31 Days of Halloween { book review } Nephilim by Mary Ann Loesch
Nephilim by Mary Ann Loesch. © 2011 Lyrical Press, Inc. ISBN 9781616502935. eBook. Urban Fantasy. 191 pages.
Synopsis: Tattoo artist Nathan Ink is more than he seems. An angel living in secret on earth, he forces his clients to face their flaws by tattooing images of their sins on their bodies, but this glimpse into the soul often results in his clients’ deaths. Although Nathan avoids the other angels, when they ask him to keep an eye on Faye, a nephilim being stalked by another of her kind, he reluctantly agrees. The angels have kept Faye in the dark about her stalker, but to keep her close to Nathan, they’ve tasked her with investigating the high mortality rate of Nathan’s clients. Despite her distaste for his methods, she finds herself fighting a growing attraction to Nathan, and discovering he’s not a rogue after all forces her to question her own mission. When Faye learns her stalker is another nephilim who intends to use her to breed a new race of hellish beings, teaming up with Nathan may be the only way to prevent a genocide.
Review: After getting over a couple cheesy names (i.e.: Nathan Ink–fallen angel, symbolist and owner of the tattoo parlor Hell’s Leak), I realized that this book actually harbors strong writing, wonderfully flawed characters and an intense plot rife with twists which leave you captivated.
The story begins with the angel Azal recruiting Faye–a nephilim (human/angel hybrid) who runs a nursery and sings at a club part-time–on a mission to find out why Nathan’s clients keep croaking. Nathan has a tendency to tattoo his clients with whichever seven deadly sin they are guilty of, both to urge them to clean up and to serve as a reminder of their past transgressions after getting on the straight and narrow. Faye is very reluctant to help as she blames God for the death of her loved ones, but eventually she comes around due to curiosity. However, what Faye doesn’t know is that Azal has placed her in Nathan’s path for a reason.
What I really liked in this novel, as I’m a bit of a Lucifer fangirl, was how sympathetically he was portrayed. His relationship was God was interesting, but I don’t want to spoil everything. Nephilim is definitely one of the grittier, more intense, angel books that I’ve read lately. So, if you don’t mind religion and violence in your urban fantasy then this is unquestionably for you! 4/5.
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with a finished copy by Pump Up Your Book.
I was not compensated for my review.
