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More violence, more archangels, more intrigue, more sex, and new creatures to kill. Yay.

I think I liked this book better because Elena is more confident in herself and her relationship with Raphael. Sure, she's not sure what kind of relationship they have exactly, but just being in a relationship with Raphael seems to bolster her. She finally has someone not a friend who wants her and is there for her. Ever since the tragedy happened with her family, it seems like she's been adrift and has only a few friend she can truly count on. Having an endlessly powerful archangel that has your back can definitely empower a person. I really liked seeing her have a helpmate.

Raphael in the same vein, seems to enjoy being a helpmate and caring for someone. These archangels have so much power and are so old, plus living in violence, that a true relationship is a treasured rarity. I like that Raphael is all in on this and has become less austere. He's still hoity-toity, he is an archangel after all, but now he has more visible facets to his personality and emotes, and smolders. Rawr. Don't worry, he's still violent and all those other fun things he was in book 1.

New angels to meet! Lots of new angels and vampires in this book. The setting and plot take place in angel/vamp only territories and that brings its own set of problems. Elena is learning how to live in Raphael's works now and play the games of angel politics. She hates angel politics by the way, but she does enjoy still being able to use her Hunter skills and be a badass.

Something that annoyed me in this book is the constant flashes of memory or PTSD that Elena has. It seems almost daily that something triggers a flashback to the terror that happened in her childhood. Gradually there are bigger glimpses, but it's never fully sussed out and that annoyed me. I hate repetition.

I <3 Illium, that silly blue angel. He's one of my favorite characters.