There are a lot of fiction books out there with angels. So how was I to stand
out in the pack?
Have you ever read a novel that claims to be about angels, but it's really just
plain ole' everyday humans with wings stuck to their backs? I've encountered
plenty of those.
When I set out to write The
Books of Raziel series, I knew one thing: my angels and demons had to be
different. Really different.
My book series is gothic fantasy, so the setting became the key to how my angels
would be portrayed. Everything about them had to be otherworldly and at least
mildly unsettling. Real angels throughout religious history have typically
inspired people with fear despite their beauty. That was a key detail I wanted
to weave into my own work.
The angels and demons in ARCHON, COVENANT, and ANGELUS have very human
emotions and feelings, but they are also above us. They work on their own set of
morals. They can be cruel and capricious by our human standards. And the usual
notions of good and evil don't apply. Many of the angels in these books are
weighed down by their own sins. There are more than a few demons with dreams and
pains. But more than that, their appearance also had to be striking.
In the world of Raziel and his race, some angels have more than two wings. Some
have eyes all over their wings. Many have feathery hair like birds, large
hypnotically beautiful eyes, and a type of human attractiveness so striking it
can melt the brain. They are the epitome of perfection so perfect, it's frightening.
What are my real beliefs on angels? Well, that doesn't really translate to my
work. Real angels, they say, don't have bodies at all.
But that's not quite as much fun. And maybe only half as enchanting.
What do you think?
Sabrina Benulis is an author, the wife of an awesome husband, and the owner
of an adorable and spoiled cockatiel. She lives in Northeastern PA where her
hobbies consist of anime, cake eating, and taking pics of backyard wildlife.
Catch her reading interior design magazines when the opportunity arises.
The heart-pounding conclusion to the Books of Raziel trilogy, a gothic
supernatural tale about a girl who discovers that she holds the keys to both
Heaven and Hell—and that angels, demons, and all the creatures in between who
will stop at nothing to possess her and control the power she holds.
The
war begun by three powerful angel siblings—Raziel, Lucifel, and Israfel—has
divided the kingdoms of both Heaven and Hell, and the destruction is spilling
over into the human world.
The last hope for a crumbling world is the
Archon—the human Angela Mathers who has the power to control the supernatural
universe. Angela alone can successfully oppose Lucifel and open Raziel’s Book,
to use its power for good. But to do so would mean murdering her best friend, a
sacrifice Angela refuses to contemplate.
Angela sits on the throne of
Hell, fulfilling a prophecy of ruin. But ruin does not always mean
destruction—sometimes it means revolution. Time is running out for both Angela
and the universe, and former enemies are eager to see her fail. As she enters
the Angelus duel for the crown of Heaven, she can only pray that she’ll see her
friends again.
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