Author:L.A. Banks
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Publisher: Pocket
Angels/Celeste Jackson Book #1
ISBN: 1451607784
ISBN13: 9781451607789
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher for review tour
Celeste Jackson has fought all her life against a fog of hallucination and substance abuse, but it’s not until she meets her protector, Azrael, an angel who has left the safety of the Light, that she learns of the evil forces that have been trying to ruin her, and why. A fierce battle for control of the mortal realm is brewing, and only Celeste—with the help of the Remnant, her half-human, half-angel brethren—can stand in the way. Together, Celeste and Azrael must gather an army of sensitives to defeat the dark powers that have ruled humanity for centuries, but time is running out. If Azrael surrenders to his growing desire for Celeste, he risks being trapped among humanity forever. But the longer he stays, the harder she is to resist. To save the world, Celeste must draw on her own dark experiences with addiction to help Azrael overcome the one temptation that could possibly make him an eternal prisoner—his obsession with her.
I'm going to hide now before you start reading this to dodge the rotten tomatoes you are going to throw at my head for going against the grain. I just could not get into this book as a whole. I have said many times before I dont enjoy books that are heavy on the religious/spiritual side and I have to say SURRENDER THE DARK has been the heaviest with religion I have picked up. If there was a category labeled Paranormal religion this would be at the top of the stacks. It wasn't just the heavy religion stuff that threw me off but the over explaining of things as well. There was seriously pages of inner dialogue from both Celeste and Azrael that could have been cut with no complaint on my end and the book would not have suffered at all for it. Sure there was some great action, characters, and supporting characters but I just could not get into the story as there was just so much religious talk attached to everything. Now to be fair YES this is a fallen angel book so I do expect there to be some sort of religious mythology and talk in the book but there was just way to much of it for me personally to enjoy the rest of the story. I will not continue reading the series, it just isn't my cup of tea.
I gave it a 2/5 stars
