Love. Happiness. Joy. What did any of that matter when the flip side was murderous rage, blood-soaked anarchy? 
 i admit it. i have a thing about angels. blame it on the frustration i have from the Hush, Hush and Fallen series. After reading Unearthly (and i couldn't stop gushing about it), i crave for more angel stuff from YA. 
 well, let me tell you about Angels' Blood. it is not YA. and it is not about goody-two-shoes angels (archangels, no less) that i grew up imagining them to be. 
 Even when i was already halfway through the book, i couldn't get past the concept of archangels with vampires as slaves. i just couldn't past it. but i read on. 
 Story: 
 Angels and vampires live among humans. 
 Archangels rule specific parts of the world. Raphael, for instance, has New York as his domain. Archangels are a race of immortals, and not descendants from God. They are ruthless, cruel, and has no regard with human lives. 
 Archangels have the discretion who will be 'Made' into vampires. There is a waiting list and you have to be compatible, otherwise your request to be Made will be denied. 
 Hunters like Elena doesn't necessarily kill vampires. They hunt vamps who ran away from their Makers/Masters (the archangels), bag them, tag them, then bring them back to their Masters. This reminded me of Evie from Paranormalcy. 
 Elena was summoned by Raphael to hunt not a vamp, but an archangel. Elena is hunter-born, scenting vamps is her specialty. but scenting an archangel? no way. 
 the charged electricity between Elena and Raphael intervenes with her doing her job. not to mention her being scared out of her wits of Raphael. 
 Even if the concept of vamps made by angels is new to me, i really liked this book. 
 Elena: 
 She has a death wish. this heroine is hardcore! there was this scene when a vamp wanted to taste her (erm, have sex is more like it), and instead of just saying no, she slit his throat then she ran. :D i loved her witty remarks, her constant denial to Raphael, and her tendency to protect her family even if they (her father, specifically) disowned her for choosing Hunting as her profession. There are many who wanted her dead. Dmitri. Michaela. Venom. Riker. even Raphael. what does she says about that? Get in line! lol 
 Raphael: 
 despite his cruel streak and and an iron fist to rule New York, i liked him. more so when he's beginning to show a little humanity. all things he did (and didn't do) have a purpose. like Elena said, he doesn't torture someone just for the sake of torturing them. 
 Ilium and Jason: 
 these angels intrigue me! i want them more in the next books! Ilium the blue-winged angel. Jason the midnight-black-winged angel, sigh... can someone slap me back to reality? 
 first half of the book was all seduction and sex. c'mon, Nalini, am i here to read just about sex??? (uhm, maybe?) *big evil grin* 
 second half was all about bloodbath. and mutilation. and sex. :| well the bloodbath and mutilation reminded me of Dexter so i love it! 
 fave scene: 
 Raphael is into the Quiet state. Elena realizes he is not himself. Raphael still sex personified but detached. Elena realizes he's going to kill her, so she did what is needed. she protected herself. BANG! so who's immortal now, huh? ;-) 
 verdict: 
 this book is a pretty good start for a series. as Raphael would put it, "i'm ready to f*ck you into oblivion.' 
 He watched over her for the rest of her days, knowing she no longer knew him. Is that love? 
 Don't you know? 
 I've seen love defined a thousand ways over the centuries. There is no constant.