Didn't enjoy this as much as the first one. Too much politics and too many characters that were described in detail, only to never be seen again. It was also strangely boring and uneventful. ( )

World building was great, we spend most of the time in the Refuge, learning alongside Elena about the history of angels and afterwards hunting for those that would bring harm to those residing there. Every scene and environment was very detailed and well worked out.

Character development was excellent. Elena needs to learn how to use her wings. And that... is easier said then done :) Loved how the author portrayed this learning and growing from Elena. Her body has gone through some pretty big adjustments and learning to use her wings yeah... baby steps. She also needs to relearn how to fight, since her wings can be quite a hindrance if not heeded.
I liked how the Seven are not overly fond of her, they know the risk she poses to Raphael and I really prefer these 'real emotions' over 'yeah, she's Raphael's mate and an angel, nothing to do about it, go Elena!'.... far from it.
As for Raphael himself, after spending a year waiting besides Elena to wake up, he is now finding it hard not to be too possessive and needs to accept and come to term with the boundaries Elena sets.
As both keep growing individually, you really feel their relationship growing throughout the book. Often opening up and sharing their own history with each other, no matter how dark or painful.
We get to know more and more of the cast, not only the Seven but the rest of the Cadre, their mates and families, ...

Pacing and flow were very good, keep in mind that a lot of the book was Elena getting familiar with her own body again, learning how to use her wings, how to fight again. That coupled with a lot of information about angels, the Cadre, ... a big piece of the book felt like setting the stage. Of course Elena still had to go out on hunts and do her thing, so there was at least some form of balance. This didn't disrupt the book at all though, it felt very natural, not rushed or slowed down, the story was told in its own time.

The book in itself was well written, I have found no (noticeable) errors and yes, there is sex described in this book.

All in all a great continuation from the first book, already have the next book ready on my Kindle to dive back into a world filled with angels, vampires and looking forwards to what's next for Elena and her Raphael. ( )

La cazavampiros Elena Deveraux despierta después de pasar un año en coma y descubre que ha cambiado —es un ángel con alas del color de la medianoche y del amanecer— pero su frágil cuerpo necesita tiempo para sanar antes de poder luchar. Su amante, el impresionante y peligroso arcángel Raphael, está acostumbrado a tener el control, incluso cuando se refiere a la mujer a la que considera suya. Pero a Elena nunca le ha gustado demasiado que le den órdenes…
Apenas han empezado a entenderse cuando Rapahel recibe una invitación para un baile celebrado por el arcángel Lijuan. Negarse sería un letal signo de debilidad, de modo que Raphael debe preparar a Elena para el vuelo a Pequín… y para la pesadilla que les aguarda allí. Antigua y sin conciencia, Lijuan posee un poder que radica en la muerte. Y ha organizado el recibimiento más perfecto y atroz para Elena…

This was a great continuation of Nalini Singh's guild hunter series. Elena awakes after a year-long coma having been transformed into an archangel by Rafael in order to save her life. But now she must learn to live and fight in her new body--and fly, which is something of a disaster--all while the danger of LiTuan looms, an ancient archangel who has been raising the dead and wants Elena to die.

I loved the continued romance between Rafael and Elena, and it was also great to see more development with the secondary characters. Nalini Singh has created a brilliant world of archangels and vampires, and every scene is richly drawn.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

Picks right up where the last book left off, this book spends quite a bit on the heroine's fight and flight (=D) training as a new angel. The characters were pretty likable, and we're starting to meet more of the extended cast. And we finally get more of an explanation of the heroine's childhood trauma, (it maybe is hit on a little excessively in this book, but I'm glad to get some actual answers instead of just dancing around it). ( )