It's become tradition for Alexa and I to read a paranormal series together almost every year. In 2013, Alexa, Kelly and I binge-read The Black Dagger Brotherhood series together and hosted a BDB Party on our blogs. In 2014, Alexa and I wanted to continue reading vampire books around Halloween/Fall and picked Vampire Academy. We then took an extended break (for reasons I can't remember!) and started this fun activity up again last year by reading Fallen Angels.
This year we chose the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh and it is 100% my favorite of all the ones we've ever picked and just a favorite in general. I was unprepared for the sheer magnitude of the incredible world Singh created and all the characters I would grow to love over the course of 12, soon to be 13, books.
Today, Alexa and I are going to share our thoughts on the series overall and then we'll have a couple more posts over the next two days. And hopefully by the end of it, you'll be convinced to read the series too!
***
The series starts off with meeting Elena Deveraux, who is one of the best Guild Hunters around but when the Archangel of New York, Raphael, hires her to find a fellow archangel gone bad, she's not sure she's up to the task. But saying no, and most of all failure, is not an option. These two unforgettable characters are the backbone of the series. Elena is a tempestuous woman with a good heart and she immediately clashes with Raphael, who is beautiful, dangerous, and used to obedience from mortals. They are the perfect example of a hate-to-love relationship that has all the sexy tension from day one. Their relationship surprised me at every turn in Angels' Blood and I loved returning to them over and over again in the later books.
But the focus wasn't solely on them. We get to meet the Seven, who make up Raphael's personal band of warriors. We meet Elena's fellow Guild Hunters and friends. Their families. Each character I met made their own impact and as some of them got their own books, it gave me a chance to love them even more. One of my favorite parts of the series though was when they all got together in the same room! It's tough to balance such a large cast and make them each feel distinct but Singh does it with ease. As soon as she introduced someone new, my first thought was.. I need to know more. And she delivered, every time.
That may be what impressed me the most as a first-time reader of her books. Every single one in this series was good or they got progressively better. I don't know how she does it with a 12 book series that she's still churning out more installments for! I attribute it to her a few things. Her writing is fantastic, her plots are strong and well-paced, and there is a compelling villain that our heroes are up against. And don't get me started on the world-building and lore, both of which are top-notch. I love that it's set in the "real world" but she's changed the world we know to fit angels, vampires, hunters, and magic in a way that's very much her own interpretation.
I absolutely loved reading these books over the last few months and when I finished Archangel's War, I promptly pre-ordered the next one which comes out in November. It's safe to say that I am officially a fan of Nalini Singh and all things Guild Hunters.
I just freaking love this series! I'm so glad we ended up picking this series for our paranormal event collab last year, and that it turned out so well. Nalini Singh's storytelling is sooooo good.
ReplyDelete