Friday, February 4, 2011

BLACK WINGS by Christina Henry

Madeline Black #1
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Date published: December 2010
ISBN: 978-0441019632
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via: publisher


Christina Henry’s debut novel and the first of her Madeline Black series, BLACK WINGS, is a devil of a tale with fallen angels, demons, the grim reaper and more.

Like her mother before her, Madeline Black is an Agent of Death, responsible for escorting the souls of the newly dead to the afterlife. Her job comes with magical powers and a beautiful set of wings, but it also comes with little in the way of pay, a boss most people avoid and a gargoyle who is just as cranky as he is loveable. When tall, dark and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy’s building, Maddy’s life takes an interesting turn. Suddenly, demons are attacking her and she discovers magical powers and a family tree beyond belief.

Christina Henry is burning bright in the urban fantasy genre with her debut novel, BLACK WINGS. Henry takes the widely accepted concepts of heaven and hell, fallen angels and the like, and gives the whole tale a new twist. Maddy is living a life of duty, with no family and few friends. Her only real companion is a gargoyle that guards her building and eats her popcorn. But then Gabriel comes into her life and suddenly she is fighting demons, finds out she has superpowers and is shocked to discover the identity of her father. The storyline twists and turns, is sometimes quite dark and at other times is quite zany. And then there is Gabriel, perplexing and intriguing and should be off limits. And yet…

The story moves at a lightning pace with a just enough humor to lighten it up with revelations galore. This reader can’t wait to see what trouble Maddy gets into next and where her relationship with Gabriel is going, not to mention what new shockers are coming, both in terms of her powers and her family ties. Christina Henry’s BLACK WINGS was a surprisingly upbeat and adventurous urban fantasy that fully engages readers and positively makes you want more.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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