Michael (Sons of Old Trilogy, #2)
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Synopsis: Zahara Faraday looks like a normal eighteen-year-old and lives in a quiet neighborhood with her overprotective parents. She works at a bookstore and hangs out with her best friend Becca King on a daily basis. But underneath the normal lies a secret life filled with dangerous supernaturals. Zahara belongs to a world made of Light Witches, rogue Imagoes (supernatural creatures with super strength, speed, and silver skin when the moon is out), fallen angels, and Nephilim (hybrid children born half-human, half-angel). Where her father Solomon Faraday is human, her mother Mia and her Aunt Catalina are Light Witches. They help protect the human world by hunting down rogue supernaturals who commit heinous acts against humans. What they never expected was the possibility of having to hunt down the one rogue coven they had befriended and come to trust in their battle against Lucifer. Rekesh Saint-Louis is the leader of the most powerful Imago coven in Florida and now he’s the most suspected. Supernatural bodies are starting to pile up with an ancient ritual long forbade being used to murder them and the symbol, one large cross with four smaller crosses around it—which represents Rekesh’s coven— being left behind. Rekesh and the Elders of his coven set out to find who is behind the murders and clearing his name before a war between the covens begins. To make matters more difficult, Rekesh also has to deal with the return of someone he has been keeping a secret.
Meanwhile, Zahara and Becca are spending more time brushing up on their training, knowing an attack from Lucifer can come at any moment. Between patrolling neighborhoods and hanging at the boarding school created by Charles Stephens—a fallen angel who created the school to protect the children of rogue supernaturals—they are thrown into one battle after another. Zahara begins to develop a closer bond with Jason as they train and chase down clues to clear Rekesh’s name. What she doesn’t know is the very powerful secret Jason is keeping; a secret that will change the course of the fight with Lucifer.
But Rekesh’s coven being set up isn’t the only danger. A new powerful and lethal drug has emerged from the shadows of the supernatural world called Inferi. The drug has two deadly side effects: it leaves the supernatural hungering for blood—both human and supernatural—and grants them the elemental power they had once possessed.
Lucifer is on the move and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on Zahara and complete the first act of his plan.
A battle is about to begin.
One that may cost the Faraday family everything they hold dear.
Brought to
you by TeamNerd Reviewer Bridget Strahin
Full
Disclosure: I read this book before anyone else so nanna nanna boo boo!
But--yes, there’s a but, Zahara and
Co. aren’t the only ones looking to seek and destroy the big bad from down
stairs. The Archangel Michael (yes, that Michael) is on a mission of his
own. The only catch? He has to step into a certain Nephilim to do so. So now we
have an Archangel secretly hitching a ride in a Nephilim, Lucifer who is posing
as Zahara’s angel boy sudo love interest, and a slew of deep dark secrets that
are sure to get the blood pumpin’ and keep you up at all hours of the night to
figure them all out.
And that’s not all folks…
There is also a crazy on the loose
murdering members of powerful Imago families and taking their souls, leaving
just enough evidence behind to pin the crimes on our favorite Imago leader,
Rekesh Saint-Louis. Is he innocent or guilty? That . . . is a very good
question. One you’ll have to read the book to find out the answer to. *cue
manic laughter*
Speaking of hawt Imago’s, Cadiz has
definitely raised the bar in this installment of the Sons of Old Trilogy.
Shirtless Imago’s, tattooed Nephilim, smart mouthed rogues, oh, my! OH. MY.
Four words: Leanian. Without. A. Shirt. I just… I can’t even.
Now brace yourselves I’m about to
get all gushy on you. When Cadiz first sent me the final draft of Michael
I knew, knew from the very first chapter that this was going to be the
best thing I have ever read from her. I can’t tell you guys how many times she
would call or text me saying that she was beating her head on the metaphorical
wall. Or how many ideas we came up with during our many many brain storming
conversations that morphed into some of the scenes come to life in this book.
Or how many times I called her after reading a scene to ask her
why she insists on torturing me so sweetly and also to ask what the hell is
going on in her head because Michael is a bit dark and twisty (you’ll get what
I’m talking about when you read it for yourself). So you can all understand why
I am beaming with pride for my bestie because not only did she step up to the
plate in making Michael better than Lucifer, she knocked it out of the park.
Over all, I have never recommended a
book so hard in the history of TeamNerd. Acton, suspense, loyalties being
tested and broken, twists and turns, and an ending that will have everyone
reeling, Michael is for sure to make everyone’s top book of the year.
Oh, and speaking of endings, brace yourselves guys, it’s a doozy and hands down
my favorite part of the whole book. Just when you think that Zahara has been
through enough, bam! Cadiz throws in another asteroid sized curve ball and oh,
the feels. Without giving too much away, I will just tell you that another
angel has made himself known and he has major plans for Zahara. Soul shattering
plans.
SNEAK PEEK
Zahara jumped off the roof and landed on the dumpster with a bang, rolling onto the ground knees first. She swallowed back her cry of pain and wobbly stood. She stumbled for a few moments before she could get her legs to move into a run. The canister of arrows strapped across her shoulders clanked through the night around her, and the heels of the black boots echoed against the pavement. She knew she needed to find a place to take refuge and defend herself. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and her ears picked up the sound of feet catching up behind her.
Zahara pushed
her feet harder and swerved left. She caught the crack of an open door from the
corner of her eye and ran for it. She stormed into the room and shut the door
behind her. Turning around, she tried to assess where she was. Darkness
enveloped her, and Zahara unclipped her keychain from her belt loop, using the
small flashlight to search around her. Three windows allowed some meek, silver
light to filter into what looked to be an abandoned restaurant. Tables stood
scattered about covered in layers of dust and grime. Some of the chairs were
missing limbs, and water rings covered the ceiling. The wooden floor had rotted
through and wide holes had formed in various places.
She started
moving farther into the restaurant, jumping over the holes and slowly testing
out the floor as she went along. One of the windows exploded in a cascade of
glass, and Zahara leapt onto the bar, flipping over to the other side while
simultaneously sliding an arrow out of the canister. She prepared the bow and
pressed herself against the bar, trying to keep her breathing calm even though
her heart pumped adrenaline through her blood.
Glass crunched
underneath the weight of footsteps as they searched the room. The light breeze
from outside carried the scent of sweet metal, and Zahara knew it was an Imago.
She also knew if she could smell him, he could certainly smell her. Rushing to
her feet, she fired a blue-tipped arrow at the figure who had moved to the
middle of the broken down restaurant and ducked back down before she could see
if it hit him. She quickly moved to the other side of the bar as a growl echoed
throughout the restaurant. The Imago jumped onto the bar, and Zahara flipped
backward to avoid the Imago jumping on top of her. She then tumbled into the
other end of the bar.
The Imago was on
top of her in less time than it took for Zahara to lift her head. He yanked her
up by her hair, and Zahara kneed him in the groin then kicked him in the chest.
The Imago tossed her over the bar, and Zahara scrambled to her feet. She
grabbed another arrow and realized her bow was probably on the other side of
the bar. She cursed under her breath and started backward toward the door,
keeping her eyes locked on the Imago as he jumped down from the bar.
In a flash, he
was standing in front of her, but Zahara reacted just as quickly, moving to jab
him in the side with the arrow. The Imago grabbed her wrist and threw her into
the air. With a flick of his fingers, a wave of water slammed into Zahara and
she was thrown through the window. Glass rained down all around her, and she
cried out as she smacked into a wall. The Imago jumped through the window and
landed on the ground by Zahara. He knelt down beside her. Zahara stared up at
him and groaned; her vision was blurry and the back of her head was pounding
loudly in her ears.
The Imago lifted
his hand, but before he could make any move on Zahara, he suddenly sailed
through the air and crashed through the wall of another building.
“Zahara,” a
gentle voice said. Zahara’s mind recognized it, but she couldn’t form the image
of the face that belonged with the voice. “Zar, speak to me! Are you okay?” A
warm, smooth hand pressed against her forehead and the warmth seemed to spread
throughout her whole body. Zahara’s mind and vision cleared as she looked up
into Jason’s gray eyes, which were filled with worry.
“Uh, yeah, yeah,
I’m fine,” Zahara finally responded, allowing Jason to help lift her to her
feet. She looked where the Imago had been thrown and her eyes widened. The
Imago hadn’t just gone through one wall but three and laid unconscious in the
distance. She turned and looked at Jason, eyes still wide.
“You must be
hitting the gym hard; those arms are beefed up to take down walls.”
Jason grinned. “Impressed?” He flexed his arms
and kissed his biceps.
Zahara couldn’t
help but giggle. “Okay, okay, I concede, your arms would impress Zeus, now stop
flexing.”
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