Series: Zaniel Havelock #1
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher: Berkley
Released: August 17, 2021
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Rape, murder, assault, violence

Wow. It feels like it’s been a hot minute since Laurell K. Hamilton sat down and started a new series. Naturally, that fact alone was enough to get me curious about A Terrible Fall of Angels. A Terrible Fall of Angels is the first in her new Zaniel Havelock series.

Angels are real. This is a fact that Detective Zaniel Havelock has always known. For a time, he trained to be one of those that could communicate with angels until he turned away from that path and became a detective.

His training and abilities serve him well in his new role, as he deals with crimes surrounding angels and the fallen. It’s complex and dangerous work, but work that needs to be done, especially when something demonic is on the rise.

“Someone had to keep the peace between beings that could tear the world apart if they ever went to war again.”

I’ll say it once again: wow. A Terrible Fall of Angels is such an intense and captivating read. So much so that I found myself surprised by how invested in the story I had become. I don’t normally love reading overly angelic novels, so this is a rare exception to the rule for me!

Trust me when I say that this novel is nothing like Laurell K. Hamilton’s other novels. I don’t mean that offensively – it is merely a statement. The main character is Zaniel Havelock – that’s right! A male protagonist. That’s not the only significant difference between this new world and her others, but it is one of the more prominent ones.

The series, while having religious entities, is surprisingly not overly religious. It is very careful to dance around some aspects at times, which I actually kind of appreciated. However, it took me a while to get into the swing of things with this new world.

The first part of the novel does throw a lot of information out to the readers. It kinda makes Havelock look like a bit of a know-it-all. But then again, he sort of is! He’s the only one in his unit with this sort of training, and it shows!

I should probably mention that there are some heavy subjects covered within this first novel. For example, Havelock is first and foremost a detective. That means he’s dealing with crimes, including a very graphic one that comes up within the first few pages. Consider yourself warned!

Overall, I really enjoyed this new world and style of writing for Laurell K. Hamilton. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and how Havelock (and his unit) will react to the inevitable chaos that comes with it.

Thanks to Berkley and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.