Well, this book wasn't stunning, but I found that I liked it a bit more than book one. It gives me hope that I will enjoy book #3 more than the first two. The characters are interesting, and the overarching political intrigue and war is pretty cool. The characters are getting better. The world building can be confusing at times, but I think that will get easier as the series goes on. I am looking up book three on my library website now. Whooo.... Another good one from Caris Roane. I'm really digging this author and I'm going to continue with this series!!Ok, so book 1 of The World of Ascension set up the world and introduced us to the Warriors of the Blood. They are winged vampires and good guys. Well, they're GREAT guys actually! LOL! So anyways, they're vampires, angels, uber-warriors and "sex on legs". They don't really drink blood to survive. They eat regular food. The taking of blood is sort of like a sex thing that is done occasionally. The taking of what is called Dying Blood is what the bad guys do. They drain someone until the point of death and that's when you get the dying blood. The dying blood is like super awesome and makes you crazy strong but it also makes your skin slightly blue tinged and you're instantly addicted. So its way bad. There's a war between the good guys and the bad guys who do the dying blood thing. The bad guys are winning because they can be anyone and have tons more people. But the good guys are fighting the good fight and they won't be discouraged and they won't quit.So here in book 2, we meet Marcus Amargi. Marcus is a tough story. Back a few hundred years ago, he leave the Warriors of the Blood when his sister and his nieces and nephews were murdered by the head bad guy. She had married Marcus' brother in arms, Kerrick ('member him from book 1?), and Marcus also blames Kerrick for her death. Marcus was out of his mind in grief and rage. He was going to kill Kerrick. But instead of that, he decided to exile himself to mortal earth. But he told the leader of the good guys that if she needed him, he would come back - once. Well, that time has come and the leader of the good guys has called Marcus back to the fight. To say that he's reluctant is an understatement but he promised and Marcus keeps his promise. But there's another reason for him to come back - Havily Morgan - his breh-hedden (fated one).We met Havily in book 1 and I really liked her. She had been married and lost her husband in the war. But she keeps his memory close and focuses her attention on how she can better things for the good guys and honor her deceased husband. She has a strong affection for the Warriors of the Blood since she had a Warrior as a guard during her Ascension. Just like the Warriors, she's skeptical when Marcus returns. He IS a deserter after all and that's all he'll ever be to Havily. But the breh-hedden has other ideas and Havily is caught in its clutches, just as Marcus is. Havily and Marcus together are pretty great and they run the spectrum from dislike to passionate love all in this one book! I had a real affinity for Havily and not just because she has a totally cool name! She's tough in her own way. She's not like, a muscle bound fighter type. She's definitely more brains rather than brawn. And she has KILLER style!! She tries to keep her emotions in check but when it comes to Marcus, she has no control over her feelings and its great to see. I love seeing her lose control. Marcus too. Since he came to mortal earth, he's become something of a business guru. And of course, he also has the need for strict controls. Did I explain the breh-hedden? If not, its this mystical force that was thought to be a myth until it hit Kerrick and Allison in book 1. There is an undeniable pull between two people and they are fated to be together. They can identify each other by a unique smell that they smell on each other and no one else can smell it. The breh-hedden is, in a word, undeniable.So overall, I really liked this book! I think I liked it just as much as the first one. I would for sure recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed paranormal romance that wanted to try a different author. I really like the spin that the author puts on the vampire mythology. In fact, I love the mix of vampire and angel. Its perfect. You get the angel stuff without the sanctimony, y'know? Anyways, its great! You gotta check it out!!
What do You think about Lángoló égbolt (2012)?
I did this as a re-read for my local book club. I enjoyed it both times and find hte story line interesting, engaging and enjoyable. I like Marcus as a character and I like Havily as well, although not as much as I like some of the others. The idea that vampires are ascended humans who have moved on to another dimension beyond ours and have powers and wings is pretty cool and very different than other series I have read - which is a really good thing in my opinion. There are moments I would like to see a little more humor to relieve some of the "stress" in the story, but overall I really like the world, the characters and the ongoing good vs evil sotry. I recommend this series without reservation.
—debi
I just love this series. I love how protective the guys are of their women and how they are willing to lay down their lives for them. This is something I admire in books, strong men who will risk anything for the people they love. I also love how each character is given their own inner drama that they have to work through to complete the breh-hedden. It gives me some sense of reality because you know that in a relationship, it is both people working on an issue not just one.
—alekhya
