A thousand years.
It’s been a millennium since Elena’s fateful first meeting with Archangel
Raphael. She has survived war and loss, experienced beauty and cruelty. But no
matter what, she has always held on to her mortal heart, as she and Raphael
have held on to each other. Passionate and vibrant, they’ve built a life that
has stood the test of time, growing ever stronger with each turn of the sun.
But change is coming—of a magnitude they could have never imagined—and it will
forever alter the trajectory of their existence.
Even as they grapple with the cataclysmic shift in their personal lives, the
Cadre of Ten, which has maintained a hard-won peace for centuries, begins to
simmer with dangerous fault lines. The specter of madness looms in one
archangel, the promise of war burns between two others, and in darkness far
from mortal and immortal eyes stirs an ancient, slumbering power.
Suddenly, the future is terrifyingly uncertain . . . at the very moment that
Elena and her archangel need to protect a treasure infinitely more precious
than eternity.
Nancy’s Thoughts:
Nalini Singh has announced that Archangel’s Eternity is the final book in her long-running, popular Guild Hunter series. Her letter to readers at the end confirms this, as does the structure of the book. It is very much a farewell to the series world and its characters, and it reads like a book written for fans, not as one designed to attract new readers.
The focus of this book is the characters and their relationships, especially Elena and Raphael. The theme is the importance of family, both blood-linked and found. Unlike the other books in this series, there is no overarching, threatening plot. There’s not much adventurous action and little about the politics of the Cadre, the group of archangels who rule the world.
Readers who love the action and adventure that were such a part of this series may miss that and thus may find the pace a little slow. Others may find that focusing on the relationships and character interactions is a fair trade-off.
Writing a detailed review of Archangel’s Eternity would require spoiling something that has been carefully kept close by Singh and by Berkley. Rather than do that, I’ll just say that characters we haven’t seen lately—some of them, not in a very long time—reappear and have a moment with Elena and Raphael. I didn’t remember who some of them were, which isn’t surprising with a series this long, but the text includes reminders. It’s likely that some of those I didn’t recall are favorites of other readers, who will enjoy those bits all the more for having a deeper appreciation of the relationships.
As the blurb promises, Elena and Raphael’s life is about to change, and that change runs through the story. It’s also the reason for many of the reunions in the book.
Singh has always written emotion beautifully, and this book is no exception. I don’t generally cry at books or movies, but I got a little choked up several times and had to blink back tears at one reunion.
Archangel’s Eternity is a moving and fitting end to this series. While reading the last of something I’ve enjoyed is bittersweet, I applaud Singh for closing the series on a high note rather than keeping it going past its prime.
If you’re a fan of the Guild Hunter series, you’ll
love this book. If you’re not already a fan, go back and read from the
beginning, Angels’ Blood. You won’t be disappointed.
~ Nancy
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