There is something so great about really enjoying a book, and then the author approaching you asking if you want to read book 2.
Before book 2 even releases.
I did have a few books I absolutely had to get to first, but I definitely pushed some aside to get to this one first! I am ever so greatful to the author for giving me the chance to read this book early, and for gifting me a copy!
Let me introduce the book, and then we can get into my review!
Kalili has Faith.
Heaven and Hell don't approve.
Their trials have only begun.
Kalili and Faith - the last of the Thirteens - have found the passionate partner they craved, leaving lonely lives behind. Their love might be forbidden, even scandalous to their peers, but they don't care. They'll brazen it out.
But if they thought they were done with their former employers, they were mistaken.
Just because they've fought free of the first efforts to bring them back into the fold doesn't mean they're in the clear.
Now, with their true natures becoming known, powerful and power-hungry forces are aligning to make them offers they can't refuse.
Lilith. Gabriel. Beelzebub. Ariel.
Add to that their new friends and allies, unexpected obstacles, and a dash of the malevolent undead, and you have TESTING FAITH.
One thing's for certain: eternity will never be the same.
The immortals are going to learn: never bet against a pair of Thirteens!
My Review!
Angels and demons still battle for souls. Right and wrong, good and evil, work to achieve what they need for either the Below or Upstairs to benefit. But Kalili and Faith are no longer simply Demon and Angel. They are the last of the Thirteens – but that doesn’t mean the Below or Upstairs approve of their relationship.
Despite plenty of people working against them, Kalili and Faith have their allies, and their network of people slowly grows as they make deals and pledge allegiances in what is shaping up to be a worldwide war between those above, and those below.
I missed these characters! Until I started reading this book, I didn’t properly realise just how much I missed Kalili and Faith, how much I enjoyed spending time with them and living their story besides them. They might’ve managed to stay on Earth so far, but Faith’s mission on Earth was to kill Kalili, not that it went entirely to plan, and she only has so long before she is summoned back to Heaven to give a report of her mission. And, of course, Kalili is not dead, so there are problems on all fronts.
There are plenty of new friends and allies in this book. I won’t talk too much about the allegiances, and the sides being picked, for the sake of not giving out spoilers, but the friends I can definitely talk about. Thia once again plays an important part in this story, being there for Kalili as a friend, and helping out where she can. Thia is incredibly brave, standing up for herself when the need arises, even if the ones she is standing up to are much more powerful than she. I also really liked the introduction of Zophiel to this book. She is an angel who, like Faith, doesn’t quite follow the directions she has been sent to Earth with, and breaks a few rules here and there. I loved Zophiel, and hope she continues to be a part of the story in the next book.
I loved the difference between this book and the first, in that this story is told equally by Faith and Kalili, whereas the first book was just told by Kalili. As their story progresses, they become more of a singular entity, two souls joined together into one being. Faith and Kalili are much less than the stereotypical ‘good angel’ and ‘evil demon’ than they were throughout the first book, their personalities shining through and their ideals settling for a happy medium as they become more accustomed to being Thirteens, and altogether different from angels and demons.
There are a lot of steamy scenes in this book – Faith and Kalili are horny to a level that transcends just angels and demons, and a war between Upstairs and the Below. After living so much of their lives without knowing each other, now they are together, they simply cannot get enough. If you are not a fan of these kind of scenes, then this definitely isn’t the book for you, because Faith and Kalili do not hold back! Their connection to each other, in both the literal and magical sense, is strongest when they are together sexually, and as they come to grips with what they, as Thirteens, can really do, they get up to a lot of experimenting!
There is the addition of some well known characters to this book that were not necessarily a part of book 1. Just to reel off some names, Lilith, Gabriel, Michael… most everyone knows these names, but the way they slot into this story is not necessarily how you might expect. Faith and Kalili are now part of a much bigger story, one that they do not control all the strings to, and find themselves with more enemies, and more potential allies than ever. As things start to reach a level much more than just an Angel and a Demon falling in love, there is more action, suspense, and intrigue than ever. It is the kind of book that you fall asleep reading, because you just don’t want to put it down.
Once again, the author has done an absolutely astounding job with bringing Faith and Kalili’s story out into the world. Angels and Demons. The immortal, and the undead. An unknown hierarchy in Heaven, and a simmering revolt in the Below. An overflowing amount of love between two who seem destined to be together, but have been kept apart for all their lives. There is plenty and more in this book to keep you reading, and I absolutely adored the entire thing. This book has only just come out, so I know I will be waiting for a while, but I will be waiting incredibly impatiently for the next book in the series to come out!
Once again, thanks to the author for gifting me an ARC to read. I absolutely love this series, and cannot wait to continue reading when the next book is ready! I would recommend starting with book 1, as there is a lot of information in book 1 that you need to get into book 2 properly, in order to properly understand what is going on and who is who, but if you start with book 1, there is an absolute guarantee that you will be buying book 2 not long after!
Anyway, that's all for now...
Bye!
SQUEEE! I'm so excited you liked it!
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