Review: Black Wings by Christina Henry

 

Black Wings is the first book in the Black Wings series by Christina Henry and an ACE Fantasy.

Book Blurb:

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package.

Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with.

Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos.

Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...

My thoughts:

Madeline Black has been on her own since the tender age of thirteen.  That is when her mother, an Agent of Death,  was murdered.  Now  thirty-two years old and an Agent herself - Maddy is pretty much accustomed to her solitary lifestyle.  But she can acknowledge that she sometimes gets lonely.

When a fellow Agent calls her in a panic Maddy rushes to meet him - but when she gets there what she finds is an unimaginable being that taunts her with the knowledge that he is responsible for her mother's death and continual torment.  Maddy is forced to admit that there are more things in the world than she is aware of - and she is determined to find out who and what they are - and what role they play in her own life.

Gabriel Angeloscuro is one of those beings.  He is being very secretive about why he has come to rent from Maddy - but he asks that she trust him.  Knowing that she will need all the help she can get, Maddy decides to go with her gut instinct and trust Gabriel.

Then Maddy begins showing signs of powers she shouldn't possess and Gabriel is worried, worried that these displays of powers are going to draw the attention of beings better left alone.

Maddy is not going to sit on the sidelines and let someone else dictate her life - no matter who that someone else may turn out to be. 

I give Black Wings 3 out of 5 stars and I look forward to the next installment of this series - Black Night coming 07-26-11.

M