Welcome back to the first of my Sunday Book Reviews for 2021. I’m back from my ‘so called’ blogging break and my Tuesday post will fill you in on the details. But to kick off 2021 with my Sunday Reviews, I’m thrilled to be reviewing Vashti Quiroz-Vega’s new release – The Rise of Gadreel, book 3 in this addictive series of fallen angels, where now, fallen on earth, Gadreel strives to right the wrongs of the evil that has spread across the globe of Satan’s doing in efforts to earn back her pure angel status she lost when she strayed in book 1, where she fell prey to Lilith’s desire to challenge the power of God.
Although not in my reading genre, I was hooked from Book 1 and then Book 2 as I eagerly awaited this 3rd book in this sweeping saga of good versus evil.
Blurb:
In The Fall of Lilith, award-winning author Vashti Quiroz-Vega took readers inside the gates of heaven for a front-row seat to Lucifer’s rebellion. In Son of the Serpent, she introduced Dracúl, tormented offspring of fallen angels. Now, in The Rise of Gadreel, Quiroz-Vega is back with the next chapter in her Fantasy Angels saga—a gripping tale of hope and redemption set against the fiery backdrop of a demon’s insatiable thirst for power and revenge.
Lilith is gone, suffering the torments of the damned in hell. Satan, once known as Lucifer, endures endless agony in an earthly prison. Yet their foul legacy lives on, spread by a corrupted priesthood that uses the blackest magic to fan the flames of evil and hate throughout the world.
The former angel Gadreel, who fought and fell alongside Lilith and Lucifer, only to join Dracúl in his fight against them, is weary of war. Repenting of past sins, she wants nothing more than to be left in peace. But when a new threat to humankind arises, Gadreel is given the chance she has prayed for—the chance to earn God’s forgiveness.
Now, with the aid of Dracúl and a trio of uncanny allies—a man of air, a man of stone, and a woman of fire—at her side, Gadreel must find the courage to confront her past and forge a new future for herself . . . and the world.
My 5 Star Review:
Fallen angel Gadreel is back with her cohort and trusted friend Dracul the good. And Gadreel’s journey begins on the shores of Egypt with Dracul, the red fiend, son of Lucifer (Satan) and Lilith, as she sets out to find her mermaid daughters she was forced to leave behind with their father to keep them safe from the jealous wrath of Lilith, who has finally disappeared into hell where she belongs. We hope.
Gadreel learned long ago of her mistake following Lilith’s lead among other angels, smugly thinking they were more clever than God, when they were both exiled from heaven. When Gadreel escaped Lilith’s evil, and saved Dracul’s life from her, Dracul and Gadreel became close and compassionate friends who went on to fight off evil to atone for their own mistakes.
In this book 3 of this fascinating series, the journey is all about good versus evil. Gadreel says goodbye to her mermaid daughters one last time before they go into hiding in the new underwater world, deep in the ocean their father Dagon has created for them to keep deep away from the evils that are sweeping over the world. And Gadreel and Dracul set off to save the world from the darkness of the black plague befalling upon people. They know this is the work of Dracul’s father, Satan, and must find out the props and black magic and vehicles he’s using to gain power.
It’s not long before the two reach a new village of people dying and discover exactly what Satan is up to through some of the last dying words from those they managed to speak with. They put all the clues from stories together and figured out Satan’s plan to rule the world, using his evil. His plot is to make the people sick and heal some, disguised as a priest, so he can appear to make miracles along his way through the churches, his goal – rising to archbishop, killing priests along the way to reach his ultimate goal of becoming the Pope.
Along their journey, Gadreel and Dracul meet up with many dangerous moments and creatures, witnessing some horrifying things. They also meet a few new allies along the way who join their group of evil fighters – Sabina, a white witch, Golem, a man with the power to transform into stone with forceful powers, and another spirit ghost of a priest, Thomas, whose soul was revived by Sabina, and has the voice of an angel when he sings. Thomas remains invisible, his presence can be seen only when he sparks his light, convenient illumination in a few dark situations and uses his soothing angel singing voice to stave off evil. Together this merry band of goodness encounter several battles with evil, turning themselves into various creatures as they use their own powers to shapeshift into whatever being or animal necessary to take on Satan’s army.
By the time the group has visited many dark lands saving as many people as they could, they make their way to London where they learn Satan has worked his way up to first advisor of the King of England. This is when the final battle will ensue where Dracul and Gadreel plot the monumental task of finally ridding the world of Satan and his evil.
Despite the evil that ensues in this book, Vega has once again done a masterful job of evoking a fantastical story of good vs. evil. The story is filled with moments of human compassion, and besides the mission of this tale and it’s fantasy genre, there are plenty of moments while demonstrating the will to conquer evil that sparked a tear as Gadreel and her merry band of earth angels take us right into their human emotions of hurt, pain, and loss.
A most satisfying ending through a wild journey of seeking out and facing evil to its face to save the world and banishing evil. Each of the books in this series is equally addicting and could be read as standalones, but that would only be half the fun, as by reading each book, we get a better insight to each character, their emotions, their strengths and weaknesses that grow and continue through each book. From The Fall of Lilith, book 1, where the angels become fallen, to Son of the Serpent, book 2, where Dracul and Gadreel form a bond and begin their mission to seek out Dracul’s evil mother Lilith, to The Rise of Gadreel, where Gadreel strives to earn back her status as a good angel by conquering world devastation.
This gang of goodness will certainly steal your hearts as they relentlessly stand up to the darkness they encounter at every turn. I cannot recomend this riveting series enough. It may be in the fantasy genre, but it has all the components of human emotion and humanity all rolled into the evil that man can do in this plight for justice.
Note: Stay tuned for next Friday when Vashti will be my first guest author to kick off 2021 for my Q & A series interviews!
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