Demon Angel

Wow... this is not your usual paranormal romance. It spans centuries. My head is still spinning. Others have done a much better job of reviewing this, so maybe I should just say "What they said" and let it go at that.

Nah, I'll try to explain my own reactions to this book.

Lilith is a demon, Lucifer's daughter. Hugh was a young knight escorting his lord's equally young wife home, when he discovers Lilith engaged in a bit of BDSM with said lord, who's, fortunately, blindfolded. Lilith is startled into giving Hugh her real name, and agrees not to reveal that he witnessed the man's humiliation in exchange for Hugh owing her a favor later on.

That doesn't save Hugh for long, though, because she tricks him into appearing to betray his lord with show more the young wife (she's a demon--it's what she does), and the lord kills him.

Lilith realizes too late that she has feelings for Hugh, so she begins the process of turning him into a demon, but stops and instead allows archangel Michael to do the honors, turning Hugh into a Guardian, and basically her enemy.

We follow the two of them through the centuries, and it's an intense, complicated relationship the two of them have, with nothing nearly as simple as good and evil, heaven and hell between them. The dark complexity of their relationship has a feel not unlike Kinsale's For My Lady's Heart or Shadowheart. There's love and pain and sacrifice and despair and longing and betrayal and redemption.

My only complaint, and it's not a very big one, is that Demon Angel was confusing in spots. That might change on a re-read, and this is definitely a book that I'll re-read. Not too soon, though--it's too intense for that. I think I'll go back instead and re-read "Falling for Anthony" in Hot Spell. I'd found that too confusing to enjoy very thoroughly at the time--I'll bet it'll make more sense now. show less

Right off the bat, I want to point out that it's very possible that I have Adult ADD. I really need a book to grab me and keep my attention until the end, or else I find I have a hard time finishing.

While surfing around on one of my favorite book sites, I read a really long but very positive review of this book that prompted me to buy it. I don't know if it's maybe just me or what, but I was never able to finish this. I liked the first half of the book...the part where we see Hugh and Lilith's lives in different time periods leading up to the current day.

The second half just kind of dragged. I found it way too confusing. Too much happening. I kind of got tired of Hugh's Martyrdom. I just generally couldn't get interested in the rest of show more it. I kept putting it down, picking it up, putting it down until I eventually never picked it up again. I really WANTED to like it. Really. I tried. But, I just couldn't make myself finish it.

Again, could be my Adult ADD kicking in, but I think the too much information aspect of this ruined it for me. Now, that's not to say that I don't think this could be a good book for those who love the really intricate plots. If you're one of those people, you'll probably love this. If you like your books more simple as I do, you might find this a bit too much to handle. show less

I just couldn’t finish Demon Angel. I gave up just before I would have hit the 50% mark. It’s part of my attempt to find something in the romance genre that I like. The truth is that Demon Angel is better than a couple of the other attempts, but just barely. It met my first basic criteria in that the female lead is not Too Stupid To Live. She’s actually kick ass, and likes to subvert the wishes of her master Lucifer (she’s a demon). In the part I read, there’s one conversation between two women, and it’s about a murder investigation rather than a man, so I can check off the Bechdel test. Good so far…

It’s all very convoluted, and it takes a long time to develop. There’s all sorts of side things going on in the war. show more Lucifer has another rival fallen angel called Belial. And there’s vampires and nosferatu, who are enemies of both good and evil. What’s hard to follow and boring is all the backstory involved on all the sides and all their motivations, which aren’t usually clear anyway. It takes forever! We’re only just starting to get to the real story around page 200.

Full review: http://reading.kingrat.biz/reviews/demon-angel-meljean-brook show less

I could've guessed that this was one of Meljean Brook's early novels, and I have to admit that I'm glad I didn't start here. The Iron Seas series shows more originality, the pacing is solid, and her characters rang truer. Demon Angel, on the other hand, had a really slow start, and never revved up to the point I know she's capable of. I suppose that this could be due to my growing affection for Steampunk, and the ebbing of my enjoyment of urban fantasy/paranormal romance. But I suspect it's more than that. I never connected with these characters like I have In other books, and I think some of the joy in the Iron Seas writing was missing here.

But like I said - it's early Meljean Brook. I bought the second book back in my book selling show more days, so I'll be reading that one too. Searching for the zest I've come to expect from her writing. show less

In a very ambitious first novel, Brook pulls off most of the things I suspect she set out to achieve. She has created a fascinating, complicated world and peopled it with equally fascinating characters.

Readers briefly met Lilith and Hugh in Brook's entry in the "Hot Spell" anthology. Here, their history is fleshed out in a series of short pieces that bring us up to the current day, where the main story begins.

Lilith is a demon bound to tempt humans to their own destruction; Hugh is a Guardian, bound to protect those same humans from the likes of Lilith. For all that, there is something between them from the first time they met when Hugh is still human, a naive 17 year old in the reign of King John with an innocence Lilith is sent to show more destroy. He in turn becomes determined to save her soul.

Eight hundred years later, Hugh is no longer a Guardian and Lilith is bound to kill him. None of this makes an easy beginning for a love story, but Brook crafts a lovely one here.

There are first time author problems in this book, mostly in pacing and clarity. Sometimes I struggled to be sure just what was going on - especially with all the bargains and wagers and complicated motivations floating around - and I remain unsure if that was my lack of understanding or the auhtor's lack of clarity. I expect the truth lies somewhere in between.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I know I'll be buying more of Brook's work in future. show less

This is one of those books where I am happy I followed the old saying, "Do not judge a book by its cover". Really, the cover is just awful. But the story was great - more involved than your regular paranormal romance, I think. Lillith is now one of my favorite heroines, a character I could really sympathize with and cheer for. If paranormal romance is your thing, I definitely recommend.

Sir Hugh is a knight with ideals of gold. Lilith is a centuries old demon driven by a bargin with Lucifer to deliver tainted souls to his keeping. However, when Lilith and Hugh discover each other a connection is forged, surviving even through Hugh's murder due to Lilith's lie. Hugh's transformation to Guardian by the Archangel, Michael, pits Hugh and Lilith against each other for centuries. Will two bound in opposite service by the realms of good and evil eventually be able to find a common ground to be together despite the odds against them?

After reading Meljean Brook's short story in the "Hot Spell" anthology in which Hugh and Lilith are supporting characters I was anxious to read about their story together. Although I found the book show more to be confusing in parts I was not disappointed by Hugh and Lilith's tale. Told in an epic arch between the years of 1217 and modern day, this tale of the battle between good and evil, and the Guardian and Demon stuck in the middle, was compelling throughout. This was more of a thinking person's paranormal romance with many twists and turns, characters of depth, deceit and truth. I wouldn't recommend this one to those looking for a quick easy read. However, if you're looking for a story to sink your teeth in to, you might want to give it a try. show less