RevelationAuthor: Erica Hayes
Release Date: Oct. 2, 2012
Publisher: Berkley
The Seven Signs #1
ISBN: #978-0425258378
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (336 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
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About the book:
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A fallen angel with a mission and a medical examiner who’s lost her faith are fighting for their souls in a glittering, near-future Manhattan…
Blind faith is for fools. That’s what Dr. Morgan Sterling believes. And she’s going to prove it by curing the zombie plague ravaging her city’s slums. She’s certain it’s not a sign of the End of Days, but a nasty disease—until an angel appears in her morgue in a flash of glory.
Luniel is not just a fallen angel. He’s a powerful warrior sworn to fight evil in hopes of a chance at redemption. He’s after the demon princes who are stealing the seven vials of holy wrath which, when perverted, will unleash eternal hell on earth.
To stop the plague, Luniel needs Morgan’s help, and her faith. But Morgan believes science is their salvation. If the zombie plague is a demonic curse—and if Luniel is true—he’ll have to prove it. Even if he loses his heart to true love or his soul to Hell…
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What G & U are talking about:
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Revelation is the premier novel in the new Seven Signs series by Erica Hayes. Although a little rough, we enjoyed this darkly apocalyptic urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel.
The series is based on the Christian belief of the apocalypse, which has seven signs that herald its coming. The first being a plague upon the people, the second turning the seas into blood. This second sign is where our story begins. Gikany and Una found it interesting that this series begins on the second plague, not the first. We also enjoyed that this story takes place in the not too distant future, which is implied by the technological advances that are part of the society.
Revelation begins with our introduction to Luniel, one of the Tainted. The Tainted are a band of fallen warrior angels that committed a sin that stripped them of their souls and have left them on Earth, as a mercenary group working for Mike…aka Michael the Archangel. They still, theoretically, can be redeemed/returned to Heaven, although it seems a bit of a debated and moot point. Mike uses them to help control the demon population and uprisings as well as doing jobs that would be…unpleasant for a member of Heaven. Luniel fell in love with a human woman and lost her to a demon Prince’s lies. His sin of lust is what cast him from Heaven.
Our heroine in Revelation is the assistant medical examiner, Morgan Sterling. She is not just an atheist, but generally despises and distrusts religion. She is completely consumed with the purpose of finding a cure to the plague that has wrecked havoc on the inhabitants of New Babylon (formerly called Manhattan). While working in the morgue she comes across, or more appropriately, Luniel surprises her on his mission of finding a lost angel. The story then takes off from there.
Although Gikany thought the story started a little slowly for her, Una felt compelled to read. Maybe it was due to her mood and this book was exactly something Una needed, but the world was completely fascinating. Gikany and Una enjoyed the futuristic nuances and the strange mythology. Although we found some author errors (not sure that whiskey and chocolate smell the same as toffee, but it’s a personal taste), they did not detract from our enjoyment. We feel it is akin to the start of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. The novel is a little rough, but the characters and world more than make up for its coarseness and editorial errors.
There was a tad bit of redundancy in the conflict of Morgan trusting and believing in not just Luniel but faith, religion, God, etc. but it was vital to the plot points. However, the ongoing tug-of-war in her heart and head did get a tad repetitive. Luniel and his internal battle was just as fascinating but we found him completely adorable…in a hot, tough, male warrior angel way. However, the passion between Morgan and Luniel was hot enough to steam Una’s glasses and burn Gikany’s fingers. The romance is richly erotic and encompasses all of the reader’s senses.
All in all, Revelation is a great start to what may be a fascinating and enthralling series. If you are interested in a darkly erotic apocalyptic urban fantasy, you may just want to give the Seven Signs series a try.
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Their Rating:
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Una says:
Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)
Gikany says:
Liked it, but I had some issues – recommend (B)
Purchase Info:
Thanks for the great review! I gave in and bought this from Amazon and I can’t wait to get it now 🙂