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When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is assigned a new partner in Aramael, a Guardian Angel who doubles as a hit man, they have only one thing in common: a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse. Now they have no choice but to work together-relentlessly, fearlessly, intimately. Because only they can stop the rogue angel from ushering in the end of days.
Sins of the Angels is the first book in The Grigori Legacy series and is Linda Poitevin's a debut. The story takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and centers around Alexandra Jarvis, a homicide Detective for the Toronto Police. Horrific serial murders are taking place in Toronto and Alex is on the case. The murders dredge up awful memories for Alex. At the same time Alex is dealing with the murders and trying to tamp down those memories, she's assigned a new partner - Jacob Trent. He has been sent to help solve the murders and may the only one who can do it. Jacob is not who he seems, but is an angel named Aramael. When Alex senses this she thinks she is losing a long feared battle with a mental illness like her mother's. Compounding this is a mutual attraction that neither Alex nor Aramael want to acknowledge. For reasons that become clear as the book progresses, Aramael is predisposed to not like Alex. He's heaven bent on tracking down the murderer, but being near Alex has upset whatever equilibrium he possesses. When the murderer's attention turns to Alex, Aramael and Alex are faced with life changing decisions. Alex must come to grips with her unknown heritage and who Aramael really is. This is a wonderful debut novel. Sins of the Angels features two interwoven narratives - one involving the serial murders and an engrossing story of intrigue in heaven that is related to what is happening in Toronto. Alex and Aramael are both substantial characters that I care about. I also really enjoy the very strong supporting cast. Both Alex's and Aramael's "co-workers" are well drawn though Aramael's are a lot more mysterious. There is much, much more to be revealed about the heavenly contingent. There are two villains in Sins of the Angels both of whom evoke very strong negative feelings, but for different reasons. The pacing in Sins of the Angels is excellent. The story pulls you in from the very first page and does not let go until the heart-wrenching ending. There is some graphic violence, but it fits the story well. Sins of the Angels is an Urban Fantasy deeply infused with a richly developed mythology, excellent world building, characters you'll love, and villains you'll love to hate. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in The Grigori Legacy. I give Sins of the Angels 4 ½ Qwills.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When Toronto Homicide Detective Alexandra Jarvis was nine years old her insane mother murdered her father in a violent slashing rage. She is currently working a serial killer case in which the violence at the crime scene reminds her of the violence in her family home on that fatal day. The latest victim had his chest ripped open and his throat sliced while posed in a seemingly ritual way.
Working on caffeine, Alex is unaware that the brutal culprit is Caim the fallen angel who escaped from Limbo incarceration. His motive is Apocalypse now to include the immediate capture of Alex's soul. Aramael the Guardian Angel teams up with Alex to prevent his brother from ending the world. Neither the angel nor the confused mortal (from glimpsing what looks like wings) is prepared for an attraction that shakes heaven, hell, and earth.
Although not to read on an empty stomach due to extremely graphic murder scenes, Sins of the Angels is an exhilarating serial killer urban fantasy. The investigation and the Armageddon compete for top billing as the two subplots do not fully merge until late. Still sub-genre fans who enjoy a police procedural fantasy will want to read the teaming up of the cop and the angel as she wants to end the terror reign of a vicious serial killer while he tries to prevent the final war between heaven and hell on battlefield earth.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.tralee
Posted March 15, 2013
Sins of the Angels is the first book in the Grigori Legacy and I must say I found the Urban Fantasy with the angels a wonderful mix. This book is a great start to this series and I look forward to many more books to come
Alex Jarvis is a Homicide Detective trying to hunt the person or persons responsible for a number of violent murders in her precinct. Alex solves cases but this one has left her no clues or leads to follow and now she is about to be given a new partner that doesn't seem to have the first idea on how to investigate a homicide and what makes it worse is that Alex believes she is going insane like her mother when she meets Jacob Trent and she swears she saw wings on his back and a glow around him.
Jacob Trent is Alex's new partner but unbeknown to her he is really a Power named Aramael. Aramael is a hunter of Fallen Angels who had his own brother Ciam sentenced to eternal exile a millennium ago for his crimes. He is not used to anything but the highest of treatment and respect but now finds himself having to play second to lead detective Alex Jarvis and not being able to command the courtesy of a man of his stature.
Ciam has escaped from exile and he is committing unforgivable crimes against the humans. Aramael is called to once again go after his bother and bring him back but this time it is just not Ciam he is also assign to keep a mortal woman Alex protected. Aramael does not want to protect Alex when he finds out she is a naphril but everything changes when he comes into contact with her. What is Alex really? Can Aramael and Alex join forces to stop Ciam once and for all?. If they can't trust each other all will be lost.
My comfort zone is YA, you know? It's easy to read, entertaining and so complex that I don't usually feel like I've been missing something.
But sometimes I spot a book that it's out of that comfort zone and I wonder if I should read it. I don't usually surrender to these ideas. But this time I did.
And I loved it.
Sins of the Angels captured me with its wonderful cover: the contrast of the colors, the model's face, the way that simple alley looks so dangerous with the shadow of an angel above it... And the falling thunders that have a purpose in the book.
After seeing the cover I had to read the summary so off to Goodreads I went. It does sound good, interesting to say the least. But it doesn't do justice to the actual plot.
Never mind that, I bought Sins of the Angels and Sins of the Son -second book in the series- because I had faith that it would be so good I would want to continue with it. I'm so glad I bought both! Now I don't have to wait for the second to arrive, yay!
Putting the summary aside let me tell you something: This book is not about a woman and an angel teaming together to defeat a monster. It's about memories, about loss, about traumas that we wished we could forget, about the strength we humans have to fight for ourselves, about the love we recognize but sometimes we are too scared, too wounded, to acknowledge. About good and evil facing a battle that involves Luficer and God herself.
Yes, HERSELF, you read that write. Maybe a small detail but I was so thrilled to read about a female God that it made me love the book even more.
The characters are complex, each one of them have a purpose, a reason, a way to see things and be seen that makes them special. Alexandra Jarvis is strong and stubborn but at the same time hides some secrets that could break her in a heartbeat. One of her best qualities is her dry humor, she made me smile and laugh even when I thought it was impossible.
And Aramael (or Jacob in his human form) is fearless and focussed, dangerous and cursing; the only thing he lives for is the hunt... Or so he thought. To see his personality develop feelings that angels, and specially Powers like himself, were not supposed to feel was wonderful. The struggle felt so real I enjoyed every second of it.
The complexity of the world Linda created is amazingly well handed, every twist has a reason, every character background has a purpose and above all, having in consideration this was her debut novel, she thought of every single detail until the end. The angel hierarchy has her own original stamp in it.
There are books that are written to show different POV which can lead into a huge win or a huge loss. In this case it was amazingly done. I got to understand a little bit better the different personalities of the characters, what moved and stopped them, specially how they evolved.
If I have to complain for something that would be the fact that there's no hardcover version of Sins of the Angels... I would love to have one!
As for the author I have to mark that Linda's writing was superb, she described the scenes so well that the hard parts didn't make me cringe too much (only the necessary) but I was able to imagine them so vividly that I felt like I was with Alexandra and Trent in the crime scenes.
So yes, Sin of the Angels is a must buy if you are a fan of urban-fantasy and kick-ass female leads!
In the city streets of Toronto, mutilated corpse of slashed victims keep appearing. It soon becomes clear to homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis and the rest of her department that the murders of these people are of no coincidence, and that there is a serial killer on the loose.
Everything changes the day Alexandra meets her new partner and begins to see things that she believes couldn’t possibly be real. From then on, Alex’s gets tossed into a world where angels are real, and she discovers that the One who created the human race as well as the devil himself truly does exist. Better yet, her partner, whose real name is Aramael, is a power that hunts fallen angels and that he was sent to earth to protect her from the very thing that’s causing the murders, his own brother.
What will happen when Alex discovers that she’s been placed right in the middle of a war between good and evil?
Sins of the Angels is the first novel in The Grigori Legacy, with Sins of the Son being the next installment in this phenomenal series. From the prologue I was sucked in, and I just had to continue reading until the early hours of the next morning. I simply couldn’t put it down until I finished reading the very last page.
My favorite elements of Sins of the Angels were both the mystery and angelic mythology/urban fantasy aspects of the novel. Linda Poitevin makes readers feel as though they are part of the ongoing investigations and have them follow the clues right alongside the characters. I really do enjoy reading mystery novels and thrillers, and the mystery side in Sins of the Angels was no exception. What made the plot even better was the religious/paranormal twist the author incorporated into the story. Linda Poitevin includes both common mythologies with her own unique spin on the tales.
Linda Poitevin brilliantly details the angel hierarchy, the characters backgrounds, and the vivid images of the murder scenes. I personally enjoyed Linda’s introduction of “powers” and “archangels”, who to me come off as some real badass angels with flaming wings and that no one should mess with. Oh, and did I forget to mention that they are jaw-droppingly handsome too? *grins*
The author also steams things up with a large dose of forbidden love. The chemistry between Alexandra and Aramael can sizzle anything that comes within a mile of the pair. There is so much tension that at times I wanted to pull my hair and scream!
Sins of the Angels is action-packed with engaging characters throughout the novel. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Mystery and Urban Fantasy reads!
Must Read! Highly Recommended! 5/5 Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf
BryanThomasS
Posted March 26, 2012
If there's anything I'd generally say I wanted to read about less than Zombies and Vampires, it's angels. I lived through the whole 90s angel craze, and, well, I still have wing scars on my back. So why am I reading two books by Linda with angels? Because they're so damn good. Oh no, I started out reluctant. I was reading this one because I'm doing an interview with her and she's a friend of a friend who recommended it. But then the book went and got all good and un-put-downable and all and darn it, I was actually enjoying it. In fact, except for a few over the top theological things in the world building, I loved it more and more all the way too the end. Great world building, great characters. Little bit too much fondness for the F words amongst them perhaps, but maybe Canadian cops really use only one curse word out of preference. Perhaps it reminds them of those damn Americans they share a continent with. I don't know. Whatever the case, the book has great thriller elements and strong romance elements mixed with fantasy and paranormal. It's urban fantasy detective thriller with an angel and a detective trying to hunt a fallen angel on a killing spree. In the meantime, his real target is one of them and he's not giving up. A strong urban fantasy debut, well worth the read. A writer well worth discovering. Highly recommended.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.vickieann
Posted March 6, 2012
As I began reading I found the Prologue very confusing, who and what is Caim? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Why is he standing over a dead man? What is he trying to succeed at and why are the other guys trying to stop him? Who is this “she” he keeps referring to?
You will find out exactly who Caim is and I will bust out that He is a REALLY bad guy! I really enjoyed hating this guy LMAO. Linda Poitevin is really good at developing characters that you can feel strongly about. And yes you will find out early on why he is standing over that dead guy covered in blood. And “She” turns out to be “ONE” the female version of God.
So stick in there through the first couple of chapters while Linda builds the characters and sets the scene and I am sure you will enjoy the book as much as I did. Linda has a unique way of looking at heaven and its politics in this series.
Alexandra Jarvis: Human but later revealed as Nephilim(half angel half human). She is a homicide detective.
Aramael: A Power (hunter of Fallen Angels) He is assigned to guard Alex by the plotting Mittron and is later revealed to be Alexandra's soulmate. That being said, this is not a angel/human sex book. There are deep feelings between the characters but they do not “Hook up” so to speak. Which I for one, really liked.
Linda’s descriptions of the crime scenes and her in depth view of the life of a cop really pulled me in. Her character development is exceptional. I felt she had the perfect mix of suspense, action and dialog.
Transitions between chapters and scenes were very smooth. It was nice to finish one complete thought before moving into a parallel story line. Everything flowed together nicely, and even though there were multiple sub stories to follow it was easy to keep up with all that was going on and see how they flowed together.
I appreciate when the action scenes are so well written that they keep me on the edge of my seat. There were several times were I had to read just a few more pages before I could put the book down because I needed to know what was going to happen. Just one caution for those who are sensitive, the descriptions of some of the crime scenes were a bit realistic, for me that just lent to the enjoyment of the book.
Not only do you get suspense and intrigue but you also get Linda’s unique point of view of heaven and how it might function which really gave me something to ponder. Sins of the Angels draws heavily on the Christian angel classes, the series gets its name from the fallen Gregori angels who gave forbidden knowledge to the humans they were supposed to guard (and Nephilim are their half human children).
I really got the feeling that Linda did her research into homicide detectives and how they go about their work of solving crimes as well as the biblical research on the hierarchies of angles and the concept of how heaven might function. I really liked the idea that heaven runs like a bureaucracy, with different angels having assigned jobs and levels of power.
If you like a gritty urban fantasy, mysteries, crime solving, and strong female who use their brains, you will like this story. The angels are a yummy fascinating bonus. The second novel in the series, Sins of the Sons, is coming out in a matter of days so get reading people! I can tell you book two picks up were book one left off. Stay tuned for a review of book two and and an interview with Linda.
Anonymous
Posted March 3, 2012
After reading this I got ideas to write stoies. Its been years since i had any ideas to write. This is a must read must have you will love it.
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Posted February 13, 2012
Great believable characters and a great story. This genre seems to be getting old for me and then I read a book like this. Worth it.
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Posted February 3, 2012
Love love this story line!!!
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Posted January 2, 2012
Loved this book and can't wait for the next one in the series.
Extreme-Book-Reader
Posted November 18, 2011
This was a good idea, but the book just didn't grab me even though I read the whole thing.
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Overview
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis is assigned a new partner in Aramael, a Guardian Angel who doubles as a hit man, they have only one thing in common: a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse. Now they have no choice but to work together-relentlessly, fearlessly, intimately. Because only they can stop the rogue angel from ushering in the end of days.