Three and a half stars. I quite enjoyed the book, but I definitely didn't like the romance. There was a lot of friendship and a deep connection between the heroes, but absolutely no chemistry, no passion. I could live without this book in the series. ( )

This book is what so many fans of Bluebell and Sparkle have been waiting for. There are a lot of flashbacks to their childhood together, but the book does bring to light what happened to Aodhan to change him so much. Aodhan has been working as a second to the new Archangel Suyin to rebuild China. Illium has arrived in China to see if Aodhan will speak to him. There has been a growing distance between them, but Aodhan seems comfortable with the angels in China. Suyin isn’t in the book that much since she is moving her capital and Aodhan is left in charge of a mystery that is discovered as they are leaving. Illium and Aodhan do solve the mystery by the end of the book, but I will not say any more about what goes on between the two old friends to let the reader discover on their own.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
( )

I prefer f/f to m/m but I adore these two and am so happy to get their HEA. Also, got some nice schadenfreude reading temper tantrums from homophobes who are already giving the book one star. Can’t we just load the bigots into a rocket and shoot it into the sun already?

I wanted to love this book so much. Aohdan and Illium's story has been playing out slowly in the background of the rest of the series, so the expectations were high. However, the first third of the book was so angsty and used the "misunderstanding could have been avoided by a conversation" trope that it left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, this is the first couple-specific book that did not include a sex scene between the main couple, and as it is also the first book in the series with a same-sex couple, this missing component is problematic. This was definitely a slow burn book, but if the author is going to write a same-sex romance, I don't think it should be any different than the other books in the series. Overall, it was a bit of a letdown. ( )

4.5

For as long as many can remember it's always been Illium and Aodhan. Aodhan and Illium. Inseparable. That is until Aodhan is subjected to a trauma that affects his mind, body, and soul. After centuries of healing, Aodhan is finally able to move out of the dark, but in asserting his strength and stability, he's pushed Illium, and his over-protectiveness, away.

Now, they're both stations in China helping to rebuild what Archangel Lijuan destroyed in her descent into madness. It's the first time Aodhan and Illium have seen each other in a year. As they continue to uncover the dark secrets left behind in a desolated country, they'll have to figure out once and for all if it's time to give up on a lifetime of friendship or open themselves up for more.

I think it's safe to say that Illium and Aodhan's story has been one of the most anticipated in this series. From nearly the beginning, readers knew their bond went deeper than friendship. Within the story the word "mirror" is used to, I think, aptly describe what Illium and Aodhan are to each other.

This is something that's difficult to quantify for anyone who hasn't read the entirety of the Guild Hunter series.

Nalini Singh had a lot riding on her shoulders in trying to get this story out in the world. Part of me wonders if that's why it took until Book 14, but upon reading the book itself I can think of no better time. It was one of those kismet moments.

In Archangel's Light readers finally see and understand the depth of Illium and Aodhan's friendship, and we finally get to understand what happened to Aodhan which caused him to turn away from everyone he cares about and retreat into himself.

Archangel's Light is about trauma. It's about surviving trauma. It's about pulling yourself out of the dark and beginning to live again after trauma. I think that Nalini Singh takes such care with Aodhan's story. Building piece by piece - even giving readers glimpses of the past throughout - that when all is finally revealed to the reader, you too feel the heartbreak, but you can also feel what it was for Aodhan to fight to get to where he is in the present.

On the other side of that, you have Illium. He's supported and loved Aodhan for a lifetime obviously feeling pain himself at seeing his friend go through what he did. Only wanting to offer support, but now that Aodhan is surviving on his own and living again, he finds Illium's care a bit suffocating.

I think you can clearly see both sides of the story here. You see the fact that if they want their relationship to survive through this, they both need to fully understand where the other is coming from. In this regard I feel like Archangel's Light is the perfect companion to Archangel's Sun - which tells Illium's mother's story - as Sharin herself also suffered through trauma and pulled herself out. I thought that the chapters alternating to the past, or "yesterday" as their called, really brought home what Sharine suffered.

For me, Archangel's Light was not a simple romance. I don't know if some will be bothered by this fact. I do think that the story itself fits Illium and Aodhan perfectly in that it almost transcends romance, it moves into another realm completely. Because, I mean, Illium and Aodhan were always in another realm with their friendship. It was never as simple as only being friends or blood brothers. And it's not as simple as just being in love.

I almost feel like Archangel's Light closes a chapter in the series. Illium and Aodhan were the last of the seven to get their own story. I'm excited to see where Nalini Singh will take us next. ( )