The Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
- YA, paranormal, UF -
reviewed by Tara SG
purchased eBook
Book Order (Billi SanGreal)
- The Devil’s Kiss * * * 3/4
- The Dark Goddess (Jan 25, 2011) * * * *
Links
Author’s Website : www.sarwatchadda.com
Author’s Twitter : @SarwatChadda
Amazon : hardcover / paperback / eBook
Add To Your GoodReads TBR List (387 ratings : 3.57 avg)
In Six Words:
the tough female falls too fast
Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?
This is another find via a tour site. I really liked parts of this book and really didn’t like others. I will say upfront that I really enjoyed the second in the series so this is definitely worth checking out even if the not-so-great parts of this book have you hesitating.
Thanks to my father, the Knights Templar are a topic that I’m interested in and being the paranormal lover that I am, it is no surprise that I loved combining the two. Billi was a great kick-ass female lead with some issues that seemed true to her age. I was not, however, a fan of the “love interest”. This should have been played up a little more. The other relationships (Kay and her father in particular) were better developed and definitely touched me.
As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed the second in the series and will be looking for more by this author.
Brief Summary
As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn’t normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order’s ancient battle against the Unholy.
Billi’s cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He’s ready to reclaim his place in Billi’s life, but she’s met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.
But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order’s ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years — a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London’s firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.
- via GoodReads.com
Plot/Pacing/Writing Style
I really liked the idea of the Knights Templar not only still being active, but killing paranormal bad guys. I think the religious element in this was handled VERY well. It contained bits of different religions without being preachy and touched on some issues that I enjoyed and will discuss in the Going Deeper section.
The pacing balanced the relationships and emotional issues very well with action. I think I read this in all in one sitting. I ended the book in tears, but it was a brave ending that I appreciated even if it broke my heart.
Characters
Billi is a loner with no friends and no free time. She gets the crap beat of her daily during training and isn’t happy about being thrown into this life without any choice. I found the juxtaposition between her maturity when it came to fighting and her immaturity when it came to her relationships to be realistic. I this the fact that she is of mixed race and religion brings an aspect to the book that a lot of people can relate to and isn’t seem often in this genre.
While I know kids fall in love fast, this book pushed it too far. There was no connection between her and Micheal and there really needed to be a little more for her actions of trust to be believable.
That being said, I really liked Kay and felt like he was well-developed.
Favorite Quotes
She’d spent half her life praying to Allah, the other half to Jesus. She’d asked her dad early on how she should pray. Arthur’s answer, for a Templar Master, had been a heretical one. He didn’t know, and thought God, whoever He was, probably didn’t care.
Recommendations
This one was a little gritty and isn’t a fluff read, so I’d recommend it for those who like darker YA. Lots of fighting with a touch of romance.
Going Deeper
“Disasters. Catastrophes. When something terrible happens it’s always an Act of God. Why is that? … I’ll tell you why. It’s because when people are afraid, they turn to Him…. It takes a terrible thing to remind people of their obligations to God. The more terrible, the better.”
The bad guy plans a horrible attack on the children of London in order to bring people back to God. It’s a scary thought because this isn’t such an outrageous idea that it doesn’t happen in real life. I personally don’t think that it is the kind of faith that we should work towards or want people around us following.
[...] The Devil’s Kiss {book review} * * * 3/4 [...]
This author is making the rounds right now. Most people are feeling the same way–saying the 2nd in the series is the better book but that you need to read this one! Great Review!
I tend to like darker YA books, and I already have a copy of the first one on my shelf, so I’ll be reading it (eventually…). Glad to hear that the second one was better!
@ Natalie : I highly recommend not giving up on the series if you’re not sold on the first book (which was bad, but I’m not positive I would have continued the series had I not already gotten the second book)!!
@ Felicia : I hate to admit this, but I was a little worried about reading a book written by man. Terrible, right?! I just tend to read books mainly written by women. However, this series has pleasantly surprised me and I’ll be giving more guy writers a shot