Book Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink + Giveaway

Title: A Temptation of Angels

Author: Michelle Zink

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: March 20^th 2012

Length: 448 pages

Genre: YA fantasy, romance

Source: Publisher

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Summary by Goodreads 

Recently I read a lot of angel themed YA books like UNEARTHLY and HALLOWED by Cynthia Hand which I really liked. Another book with an angel theme, so another book to my like I thought when I got A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS in the mail. I wanted to start it right away. 

Though the three main characters in A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS are descendants of angels, their personalities and actions are not overly influenced by that knowledge or by special powers of any kind. And I have to say that I missed some insight into their true and individual beings of angels.
We learn more about the background of the Dictata, an organization that has the power to control the past, present and future of the entire world. I found the passages about their members, history and the hunt after their members very intriguing. The Dictata's enemies are wraiths and demons. I guess you can imagine that they are very powerful and don't make it easy for our three heroes.

But most of the story isn’t made up of fights, it’s about our protagonist Helen discovering a new world that has always been right in front of her eyes.

With Helen finding out about her true origin through a terrible fire that causes the death of her parents, she also enters the world of the two brothers Griffin and Darius. Together they are the three remaining keepers of world peace. Darius would be my favourite character in A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. He is snarky and definitely knows how to maintain that vulnerable bad boy attitude I like in my male protagonists.

I enjoyed that Helen and Griffin connects an immediate and delicate bond, blooming into a romance full of passion, trust and love. The other boy who owns Helen’s heart is a friend of Helen’s past and is a very secretive and mysterious character. I knew from the summary that there would be a love triangle in A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS,  which I didn't find neccessary once I had started into the story.My heart already belong to one of the two boys.

The story mostly circles around the interaction between our three main characters. From time to time a few other characters like Galizur and Anna, both part of the Dictata, were thrown into the story. I would have wished to encounter a bigger character cast  behind the Dictata and stronger social interaction between their members. Maybe we'll meet some more interesting characters in the sequel...

What I really liked about the story are the setting of Victorian London, the manners and customs. I love me a good historical romance! 

A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS introduces us to the setting and characters of this new world created by Michelle Zink. I have to admit that it felt a bit too slow and sometimes overly descriptive to me. Still I’m curious about the sequel and expect many more fights and enemies to play with Helen, Griffin and Darius’ fate.

1) of a charming romance

2) of two very contrary brothers that both deserve a place in every reader's heart

3) of the mysterious Dictata

4) the cruel angel hunt has to be stopped

5) of one of my favourite settings, Victorian London 

3/5 *** A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS- A new story of angels, a mysterious organization, a sweet romance and a whole bunch of mean enemies to be fought.

A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS was my first book by Michelle Zink and will not be my last. She invented a new world and did a good job combining the historical romance with paranormal happenings of all sorts.

* Have a look at Michelle’s PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS trilogy! 

* Click here to read an excerpt of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. 

* Buy your Michelle Zink books’ merchandise here. 

* Visit www.michellezink.com for more information about Michelle Zink and her books.

* Thanks to Michelle Zink and Dial Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS! 

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* You enter for a chance to win one ARC of A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS
* Open internationally
* The giveaway starts on March 21st and will end on March 31st.
* Good luck :)
 

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New Releases: March 19th - March 25th

March 20th 

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Croak by Gina Damico
Loss (Riders of the Apocalypse #3) by Jackie Morse Kessler
When You Open Your Eyes by Celeste Conway
The Divide (Secret Circle Series #4) by L. J. Smith

Do you plan to read any of these? I already read A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS and there will be a giveaway on my blog in the next few days.

In My Mailbox #45

The idea of In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren and is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

For Review

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa  ( A big thank you to Harlequin Teen! Love Julie's books <3)

THE IMMORTAL RULES GIVEAWAY

Do you have an US/Can address? Do you want to win a copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES? Then enter my giveaway here!!

Coveresque feat. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (US vs.UK vs.German)

I have three very different covers (US, UK, German) of BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore for you. My favourite is the German cover. Which one do you like best?

Q&A with Julie Kagawa + The Immortal Rules Giveaway

I've been a fan of Julie Kagawa's writing since the day I started reading THE IRON KING. This book is one of my all time favourite reads and I promise THE IRON DAUGHTER, THE IRON QUEEN and THE IRON KNIGHT were no less amazing.

THE IRON FEY series came to an end, but Julie's newest book, titled THE IMMORTAL RULES, comes out in only a few weeks. Harlequin Teen releases the vampires on April 24th and I'm sure you don't want to miss that! 

You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

Summary by Goodreads

Want to pre-order a copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES? Just follow the links!

Amazon  -  Barnes & Noble  -  Harlequin  -  Indiebound

Read this great Q&A with Julie Kagawa and enter for a chance to win a harcover copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES below!!

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A Q&A with

New York Times Best Selling Author Julie Kagawa

After writing the Iron Fey series for so many years, how difficult was it to immerse yourself in a futuristic world filled with vampires, rabids and an enslaved human race?

         It was...very different.  I think the hardest thing for me was the fact that this story does take place in the real world -- a futuristic, vampire-infested world, but the real world nonetheless.  Things had to make sense, for example: how far can a large group walk in a single day if there were no roads, they were going through thick woods, and there were children in the group?  I had to have logical reasons for everything; I couldn't just make something work "because of faery magic," lol.

Just like Meghan Chase in the Iron Fey series, the main character in The Immortal Rules, Allison Sekemoto, is a “take charge and kick butt” kind of girl.  Is this intentional? What woman – real or fictional, alive or deceased – do you look up to or admire?

         Yes, Allison comes from a very different world than Meghan Chase.  Meghan's upbringing was pretty normal; Allison grew up among vampires and monsters, where every day was a fight to live, so she couldn't afford to be weak.  While Meghan had to learn to "take charge and kick butt," Allison's first impulse is stab first, talk later.

         As for female role models, the first that comes to mind--when it comes to kicking vampire butt, anyway -- is Buffy Summers.  Thank you, Joss Whedon, for making me love feisty, snarky, heroines who can dust all sorts of nasties but who also look good in a cheerleading outfit. ;)  

You mention in your acknowledgements in The Immortal Rules that at the beginning of your writing career you promised yourself you wouldn’t write a vampire book.  What changed your mind?

         Well, there were already so many really good books about our favorite bloodsuckers, so many stories and ideas, I thought I didn't have anything new to add to the masses.  I was actually toying with a post-apocalyptic YA novel when my agent mentioned I might want to try writing a vampire series.  I wasn't intrigued with the idea at first, but then I thought about combining vampires with the post-apocalyptic novel and then rest sort of fell into place.  

Allison claims she hates vampires and believes they are monsters yet when faced with a choice of die or become one, she becomes a vampire.  Would you have made that same decision?  

         Me personally?  No.  I'm like Zeke in the belief that there is something better waiting for me beyond this life, and I just have to do my best until it’s time for me to go.  Besides, I love pizza and Mountain Dew too much to give it up.

Who do you think the most complex character is in The Immortal Rules?

         Probably Kanin, Allie's sire.  He's a vampire who has made his peace about being a monster, yet chooses to live by his own set of moral rules.  He warns Allison about getting too close to humans, yet he does not kill unless he absolutely has to.  He is tormented about something in his past that he refuses to share with anyone.  He is certainly the most mysterious of all the characters, if not the most complex.

How many books will be in the Blood of Eden series?  When will the next book be coming out?

         At the moment, there are three books planned, with the second coming out sometime next spring, after the release of the new Iron Fey series this fall.

Before you starting writing full time you were a professional dog trainer.  Do the professions share any similarities?

         Lol, well you have to think on your feet a lot.  And some of the small dogs could be compared to tiny snapping goblins, but writing requires less dodging skills, though perhaps the same amount of creativity and problem solving.

When starting a new series, like Blood of Eden, do you have the entire series mapped out in detail or do you let the story develop book by book?

         I have a high point that I write toward in each story; I know this and this has to happen, but getting from point A to point B usually develops as I go along.

And for the speed round:

What book have you read and re-read, and read yet again?

         Any of the Harry Potter books.

Favorite song to play when writing a fight scene?

         My "favorites" change daily.  Right now its "Awake and Alive" by Skillet.

Worst job?

         Working a kiosk in the mall during Christmas.  It sold glass figurines, and the maneuvering space around the hundreds of very breakable merchandise was quite small.  I was like a bull in a china shop.

Best vacation spot?

         Walt Disney World

Sweets or salty?

         Sweet.

One thing most people don’t know about you – and would never guess!

         I used to play the flute when I was a kid.  I was really good at it too, but my instructor stopped teaching to have a family, and I never went back to it.          

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Thanks to Julie Kagawa and Harlequin Teen for that fun Q&A! Now here's your chance to win a harcover copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES courtesy of Harlequin Teen. Are you excited? I am!

* You enter for a chance to win one hardcover copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES
* The book will be sent by Harlequin Teen after its pub date on April 24th.
* Open for US/Canada addresses
* The giveaway starts on March 14th and will end on April 14th.
* Good luck :)



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