Tuesday, January 24, 2017

#Tuesday Review - Gabriel by Nikki Kelly #YALit #Paranormal @Styclar @FeiwelFriends

Series: The Styclar Saga # 2
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Library 
Genre: YA, Paranormal


The handsome Angel from Lailah gets center stage in this continuation of Wattpad sensation Nikki Kelly’s romantic and action-packed series about mortals, vampires, and angels.
Gabriel is an Angel Descendant. He's also an ally to a generation of vampires who want to break away from the demon who controls them. His faith in the power of good over evil wavers, however, when he discovers that Lailah, the woman he considers his only true love, may be both angel and demon. Is their love enough to overcome the dark forces who are ready to go to war with Gabriel, the vampire Jonah, and the angel and vampire forces? And can Gabriel compete with Jonah, who is also in love with Lailah?
Once again, Nikki Kelly looks deeply into the heart and soul of good and evil to create a romantic, action-packed reading adventure.



Gabriel is the second installment in author Nikki Kelly's The Styclar Saga. As one would imagine, it took me awhile to get back into this series since it has been a year and a half since I read Lailah. Lots of books have come and gone during that wait. I had to remind myself how the first installment, Lailah, ended, and what one of my major hurdles was in loving the first book. Had to remind myself that Lailah is a character who isn't who she seems. She is much, much more. She doesn't age like others. She doesn't permanently die like others. And, she has a tendency of losing her memories. 

As with the previous installment, the author starts off the story with a prologue that introduces a new group of characters, plus one who has her own story to tell. This new group is given a new mission thanks to this mysterious woman. They must find Lailah and save her from herself before it is too late. Meanwhile, Lailah has been "resurrected" and has inherited her immortal lineage. She is both light and dark now, which means that the author once again tests the boundaries of what makes a person good or evil, or whether a person can actually be good and evil at the same time. 

Since Lailah is both Angel & Vampire, it is something she struggles with and puts a strain on her relationship with Gabriel who doesn't even want to broach the subject of her vampire aka dark side. They are soul mates. That particular side doesn't need to be part of her if she just ignores what her body needs. Lailah is both good and evil just by being half-vampire, and half-angel. The other issue she has is remembering who Jonah is. She remembers clearly Gabriel and her past with him, but the dark, handsome, stoic vampire is just out of reach of her memories. 

Even though the books title is Gabriel, the narrative is still Lailah's to tell. I would have liked to see chapters dedicated to Gabriel's narrative, especially since he has a bunch of issues of his own, and makes a drastic call that I have now predicted how the series will end. Jonah, on the other hand, is in a world of hurt. How can the girl he loves not remember him? How can she focus solely on the light side of her being, and ignore the part that makes her dangerous and a weapon in the war between Vampires and Angels? But, Jonah isn't innocent either. He does some things that I would not agree with, but that is who he really is after all. 

Unfortunately, this story ends on a highfalutin cliff hanger which will lead directly into the final installment in the series obviously named Jonah. Since the publisher was nice enough to approve me via NetGalley, I shall be reading the sequel shortly! 





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