Angelopolis (Angelology #2) by Danielle Trussoni

Angelopolis, angelology, danielle trussoni

Synopsis: Hailed by USA Today as “a thrill ride best described as The Da Vinci Code meets Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Danielle Trussoni’s bestselling first novel, Angelology, wove biblical lore, the Orpheus myth, and Milton’s Rebel Angels into a present-day world tinged with the divine supernatural. The novel plunged two endearing loners—art historian V. A. Verlaine and Evangeline, a beautiful young nun—into an ancient battle between a secret society and mankind’s most insidious enemies: angel-human hybrids know as the Nephilim.

Now a decade has passed since Verlaine saw Evangeline alight from the Brooklyn Bridge, the sight of her wings a betrayal that haunts him still. The Nephilim are again on the rise, scheming to construct their own paradise—the Angelopolis—and ruthlessly pursued by Verlaine in his new calling as an angel hunter. But when Evangeline materializes, Verlaine is besieged by doubts that will only grow as forces more powerful than even the Nephilim draw them from Paris to Saint Petersburg and deep into the provinces of Siberia and the Black Sea coast. A high-octane tale of abduction and liberation, treasure seeking and divine warfare, Angelopolis plumbs Russia’s imperial past, modern genetics, and the archangel Gabriel’s famous visitations to conceive a fresh tableau of history and myth that will, once again, enthrall readers the world over.

I received this book for review though I hadn’t read the first book, Angelology.  The beautiful cover drew me to it like a moth to a flame, but it was the story kept me in the fire. This definitely presented a different feel than your typical paranormal/urban fantasy.  After reading it I can certainly understand the Da Vinci Code comparisons, revealing deeper meanings behind countless important figures and artifacts throughout history.  While reading you feel like you’re experiencing a small slice of a much bigger picture.   This is an age old fight that only appears to be heating up.

Since I hadn’t read the first book there were some things I was confused about, wondering if the confusion was due to starting with Book 2, but as the story unfolded I eventually learned that wasn’t the case at all.  The questions I had weren’t revealed in the first book.  That said, I do plan to go back to read the first one. I am not sure about the frequency of releases when it comes to this series. Those of us used to authors releasing 1-2 times per year may have to pump the breaks here. The first book was released 3 years prior to this one. I imagine the amount of research to write these takes a while.  Even still, I finished the book already wanting to read the next one.

There were multiple point of views throughout this book, and I’m not sure if it was for the better.  I found myself invested in only a few characters, so I would have liked more focus on them to add more depth.  Another area where I think this series could benefit is through illustrating the angels.  An appendix would be invaluable. There are a number of different angelic species and Nephilim, so it’s difficult to visualize and remember how they look since their features differ vastly from one to another.

The series has been picked up by Columbia Pictures, so it looks like a movie is in the works. It looks like these angels will be larger than life soon enough.  I hope that goes well.

If you’re planning to read this series, I recommend getting the hardcover.  It looks better in person than in pictures.  It’s practically coffee table quality, though the content of the book certainly isn’t.

*Review copy provided by the publisher.

This article has 5 Comments

  1. Hmmm, you sound a bit conflicted over this—the comment about “practically coffee table quality, though the content of the book certainly isn’t.”

    The cover is certainly in the category of “ooh, shiny”, LOL.

    1. Well there were some ups and downs with it, but I was engaged enough to want to keep reading it. Yes, the book is very very shiny!

  2. I was planning on attending Friday and Saturday – but Saturday is out of the question- still hoping to get over tomorrow –
    are you going for the entire day?

    I have never been to this event before- fascinated to find out about it from the authors blurbs-

Leave a Reply to Kathy Davie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *