I never really connected with the main character of this book. I can’t really put my finger on the reason why I didn’t connect with her but it may have been she was grouchy, unfriendly and a little too tough and not very feminine. Despite my lack of connection with the main character, I still liked the book…for the most part.

Jordan Amador is a Seer, a rare person who can see ghosts and demons. She discovered her new gift one night when a demon came into her apartment and tried to kill her. In the confusion, she shot at it and instead killed a man who had come in hunting the demon. He was died right in front of her. The archangel Gabriel appears in her apartment and tells her that because she shot killed the Seer, she has to do penance and help usher home 100 ghosts within two years. If she fails to do this within two years, she will go to Hell. I thought that was kind of harsh since she did kill the man on accident but I guess because he was a Seer, they saw it differently.

Her two years is almost up and she only has a couple of ghosts to usher home and she will be free from her contract.

She meets a man on the streets and thinks he is a regular person because he is solid but then realizes he is a ghost or rather a poltergeist which is a more solid ghost. She needs to get him to cross over which involves finding out who he was in life and giving him his last wish which usually involves the ghost telling a loved one something even though the loved one cannot hear them. For some reason, it helps them cross over to the next world. Unfortunately, she is having difficulty finding out who this ghost is. She learns his name is Michael and that he is the lead singer of an up and coming band but not much more.

Also, one of the arch demons, Belial, is after her. They realize why when Michael runs into Gabriel and Gabriel realized Michael is actually the archangel Michael. He was lost to them two years ago for some reason which turns out to be because Belial attacked him and he lost his memory. Since then, Michael had been living as a human. Belial attacked him again and took his body. He needs Jordan for some reason to complete some sort of ritual which will give Belial some sort of powers or something like that. I lost track because this book had three parts and three different trials and major battles so I got a little confused.

The book was okay but like I mentioned, there were three parts to the book and three different struggles against the baddies. I got a little tired of it especially when the bad guys kept getting away.

One thing I liked about this book was that the main character was not your typical blue-eyed, pale skinned heroine. She was a mix of Black and Spanish blood. It was refreshing.

Another interesting thing was the author seemed to have researched her archangels and arch demons and included that history into the book.

All in all, it was an okay read. There are more books in the series but since I couldn’t connect with Jordan, I am not going to continue with the series.

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This was a fun first episode of an Urban Supernatural series with a slightly different take on being a Seer charged with helping the spirits of the dead pass over. Perhaps the oddest thing about the premise of the book is that our Seer/Heroine has been coerced into her role helping souls by the threat of hell if she misses her quota for the year. Her work is an atonement for having killed the last Seer (whole backstory on how that happened). Her work is supervised by an angel (confused, attractive and not quite available).

The storytelling was light and easy on the ear. I liked the main character. She felt real. She wasn't too kick-ass but she wasn't a pushover either. I was amused by the trope twist on Milton's angels, complete with quotes from Paradise Lost. The plot was a nice mix of tension, action and mostly unresolved sexual tension.

Unfortunately, I couldn't let go of my reaction to the God that threatened this young woman with Hell. I found the whole 'unknowable father' at the top of the hierarchy hard to accept. I mean, what's with this guy? An omnipotent, omniscient being with a policy of non-interference who also threatens people with Hell if they don't deliver the numbers he asks of them? I found it difficult to accept that as real without having the follow-up thought that working to bring him down wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Perhaps I should avoid Urban Fantasy that draws heavily on Christian myths.

Anyway, If the Grumpy Daddy God thing doesn't bother you, you can have some fun with this book and its sequels.
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I got very frustrated with Jordan trying to much to be a hard ass, and her making dumb decisions. Also, how is Michael an archangel and yet totally useless in a fight? ( )

“What’s the point of saving your own life if you do nothing with it?” This book was so amazing. I was sad it ended so quickly to be honest. ( )

The Black Parade by Kyoko M. is one of the best books I've gotten to review in a while. An imaginative take on the war between Heaven and Hell and the effect of those caught in the middle.

Jordan Amador is a Seer with enough emotional baggage to take down a plane. After murdering an innocent man she is charged by God to aid earthbound souls to cross over to the afterlife to save her immortal soul. She dedicates her life to assisting her charges while wallowing in her own self deprivation and seeking answers to her own troubled past. Romance, adventure and action this book seems to offer it all!!!

Kyoko does an amazing job of humanizing angels without taking away from their mystic and grace. I really loved the character development and the realism behind the characters' choices. The way each character grows truly allows you to become fully vested in their fates. ( )