Review - Guardian

Title: Guardian
Author: Claire Delacroix
Publishing Date: October 2009
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Borrowed from Paperspine.

Guardian is the second book in Claire Delacroix's Fallen Angel Trilogy. Delilia is the daughter of the heroine from the first book. The world she lives in is 100 years or so after a nuclear war. People who have been affected by the radiation are known as SHADES. These shades are without rights and treated as though they are inferior to normal, unaffected humans. Delilia has been labeled a shade and was taken from her mother as an infant. She has lived her life down in the underground serving as a slave to the Daughters of the Light, a group of women raised similar to nuns. Rafe, a fallen angel has accepted a mission to see that Delilia is rescued from her servitude and fulfills her destiny as the Oracle for the Republic.

There is a lot happening in Guardian and readers may easily become lost if they haven't read the previous book, Fallen. Guardian is unusual in that the book takes place in a post apocalyptic world in the future, yet it’s as if it has reverted back to old customs. Women have to be covered from head to toe and there is slavery. Technology is very advanced and everyone has to wear a palm - think smart phone implanted in your hand. Religion also plays a large part in people's lives, but has become corrupt. Hence the need for Angels to interfere.

Delilia is a young heroine at nineteen and Rafe is older, an Angel who has been around since the dawn of time. Usually, these huge age gaps annoy me, but that wasn't the case with Guardian. Mostly because Rafe, even though he is old, is new to his human body. He is experiencing humanity first hand and it's like he is a kid in a candy shop. The new sensations he experiences such as sight, touch and smell are all new and exciting. He loves sex and spends lots of time learning about it. He is very fun and impulsive. He likes puzzles and games. He is definitely not a stodgy, doddering old angel.

Delilia is the more serious of the two. She hasn't had much fun in her nineteen years of life. Unfortunately, no pleasure was to be hers, she spent much of her time drugged and undernourished. Her and Rafe are on the run throughout this book and it has very grim overtones much of the time. Delilia never loses her hope in humanity, even though she has been treated poorly. So, things aren't always so grim and this book does end well. A few things are left hanging and I imagine they will be wrapped in the final installment. I am definitely hooked.

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

Fallen

Title: Fallen
Author: Claire Delacroix
Publishing Date: October 2008
Genre: Futuristic
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm

Fallen is the first book in a new trilogy by Claire Delacroix. It is set in a post apocalyptic America in 2099, several years after many cities were bombed with nuclear weapons. A large portion of the world’s population was killed because of these bombs. Another side effect of these bombs was nuclear radiation. The majority of the population was exposed to this radiation causing birth defects in unborn children. People who have side effects due to the radiation are known as shades. They are not considered human and do not have civil rights. They are used for research and slavery. Lilia Desjardins is a shade hunter. She finds shades and brings them to the circus where she works. The circus is the one place where the shades can live a relatively normal life.

Lilia’s estranged husband is killed in a mysterious accident. She suspects that his death was not an accident, but murder. She is convinced that she must uncover the killer and bring the truth about her husband’s murder to light. Lilia has a penchant for finding trouble. When she discovers a body of a shade who had connections to her husband, she reports it to the authorities. She meets Officer Adam Montgomery and together they search for her husband’s killer. Unbeknownst to Lilia, Adam is an Angel who has volunteered to help save humanity. Besides the fact that he is attracted to Lilia, he also believes that she will help him complete his earthly mission.

I just have to say, I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of emphasis on the futuristic world and how corrupt it has become. The details are very tight and well defined. The book has a very dark vibe to it, and yet there is a tiny ray of light and hope at the center of everything. The characters Adam and Lilia are wonderfully drawn. Lilia is a bleeding heart. She might act tough and gruff, but underneath that steely façade she’s as soft as a marshmallow. Adam is otherworldly and is beginning to understand the appeal of being human. He becomes attached to earth and Lilia and this comes as a complete surprise to him.

Fallen ends more or less with a ‘happy for now’. There are conflicts that still need to be resolved with the big picture. The mystery surrounding Lilia’s husband’s death does get wrapped up. The next book in the trilogy will be Guardian. It won’t be out until October 2009 and features new characters Delilia and Rafe. Ms. Delacroix does state that Lilia and Adam will make an appearance in Guardian.

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