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A review by missie_bee
Crushed Seraphim by Debra Anastasia
2.0
Just looking at the cover of this book makes me want to love it. It's simple and pure, yet something about it feels ominous. Unfortunately, the story didn't resonate with me the way I'd hoped, but it still held some intrigue.
In the ultimate battle of Good versus Evil, Seraph Emma is sent to earth to complete the impossible task of helping half-breed vampire Jason to see his worth. Along the way, Emma loses her wings, takes a trip hell, saves God, plays pool with the Devil and falls in love. All in a day's work for an angel who possess incredible faith and strength. But Emma's goodness also leads to her ultimate sacrifice, which just may keep her trapped with her worst enemy forever.
The prologue was amazing. Opening with the Devil condemning a soul to an eternity of tenfold retribution for the evil she committed on earth, after, of course, he gets a bit of pleasure out of Hell's newest inhabitant. Then chapter one happened and the story took a turn that made it seem like a different book altogether.
I'd say the main issues I had with Crushed Seraphim pertain to the narrative style and the pace. For the most part, I believe the story was intended to be told as third person omniscient, but the transitions between characters POV's wasn't always clear and it sometimes veered into an awkward territory that was rather limited, which affected the pace of the story and caused some confusion.
Another reason why I couldn't get comfortable with the narrative was the over-stylized dialogue. Jason, for example, was a modern day vampire, nineteen generations removed from the first of his kind, yet his speak was so formal. For a vampire, he just seemed too proper, and he never relaxed. As crazy as I am about vampires, I couldn't find anything particularly appealing about him, and as a love interest for Emma, he bored me.
I also felt like there was too much bouncing around from dimension. Heaven, earth, hell, even purgatory was thrown in for good measure, and the constant switching between settings was off putting.
While the premise of the story was fascinating, somehow it wasn't always cohesive. Emma, a seraph, is sent to earth to help a half-breed realize he has good in him, but she didn't know the history of half-breeds and why they exist? Jason had to explain it to her? I felt like this was done more for the reader's sake rather than Emma's, and could have been introduced differently. Other instances of incohesiveness included how foolish angels and even God were made to look, and how easily deceived they were instead of being 'all knowing' and able to recognize good intent, yet the one fooling them was an 'evil' angel.
Despite the awkward layout, Anastasia did develop many mesmerizing ideas. Her vivid descriptions of Hell and the hallway of horrors were nothing short of engrossing, terrifying even. And, I found the vampire mythology she created to be unique and interesting. I wasn't expecting to get to read about vampires in Crushed Seraphim so that felt like an extra treat.
Ironically, the saving grace of the novel was Jack, the devil, or Satan as he prefers to be called. Jack has the the kind of dynamic that undoubtedly convinces you that he invented sex and sin, and only he is capable of bring you any satisfaction. His presence was so overpowering that his every scene brought to life an array of heated emotions, from laughter to lust, and yes, even to love.
I'm still not sure how I felt about Emma. Her faith in God was admirable but that was about the only thing that made me like her. She wasn't very resolved with her decisions, and it made her seem flaky and shallow instead of snarky and clever. Possibly my biggest frustration with her was she just had too much going on. She talked about her human life and her human lover, reminiscing even though once she passed judgment to enter heaven her past was supposed to be erased. And the fact that she kept changing from an angel to human repeatedly kind of made the magic of being an angel seem less special, as if it wasn't really a great and precious gift. Also, she had too many suitors, and it became tiresome to hear how she was desired by all the men in the story.
The end wasn't a heart pounding cliffhanger, but the story does leave off unfinished. Too much was left open for me to consider it a satisfactory conclusion, which is always a bit disappointing.
Ultimately, Crushed Seraphim is a spellbounding juxtaposition of heaven and hell. It showcases angels as wanton creatures capable of deceit and jealousy and a devil who epitomizes the phrase delicious as sin. It may have been a bit rough around the edges in terms of narration and pace, but it took typical portrayals of good and evil and shook it up by adding an array of temptations.
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2011/07/review-crushed-seraphim.html
In the ultimate battle of Good versus Evil, Seraph Emma is sent to earth to complete the impossible task of helping half-breed vampire Jason to see his worth. Along the way, Emma loses her wings, takes a trip hell, saves God, plays pool with the Devil and falls in love. All in a day's work for an angel who possess incredible faith and strength. But Emma's goodness also leads to her ultimate sacrifice, which just may keep her trapped with her worst enemy forever.
The prologue was amazing. Opening with the Devil condemning a soul to an eternity of tenfold retribution for the evil she committed on earth, after, of course, he gets a bit of pleasure out of Hell's newest inhabitant. Then chapter one happened and the story took a turn that made it seem like a different book altogether.
I'd say the main issues I had with Crushed Seraphim pertain to the narrative style and the pace. For the most part, I believe the story was intended to be told as third person omniscient, but the transitions between characters POV's wasn't always clear and it sometimes veered into an awkward territory that was rather limited, which affected the pace of the story and caused some confusion.
Another reason why I couldn't get comfortable with the narrative was the over-stylized dialogue. Jason, for example, was a modern day vampire, nineteen generations removed from the first of his kind, yet his speak was so formal. For a vampire, he just seemed too proper, and he never relaxed. As crazy as I am about vampires, I couldn't find anything particularly appealing about him, and as a love interest for Emma, he bored me.
I also felt like there was too much bouncing around from dimension. Heaven, earth, hell, even purgatory was thrown in for good measure, and the constant switching between settings was off putting.
While the premise of the story was fascinating, somehow it wasn't always cohesive. Emma, a seraph, is sent to earth to help a half-breed realize he has good in him, but she didn't know the history of half-breeds and why they exist? Jason had to explain it to her? I felt like this was done more for the reader's sake rather than Emma's, and could have been introduced differently. Other instances of incohesiveness included how foolish angels and even God were made to look, and how easily deceived they were instead of being 'all knowing' and able to recognize good intent, yet the one fooling them was an 'evil' angel.
Despite the awkward layout, Anastasia did develop many mesmerizing ideas. Her vivid descriptions of Hell and the hallway of horrors were nothing short of engrossing, terrifying even. And, I found the vampire mythology she created to be unique and interesting. I wasn't expecting to get to read about vampires in Crushed Seraphim so that felt like an extra treat.
Ironically, the saving grace of the novel was Jack, the devil, or Satan as he prefers to be called. Jack has the the kind of dynamic that undoubtedly convinces you that he invented sex and sin, and only he is capable of bring you any satisfaction. His presence was so overpowering that his every scene brought to life an array of heated emotions, from laughter to lust, and yes, even to love.
I'm still not sure how I felt about Emma. Her faith in God was admirable but that was about the only thing that made me like her. She wasn't very resolved with her decisions, and it made her seem flaky and shallow instead of snarky and clever. Possibly my biggest frustration with her was she just had too much going on. She talked about her human life and her human lover, reminiscing even though once she passed judgment to enter heaven her past was supposed to be erased. And the fact that she kept changing from an angel to human repeatedly kind of made the magic of being an angel seem less special, as if it wasn't really a great and precious gift. Also, she had too many suitors, and it became tiresome to hear how she was desired by all the men in the story.
The end wasn't a heart pounding cliffhanger, but the story does leave off unfinished. Too much was left open for me to consider it a satisfactory conclusion, which is always a bit disappointing.
Ultimately, Crushed Seraphim is a spellbounding juxtaposition of heaven and hell. It showcases angels as wanton creatures capable of deceit and jealousy and a devil who epitomizes the phrase delicious as sin. It may have been a bit rough around the edges in terms of narration and pace, but it took typical portrayals of good and evil and shook it up by adding an array of temptations.
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2011/07/review-crushed-seraphim.html