Friday, 22 December 2017

Review: Angel’s Deceit (Angelwar book 2), by AJ Grimmelhaus

I began this right after reading the first book in the trilogy, which I reviewed here.

Naturally, there are spoilers for the first book below, so I’d suggest stopping here if you haven’t read Angel’s Truth yet.

The story picks up with Tol being sent to High Mera, a kingdom of fops that has been surprisingly tardy getting its army deployed to counter the oncoming threat of demon-worshipping barbarians.

Once again he’s joined by the highly strung Katarina and her curt bodyguard Stetch, who have similar concerns about what’s going on in High Mera.

The start seemed a little slow to me, although that impression might be coloured by the fact I’d just finished the preceding book so didn’t need any time reacquainting myself with the world (when I get the third Stormlight Archives entry I might well make the opposite complaint about lack of reminders of how things stand…).

In addition to the familiar main cast there are several new characters, some of which are known to established figures and some of whom are entirely new. I particularly liked Vixen, Tol’s childhood friend (I have a fondness for gruff characters).

As expected, the writing style is easy to read and quite moreish, describing the fantastical world without falling into the trap of labouring the point at the expense of the story. For the most part, the plot feels simpler than the first, but there are a number of excellent late twists that work very well.

I do think a dash more pace in the first half of the book would’ve helped speed things along.

All in all, an enjoyable read and good sequel to Angel’s Truth. I’m looking forward to seeing how things conclude in the final entry in the trilogy.


Thaddeus

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