Brook, Meljean - Demon Angel

[oyceter]

Lilith and Hugh have been battling over human souls for centuries as demon and Guardian (a cross between angel and human), though neither are allowed to interfere with human will. But after eight hundred years of trying to save people, Hugh grow bitter, decides to fall and finally kill Lilith.

Sixteen years later, there's a new threat in San Francisco, involving demons and nosferatu (sort of like Buffy ubervamps), and Hugh and Lilith have to team up, though he's human, and she's not as she was.

I loved the concept of Lilith a lot, though I was a little sad that she wasn't the Lilith. I also like the insane worldbuilding, all the demons and angels and wars between Heaven and Hell and two people battling over centuries, each growing more disillusioned.

On the other hand, nothing in the latter 300+ pages lives up to the snippets of battles between Hugh and Lilith over 800+ years; once we move from snippets to in-depth prose, Lilith and Hugh both lose some of what made them interesting to me as characters, and a lot of the tension between the two disappeared. Hugh in particular got rather boring; I wanted more disillusionment and scruffy amorality a la Wesley. Lilith stays cool in that she gets to kick a lot of ass, and she's the one who grows the most as a character, but even so, I felt that Brook underplays her demonic-ness and tries too hard to make Lilith morally acceptable.

Also, the sex completely threw me off -- what's the point of having a demonic heroine and a fallen angel hero if he's in control of the sex every time we get description? Lilith does take control, but it's off-scene, which makes it much less effective, and the first major sex scene completely didn't work for me (save one detail, which was made of win).

On the other hand... Hugh writes a book for her! To make up for all the dead white men writing her out of their books! This won me over.

I'm not sure if I'll read more Brook. I'm particularly uninterested in Colin and Savi together, especially because I was rooting for something on Colin and Selah going into the whole captive blood-sucking thing. And I want more demon women!

On the other hand, I enjoyed the worldbuilding a lot, despite feeling like the vampires and nosferatu detracted from the world as a whole, and I am a total sucker for angels and demons. And Brook seems to focus more on the woman in this book, which is rare enough in romances that I'm willing to give her another shot.

Comments

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

what's the point of having a demonic heroine and a fallen angel hero if he's in control of the sex every time we get description?

You know if she was the Lilith, that's not how things would go down.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

It's so true! That's kind of the whole point of the Lilith.

[oyceter]

I know! It would have been much more interesting with the Lilith.

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

Personally, I always thought that was a sad story. I'd like to think that the father of humanity wasn't a) such a an idiot, b) so unimaginative, and c) the world's first divorcee. Is there no hope for anyone?

[riemannia.livejournal.com]

I do want to try this author again, but I lost interest during the present day. Honestly, I didn't really believe Hugh and Lilith had lived for centuries anymore.

Still, points for ambition and breadth of story.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

This one's been recced to me, but from your review, I don't think I'd like it much. Should I give it a try? I didn't get into the one short story of hers I read.

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

So far this book was the only one of hers I was really into. Not sure why, exactly, but it was more interesting.

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

I was pretty uninterested in Colin and Savi. Actually, that's not true. I like Colin, but Savi does NOT hold up to him at all. He desperately needed a more interesting partner. I also thought the whole "Oh noes, you're a vampire and thus you can't be sexually monogamous to me! Thus I shall go off and marry some traditional Indian male!" plot was freaking ridiculous.

[oyceter]

Yeah... I had the same problems you did with present day Hugh and Lilith.

[oyceter]

I... am not sure if you'd like it? It's hard to say. Though I'd read it for the first part alone, and see if that's enough to catch your interest.

[oyceter]

Aiiiieee to the traditional Indian male marriage. Sigh. I like that Savi had some character in this book, but I rolled my eyes a little at having an Indian character as a computer hacker and programmer (and I say this being a female Asian computer person myself and joining Savi in geek pride).

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

It's all the more ridiculous because it's blatantly obvious that it ain't happening. Savi's life is just too weird for even a lone date.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll look at it in the store!

[oyceter]

Oh! If you don't manage to get to it by then, I can lend you my copy when you are here in the summer.