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New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the dangerous, haunting world of archangels…and a love that is legend.
For thousands of years, the passion between Alexander, Archangel of Persia, and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile, burned furious and bright, seemingly without end. But to be an archangel is to be bound to power violent and demanding. Driven by its primal energy, Alexander and Zanaya fought as fiercely as they loved. Locked in an endless cycle of devotion and heartbreak, it is only Zanaya’s decision to Sleep that ends their love story.
Eons later, it is the Cascade of Death that wakens them both. The passion between them a flame that yet burns, Alexander and Zanaya stand together in one last battle against the ultimate darkness. But even a warrior archangel cannot win every war. Alexander’s scream shatters the world as Zanaya falls, broken and silent…only to rise again in a miracle that may be a devastating curse. For is it truly the Queen of the Nile who has been resurrected?
Only one thing is clear: this is the last beat of their passionate, angry dance. The final song for Alexander and his Zani…
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Archangel's Resurrection follows the same format as previous books that deviated from the main couple, Elena and Raphael, to other characters in the Guild Hunter universe. I like the change in point-of-view, especially with Alexander and Zanaya's love story. The overall breadth of their story spans over several millennia. The first chunk of the book featured the backstory of both Alexander and Zanaya. Since the majority of the Guild Hunter books are focused on Elena and Raphael, so we don't know too much about Alexander and Zanaya. Both are archangels and Ancients, but we know very little about them. The first part of the book was necessary. Starting from birth may seem a bit much, but the character profile of A and Z needed to be fleshed out and the depth of their relationship needed to be established.
The history between the two spans over several millennia and by all accounts, seemed to be stuck in a circular pattern of toxic highs and lows. The pair were on again, off again lovers. The biggest issues between the pair were power imbalances, emotional and physical maturity, and the past traumas that shaped their very being. For Alexander, as a young angel, he felt helpless when it came to protecting his parents (scholars, not warriors) from the machinations and abuse from another higher-ranked angel. From a very young age, Alexander knew that he was meant for the battlefield, rather than scholarly pursuits. His inclination for battle and strategy and his past feelings of helplessness, lead to his thirst and hoarding of power. For Zanaya, it was witnessing her mother's unhinged obsession with her biological father. Her mother's behavior and subsequent isolation of Zanaya from angelkind, put Zanaya at a disadvantage from the start. Wanting to be the complete opposite of her mother, Zanaya threw herself into warrior training and made a name for herself. Zanaya values her independence and having control over every aspect of her life.
There was also a significant age gap between the two, early on in life. The age milestones for angelkind are different, in that angels are still considered babes until they turn 100 years old. With such a long lifespan, the rules for dating and courtship are a little different with angelkind. Alexander was already a few millennia older than Zanaya when she started making a name for herself. Their initial meeting was an instant attraction and obsession, but due to Zanaya's young age and the sudden obsession he felt, Alexander did not pursue her; by this time, Alexander had become an Archangel. On the flipside, Zanaya did not pursue Alexander due to the feelings of possession and obsession she felt for him. Not wanting to become her mother, Zanaya purposefully turned away from the attraction she felt for him. There was also court politics and loyalties in the mix as further roadblocks.
When their positions in life were stable enough (Zanaya had risen up the ranks to be a General for another court), they both admitted their feelings and became a couple. Of course, this was the start of their very toxic relationship. Feelings of jealousy, obsession, possession, and stubbornness caused frequent arguments and "breaks" in their relationship. During one of their breaks, Zanaya ascended to the position of Archangel, but rather than feeling dissonance in the presence of another Archangel, the pair were unaffected. This is most likely due to their constant appearance in each other's lives. While angelkind have long lifespans, their mind and temperament are worn down by age and time. Most older Archangels and angels choose to go to Sleep for several millennia at a time to recharge and rest their minds and bodies.
Recognizing that they both needed to Sleep, Zanaya went to Alexander and rather than understanding, Alexander saw this as a betrayal. To Alexander, she was "leaving him" and not telling him where she would be located. This last "break-up" was a last one for several millennia. During her absence, Alexander continued to rule his territory and eventually fathered a child (Rohan) with another angel. Though they were not passionate lovers, Alexander and the mother of his child, were great co-parents. Once Rohan reached adulthood and was established in Alexander's court, Alexander chose to finally Sleep until he was woken up by Andie and Naasir.
The middle chunk was barely a chunk. It was from the POV of Zanaya as she awoke from Sleep during the Cascade and before the final fight against Lijuan. Zanaya and Alexander reacquaint themselves and catch-up on all that has happened in the meantime. This chunk ends with Zanaya falling into unconsciousness after getting her lifeforce sucked out by Lijuan during the final battle. Cassandra takes her body to heal and recover.
The last chunk starts with Zanaya recovering in Cassandra's fiery cocoon. Ten years have passed since the final battle against Lijuan. The world has mostly recovered, but the emotional trauma and scarring from the Cascade-fueled battle still marks both mankind and angelkind. During her ten-year absence, Alexander has reflected on his relationship with Zanaya. It was uncertain if Cassandra could heal Zanaya and the other afflicted Archangels, but Alexander held out hope for her recovery. Alexander's main focus was rebuilding and stabilizing his territory after the Cascade, and raising his grandson, Xander. Upon her "resurrection," Zanaya takes her place among the Cadre and establishes her territory in Africa. Zanaya for the most part is healed except for the changes in her eyes that Lijuan induced.
While stabilizing her territory, Zanaya feels drawn to the resting place of Antonicus, the Archangel who met his death in the black fog of Lijuan's territory. Over the last ten years, any Reborn that scattered from the final battle was hunted down, but it seems that there were some who evolved into more and it's up to Alexander and Zanaya to find out what's causing the change.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. We see the deep history between the main couple, but also with other Archangels, and in different moments in time. The third chunk was a jump in time, but it meshed well into the current timeline. The pacing was steady and ramped up a bit in the third part. I liked reading little tidbits in part three, e.g. who designed Alexander's insignia and which angels were waking from Sleep. I can't wait to see which character's book is coming up next or if we are returning to the OG couple.
4.5 stars
About the Author
Photo Credit: Author's Webpage
On Me
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I spent three years living and working in Japan, where I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page.
I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher, but not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.
On writing
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. All of my stories held a thread of romance, even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes. Creating unique characters and giving them happy endings is my favorite thing. I even love the voices in my head, so there’s no other job I’d rather be doing. When I got the call in September 2002 that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
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