From Men and Angels – A Review

Author – H.L. Walsh

Publisher – Deliverance Publishing Company

Date – 2019

Length – 444 pages

Stars – 4/5

Blurb

From the dawn of man, the war between Demons and Angels has ravaged the land. Two thousand years of peace has lulled the people into a false sense of security. Malach is on a journey to find his place in the world and pick a side in the war that is quickly approaching, meeting unlikely allies along the way.

Short Review

Game of Thrones meets Angelology!

Review

First of all, many thanks to HL Walsh for sending me an ARC for this book.  Not my usual genre again but I thoroughly enjoyed the read. This book takes us on a journey from a rural village to a big city and along the way we learn more about the main character, Malach.  A war between Angels and Demons has long been thought over however this is, of course, not the case.  I’m not a believer but I find religion as a concept fascinating and, on an individual level, there are many captivating stories and ideas to be found in religious texts.  The idea of Angels and Demons is, of course, deeply rooted in Christian dogma but I was relieved that the author doesn’t push this too strongly in the book.  I felt this was pitched just right.

There are elements of Game of Thrones in here which I appreciated and the central tenant of the war between good and bad reminded me of Danielle Trussoni’s Angelology (I think an underrated book in itself).  I don’t think the author is borrowing ideas at all, it’s just the images conjured up in my head whilst reading.   The author has certainly created a unique masterpiece.  For a fantasy book, the author builds the scenery really well and creates a whole new world within his pages.  This is the first in a series and, indeed, there are many questions that I am thirsty to be answered.

What I liked

The main character, Malach, I find believable and there are many strands to his personality.  I like how the author delves into his past and the unknowns.  There is a fantastic twist around halfway to three-quarters of the way through which really makes the reader want to keep on reading.  The ending is also fulfilling but leaving enough to be answered in the next instalment.

There is a budding love interest which adds to the story and I imagine will grow throughout the next instalment. Malach’s relationship with his close friend / step-brother, Daziar, is well-developed and helps to keep the fantasy element grounded.

What I wasn’t so keen on

Like other books in this genre, this story is a bit slow to get off the ground.  I think part of this is to allow the author to describe the characters and world he has created but in parts I felt myself struggling along.  If there hadn’t been the twist, which was timed just right, I think I would have found these quite heavy going.  There are a few cases where a main character seems to acquire some knowledge or important information out of nowhere and this can be disappointing sometimes.  It’s not too often and I don’t think it detracts from the hard work the author has invested the majority of the manuscript.

Summary

All in all, I enjoyed the book.  If you’re a fan of fantasy, you’ll like this book. I look forward to finding out what book two in the Deliverance series has to offer.