Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rapture
Fallen series, #4
by Lauren Kate
Published by: Delacorte Press June 12, 2012
Formats: Hardcover, eBook ~448 pages
Source: Public Library

Synopsis:
The sky is dark with wings....

Like sand through an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth.

Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this — live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies...and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed.

And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her — and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now is the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

Rapture is the astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Cover: The cover of Rapture is beautiful yet foreboding. The image of the sky blackened by the amount of wings is ominous. Yet there is still light shining through bringing hope to the picture. Out of all the covers, it ranks second for me.

“…a million trembling shadows surrounding a great dark orb, their tendrils licking the surface of oblivion like sunspots.”

My Thoughts:
First let me begin by stating that this is the fourth and final book in the Fallen series so my review may contain spoilers from previous books.

I have been going over and over in my head for three days now as to how I feel about Rapture. I liked that there was finality to it, but it just lacked in so many ways. The story jumps in right where Passion left off. Luce is back from her journey with Bill aka Lucifer, and must find a way to stop him from erasing time. Between three groups of fallen angels, Luce, and a merry band of Outcasts, they are on a mission to find three artifacts that will lead them to the exact location of the Fall. Luce, of course, goes with Daniel and almost immediately finds the first artifact. After that though, things got a little bit more difficult.

Luce is finally able to see some of her past incarnations, but there is so much more she is to recover from her memory. Once I found out the big “secret” I wasn’t all that surprised. The more I thought about it, especially after learning more of the origins of the curse, I was like – duh, *face-palm*. Though we do get more information, there were just more questions created. But, the self-awareness the Luce gains was a journey that not all female protagonists take. Well done.

“The past is important for all the information and wisdom it holds. But you can get lost in it. You’ve got to learn to keep the knowledge of the past with you as you pursue the present.”

What I really liked was the background information that was finally revealed about all the different types of angels, fallen angels/demons, Outcasts, the Elders, the Scale, etc… There were some definite parallels to how people react to religion and God, especially the Scale and the Elders who think they know better than everyone else and make it their mission to be the judge and jury. I think they were scarier than the demons.

“If a fallen angel desires to reenter the jurisdiction of the grace of God, we must approach the Throne directly. There are no shortcuts.”

The ending was just disappointing. I wanted more, not just a mere possibility of more. But like I said, there is closure. I did not like that we lost so many characters along the way; some of my favorites at that. And my biggest problem of all was with the identity of the Throne. I am all for creative license, but when you have so much of a story coming from one dogma I think it should be uniform; not throw something in just to be different. But that is just my beef.

Overall, I loved the Fallen series, but I wished things had ended up differently. Lauren Kate created a story that spanned thousands of years and told of a love so powerful that not even death could destroy. Kate’s writing is haunting and beautiful and her insight into life, love and faith is nearly incomparable in the Speculative Fiction genre. I will continue to recommend the series because I do love the story and it is just one of those that just stick with you, that you continue to feel and think about long after reading.

“If I were yours and you were mine, I would want you to be exactly as you are. I would never eclipse you with my desires.”

Favorite Quote:  “There is no darkness as dark as a great light corrupted.”

★ ★ ★ ★
 My favorite speculative fiction series to date! I recommend to those who love romance, action, adventure, and a little hell along the way.

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Review: UnGuarded + Giveaway!

UnGuarded 
by Ashley Robertson
Publication Date: July 1, 2012
Formats Available: eBook ~245 pages


Synopsis: Guardian angel Selene was so close to becoming an archangel—the supreme of all beings—until she fell in love with Cole, a forbidden dark one. Once she discovers her vampire lover has been kidnapped and the only way to save him is by abandoning her number one priority—Caitlyn, her human charge—there really is only one answer in Selene’s mind, even though leaving Caitlyn unguarded will most likely cause Selene to fall from grace.
But her choice to save Cole doesn’t come without a price…and now Selene is racing against time to not only save her dark lover, but find a way to keep Caitlyn alive as well.
With the help of a new vampire ally, Luke, Selene will push her diminishing angel abilities to the point where her very existence lies in the balance. Now threatened with the chance of becoming a fallen angel or even dying, Selene can only pray she’ll have enough time—and good grace—to save the ones she loves. - from Goodreads


Cover: The cover of UnGuarded is so gorgeous. I love the ethereal glow radiating through the purples and the light from the heavens bursting through the clouds. I also like that you can somehow feel the sadness radiating from the girl sitting with her head bowed. Cover design by www.phatpuppyart.com

My Thoughts:
I won’t spend too much time giving the recap of events because the synopsis above gives the most important information already. Mini recap: Selene is a guardian angel. Her job - her existence - is to protect her charges from the darkness that encroaches daily. However, she has found herself loving a vampire, a big no no for those who work for the light. She has already been demoted once and has broken more rules than she can count. But what she doesn’t understand is why loving something – even something dark – could cause her to fall.

Love her or hate her, Selene is a memorable character. She is moral and selfless and loyal to a fault. Everything she does is for the love of someone else, even if it isn’t exactly “legal” for an angel. However, we see that even though she is full of love, it is a certain type of love has led her astray from what her true calling is. As an angel she is supposed to love everyone, but when she falls in-love with one person she starts neglecting her charge. She can’t grasp that even though her love for Cole feels so right that her actions have put someone else in danger. The old adage “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” describes Selene’s actions to a T. Every time she is told to do one thing, to be obedient, she does the exact opposite because she thinks she knows better than anyone else. She takes on a God complex and seems to think that she gets to decide everyone else’s fate because she can’t bear to lose them.

Ashley Robertson has created a world in which angels, demons, and vampires dwell. You don’t see this very often combined together. Usually it is either angels and demons or vampires and other supernaturals. The idea that everyone has both an angel and a demon following them at all times, while similar to the angel/demon on your shoulder, is made more real and that they are not just whispering things in ears, but can affect a person physically. I also liked the fact that there was a hierarchy and that there was a God they were accountable to and one that made the ultimate decisions. Not every angel book does this and I really like the fact that the world was based on the general biblical belief system and not a new mix of various pantheons. The one issue I had was the intermixing of the pronoun ‘him’ in italics. It is used not only for the God figure, but later for Luke or Cole and it was a tad confusing.

The relationships in UnGuarded were fascinating to say the least. I know that Selene loves Cole, but all we really get to see of them is through her memories and a few interactions so it was hard to love them as a couple. I found myself rooting for Luke even though I was never sure of his intentions. But I liked that Selene, though tempted, stayed true to her love for Cole. It is good to see that a female heroine can make a decision and not fall in love at first sight, or more aptly fall in lust. We also see that she never stops fighting or trying to find answers and she never stops to wallows in her own pity.

I would love to read a prequel or short story describing how Selene and Cole fell in love. Maybe then I would feel more for the couple. So far, Ashley is undecided if this will be a series, but I have hopes for more. The writing is well done and the editing is near flawless. I love books that are not only fun and entertaining, but I also love a book that makes you think and UnGuarded made me ponder the ideas of good vs. evil, heaven vs. hell, and how the choices we make affect others.

Favorite Quote: "Why was love so strong, so blinding, and yet so satisfying? Why do we risk everything we hold to be true in the name of love? When you know it's wrong, when you're certain it's not good for you, why is it still impossible to shut your feelings off?"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

I recommend UnGuarded to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, angels, and hot vampires!

FTC Advisory: I was given a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. No backroom deals or whispered promises were made.

Author Bio: Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida and loves reading and writing about everything urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When she isn't writing you'll find her spending time with family and friends, training in her home gym, traveling and exploring new places, drinking fine red wines, and making gourmet coffees with her Nespresso machine. Visit her website to learn about her upcoming releases, guest blog posts, and featured giveaways at: www.AshleyRobertsonBooks.com

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