Review: Black Wings by Christina Henry

Title: Black Wings
Author: Cristina Henry
Series: Madeline Black, #1
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 295
Rating:

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...

Another Angels and Demons book, what more could I want? BLACK WINGS turned out to be quite a surprising book.

Madeline Black is the heroine of this book and I liked learning secrets about her that she has found out, so could become a very strong woman when all of this is over. There were times when I thought she acted way too much like a heroine in a young adult novel, and maybe that maybe the fact that she is still a virgin, I don't know. I liked Madeline as the heroine, but she is not my favorite heroine of all the adult urban fantasy books I have read.

"So if Gabriel defeats you in combat, you'll run and tattle?" I tutted. "Not exactly the most demonic response ever."

Gabriel Angelosguro is Madeline's love interest and at the beginning I likes him, I thought right away he was gonna be one of those swoon worthy guys that I could drool over, but I was wrong. As we got farther and farther into the book I lost interest in Gabriel and I don't really care for him that much. I wouldn't care so much if Madeline and Gabriel got together or not. I think I feel this way, because of the direction the book went after I started to like him a bit.

J.B Bennett is Madeline's boss and according to her a complete jackass. At the beginning of the book I kind of hated J.B, but as soon as we got more and more into the book I started to actually like J.B, yea I know will wonders exist. At the ending we know J.B.'s intentions with Madeline and it made me want to know more about this character, because we find out some stuff that he is a bit similar to Madeline in a way of her growing powers. I am thinking I may just like this guy.

Azazel is Madeline's long lost father and I hate him. Plain and simple. I have reasons being that he has not been in Madeline's life ever where Katherine, Madeline's mother had to care for her all her life and now when Madeline goes to visit Azazel he thinks he has the right to tell her how her life is going to be know and what he wants her to do just because he is her father. He just really pisses me off and I don't care for him.

Nathaniel is Madeline's so-called fiance and he is 100X worse than J.B's attitude in the beginning. Nathaniel can takes the Gold and Metal for being Jackass of the year. What I hate about him is that he thinks he is better than everyone else and like Madeline I am disgusted with him and why the hell would I want to wed this creep. I would rather die. But Madeline being Madeline is determined to find a way out of this wedding.

I liked the plot. It was jam-packed action which I love. I liked a book with action. I had one problem with the book and after some reviews I have read I am not the only one who thinks this. After getting through middle to end I felt like I was reading a young adult novel. I mean seriously the stuff with Gabriel, her father, finance, all screamed, "THIS IS A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL". It made me kind of upset too, because I read a book exactly like this and I felt I was reading the same book except in the adult urban fantasy universe.

I am really hoping that that will change in the second book. I don't want to feel like I am reading a young adult book when I am suppose to be reading a adult urban fantasy book. I think what seemed so young adult-ish to me when why Gabriel and Madeline could not be together, plus there romance and her father controlling her life.

Overall this book was really good and I still enjoyed it. I am excited to see what happens in the second book in the Madeline Black Series, Black Night. The cover is amazing and I am thinking it is going to be great. I hope that the next book is longer than this book, because come on, 295 is just not enough. I need more Madeline Black!