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Eve of Light #1
Broken Angels
A speculative thriller woven with cosmic Lovecraftian weirdness, Broken Angels is the first book in a Metaphysical Fantasy series entitled Eve of Light. Metaphysical Fantasy is a subgenre that combines action & adventure with philosophy or theology (a popular example would be Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, specifically The Amber Spyglass).
Intended for readers aged 16 and older (or mature readers of any age), this book contains graphic violence, adult language, and heretical ideas about the nature of reality.
Here's the set-up:
Still grieving years after the butchery of his pregnant mother and kidnapping of his premature brother, Robert Goldner was just seventeen when he contracted the White Fire Virus. He prayed for the excruciating death most victims experience shortly after acquiring the STD. Instead he was cursed to live on, slowly dying, ridden with billions of parasites, and possessing a bizarre but limited ability to manipulate photons, the basic units of light.
At age twenty, Robert still considers himself damned and confused, not the least because more and more surviving virus-carriers are calling themselves "angels"-- God-blessed beings of light--his licentious partner Darryl Ridley being a prime example. But Robert attempts to shove the irritating mystery of it all to the gutters of his mind as he focuses on his mission as a Watcher agent, locating and recovering missing children in the Washington, D.C. area.
When Robert and Darryl receive a hot tip on the location of a virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl's best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?
Intended for readers aged 16 and older (or mature readers of any age), this book contains graphic violence, adult language, and heretical ideas about the nature of reality.
Here's the set-up:
Still grieving years after the butchery of his pregnant mother and kidnapping of his premature brother, Robert Goldner was just seventeen when he contracted the White Fire Virus. He prayed for the excruciating death most victims experience shortly after acquiring the STD. Instead he was cursed to live on, slowly dying, ridden with billions of parasites, and possessing a bizarre but limited ability to manipulate photons, the basic units of light.
At age twenty, Robert still considers himself damned and confused, not the least because more and more surviving virus-carriers are calling themselves "angels"-- God-blessed beings of light--his licentious partner Darryl Ridley being a prime example. But Robert attempts to shove the irritating mystery of it all to the gutters of his mind as he focuses on his mission as a Watcher agent, locating and recovering missing children in the Washington, D.C. area.
When Robert and Darryl receive a hot tip on the location of a virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl's best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?
312 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 27, 2012
I’d like to begin by thanking Goodreads and their First Reads program for giving me a free copy of Broken Angels to read and review.
I’ve been struggling, for a few days now, to finish this book; not because the subject matter is boring, but because the manner in which it was written and presented is disappointing. I don’t know if Goodreads frowns on people giving poor reviews to their giveaways, and I’ve debated giving Broken Angels a higher rating, but I just can’t bring myself to lie. (I feel doubly bad because the copy I received was signed and made out to me.)
Harambee Grey-Sun’s take on this new wave of angel centric urban fantasy is simple: angels are, in fact, just ordinary people who have fallen prey to a sexually transmitted disease known as the “White Fire Virus”. The afflicted become infested with parasites that make them capable of manipulating light in addition to the ability that allows them to access a hidden dimension called “Xynkroma”. Naturally, these supernatural side effects are concealed from the masses and, as a result, especially powerful virus carriers are recruited to work for secret organizations alongside regular government branches. The book’s protagonist, Robert Goldner, is one of these special agents. With his partner, Darryl Ridley, Robert secretly combats a rogue group of virus carriers called “The Infinite Definite”, who are dedicated to merging Xynkroma with the real world. Robert and Darryl must work together, despite their differences, to stop these rogues from executing their apocalyptic plan. Sounds exciting, right? Well, it should’ve been.
Firstly, there are a lot of action scenes in the book; however, a lot of them involve lengthy passages on how the virus carriers are able to manipulate light. These sections are written very methodically with lots of scientific jargon, AND managed to kill any excitement I had over the conflict at hand. I felt like I was reading a high school science manual. Also, the second half of the book features excursions into the fictional dimension of Xynkroma, which apparently is bogged down in poetry and philosophy. All I can say is: between the science and the poetry, I was really put off.
Secondly, character development was another big issue for me. Robert and Darryl have highly contrasting personalities, yet they’re forced to work together as partners. This should’ve opened up so many doors in terms of potential interactions and building tension; however, after we learn about this clash, the author separates them and has them spend most of the book apart. Instead of having them build a bond, he gives them each a female counterpart, which I felt further stagnated matters.
Lastly, the end was very anticlimactic. I mentioned an apocalypse earlier and I feel that I was very generous with the term. I won’t go into details but the conclusion is very open ended in order to facilitate a sequel. Unless this series catapults to best seller status, I probably won’t continue with it.
In sum, Harambee Grey-Sun has a great concept but he fails to deliver.
I’ve been struggling, for a few days now, to finish this book; not because the subject matter is boring, but because the manner in which it was written and presented is disappointing. I don’t know if Goodreads frowns on people giving poor reviews to their giveaways, and I’ve debated giving Broken Angels a higher rating, but I just can’t bring myself to lie. (I feel doubly bad because the copy I received was signed and made out to me.)
Harambee Grey-Sun’s take on this new wave of angel centric urban fantasy is simple: angels are, in fact, just ordinary people who have fallen prey to a sexually transmitted disease known as the “White Fire Virus”. The afflicted become infested with parasites that make them capable of manipulating light in addition to the ability that allows them to access a hidden dimension called “Xynkroma”. Naturally, these supernatural side effects are concealed from the masses and, as a result, especially powerful virus carriers are recruited to work for secret organizations alongside regular government branches. The book’s protagonist, Robert Goldner, is one of these special agents. With his partner, Darryl Ridley, Robert secretly combats a rogue group of virus carriers called “The Infinite Definite”, who are dedicated to merging Xynkroma with the real world. Robert and Darryl must work together, despite their differences, to stop these rogues from executing their apocalyptic plan. Sounds exciting, right? Well, it should’ve been.
Firstly, there are a lot of action scenes in the book; however, a lot of them involve lengthy passages on how the virus carriers are able to manipulate light. These sections are written very methodically with lots of scientific jargon, AND managed to kill any excitement I had over the conflict at hand. I felt like I was reading a high school science manual. Also, the second half of the book features excursions into the fictional dimension of Xynkroma, which apparently is bogged down in poetry and philosophy. All I can say is: between the science and the poetry, I was really put off.
Secondly, character development was another big issue for me. Robert and Darryl have highly contrasting personalities, yet they’re forced to work together as partners. This should’ve opened up so many doors in terms of potential interactions and building tension; however, after we learn about this clash, the author separates them and has them spend most of the book apart. Instead of having them build a bond, he gives them each a female counterpart, which I felt further stagnated matters.
Lastly, the end was very anticlimactic. I mentioned an apocalypse earlier and I feel that I was very generous with the term. I won’t go into details but the conclusion is very open ended in order to facilitate a sequel. Unless this series catapults to best seller status, I probably won’t continue with it.
In sum, Harambee Grey-Sun has a great concept but he fails to deliver.
September 12, 2012
Really 4.3 stars instead of 5; I'm just rounding up.
I won't recap the plot since the book's (long) description does that pretty well, but overall this was a fun read, if a bit slow in spots. Definitely not perfect, and even though there’s plenty of action (maybe one or two fight scenes too many for my tastes), this isn’t a book for readers looking mostly for fast-paced action. It's probably best described as cerebral and surreal urban fantasy. And the cerebral/philosophical stuff takes center stage—which is fine with me since I like that sort of thing, but those with a low tolerance for metaphysical ideas...well, this book definitely is not for them.
Personally, my biggest beef with the book is that much of it seems to be concerned with setting up the sequel or future books.
I wished the book could’ve been a little longer to develop the world a bit more — some of this development could’ve taken the place of one or two of the fight scenes, which as I said are a little gratuitous. And the ending seemed a bit rushed. However, I did read the postscript on the author’s website, and that did help flesh out the one of the ending's mysteries.
But my beefs are minor. As I said, I enjoyed it. Though, I’d like to see what the author does with the sequel — depending on how meaty it is, it may either decrease or increase my opinion of this book.
Worth a read if you're into books that explore the nature of reality.
I won't recap the plot since the book's (long) description does that pretty well, but overall this was a fun read, if a bit slow in spots. Definitely not perfect, and even though there’s plenty of action (maybe one or two fight scenes too many for my tastes), this isn’t a book for readers looking mostly for fast-paced action. It's probably best described as cerebral and surreal urban fantasy. And the cerebral/philosophical stuff takes center stage—which is fine with me since I like that sort of thing, but those with a low tolerance for metaphysical ideas...well, this book definitely is not for them.
Personally, my biggest beef with the book is that much of it seems to be concerned with setting up the sequel or future books.
I wished the book could’ve been a little longer to develop the world a bit more — some of this development could’ve taken the place of one or two of the fight scenes, which as I said are a little gratuitous. And the ending seemed a bit rushed. However, I did read the postscript on the author’s website, and that did help flesh out the one of the ending's mysteries.
But my beefs are minor. As I said, I enjoyed it. Though, I’d like to see what the author does with the sequel — depending on how meaty it is, it may either decrease or increase my opinion of this book.
Worth a read if you're into books that explore the nature of reality.
February 12, 2014
This review was originally posted at: http://francesandlynne.wordpress.com/...
”I’m not your lover,” Darryl said as the woman’s eyes slowly rose from his chest to meet his. His irises faded from their usual shade of violet and gradually brightened approaching the color of wisteria. “I’m more like an angel”.
His corneas twinkled, and the air around his body filled with suspended particles, looking like not-quite-clear raindrops, each of them smaller than a thumbtack.
The drops multiplied. After an uncertain number of them appeared, they moved, scurrying until gathered into two crescent shapes that hovered just above and behind his shoulders. Before T. could say anything, the crescents unfolded, cascading down and down in waves of intangible watery light. When it was all over, two large, radiant wings featuring various shades of violet extended from Darryl’s back…
…“Like all angels,” he said, “I am essentially a messenger.” He extended his hand to her. “I can give you something better than sex, something that can erase all false notions of love from your pretty-pretty head.””
Darryl, Broken Angels by Harambee K. Grey-Sun
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read Broken Angels, a self-published book written by Harambee K. Grey-Sun. Broken Angels is set in a World infected by the White Fire Virus, a sexually transmitted disease that results in an excruciatingly painful death for the majority of people. For a minority of people, however, the effect of the White Fire Virus is much, much slower and, weirdly, enables the person to manipulate light (e.g., become invisible, channel light into a weapon etc.). There are two main protagonists in the book, Robert and Darryl. Both Robert and Darryl are Watcher agents, meaning they locate missing children. Some of the watcher agents call themselves angels, and many people on Earth believe them, hence the title of the book. In Broken Angels, Robert and Darryl are trying to locate a missing teenage girl, who is believed to be mixed up with a gang of virus carriers called the Infinite Definite (ID ~ a reference to Freud’s ID, I assume) who use their abilities to commit acts of terror. Will Robert and Darryl be able to find the missing girl? In the process, they become entangled in a conspiracy to bring about the Apocalypse. Will Robert and Darryl be able to prevent the end of the World?
I will admit that I chose the book based on the title and the description. As a result, I was expecting the book to be about angels, literally. The last line in the description is “Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?” This isn’t an accurate reflection of the book because there are no angels and the apocalypse isn’t that close to happening in this book. Aside from that, this book has to be one of the strangest things I’ve ever read, but not in a good way.
There is an awful lot of world-building in Broken Angels, which made for a very heavy read. I had expected the author to spend time building up an image of the world given that this is the first book in a series and the world is so very different to ours. However, there was an overwhelming amount of world-building and not all of it was very well explained. The author spent a fair amount of time attempting to explain how the White Fire Virus came about and how it spread. From memory, the White Fire Virus began with flies that infected humans with parasites. The parasites are excited by light which is what causes the medical problems (most often death) and the White Fire Virus is transmitted through sex. I have to say that for the amount of time spent explaining about the White Fire Virus, I don’t understand what happened very well and as this came at the beginning of the book, my attention wasn’t captured. I think that the author may have been better off not explaining like in Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. I ended up rather skeptical about how realistic the White Fire Virus was—not at a great start!
Next, the author spent an exorbitant amount of time building up a picture of the world several years after the initial outbreak of the White Fire Virus and introducing the reader to Robert and Darryl. Robert and Darryl are both infected with the White Fire Virus and are Watcher agents. Watcher agents track down missing children in the DC area. I don’t understand why missing children are so important in Broken Angels, even Robert (and Darryl, I think) are children who were initially missing and then recruited to be watcher agents. I didn’t really connect with either Robert or Darryl. Robert is a stickler for the rules and he spends a lot of time complaining about Darryl’s “charity work” (I’ll explain in a second). This made Robert’s character rather dull most of the time. There were moments, however, where Robert became interesting. For example, he uses his abilities to help intervene in an abusive event that occurs on a train. He also uses his abilities to fight two members of the ID. Both of those scenes were interesting and fast-paced to read. I liked Darryl less than Robert. Darryl is focused on his “charity work” throughout the book. Essentially, he has read a book called “Death’s Heart” that has led him to conclude all relationships and love causes more pain than no relationships and love. He uses his abilities to brainwash women and men into forgetting about love, pretending to be an angel while he does it. He also has a set routine for attracting women and making them lust after him, then he slams them with his hypnotism to put them off lust and love. He’s utterly deluded by this book that he cannot see that what he’s doing is wrong. He has one brief moment where he begins to see that he might be wrong, but nope, he’s method is just wrong. Sigh!
Ava was the most interesting character. I liked the mystery surrounding what had happened to her since she took down a member of the Infinite Definite and disappeared. From a psychology perspective, I found her unwavering belief that she was an angel fascinating. She’d pretty much been brain-washed into thinking that she’s an angel – by whom, I don’t know. That’s part of the mystery. I particularly enjoyed trying to figure out whether she was good or bad. That ambiguity was what made her character interesting.
Then, there’s XynKroma. I’m not even sure where to start explaining XynKroma! From what I understand, which most likely isn’t correct because the information about XynKroma was very detailed and complicated, XynKroma is a different level of reality. A level of reality which only the soul can travel to and things are really, really strange. It’s kind of like a dream because anything can happen, anything! For example, at one point, Darryl is like this mass of blobbyness without any shape. Another creature kind of molds him into a humanoid shape, but forgets his eyes, ears or mouth—I can’t remember which. Then, I’m pretty sure some other creature eats him and he comes out the other end of the creature as something better and with wings. That might not be perfectly accurate, but it gives you an idea of the kind of madness in Xynkroma. From what I understand people travel to Xynkroma to learn some inner truth but this can have extreme negative consequences for the person. Because of the weirdness of Xynkroma, this was probably the most interesting part of the book to read.
I also really did not enjoy the major philosophical side to this book. It just didn’t make a lot of sense and trying to wrap my head around it was hard going. Here’s what I understand—Creation hasn’t finished. Creation will only be finished when XynKroma leaks into reality as we know it and the two become one. I’m not sure why creating a World where dream-like events are real would be any God’s end-goal, but apparently that’s what God intended. This is the apocalypse that the book description refers to (which is a little melodramatic in and of itself, as humanity wouldn’t be wiped out). The apocalypse also doesn’t happen in this book as the description implies. I assume this occurs in the second or third book in the series.
Final Verdict: Unless you are a philosophy nut, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I won't be reading the next book.
Frances
”I’m not your lover,” Darryl said as the woman’s eyes slowly rose from his chest to meet his. His irises faded from their usual shade of violet and gradually brightened approaching the color of wisteria. “I’m more like an angel”.
His corneas twinkled, and the air around his body filled with suspended particles, looking like not-quite-clear raindrops, each of them smaller than a thumbtack.
The drops multiplied. After an uncertain number of them appeared, they moved, scurrying until gathered into two crescent shapes that hovered just above and behind his shoulders. Before T. could say anything, the crescents unfolded, cascading down and down in waves of intangible watery light. When it was all over, two large, radiant wings featuring various shades of violet extended from Darryl’s back…
…“Like all angels,” he said, “I am essentially a messenger.” He extended his hand to her. “I can give you something better than sex, something that can erase all false notions of love from your pretty-pretty head.””
Darryl, Broken Angels by Harambee K. Grey-Sun
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read Broken Angels, a self-published book written by Harambee K. Grey-Sun. Broken Angels is set in a World infected by the White Fire Virus, a sexually transmitted disease that results in an excruciatingly painful death for the majority of people. For a minority of people, however, the effect of the White Fire Virus is much, much slower and, weirdly, enables the person to manipulate light (e.g., become invisible, channel light into a weapon etc.). There are two main protagonists in the book, Robert and Darryl. Both Robert and Darryl are Watcher agents, meaning they locate missing children. Some of the watcher agents call themselves angels, and many people on Earth believe them, hence the title of the book. In Broken Angels, Robert and Darryl are trying to locate a missing teenage girl, who is believed to be mixed up with a gang of virus carriers called the Infinite Definite (ID ~ a reference to Freud’s ID, I assume) who use their abilities to commit acts of terror. Will Robert and Darryl be able to find the missing girl? In the process, they become entangled in a conspiracy to bring about the Apocalypse. Will Robert and Darryl be able to prevent the end of the World?
I will admit that I chose the book based on the title and the description. As a result, I was expecting the book to be about angels, literally. The last line in the description is “Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?” This isn’t an accurate reflection of the book because there are no angels and the apocalypse isn’t that close to happening in this book. Aside from that, this book has to be one of the strangest things I’ve ever read, but not in a good way.
There is an awful lot of world-building in Broken Angels, which made for a very heavy read. I had expected the author to spend time building up an image of the world given that this is the first book in a series and the world is so very different to ours. However, there was an overwhelming amount of world-building and not all of it was very well explained. The author spent a fair amount of time attempting to explain how the White Fire Virus came about and how it spread. From memory, the White Fire Virus began with flies that infected humans with parasites. The parasites are excited by light which is what causes the medical problems (most often death) and the White Fire Virus is transmitted through sex. I have to say that for the amount of time spent explaining about the White Fire Virus, I don’t understand what happened very well and as this came at the beginning of the book, my attention wasn’t captured. I think that the author may have been better off not explaining like in Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. I ended up rather skeptical about how realistic the White Fire Virus was—not at a great start!
Next, the author spent an exorbitant amount of time building up a picture of the world several years after the initial outbreak of the White Fire Virus and introducing the reader to Robert and Darryl. Robert and Darryl are both infected with the White Fire Virus and are Watcher agents. Watcher agents track down missing children in the DC area. I don’t understand why missing children are so important in Broken Angels, even Robert (and Darryl, I think) are children who were initially missing and then recruited to be watcher agents. I didn’t really connect with either Robert or Darryl. Robert is a stickler for the rules and he spends a lot of time complaining about Darryl’s “charity work” (I’ll explain in a second). This made Robert’s character rather dull most of the time. There were moments, however, where Robert became interesting. For example, he uses his abilities to help intervene in an abusive event that occurs on a train. He also uses his abilities to fight two members of the ID. Both of those scenes were interesting and fast-paced to read. I liked Darryl less than Robert. Darryl is focused on his “charity work” throughout the book. Essentially, he has read a book called “Death’s Heart” that has led him to conclude all relationships and love causes more pain than no relationships and love. He uses his abilities to brainwash women and men into forgetting about love, pretending to be an angel while he does it. He also has a set routine for attracting women and making them lust after him, then he slams them with his hypnotism to put them off lust and love. He’s utterly deluded by this book that he cannot see that what he’s doing is wrong. He has one brief moment where he begins to see that he might be wrong, but nope, he’s method is just wrong. Sigh!
Ava was the most interesting character. I liked the mystery surrounding what had happened to her since she took down a member of the Infinite Definite and disappeared. From a psychology perspective, I found her unwavering belief that she was an angel fascinating. She’d pretty much been brain-washed into thinking that she’s an angel – by whom, I don’t know. That’s part of the mystery. I particularly enjoyed trying to figure out whether she was good or bad. That ambiguity was what made her character interesting.
Then, there’s XynKroma. I’m not even sure where to start explaining XynKroma! From what I understand, which most likely isn’t correct because the information about XynKroma was very detailed and complicated, XynKroma is a different level of reality. A level of reality which only the soul can travel to and things are really, really strange. It’s kind of like a dream because anything can happen, anything! For example, at one point, Darryl is like this mass of blobbyness without any shape. Another creature kind of molds him into a humanoid shape, but forgets his eyes, ears or mouth—I can’t remember which. Then, I’m pretty sure some other creature eats him and he comes out the other end of the creature as something better and with wings. That might not be perfectly accurate, but it gives you an idea of the kind of madness in Xynkroma. From what I understand people travel to Xynkroma to learn some inner truth but this can have extreme negative consequences for the person. Because of the weirdness of Xynkroma, this was probably the most interesting part of the book to read.
I also really did not enjoy the major philosophical side to this book. It just didn’t make a lot of sense and trying to wrap my head around it was hard going. Here’s what I understand—Creation hasn’t finished. Creation will only be finished when XynKroma leaks into reality as we know it and the two become one. I’m not sure why creating a World where dream-like events are real would be any God’s end-goal, but apparently that’s what God intended. This is the apocalypse that the book description refers to (which is a little melodramatic in and of itself, as humanity wouldn’t be wiped out). The apocalypse also doesn’t happen in this book as the description implies. I assume this occurs in the second or third book in the series.
Final Verdict: Unless you are a philosophy nut, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I won't be reading the next book.
Frances
January 18, 2018
I enjoyed this tale very much. It took me a bit to get into the world, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The characters are complicated and the end of the book leaves you wanting the next one. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 30, 2022
I found Broken Angels painfully slow. DNF at about 40%.
I was confused through most of that 40% and felt there were major information gaps.
I was confused through most of that 40% and felt there were major information gaps.
September 20, 2013
Still grieving years after the butchery of his pregnant mother and kidnapping of his premature brother, Robert Goldner was just seventeen when he contracted the White Fire Virus. He prayed for the excruciating death most victims experience shortly after acquiring the STD. Instead he was cursed to live on, slowly dying, ridden with billions of parasites, and possessing a bizarre but limited ability to manipulate photons, the basic units of light.
At age twenty, Robert still considers himself damned and confused, not the least because more and more surviving virus-carriers are calling themselves "angels"-- God-blessed beings of light--his licentious partner Darryl Ridley being a prime example. But Robert attempts to shove the irritating mystery of it all to the gutters of his mind as he focuses on his mission as a Watcher agent, locating and recovering missing children in the Washington, D.C. area.
When Robert and Darryl receive a hot tip on the location of a virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl's best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?
Broken Angels started of well - until two chapters, that is. You have these virus-infected individuals who are now some sort of superheroes as they can bend and manipulate any electromagnetic wave, which basically means they are beings able to control Light and warp it to suit their needs. The premise was interesting enough - these people are able to access another dimension made up of the thoughts, desires and dreams of all individuals - a crazy place where normal rules don't apply. Some of the people think themselves to be angels (just because they can bend Light, really?) and some just want to cause havoc.
The story draws a lot of comparisons between the biblical definition of angels and layers theology onto science-fiction, a blend which this book failed at. The extra dimension is threatening to flood Reality, quite like the flood to purge Nephilim. The story shifts between two perspectives - that of Robert and Daryl - one who is basically an atheist and one who considers a book of bad poetry to be his Bible. I did not care much for these characters - I was more interested in the story of Ava, who deluded herself into thinking that they all are actual angels and she is an Arkangel. Mixed in with another girl who was missing, is presumably dead and quite dangerous if not, this story confused me like the metaphorical dimension they go hiking in.
The story was lost in the details, the information just thrown at you - it gets a lot to take in after a while and by the time you return to the plot, you just have a pounding headache. I also didn't get some events in the book - like the attack on the train - which actually contributed nothing to the storyline. I wish I could say it was character-driven but even the characters are plain annoying at times so any hope of empathizing or understanding them goes plain out of the window. And I won't even get started on the ridiculous names - whats with Xynkroma? It sounds like it came from a bad 50s sci-fi movie.
The ending - god, what happened there? It was nothing as promised in the blurb. Nothing is resolved and it just gets sinister. I had hoped for some closure in the ending but it just confused me even more, leaving me like this:
Received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
At age twenty, Robert still considers himself damned and confused, not the least because more and more surviving virus-carriers are calling themselves "angels"-- God-blessed beings of light--his licentious partner Darryl Ridley being a prime example. But Robert attempts to shove the irritating mystery of it all to the gutters of his mind as he focuses on his mission as a Watcher agent, locating and recovering missing children in the Washington, D.C. area.
When Robert and Darryl receive a hot tip on the location of a virus-infected girl who disappeared shortly after attempting to massacre half her high school, they prepare to chalk up another success. But when they instead find the girl's best friend from school, beaten nearly to death, they become entwined in a conspiracy involving magick, bizarre creatures, fantastic realms beyond space and time, and even the death of God.
Can two dying angels do anything to prevent the Apocalypse?
Broken Angels started of well - until two chapters, that is. You have these virus-infected individuals who are now some sort of superheroes as they can bend and manipulate any electromagnetic wave, which basically means they are beings able to control Light and warp it to suit their needs. The premise was interesting enough - these people are able to access another dimension made up of the thoughts, desires and dreams of all individuals - a crazy place where normal rules don't apply. Some of the people think themselves to be angels (just because they can bend Light, really?) and some just want to cause havoc.
The story draws a lot of comparisons between the biblical definition of angels and layers theology onto science-fiction, a blend which this book failed at. The extra dimension is threatening to flood Reality, quite like the flood to purge Nephilim. The story shifts between two perspectives - that of Robert and Daryl - one who is basically an atheist and one who considers a book of bad poetry to be his Bible. I did not care much for these characters - I was more interested in the story of Ava, who deluded herself into thinking that they all are actual angels and she is an Arkangel. Mixed in with another girl who was missing, is presumably dead and quite dangerous if not, this story confused me like the metaphorical dimension they go hiking in.
The story was lost in the details, the information just thrown at you - it gets a lot to take in after a while and by the time you return to the plot, you just have a pounding headache. I also didn't get some events in the book - like the attack on the train - which actually contributed nothing to the storyline. I wish I could say it was character-driven but even the characters are plain annoying at times so any hope of empathizing or understanding them goes plain out of the window. And I won't even get started on the ridiculous names - whats with Xynkroma? It sounds like it came from a bad 50s sci-fi movie.
The ending - god, what happened there? It was nothing as promised in the blurb. Nothing is resolved and it just gets sinister. I had hoped for some closure in the ending but it just confused me even more, leaving me like this:
Received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
July 31, 2016
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Broken Angels, and I was pleased to find this was a fairly gripping thriller/urban fantasy with some incredible descriptive writing. The characters were well drawn, and it was an extremely good read. Set in a some time not too far in the future Washington DC, the story revolves mostly around Robert and Darryl, two young men working for an institution who look for missing children. Both characters are afflicted with the White Fire virus, a parasitic infection that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Those who don't die very quickly live on with the ability to manipulate light, but are likewise affected by light to a greater or lesser extent. These people are the angels of the title. Intriguing premise, right?
There's a moderate amount of science, philosophy and poetry in the book, though I didn't find it particularly intrusive. Some of these sections were maybe somewhat slower, but overall the book seemed pretty well paced. Some scenes are relatively violent, so perhaps not one for the very faint-hearted.
As this is a first in a series, there is a fair amount of world-building along the way, but that doesn't get in the way of the plot. There are some tantalising hints about the past of some of the characters, and about the history up to the point of the story. There are also hints of things to come, and the whole adds up to be pretty intriguing. Certainly this is a series I would like to continue reading.
Here be spoilers....
Finally, I will state that I won a copy of Broken Angels through a Goodreads giveaway—thankyou! The author has had no input to or preview of this review before I put it up on Goodreads. It's all my own work :-)
There's a moderate amount of science, philosophy and poetry in the book, though I didn't find it particularly intrusive. Some of these sections were maybe somewhat slower, but overall the book seemed pretty well paced. Some scenes are relatively violent, so perhaps not one for the very faint-hearted.
As this is a first in a series, there is a fair amount of world-building along the way, but that doesn't get in the way of the plot. There are some tantalising hints about the past of some of the characters, and about the history up to the point of the story. There are also hints of things to come, and the whole adds up to be pretty intriguing. Certainly this is a series I would like to continue reading.
Here be spoilers....
Finally, I will state that I won a copy of Broken Angels through a Goodreads giveaway—thankyou! The author has had no input to or preview of this review before I put it up on Goodreads. It's all my own work :-)
October 1, 2013
Full disclosure I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley.
My initial thought on the first couple of chapters of Broken Angels was, “Hey this is a surprise. A book from an author and publisher I’ve never heard from that isn’t all that bad.” A world-wide viral outbreak that either kills the victim outright or gives them “powers” for a short period of time before killing them. Terrorists bent on using their powers for evil. A government/big corporation that uses the afflicted to battle the terrorists. It was all somewhat interesting and enjoyable if not all that original in terms of the premise. Then the author introduced XynDroma. I honestly don’t even know how to describe it except to say it was this alternate reality / dream place that only the virus carriers could “enter”. As soon as this was introduced the book quickly went downhill. I found myself skimming through these chapters or skipping them altogether because they were so irritating as to be unreadable. Based on the descriptions I’ve seen elsewhere I think the author was going to for some kind of HP Lovecraft theme but in my opinion it didn’t work.
Without the XynDroma portions this probably could have been an average book for most people that they would have liked but not loved. Personally I think the author should re-evaluate moving forward with more books in this series and should instead write something else. Books can make or break an author’s career and this one is definitely leaning toward the break side.
My initial thought on the first couple of chapters of Broken Angels was, “Hey this is a surprise. A book from an author and publisher I’ve never heard from that isn’t all that bad.” A world-wide viral outbreak that either kills the victim outright or gives them “powers” for a short period of time before killing them. Terrorists bent on using their powers for evil. A government/big corporation that uses the afflicted to battle the terrorists. It was all somewhat interesting and enjoyable if not all that original in terms of the premise. Then the author introduced XynDroma. I honestly don’t even know how to describe it except to say it was this alternate reality / dream place that only the virus carriers could “enter”. As soon as this was introduced the book quickly went downhill. I found myself skimming through these chapters or skipping them altogether because they were so irritating as to be unreadable. Based on the descriptions I’ve seen elsewhere I think the author was going to for some kind of HP Lovecraft theme but in my opinion it didn’t work.
Without the XynDroma portions this probably could have been an average book for most people that they would have liked but not loved. Personally I think the author should re-evaluate moving forward with more books in this series and should instead write something else. Books can make or break an author’s career and this one is definitely leaning toward the break side.
May 19, 2016
'Broken Angels' by Harambee K. Grey-Sun is part of a series called Eve of Light. While it started with an interesting premise, it lost me in some loopy things that were introduced.
A dystopian future where a virus called White Fire has broken out. Those infected either die or are given limited powers based on it. Robert Goldner is partnered with Darryl Ridley and they look for the missing. In this case, a young girl. They use their strange powers to infiltrate a house and make a rescue, but it has it's own twists. Robert seems to be stand up guy, but Darryl is a womanizer who likes to "rescue" the women he comes across.
And then it gets weird (or weirder depending on what you thought of the previous paragraph). Darryl goes missing. Robert's new partner is a strange woman who speaks of visiting another dimension called XynKroma filled with strangeness and alien beings. At this point, I felt like the book went a bit off the rails. Darryl is captured and tortured by a group of women who have names that all begin with V. They refer to a book he knows and quotes from, but they have a missing chapter he's never seen.
A few weird elements I can handle, but this was just a few too many. And the XynKroma stuff felt weirdly preachy and a bit too earnest. I might have gone along with it as an alternate dimension, but it was just too over the top. I finished it, but I almost didn't.
I received a review copy of this ebook from HyperVerse Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
A dystopian future where a virus called White Fire has broken out. Those infected either die or are given limited powers based on it. Robert Goldner is partnered with Darryl Ridley and they look for the missing. In this case, a young girl. They use their strange powers to infiltrate a house and make a rescue, but it has it's own twists. Robert seems to be stand up guy, but Darryl is a womanizer who likes to "rescue" the women he comes across.
And then it gets weird (or weirder depending on what you thought of the previous paragraph). Darryl goes missing. Robert's new partner is a strange woman who speaks of visiting another dimension called XynKroma filled with strangeness and alien beings. At this point, I felt like the book went a bit off the rails. Darryl is captured and tortured by a group of women who have names that all begin with V. They refer to a book he knows and quotes from, but they have a missing chapter he's never seen.
A few weird elements I can handle, but this was just a few too many. And the XynKroma stuff felt weirdly preachy and a bit too earnest. I might have gone along with it as an alternate dimension, but it was just too over the top. I finished it, but I almost didn't.
I received a review copy of this ebook from HyperVerse Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
July 10, 2013
This book had a lot of potential but I think it got a little bogged down by some of the philosophical/metaphysical elements of the story. I liked the detective aspect of the story with Robert but all of the XynKroma stuff just got super confusing/complicated to the point where I just want to skip forward to the real world stuff. I applaud the author for going out on a limb and writing some truly weird fiction, but sometimes it just got too weird to even try and picture what was going on.
Also, the climax felt a little deflated. I never felt as if the main characters were in any real danger (I almost felt that way during Robert's final fight scene but it wasn't quite there nail-biting-wise) and while I know the ending was meant to set up a sequel, it didn't make me especially want to read that sequel. All in all, the book just fell kinda flat for me and more than once had me contemplating just giving up and reading something else. And that's sad as the concept sounded very interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and HyperVerse for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this book.
Also, the climax felt a little deflated. I never felt as if the main characters were in any real danger (I almost felt that way during Robert's final fight scene but it wasn't quite there nail-biting-wise) and while I know the ending was meant to set up a sequel, it didn't make me especially want to read that sequel. All in all, the book just fell kinda flat for me and more than once had me contemplating just giving up and reading something else. And that's sad as the concept sounded very interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and HyperVerse for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this book.
September 9, 2012
This was a goodreads free giveaway. I really appreciate the author signing my copy to me. I only wish I had a better opinion of the work.
Slow to start. Makes it harder to keep my attention. It will not make the best sellers list. I like the concept of this virus that has made these being (or angels as they refer themselves to be) that walk amoung. But, there was too much of an attempt to weave a background to set up the whole premise of the white fire virus that it bogged down the whole pace of the story. I struggled to keep interested. It would have been better to have just started with a vampire or werewolf virus that had infected people that have since joined up to form an agency fighting evil. Then you could have added other twists to conform to your own little universe. (Although I have seen this done I the past with some success in the Dead to Me series.)
Slow to start. Makes it harder to keep my attention. It will not make the best sellers list. I like the concept of this virus that has made these being (or angels as they refer themselves to be) that walk amoung. But, there was too much of an attempt to weave a background to set up the whole premise of the white fire virus that it bogged down the whole pace of the story. I struggled to keep interested. It would have been better to have just started with a vampire or werewolf virus that had infected people that have since joined up to form an agency fighting evil. Then you could have added other twists to conform to your own little universe. (Although I have seen this done I the past with some success in the Dead to Me series.)
December 30, 2013
Harambee K. Grey-Sun tells of a future where the few survivors of the White Fire Virus. gain the ability to manipulate E-M radiatio by turning themselves invisible and shooting bright light and infrared radiation. . Robert Goldner and Darryl Ridley are such Broken Angels who work for the Isaac-Abraham institution that works with the authorities hunting for missing angels. Then they come afoul of a small group of angels who wish to disrupt civilization and create a better one. There’s a psychic world called Xyncroma that cqan be visited while in a coma, that forms the basis of the beliefs of this group. The tale is quite exciting, but Xynchroma adds a weirdness that many readers won’t be expecting in a teen action tale. Review published in the Philadelphia Weekly Press
November 4, 2012
This is an interesting book with a great concept behind it. The main characters are well enough developed but I'd like to have seen a bit more. The plot itself however felt a bit stretched, given it's clearly a series and this made the pace a little slow for my tastes. The ideas within it are very solid, interesting and different. However, I'd have liked to have seen this condensed into a longer standalone book with a quicker pace. It's still a good read which I would recommend and certainly well worth the price.
August 14, 2013
I received a free copy of this e-book from the publishers with the intention of giving an honest review.
What to say? I tried, several times, to read this book but I couldn't finish it. It was too convoluted and mixed up. I kept losing track of which characters were doing what and where they were. I kept having to back-track over and over again trying to understand what was going on.
I eventually gave up reading it as it kept giving me a headache. I will not be on the lookout for the next book.
What to say? I tried, several times, to read this book but I couldn't finish it. It was too convoluted and mixed up. I kept losing track of which characters were doing what and where they were. I kept having to back-track over and over again trying to understand what was going on.
I eventually gave up reading it as it kept giving me a headache. I will not be on the lookout for the next book.
December 14, 2012
I received this book for free from the goodreads firstreads giveaway. This was a pretty interesting book, though not something that I would normally read. I would have liked to learn more about what happened to the main characters family, and other experiences in Xyn. My favorite thing about this book was the way the author described colors in the environment of the story, very cool. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in theology and philosophy.
October 16, 2012
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I thank the author for being generous with the gift and for signing the book.
This book could have been much better had there been a different ending. It almost seems like the author got tired of writing the book and didn't put much thought into the conclusion. It ends too abruptly without any satisfying end to any of the plot lines. With a revised conclusion, this could have been a 4-4.5 star book. As it stands, it's barely pushing 3.
This book could have been much better had there been a different ending. It almost seems like the author got tired of writing the book and didn't put much thought into the conclusion. It ends too abruptly without any satisfying end to any of the plot lines. With a revised conclusion, this could have been a 4-4.5 star book. As it stands, it's barely pushing 3.
May 27, 2013
Broken Angels clears up a lot of the questions I had in Bloodlight, but also introduces even more confusion. While Grey-Sun has big ideas, his delivery could be a little more refined. I enjoyed the parts outside the XynDroma, and could appreciate the fact that Robert was an even bigger hard-on than he was, presumably in adaptation to bigger troubles.
Again,as in Bloodlight, my interest disintegrated as I neared the conclusion despite bigger things brewing on the horizon.
Again,as in Bloodlight, my interest disintegrated as I neared the conclusion despite bigger things brewing on the horizon.
July 11, 2015
I really did not care for this book at all. Not particularly well written, and I found the story a bit preposterous. None of the characters were any one that I cared about at all. I hoped that as I got into the the story it would get more interesting, but I found it less interesting as it progressed. If I hadn't agreed to read and then give my honest opinion afterwards I would not have finished it.
December 16, 2013
I really wanted to like this book and persevered with it to the end as I felt I owed it to the publisher to give it a fair chance. However I found it very convoluted (especially the bits in XynKroma) and really difficult to raise any enthusiasm for. I had to push myself to keep reading when I felt no sympathy for any of the characters and huge chunks of it were, frankly, flights of fancy which made no sense whatsoever. Sadly, I will not be reading any more of the forthcoming series.
Read
May 25, 2013I really liked this book. I'm not a scifi reader usually, but I don't know what it was about this sorry I just found it very interesting. The basic concept of a virus that some think is actually a blessing, and some don't believe actually exists had me thinking.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
May 17, 2013Blah blah blah blah STOP
I actually rage quit
This book was so bad
Review Haiku for Those with Short Attention Spans
I actually rage quit
This book was so bad
Review Haiku for Those with Short Attention Spans
August 30, 2013
I received this book free to review from Netgalley. It sounded interesting. I have tried to read it several times, but just cannot get into it. From the parts I have read, it is rather violent and confusing.
August 18, 2012
The book reads like a cross between Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass, X-Men, and Hardy Boys Casefiles, but for older audiences and written by someone with a poetic bent.
September 27, 2013
I became bogged down with the
book's philosophical/metaphysical
elements. It took me awhile to
read the book.
book's philosophical/metaphysical
elements. It took me awhile to
read the book.
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