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Archangel's Resurrection
by
Nalini Singh
alternative history, paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on October 25, 2022 and has 396 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Kiss of Snow, An Enchanted Season, Archangel's Blade, Angels of Darkness, Lord of the Abyss, Desert Warrior, Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need, Play of Passion, Archangel's Storm, Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel's Legion, "Hide and Seek", "Making Dinner", Shield of Winter, "A Conversation", "Home", Angels' Pawn, "New Year's Kisses", Night Shift, "Weapons Training", "Zoë's Workshop", "Wild Night", Archangel's Shadows, Archangel’s Enigma, Shards of Hope, “Fairy Balloons”, “An Unexpected Guest”, Allegiance of Honor, "The Song of the Wolf", Silver Silence, Archangel’s Heart, Archangel’s Viper, Ocean Light, "Elena's School of Horror", Cherish Hard, "Ain’t No Party Like A Bear Party", Archangel's Prophecy, "One Night At The Refuge", "Secret Things", Rebel Hard, Rock Hard, Wolf Rain, "Clean and Dirty", "Wolf School", "Naya’s Most Important Visitors", "Grocery Shopping", "The Cannibal Princess", "A Gift for Kit", "Movie Night", "Kaleb and Sahara’s Meeting with Sascha and Lucas", "Housewarming at the Orchard", "Christmas in the Kitchen", "Stalking Hawke", "Romancing Drew", "Sunday Morning", "Rowan", "Baubles & Ben", Wild Embrace, Love Hard, Rock Addiction, "Music Awards", Rock Courtship, "Rock Courtship Memo"s, Rock Redemption, "Sunshine", Rock Wedding, "With This Memo", "That Lip Ring…", A Madness of Sunshine, "Beary Tiny Ghosts", Alpha Night, "A Wedding Breakfast", "Poker Night", "Knives and Sheaths", "Seedlings", "Star Kissed", "A Walk on the Cliffs", "Wild Cat Blues", Slave to Sensation, Caressed by Ice, Visions of Heat, Kiss Hard, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's War, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Last Guard, “A Perfect Moment”, "Music in the Rain", Storm Echo, Resonance Surge, "Mate", “New Year’s Eve”
Fifteenth in the Guild Hunter paranormal romance series set in an alternate history and revolving around the angels who rule the world. The focus is on Alexander, Archangel of Persia, and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile. If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Guild Hunter books on my website. The now of this story takes place ten years after the war in New York.
My Take
It begins with a recap, of sorts, of Lijuan’s battle in New York City in Archangel’s War, 12, and makes me shiver all over again. It’s also somewhat confusing as it swings from Alexander’s and Zanaya’s earliest memories to before and ten years after Archangel’s War.
Singh uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Alexander’s and Zanaya’s perspectives. A story of pride and stubbornness that takes millennia to overcome.
The story continues with some of Alexander’s back history of his family . . . and his innovative brother with a melding gift, Osiris. So very sad, especially since Alexander loved his brilliant brother. Even sadder was how amazing Alexander’s parents were, wanting their children to choose their own paths, so supportive. The support Alexander had from Osiris. There’s more of Naasir’s back history as well.
Part of that back history includes Osiris’ descent into madness and Alexander’s friendship with Caliane, its start and continuance. Their thoughts as they discussed the inhumanity of Ancients. The influence of an autocratic angel who demanded Alexander’s parents’ home. And there’s that bit of back history in which Alexander remembers his approach with Esphares . . . whoa, talk about dèjá vu! Too bad Alexander didn’t remember this bit of advice!
Zanaya’s back history includes her lack of social knowledge and her temper and family problems, especially the emotional prison built by her mother. A major contrast with Aureline, who sure sounds like a sweetheart, a product of loving parents, surrounded by people who were also nice. Be nice if we could all have something like that.
“Love that lasts is a constellation of small kindnesses.”
Singh casually mentions those angels rumored to Sleep below the Refuge, claiming that they’re so old they might be another species . . . and I have to wonder when they’ll show up in the series.
Zanaya’s reflections on the rise and fall of civilizations and the world’s state of flux in any age was fascinating and feels so true.
The secret of why amber is so treasured by angels is revealed! And it makes a lot of sense.
Singh has spoken of Sleep throughout the series so far, and it’s in Archangel’s Resurrection that she provides a deeper explanation. Another side bit that makes a lot of sense, although it obviously doesn’t apply to all angels who go into Sleep. You’d think Alexander would have looked back at all the reasons why an angel needs to Sleep and not have fought it for so long! Idiot.
LMAO, I love Zanaya’s retort “That’s the platitude of a being who can’t control his own emotions”. Sounds like all those Muslim rules about women’s hair and exposed body parts that inflame a man, and it’s all the woman’s fault. Uh-huh. Right.
More laughable insight demonstrates the “wealth” of individuals even among angelkind, from Aegaeon’s and Camio’s jerkiness to Antonicus’ arrogance to the single-mindedness of those like Rinri.
Archangel’s Resurrection is primarily character-driven by Alexander and Zanaya and yet there is action, that of the far and near past and today. I’d have to say it’s a steady pace, although I was surprised that the story focused on these two. It did make sense, as Singh is expanding out into the other archangels lately. I think what bugged me was Alexander’s and Zanaya’s stubborn pride. I wanted to smack ’em both!
Theirs is a fiery love, one that builds to jealousy and a breaking-off from each other over the centuries only to reunite and repeat the cycle. Zanaya has her points about Alexander’s attitude, but a lot of her fears are her own. She gets in her own way.
And Singh leaves us with a fear that Lijuan’s destruction of Zanaya has left something behind, the hideous resurrection of Antonicus, and new reborn.
The Story
They met when Alexander was 3,000 years old and Zanaya barely past 100. It was too great a divide, for Alexander to cross, yet he was attracted. As was Zanaya, fierce, independent, and determined not to fall to obsessive love.
She’s ambitious with loyal friends.
Alexander is ambitious for power, to never be stepped on again.
The Characters
Alexander “Xander” is the Archangel of Persia woken from Sleep in Archangel’s Enigma, 8. His parents were Gzrel (he’d been named for her mother, Alexandre) and Cendrion, both scholars, Gzrel’s specialty had been of rocks and earth. Osiris had been Alexander’s brilliant older brother, named for his father’s father. Livaliana had been Osiris’ favorite concubine. Lemei is Osiris’ vampire housekeeper who is also Alexander’s in-house spy.
Zakariah has been Alexander’s chief of “soft” operations. Once Alexander has ascended to being an archangel with the raven as his symbol, the Wing Brotherhood formed, advance sentinels and expert stealth fighters (Archangel’s Enigma). Tarek is the Wing’s leader. Ibanaya.
Some of Alexander’s lovers included Hanisha, Sukhon, Adah, Eir, Isane, and Jhansi, Rohan’s mother.
Alexander’s Today
Richmond, a vampire, operates Alexander’s tech. Valerius is Alexander’s second and Keemat his third. Rohan had been Alexander’s son and his weapons-master who also unofficially acted as his second (Archangel’s Enigma). Citrine had been Rohan’s Consort, and a general in her own right of court and politics with Xander their son and Alexander’s grandson (Archangel’s Enigma). Shahira and her team provide the newly awakened Zanaya with clothing.
Zanaya “Zani”, an archangel and Queen of the Nile, has had a tempestuous love affair with Alexander. Until she died in Archangel’s War. Zanaya always seems to have a pet around, starting with Balan then Maslan of Balan’s line and now a white cat, Duchess. Firelight is the sword with its amber stone gifted to Zani by Alexander. Elijah will second Zuri and Nala, second squadron leaders and Titus’ sisters, to Zanaya’s new court. Apanaia will be her court’s new healer.
Raised away from the Enclave, Movniel had been Zanaya’s mentor. She entered service with Archangel Inj’ra, and her fellow trainees were the popular Aureline “Auri” and the rude Meher. Rzia is Zanaya’s weak mother. Camio had been Zanaya’s jerk of a father.
Rumaia is the honorless archangel to whom Alexander and his parents owed allegiance. Phiron is fourth-in-command to Rumaia, a vicious angel who never got over losing Gzrel to Cendrion. Archangel Esphares is Rumaia’s mortal enemy. The honorable General Akhia-Solary is Esphares’ second and most trusted confidant.
Raphael, the Archangel of New York, has Elena Deveraux, the mortal turned angel as his Consort (Angels’ Blood, 1). Raphael has his Seven, vampires and angels, he can trust at his back. Dmitri, a 1,000-year-old vampire, is Raphael’s second. Naasir, a chimera created by Osiris. is one of them. Illium’s mother, Sharine, had helped to heal Raphael when he was a child. Sharine is also Caliane’s best friend. Jason is Raphael’s spymaster and married to Princess Mahiya, Neha’s niece (Archangel’s Storm, 5).
Caliane is an Ancient Archangel and Raphael’s mother who rules the city of Amanat and its lands. Her father is Rumaia’s weapons-master. Callie chose to enlist with Archangel Inj’ra, an Ancient. Nadiel had been Raphael’s father.
The Cadre of Ten are . . .
. . . the most powerful Archangels who rule the world, five of whom are ready for Sleep. Cassandra is a seer of legend who sees the possibilities of too many futures and whose creature is the owl; she prefers Sleep to avoid the seeing. Qin is the archangel who loves her . . . and steps in to oversee Astaad’s territory. Sha-yi and Dragan were archangels. Michaela is the Archangel of Budapest and Queen of Constantinople. Gavriel had been Michaela’s father and part of Zanaya’s court. Astaad is/had been the Archangel of the Pacific Isles. Titus is the Archangel of most of Africa these days and Avelina’s son. Sharine, the Hummingbird, is his consort (Archangel’s Sun, 13). Ozias is Titus’ spymaster. Tzadiq is his second. Euphenia “Phenie” is Titus’ eldest sister who cleans one of Charisemnon’s bases. Charo is another sister. Neha is the Archangel/Queen of India of Poisons, and Snakes. General Rhys serves under Neha. Elijah is the Archangel of South America and has fully recovered from his injuries in Archangel’s War. Hannah is his Consort and an amazing artist. Suyin, Lijuan’s niece, is the youngest Archangel and now rules China (Archangel’s Light, 14). Favashi had been the Archangel of Persia; Rohan had once been her most feared and respected general.
The Refuge, a.k.a. the Enclave, is . . .
. . . a safe and secret home base for angelkind. A place to raise and educate their children. It’s also the home for their Librarian; Jessamy will succeed him. Master Llisak is the most gifted weapons-maker in their world. Ojewo is said to be distant kin to Cassandra and was also a seer.
Zhou Lijuan was the Archangel of China and Death who thought she was a goddess, but one of horror. She’s a megalomaniac with self-esteem issues — those plans of hers to destroy her fellow archangels who hadn’t appreciated her!! She created the reborn, humans she killed and then brought back to existence. Not life. General Xi had been her unquestioning second. Charisemnon had been the Archangel of Northern Africa and Disease, partnered with Lijuan.
That jerk, Aegaeon, is an Ancient who woke. We’re reminded of the arrogance of another Ancient, Antonicus, the Archangel of the lost city of Elysium, who insists on flying into Liuan’s black fog. Rinri focuses on fighting and carnality, fathering seventeen children.
The Cover and Title
The cover is many shades of blue. There’s an arch of deep blues with simple carvings with a light turquoise in the arch’s opening and a raven with its wings spread over Alexander’s head. In the foreground, he kneels on one knee using both hands to hold his lightning-surrounded sword resting upright with its tip in the ground, his blue wings spread. All the text is in white and shaded with black. At the top is an info blurb with the author’s name large beneath it. Across the top of Alexander’s left wing is the series info, and the title is at the bottom. Both title and author’s name are embossed.
The title is of Zanaya and an Archangel’s Resurrection, yet it doesn’t merely apply to Zanaya but Alexander as well.
