It looks like Kristina Douglas has finally hit her stride in The Fallen series. Warrior is the best yet. What a difference adding more plot and featuring a better romance dynamic can make.
Raziel and Azazel have settled and found happiness with their human mates, but now it’s Michael’s turn. He’s the fiercest warrior of The Fallen, shying away from love as much as he possibly can, even to the point of only drinking blood from The Source to avoid a deeper connection to his partners. However, his practices and beliefs are challenged in this installment as he is must marry the reincarnation of Victoria Bellona, the Roman Goddess of War.
Throughout history Victoria (“Tory”) does not live past her 25th birthday, which is convenient as the prophecy states that in order for The Fallen to win against Uriel and his plans for destruction, Michael must fight with her by his side as his wife…and she must die. Knowing her fate ahead of time should make this process easy. However, as Tory and Michael grow closer they realize this is more difficult than they were expecting.
This series is not the best and it’s not my favorite, but yet I keep coming back for more. I did enjoy this book quite a bit. Tory is actually a cool heroine this time around. Who doesn’t like a character that kicks butt? It certainly ups the action factor which this series needs to add interest and excitement. I like that she is so skilled and even gives some of the angels a run for their money. All but Michael of course, though I’m not complaining because this is where I felt their chemistry was the strongest. They feel like a well-matched pair so I enjoyed seeing the relationship flourish. It has an angst factor, but I was a lot less bothered by their situation compared to Azazel and Rachel in book 2.
I also enjoyed what was going on around Michael and Tory. Characters from the past still get attention, especially Ally who has been experiencing a sickness that no one can identify. I predicted her issue early on, so I felt that it was dragged out for too long, but the possibility of Sheol evolving shows that Douglas is only getting started with this world. I look forward to what comes next. Each book is better than the last and the preview of book 4 makes me believe this trend will continue.