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A review by dreamawakebooks
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
3.0
"Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at twenty-three, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient clash between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.
Almost since human civilisation began, the Nephilim have moved undetected behind the seats of power throughout the world and have been tracked in stealth by generations of Angel-scholars, the Angelologists, who have devoted their lives to stopping them. Their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson, to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse Cemetary in Paris and the mountains of bulgaria."
The novel begins with Evangeline, a nun of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at St Rose Convent in New York, and a very detailed description of her life and functions within the convent. Although this initial aspect of the story is somewhat necessary to the understanding of the events that unfold as the novel progresses, it is a tad tedious to read, although this is the first meeting between Evangeline and the mysterious, but very naive Verlaine, who eventually becomes of some significance to the happenings in the book.
Although, as I have admitted, this part of the story is somewhat tedious, I implore you to continue to read, even if, as I did, it is little and often. As the novel progresses, and the communications between Mother Innocenta and Abigail Rockefeller are uncovered, it becomes obvious that they are of particular significance, although quite why does take some time to be discovered.
Enter Percival Grigori, deceitful, ailing heir to one of the most powerful Nephilim families in the world, and intricately entwined with a number of central characters in the story, including, in a painful twist, Evangeline herself.
As the story unfolds, thorough the memories of Evangeline, Sister Celestine and Percival Grigori, the pace of the novel picks up considerably. The accounts of the centuries of work carried out by the Society of Angelologists to protect the world from the corruption of the Nephilim, whose ultimate goal is the creation of a 'superior race' are beautifully detailed and draw the reader into a new and fascinating world where Angels and humans battle to decide the fate of the world.
Ultimately Trussoni presents a truly unique blend of biblical lore, modern mythology and fiction, resulting in an engaging if somewhat far-fetched imagining of a world where humans and angels co-exist.
Despite the slow start, I found Angelology to be an enjoyable read, although not a novel I will be re-visiting.
Almost since human civilisation began, the Nephilim have moved undetected behind the seats of power throughout the world and have been tracked in stealth by generations of Angel-scholars, the Angelologists, who have devoted their lives to stopping them. Their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson, to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse Cemetary in Paris and the mountains of bulgaria."
The novel begins with Evangeline, a nun of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at St Rose Convent in New York, and a very detailed description of her life and functions within the convent. Although this initial aspect of the story is somewhat necessary to the understanding of the events that unfold as the novel progresses, it is a tad tedious to read, although this is the first meeting between Evangeline and the mysterious, but very naive Verlaine, who eventually becomes of some significance to the happenings in the book.
Although, as I have admitted, this part of the story is somewhat tedious, I implore you to continue to read, even if, as I did, it is little and often. As the novel progresses, and the communications between Mother Innocenta and Abigail Rockefeller are uncovered, it becomes obvious that they are of particular significance, although quite why does take some time to be discovered.
Enter Percival Grigori, deceitful, ailing heir to one of the most powerful Nephilim families in the world, and intricately entwined with a number of central characters in the story, including, in a painful twist, Evangeline herself.
As the story unfolds, thorough the memories of Evangeline, Sister Celestine and Percival Grigori, the pace of the novel picks up considerably. The accounts of the centuries of work carried out by the Society of Angelologists to protect the world from the corruption of the Nephilim, whose ultimate goal is the creation of a 'superior race' are beautifully detailed and draw the reader into a new and fascinating world where Angels and humans battle to decide the fate of the world.
Ultimately Trussoni presents a truly unique blend of biblical lore, modern mythology and fiction, resulting in an engaging if somewhat far-fetched imagining of a world where humans and angels co-exist.
Despite the slow start, I found Angelology to be an enjoyable read, although not a novel I will be re-visiting.