Archon (The Books of Raziel) [Kindle Edition]

I'm totally the type of person who often picks books based on cover first, and synopsis later. This stunning cover and synopsis had me hooked right from the start, I just had to read it. Unfortunately the warning "Don't judge a book by it's cover." is something that should have been considered here. The sad thing is that I really wanted to like it, I really did, but I just couldn't.

First off, the term Blood Heads really threw me off. I kept thinking back to Vampire Academy for some reason and the "feeders" that voluntarily provided blood to the vampires. It never was explained very well and I can still only assume that Blood Heads refers to the blood red hair of this specific group of students. But a little more clarification would have been nice.

One of the main reasons for my dislike of this book was the over-complication of the writing. It was heavy and often felt like work to read, and often I had to go back and re-read sections multiple times to figure out was happening (and sometimes I just gave up and moved forward unwilling to fight with the wording any longer). It was also very confusing with constantly switching viewpoints, making it hard to tell who was saying/doing what. I often just wanted to give up on the book altogether, but I pushed myself to the end hoping it would get better.

The character and world building however were magnificent! I instantly fell in love with Angela Mathers, a young woman who dreams of angels and wants to be with them so desperately she tries so hard to end her life to be with them, but someone (or something) is protecting her from succeeding. The friends Angela meets at school are also intriguing and exciting! Nina and Sophia are so unique and alive they almost jump right off the page at you. The characters are truly the crowning achievement of Sabrina's writing.

The world building is also incredible. The weather, the atmosphere, the creatures, all stunning work. At first I was put off by the unique interpretation of the angels as these evil and nasty selfish creatures, but it really worked for the book and it was mostly explained. It was nice to see the angel idea from a new angle. Also the addition of demons and jinn and other such interesting creatures really increased the excitement level of this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to put the effort into reading such a heavy piece of writing,the characters and world building really do make it worthwhile, but it just wasn't for me. I doubt I will be reading any more in the series.

So it straight up kills me to write this review. I'd been glancing at this book on the shelves of the bookstore for months. The cover is gorgeous, the summary hooked me from the first time I read it and the ideas Benulis puts forward are ones that hit every point in something I would usually love to read. The first third of the books straight up confused me - the protagonist Angela dreams of Angels and no matter how hard she tries can't die. She's a Blood head which is a read head who is possibly a witch, and also possibly "the Ruin" who is the vessel for a dead Angel come back to life. The above two aspects firmly bring to mind Constantine and Supernatural to me, and both of those pre-dispose me to like this book.

So help me I couldn't, and I tried. I tried SO HARD to like this book. The characters weren't overly likeable to me and I ended up really wishing that there was going to be some sort of thematic shift where the bad guys were actually the good guys because the Djinn's and Deamons were fantastic. So the thing about the mythology behind the book is that I have 0 expectation of angels being noble - but there was a bit too much of a glaring gap between the angels/demon nobility gap for me to get behind. Angela is fairly emotionally flat, and it makes it a little hard to get behind her as a heroine. Her history was touched on, but it's an awkward mix of either too much or too little background to give you an understanding of her.

The awkward part for me is that even though I was pretty thrown by the fact that even though I really disliked the book, I really did like Benulis as a writer - she tends heavily towards a Gothic feel, and I have absolutely no issue with it because she does it well. The middle of the book is really interesting, and as much as I hate to say it I wonder if the book being the first of a series, or maybe having too heavy of a copy edit had something to do with the beginning and the end feeling and reading almost like they were two different books. That also being said, I think the editor needed to take a bit of a heavier hand so, take that for what you will. I will also say it's clear Benulis has an excellent imagination, and the subtlety and I did like that she didn't make romance a big part of the plot. So well done there. But the fact is the book seemed unnecessarily complex, in a way that didn't add anything to it. Another reviewer said it best - the setting outshines the characters - the back story to that would be fascinating.

Angels, and demons, and witches oh my! My senses were overwhelmed with "Archon" beginning with the book jacket, making me want to read what was inside. With the first installment in her trilogy, Benulis uses lush descriptions and larger than life characters to tell the story of a battle between Heaven and Hell. While not a book I would normally read I did enjoy the premise of the story.

Angela Mathers has led a hard life. Born a twin, she was shunned by her parents because she was a blood head, a feature that according to prophecy will be the dark messiah. Filled with self loathing Angela made numerous attempts to take her life, but each was thwarted by an unknown force, possibly one of the angels she dreams of nightly and hopes to meet. In one final attempt Angela sets her home ablaze resulting in the death of her abusive parents and leaving her scarred. She finds herself at West Wood Academy in Luz, the Vatican's secret enclave in the search of a normal life and her twin brother Brandon.

While at the Academy, Angela learns about the coming of the Archon or Ruin. The Archon is the only one who can open the book of Raziel, taking control of the supernatural universe. One of the students, Stephanie Walsh--a witch and leader of a sorority who believes she is the Archon--takes an instant dislike to Angela because she is rumored to be the actual Archon and the object of her lover's affections.

In a battle between three Supernals, Angela and Stephanie become bitter rivals both working with their own angels and demons dragged into Hell and the Heavens. They are searching for the key that opens the book of Raziel revealing which of them is the Archon.

"Archon" is Sabrina Benulis's debut novel after graduating with a Masters in writing popular fiction. She proves herself as a force to be reckoned with in the paranormal fiction genre. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next installment in her book of Raziel series so I can grab it up and pour over each page.

Reviewed by Jodi Ann Hanson for Suspense Magazine