Naasir is the most feral of the powerful group of vampires and angels known as the Seven, his loyalty pledged to the Archangel Raphael. When rumors surface of a plot to murder the former Archangel of Persia, now lost in the Sleep of the Ancients, Naasir is dispatched to find him. For only he possesses the tracking skills required - those more common to predatory animals than to man.
Archangel's Enigma is the eighth installment in the Guild Hunter novel series. This story focuses on Naasir, one of archangel Raphael's Seven, who have pledged loyalty to serve him. Naasir is unique in that he is neither a vampire nor human. He is an other--born out of an abominable experiment that combined different animal species without consent. His kind shouldn't exist - a human body with tiger-like features and a vampire's blood thirst. But Raphael and the angels found him and raised him in the Refuge, teaching him how to behave around people and angels despite his feral (animal) abilities. Several centuries later, Naasir feels that it's the right time to find his soulmate, whom he believes is hiding from him.
When rumors surface of a plot to murder the former Archangel of Persia, now lost in the Sleep of the Ancients, Naasir is dispatched to find him. For only he possesses the tracking skills required - those more common to predatory animals than to man. Enlisted to accompany Naasir, Andromeda, a young angelic scholar with dangerous secrets is fascinated by his nature - at once playful and brilliant, sensual and brutal. Andromeda is the only grandchild of Charisemnon, ally of Lijuan, archangel of China. She fled the abuses and depravities of his court for the Refuge when barely more than a fledgling to pursue her dream of becoming a scholar. Her main area of study is the Ancients for the wisdom they can offer, and the study of mythological creatures because she is fascinated by them. It's her knowledge of the Ancients that causes Raphael to send Naasir to protect her while she searches for the Sleeping Ancient whom they believe Lijuan is also seeking. Lijuan is determined to exterminate anyone who is a threat to her rule of destruction.
As they race to find the Sleeping archangel before it's too late, Naasir will force her to question all she knows...and tempt her to walk into the magnificent, feral darkness of his world. Andromeda has a big secret that she vowed not to tell anyone. But first they must survive an enemy vicious enough to shatter the greatest taboo of the angelic race and plunge the world into a screaming nightmare...
Singh delivers another brilliant story from an underrated character that I had no idea would be so fascinating to hear in his own voice. Naasir is a chimera born out of an angelic experiment that defied the laws of nature. Although his Creator is deceased, Naasir is allowed to live because he had no choice in the matter. Over the centuries, Naasir has learned to control both his feral abilities around people though it is no easy feat. He thins like a man and like a tiger which presents an interesting case. Readers also learn that Naasir is a brilliant spymaster who can get in and out of dangerous situations. And for the first time in his life, he has learned what love feels like with Andromeda, who does not see him as a freak of nature but as a mysterious creature that excites her scholarly instincts. Andromeda will later reveal that she has the fighting skills to defend herself, which impresses Naasir even more so. I thought Janvier and Ashwini's romance was amazing, but Naasir and Andromeda take it to another level that I didn't think was possible. Singh continues to outdo herself in ways that I thought were impossible with this series. I highly recommend this novel.
Stay tuned for the next novel in the Guild Hunter series, Archangel's Heart.
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