Dies Irae & Lacrimosa by Christine Fonseca

[Debdatta Dasgupta]

Mikayel lives by one rule-obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. That is, until he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth. Assigned as Watchers while they await their decision of which angelic order to serve, the three assume the bodies of teenagers and experience life as human. The sensations are overwhelming as the angels experience a host of human emotions-rage, terror, love-and come ever closer to breaking one of the unbreakable rules-never fall in love. But being human isn't the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia; a peace Azza seems bent on destroying. Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces and Azza, and fighting against his rising emotional attachment to Demi, Mikayel must now decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for his new found love-a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity.

~~~ (Summary from Goodreads) ~~~

This is an introductory Novella to the Author’s Requiem Series…

The author gets to the point and into the plot right from the beginning. It is narrated alternately between Mikayel and Azza. It is really a wonder to read two completely different reactions to human emotions. Mikayel tries to ignore it but cannot and Azza actually feels strengthened by it. But they do not really get much time to deal with it as they come across ‘Jinns’ who are not really in the mood to be sidelined by these angels or to keep the peace.  As for Demi, she realizes what she wants and what is right are two complete different things – how she deals with it is really mind-blowing!

Since this is a novella, I was expecting it to be a fast read. And it is! Not only because of its length, but also because of its action packed nature. It is filled with action, emotion and drama! The last chapter has a big surprise waiting for its readers…

It has created a great base for the Series to be built on and I, for one, am going to get my hands on Lacrimosa (Requiem #1) as soon as possible. I am quite sure that it is going to be as intense and dark as the introduction.

Disclaimer: I received a free ebook from the author for review purpose. Beside that I did not receive any kind of payment or benefit from the author or the publishers for reviewing this book.

                 

It’s been three thousand years since the fall of Azzaziel and the rebirth of evil; three thousand years since the Sentinal Order, an elite group of warrior angels, returned to Celestium. Their job—rid Earth of the dark creatures, the UnHoly. And with luck, end Azza’s rule. As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan. He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate. But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel. Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself. And her choice may cost her, and Celestium, far more than anyone realizes. 
How much will she sacrifice for love?

~~~ (Summary from Goodreads) ~~~

To be frank, my first experience with ‘Angels’ wasn’t very good and so I never thought of reading more books about them, until I received Dies Irae & Lacrimosa by this author. Since Dies Irae was a novella, I decided to give it a chance thinking that if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t venture on with Lacrimosa. But Dies Irae managed to change my mentality about fantasy novels based on Angels.

Lacrimosa picks up after three thousand years since the ending that Dies Irae provided us with. Nessy has been a sentinel for five hundred years now and she is one of the best that Mikayel has. She is good at casting out demons but is uncomfortable within a human body. Still she manages to perform her duties well enough until she meets Aydan. Aydan reminds her of the one she loved in her human life. Aydan, now serving Azzaziel, thrives on human soul. He has come to gain a reputation of being the most dangerous UnHoly who stops at nothing. Aydan too is attracted to Nessy immediately as she reminds him of his love, Ella.

Where on one hand Nessy is shown to struggle to complete her assignment because of a minor problem of ‘emotions’ and a big problem of Azzaziel’s presence, Aydan on the other hand struggles with the darkness within that had become only too familiar to him. Well, the only predictable part about this book is where Nessy and Aydan’s attraction.

I liked the characters of Nessy & Aydan very much. Nessy is a smart and kick-ass sort of girl, who is confused at the beginning about why Aydan reminds her of Adam. But then that’s a part of the plot. I also love the darkness in Aydan. I was practically nodding at Azzaziel when he pointed out that Aydan had joined him out of his free will.

Overall, it’s a great read. The language and the flow of the story are smooth. The plot keeps you trapped in its grip. Action & emotion are served with great balance.

Disclaimer: I received a free ebook from the author for review purpose. Beside that I did not receive any kind of payment or benefit from the author or the publishers for reviewing this book.