It was fine, but I didn't have the same emotional connection to Alexander and Zanaya, as the other characters who have been present in the series fr longer. ( )

Review to come

This book has Alexander and Zanaya as the main couple. The first third of the book is their shared past, how they met and fell in love, break up and get back together. When Zanaya is woken from her Sleep to help with taking down Lijuan. But she falls in battle and is returned to Sleep to hopefully heal under the care of Cassandra. Cassandra tells Alexander a bit of prophecy about he and Zanaya and the choices they will have to make when she rises again. There are some tidbits of backstory for a few characters sprinkled in this story that fans will appreciate. But now to wonder what the next book will entail.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
( )

This is another book in the series where I went in not necessarily uninterested, but certainly not clamoring for this story to be told, and left absolutely loving it. I has similar feelings the first time Nalini Singh moved away from Raphael and Elena and decided to tell Dmitri's story. I think it's that unassuming quality, going in with no expectations and then remembering why Nalini Singh is one of the best at what she does.

Not often can an author take background characters who are very surface level and give them enough depth to carry their own story. Not only carrying their own story, however, but actually opening up the created world even more by giving readers a bigger glimpse of the "then" of angelkind.

Alexander and Zanaya are Ancients. Meaning, they've lived countless lifetimes. I loved that to tell their story, Nalini Singh didn't just pick up from where things kind of left off after the battle with Lijuan, but went back to the beginning. Because really how are you going to properly tell a long-lived being's story, or love story, without seeing where it all started?

I liked getting some more context to events that have only been alluded to within the previous books and with that, I liked learning more about Alexander and Zanaya. I'll admit there were times I wasn't sure how Nalini Singh would get their love to work, or if it even would work. They are both characters who value their independence and will dig their heels in when they feel they're being challenged for their beliefs. This often leads to toxicity within their relationship as well as decades of separation.

I think that both Alexander and Zanaya get caught up in their immortality. While angels can die, it's not an easy occurrence. I feel as though both believe that they have time everlasting. They will always come together and break apart. It's not until mortality confronts them on their own turf in various way that they begin to see what their relationship means. There's no doubt that Alexander and Zanaya constantly fight - with each other and for one another - but it's whether they can get to a place where those differences don't impact their feelings for one another, that's a big draw in the story and I'll admit to going back and forth about how I envisioned their relationship progressing. Nalini Singh is never one to let me down!

All this takes place while the fallout from the war with Lijuan is still being felt throughout the world. Although it comes in waves, there are far-reaching consequences that will be felt for quite a while. I feel like this book more than many others in the series really showcases the depth of time and how certain events have have such long-lasting effects on people and places.

With that said, I think that this book is the closest to being a conclusion to the Cascade storyline. If that is the case, I'm looking forward to seeing where Nalini Singh take the story next! ( )

This story is a love story that lasts through eons. Alexander is the Archangel of Persia. Zanaya is the Queen of the Nile. The story starts before they ascended to be archangels. Alexander was the son of loving parents who had no power under the rule of a thoughtless archangel. He grew up to be a powerful and intelligent warrior.

Zanaya was the daughter of an angel who was obsessed with the angel who left her and who raised Zanaya to be distrustful. She also had the goal of being a great warrior.

When they first set eyes on one another, the spark was apparent to both of them. But Alexander was much older and determined not to hinder Zanaya's growth by claiming her. So the years passed...

When Zanaya got older and became a general, it was finally time for Alexander to claim the woman he loved. But then he ascended to archangel and the power disparity between them almost kept them apart. Once they began their relationship, it was a strong one, but it was also tumultuous. Both Alexander and Zanaya were prideful, stubborn people. Their relationship roller-coastered from epic highs to epic battles between them. Then Zanaya became an archangel too and the roller coaster continued. Until Zanaya went into Sleep.

She slept for millenniums leaving Alexander to live his life without her. But then Lijuan happened, and the cascade woke Zanaya in time to be in the battle of the archangels against Lijuan.

Gravely injured in the battle, Zanaya is taken by Cassandra to heal. When she awakes after only ten years, she feels different and fears that she carries a small part of Lijuan. In a way, that was a good thing because Lijuan had a plan that wouldn't be stopped by her own death.

This was another entertaining episode in the Guild Hunter series. The romance was different than in a lot of the earlier books. In fact, I had some trouble believing it. They seemed too much the same in their pridefulness and stubbornness to sustain a relationship. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one, but I wouldn't give it to someone not familiar with the series. ( )