully written containing a good mixture of fantastical elements, conflicts, and a little bit of sweet romance. A great combination for this genre of book. The narrative is intriguing and smooth, making it easy to follow despite the multiple elements and emerging storylines and character arcs that were included.
The Chaos of Souls series has an interesting setup as the main story is told as a campfire story 300 years after the events of the book. Interestingly, Garino would occasionally bring the reader out of this story and back to the “Present Day” as the Elder finishes his story for the night. With such a fast-paced and intriguing story, I felt the same eagerness the Extipana (a race of humans that the Elder was protecting) did for him to continue with the story, especially when the transitions were so effectively abrupt.
The characters are incredibly well-written in this book and Garino is good at making you feel a full range of emotions towards certain characters. I never thought I would be able to say that I actually feel sorry for Logan in this book and it’s been rare that I have felt so much anguish for a character as I did for Arielle at the end of the book. A character introduced in this book, Pinar, was particularly interesting due to the ambiguity behind her motives. It was interesting to see where she went in this story. But let’s not forget the amazing relationships between the main characters in this book. I loved the Pride and their relationships among each other. Although I still felt frustration towards them at times – because damn it, can ya’ll just listen to people sometimes and not go rushing into everything? – they were always fun to read about. It was great that Garino still thought about the teenage/young adult conflicts that were to occur despite the larger story arc. The small petty arguments and interactions were always entertaining.
In terms of style, the book was eloquently written and full of intense, visual action sequences. It was very easy to imagine the action happening right in front of me and it was easy to get lost in the book (occasionally almost missing my stop to work!). The ending was surprisingly abrupt, which Garino explains in the author’s note and it has now left me lusting for more. I’m excited for the third book!
The world that Garino has created with these books is absolutely fantastic. The history and lore that he has created and the inclusion of characters’ sin’dels (their auras) are truly intriguing. I’m eager to learn more! I’m also keen to learn more about Reven Marthal, where the mages train and study. A building inside a huge tree is probably my perfect setting, now that I think about it. Garino has also done well to uphold the tension surrounding what exactly the Sur is and what it contains. As something that can taint people and drive them to madness, it’s definitely not something you would want to find yourself trapped in. But that still hasn’t curved my curiosity of the place.
Overall, I really enjoyed Angels of Perdition and there were many occasions when I struggled to stop reading it. It was fast-paced, exciting, and an incredibly satisfying read. A great book which I would definitely recommend.
byrdnash's review
5.0
Garino comes back stronger in book #2. Yes, I loved Gates, but I adore Angels. Now that we have the characters and the world building settled, the bonds between teammates are truly tested to the breaking point. And some do break.
While Angus and Ariel get closer, and the differences between them grow more obvious, this never degenerates into a sloppy love-romance storyline but a friendship-love-comrade story. This I greatly appreciate. You get glimmers of where they will have problems as their relationship evolves which is a major thread throughout this series.
You definitely need to read The Gates of Golorath before this one, or you'll be lost. Garino writes High Fantasy and he does it well, but you have to give some time as there is a lot of complexity time to be understood and absorbed. An engrossing epic fantasy read from start to explore.
While Angus and Ariel get closer, and the differences between them grow more obvious, this never degenerates into a sloppy love-romance storyline but a friendship-love-comrade story. This I greatly appreciate. You get glimmers of where they will have problems as their relationship evolves which is a major thread throughout this series.
You definitely need to read The Gates of Golorath before this one, or you'll be lost. Garino writes High Fantasy and he does it well, but you have to give some time as there is a lot of complexity time to be understood and absorbed. An engrossing epic fantasy read from start to explore.
jkenna1990's review
5.0
If you like fantasy books then this one is definitely for you! This is the second book in a series and picks up right where the first book left off. I have to say, I love these characters. I felt like I was coming home when I started reading this book. I really loved how all of the characters developed throughout the book as well. Certain characters got more of a back story as well which cast them in a different light (still not a Logan fan though) and made me see them in a different way.
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!
wolfshine's review
5.0
Suspense and chaos.
There are a lot of fights in this story, both physical and emotional as the characters that we were introduced to in book one must fight to keep their futures safe. Arielle and Angus have to really come into their own in this story, doing what they can to try and be doing despite Arielle being fated to marry another angel.
Overall, the author does a fantastic job of worldbuilding, creating characters and places that are written with flowing imagery. The characterization is especially well done with the emphasis on character flaws throughout the piece. Plenty of questions I had from book one were answered, but this story left me with a few new ones. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series.
There are a lot of fights in this story, both physical and emotional as the characters that we were introduced to in book one must fight to keep their futures safe. Arielle and Angus have to really come into their own in this story, doing what they can to try and be doing despite Arielle being fated to marry another angel.
Overall, the author does a fantastic job of worldbuilding, creating characters and places that are written with flowing imagery. The characterization is especially well done with the emphasis on character flaws throughout the piece. Plenty of questions I had from book one were answered, but this story left me with a few new ones. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series.
jkenna90's review
5.0
If you like fantasy books then this one is definitely for you! This is the second book in a series and picks up right where the first book left off. I have to say, I love these characters. I felt like I was coming home when I started reading this book. I really loved how all of the characters developed throughout the book as well. Certain characters got more of a back story as well which cast them in a different light (still not a Logan fan though) and made me see them in a different way.
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!
thebookedunicorn's review
4.0
Angels of perdition carries off from where the last book stopped. Its fast paced and Interesting.
I loved the character development and the action . There are new insights inside the book that makes you appreciate book one even better ( seriously read book one before this). I am looking forward to book three , i highly recommend this series.
I loved the character development and the action . There are new insights inside the book that makes you appreciate book one even better ( seriously read book one before this). I am looking forward to book three , i highly recommend this series.
jkenna's review
5.0
If you like fantasy books then this one is definitely for you! This is the second book in a series and picks up right where the first book left off. I have to say, I love these characters. I felt like I was coming home when I started reading this book. I really loved how all of the characters developed throughout the book as well. Certain characters got more of a back story as well which cast them in a different light (still not a Logan fan though) and made me see them in a different way.
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!
One of the other things that I love about this book (and the first one) is how easy they are to read. I feel like with some fantasy books (cough LOTR cough) the flowery language takes away from the story. These books are easy to read and understand.
I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but especially if you're a fan of really great fantasy books!