Reni Stankova

(Rounded down from 2.75 stars)
I definitely think that the world is the strongest part of this book! I was definitely intrigued by how their society worked and how everything fit together. It definitely showed how much the author cared about this book. Be aware that this is definitely not your stereotypical Christian heaven in any way! It's dark and gritty with features like a Room of Lust. There are lots of fun and interesting tidbits provided throughout the plot. I would have loved it if some had been explored a little deeperz but I also understand why it wasn't in favour of moving the plot forward.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the characters or the writing itself as much as the world, but of course both of these are personal preferences. The writing is often rather simple and sometimes thoughts or concepts are repeated. While some of this may be because the author is bilingual (I definitely sometimes confuae things in my mind!) I feel like an editor should have picked up on some of these things. While the characters definitely weren't terrible or anything, I just didn't feel much of a connection with them. The romance also just kind of happened. I have seen in the reviews that others felt the opposite way so if the concept intrigues you I can definitely suggest taking a look. If you can find a sample you'll get a good idea of what you're in for.

I wish the author the best of luck with the rest of the series!… (more)

Reni Stankova has written a gorgeous slam of a debut novel for the first of the Heaven Trilogy. A prince properly seeing his kingdom, a demon who's brought into the light; these are two of the amazing, magnetic characters Reni has brought to us. From the very beginning, I adored the world brought to us in the Enemy of Heaven. I loved the regal imperious-ness of the Elden Palace, the immersive society of Heaven/Alirie and above all, how real the characters' interactions were. In the first page alone, we were sucked into the societal issues of Heaven which rawly mirrored what we ourselves are all facing. The story is fast-paced and eventful, but all the events in no way detracted from the strength of the writing. Each was thoroughly fleshed out and I never got the feeling that something happened simply to serve as a plot device. The writer managed to attribute a value to every scene which is incredibly rare, in my personal opinion. If you're alright with rapid turns of the page and equally quick spins in the story, do yourself a favour and read this. Of course, the gloriously multifaceted characters did add to the story in no small part. They had backstories, so many different sides, and really well brought-out emotion. This struck me as evident from one of the beginning scenes of the first chapter, in which Raphael entered into the Seven Deadly Sins club. There was a subtle sensuality to it all, almost, and this morphed into shock, horror and absolute thrills down the line, simply in the first couple of chapters. You can only just imagine how I thrived in the rest of the book. This storyworld ceaselessly manages to amaze, terrify and amuse (case in point: Raphael stabbing Dante awake; "This is why people think we're fucking."). Reni Stankova never fails to disappoint, and it was an honour to have been able to review this. Hopelessly anticipating the sequels!!… (more)