Angels' Flight by Nalini Singh (Berkley)

Yet another author I've recently had the pleasure of discovering. I'm not quite sure why I was never interested in reading any of Nalini Singh's books before, but whatever the reason for that was, it's certainly gone now.

I think the great thing about this collection of shorts is that, even without having read any of the books in the Guild Hunter's series (which, by the way, I really, really want to read next), I could actually get the gist of how the Hunter's universe functions.

Nalini takes the vampire and angel fiction genre, turns it completely upside down and brings about a new and fascinating book world which basically functions like this:

1. Angels rule over vampires. There are different ranks of Angels, with the Archangels being ranked as the highest. Each Archangel has a designated area which they rule over.

2. Angel's have the power to make vampires, but in return, the made vampires have to serve angels for a century.

Sounds interesting no?

Basically this anthology, which is comprised of 4 stories (Angel's Wolf, Angels' Judgment, Angels' Pawn and Angels' Dance), explore the various set ups and ways of life in the court of the Angels. And I for one enjoyed reading every minute of it.

In Angels' Judgment a vampire hunter is ordered to track down a fellow hunter gone rogue, while at the same time, trying to prove her worth to the archangels who set out a series of tests for her. Of course, it always helps when backup comes in the form of a delicious but unavailable slayer.

I loved this short story. Sara, the vampire hunter we meet is one bold, brave and gutsy heroine who isn't afraid of taking down whoever stands in her way to get the job done. Fiercely independent, this badass heroine takes no prisoners. The relationship between her and the slayer, Deacon, is absolutely sizzling with sparks and chemistry. 

Even though the actual event ended up being rather anti-climatic, the build-up and tension leading up to it made for a thrilling read.  

In Angel's Pawn, a vampire hunter is forced to deal with two rival factions with the help of a vampire whose motives aren't very clear. 

As far as these novella's go, this one was probably the one I didn't enjoy as much as I did the others, but that's only because I would have liked to have seen more of a fully fleshed out romantic element in  this one (Yes, I do think it's possible to achieve this in a short story). 

Still, Ashwini, the vampire hunter is one kick-ass female character and will definitely give the boys a run for their money.

Angel's Wolf sees a dark and tormented vampire acting as a guardian to the beautiful Angel who resides over the Louisiana court.  Another one of my favourites, in this novella, we're introduced to Noel, a vampire who was previously tortured and scarred by attackers.

The broody male resonates with a certain power, one which the surprisingly sensitive Nimra (The angels in Nalini's books are known to be calculating, cold and at times, vicious), picks up on. The court intrigue and politics are subtle, seductive and dangerous and paying witness to how Noel navigates his way through the dangerous maze is absolutely fascinating. 

Finally we have the never-before published Angels' Dance, which I adored most. In this short story, an angel with a broken wing finds herself being courted by a warrior angel from a different court. Having spent most of her life being grounded, Jessamy has never allowed herself to get romantically involved with anyone.

Fear of being pitied for her deformed wing,  Jessamy is suddenly surprised when she meets Galen, who looks beyond her wing and demands for more. In Angels' Dance, Nalini Singh proves how versatile she is in terms of character type and development.

While I loved the bold, sassy and fearless heroines mentioned previously, there is something about a warm, brokend and tender-hearted character that gets to me every time. Jessamy's story had me rooting for her from the start, and watching her come into her own was definitely a huge highlight for me.

Galen, the barbarian warrior, definitely scores major brownie points for always encouraging her and looking beyond the broken wing to see the woman that is so desperate to come out of hiding. Made me swoon alright.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for these kind of stories. You should definitely make a point of reading this. It's fun, sexy and very entertaining. It will also make you want to read the rest of her books.

Speaking of which, does anyone have a copy of Angel's Blood they could lend me? I totally want to read that next.