Urban Fantasy Review: Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…
Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell. Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul. Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael/Jacob Trent have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

What I liked:

Well, it was a quick read, I grant you. Well paced, entertaining even. Most of the book consists of a hunt of a demonic killer who is simply too sadistic to live. It was also funny but I don’t think it was done deliberately by the author…rather my skewed sense of humour I suppose. The world build was a mix of angel mythology (or rather angelology) and murder suspense making this book another example of Dark Urban Fantasy. Overall not bad. The main heroine, Alex, was your usual kick-ass police officer with a huge chip on her lovely shoulder about knifes and such but somehow she seemed a bit bland to me. She actively lived in denial for most of the novel and then, when she discovered who and what she really is…well, nothing changed, not really. She remained a strong woman and a good cop…so basically a clone of her other DUF sisters. Ok, I am hopeless at good points, let’s move to the other section.

What I didn’t like:

My devil outfit fits here like a glove so I am donning it again with pleasure and satisfaction. In fact I think I’ve been missing it. Maybe that’s why I decided to read a book about angels out of my free will again…I hate angels and demons in fiction – ok, most of them. This book didn’t do anything to change my attitude.Anyway, are you ready for a little tour around hell? Good. Let our sightseeing begin.Spoilers ahead so be sure to duck if you don’t like them!

First stop – an empty vodka glass signifying a complete lack of good ideas when it comes to angels, demons, heaven, hell, limbo and all that religious jazz. In other words and in my humble opinion angelology sucks here. Why? Heaven reminded me of a big corporation where employees are numerous, repressed and insecure, higher management consist of overly ambitious, bullying, shady types and the employer remains aloof and conspicuously absent, spending her time most probably in a villa on Majorka. Not that I have anything against Majorka villas per se 😉 but anyway, shouldn’t Heaven be a bit more esoteric, sublime place?

A showcase – the problems of our sweet Power angel, Aramael (like “I’ve got the power!” song from Bruce Almighty, a mediocre comedy but suiting my mood right now). His biggest sin is falling in love with a mortal human woman. Mind you he was tricked to do so by the powers that be and he couldn’t help himself. His second biggest sin is blasting into smithereens a serial demonic murderer who was endangering the life of his sweetheart and her family. Hello, hell to heaven, hell to heaven…what’s going on? After all he is still that creature hell-bent on doing good and punish the damned and wicked (excuse my Hellish), isn’t he? Heaven are you reading me well? It seems we have an authority problem…

Our second stop features a bull’s eye and should be called “being innocent always sucks”. Here you get your souvenir tee-shirt with the same black-red bull’s eye right in the middle of your chest and on your back as well just in case somebody missed it the first time. Why? Alex, our main female lead, is a Naphil so the hated spawn of Fallen Angels, the Grigori, and mortal women. Many times removed. Why is she the lowest of low? Why doesn’t she deserve even an angelic guardian? Why Aramael hates her guts as soon as he hears about her? Is she duplicitous or immoral? Is she a politician? Does she peddle drugs to teenagers, lure people into a bar and then sell their organs on eBay? Does she profit from human trafficking? No? Has she at least kicked a puppy? No, never. Her only fault is that she was born. What a sin…no, don’t cry over such a reasoning, not yet, let’s move on, ladies and gents because before us is the biggest attraction of our little tour.

Could I have your attention, please? Give a big cheer for a big pink pyramid sign in a purple circle which indicates: the One Almighty is a She. Female. Woman. Sacred Feminine. Does it improve things? It should have but with a truly devilish grin I am proud to inform you: it actually makes things WORSE (remember my outfit – I am coming from the other side of the fence). She is unpredictable, She takes wrong decisions, She keeps her underlings in the dark, She punishes innocents for crimes perpetrated by others, She cannot distinguish a real careerist from a loyal worker, She takes back from her creatures the most precious gift they had been given (and it had been given by Her in the first place, mind you…)…well, if this is the good ONE She-Almighty show me a devil, please! Amusing like hell! I guess the Lady needs a strong male arm to guide her…actually Lucifer might be a perfect candidate for the job!

Finally something to make your trip unforgettable – a romantic rollercoaster! Yeeehaw! Here are our loops. First is quite geneel but surprisingly twisted – angels in this book happen to be gender-divided into males and females. Ugh. Small wonder the One made falling in love impossible and punishable. What would happen if Heaven was all of a sudden full of pregnant, overly sensitive she-angels? Or what if two testosterone-packed angelic alphas decided they fancy the same girl? Or even the same guy? Or if one angel cheated on the other…it would become hell in no time…ok, heading to a really steep drive, please stay in your seats and fasten what needs fastening asap.

Aramael shouldn’t fall in love with Alex because of her secret dirty lineage and him being an angel so a creature forbidden to engage in any relationship with humans. Alex shouldn’t fall in love with Aramael/ Jacob Trent because she has more than enough on her tray as a cop, she doesn’t wear either make-up or sexy underwear and she works ungodly hours. However, as soon as they touch each other sparks are flying, demons are laughing, angels are tearing out their feathers in disgust, church bells are ringing, lightning strikes in the same place twice and dogs are howling across the globe. In short Alex and Aramael are in love against all odds. Like that, in a second. Did you get a vertigo? Well, you shouldn’t. It’s not their fault. It was predicted. They can’t help it. They were tricked. They are soulmates or used to be soulmates and once in love always in love…what a stinky pile of fluffy rubbish.

Thank you very much, it was a pleasure to be your guide, see you next time soon and sorry for the stench, our cleaning lady is on strike and nobody else knows how to sweep in hell. You know, as soon as you start all brooms kind of catch fire…

Final verdict:

What could I say…I won’t pick up another angels-and-demons Urban Fantasy story any time soon. One star and a half.