My Need to Read

Reread: Awesome book, no surprise. There's a lot of material covered in this one, so I'd recommend a reread for anyone before going through to the next installment.First Readthrough Review: (link to review)This installment covers some of the fallout from book one's ending, starting with Elena's "rebirth" as a brand spanking new angel. The setting is almost exclusively in what's called "The [Angel's:] Refuge"; as such, almost no time is spent on the goings-on of New York and the friends that live there; she's very much isolated from the world at large. However, the Refuge is a perfect place to watch Elena explore her new identity, as well as the role she will now be expected to play in society as a whole.I'm a big fan of Raphael (as obstinate as the man can get at times ^_^), so it pleased me immensely that this book both delves more deeply into his budding relationship with Elena, and scratches at the surface of his past demons (relatively speaking, of course).Because of the primary focus being on Elena's recovery and her coming to terms with what her new form entails, the book takes on a relatively leisurely pace for much of the duration. That's not to say that it is without tension or suspense, however: the story has it in spades as it saunters on to the climax near the book's end.**Spoilerish: avoid if you must** Speaking of the book's climax... it was riveting, explosive...everything you'd want in a UF book. One small exception I took was to what seemed like a major story thread being quickly wrapped up; I'm speaking here about the presentation--and extremely swift demise--of Elena's childhood torturer, Slater Patalis. That little interlude seemed quite abrupt, if not flat out random...especially given the considerable importance (and mysterious explanation) given to this character's devastating effect on Elena, in both books one and two. .....All in all, though, it's a very minor gripe--if even that--and really didn't detract from the overall magnitude of the book's climax. Even makes me wonder whether that particular thread really is sewn up for good....ooh! ^_^**End Spoilerish section** Like the heavenly setting of the Angel's Refuge, this book was simply magical. I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment.