Angelology by Danielle Trussoni and Winners Announced (FINALLY!)

I've been silent for a little over a week, and at the end of the post I'll give a quick rundown of why. For now, let me announce the winners of the two contest currently up and running - CONGRATS to Ryan Collins winner of WILD RIDE by Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer. CONGRATS to Mimi Goh winner of ANGELOLOGY by Danielle Trussoni. Please e-mail me at novelreads at gmail dot com with your snail mail address so we can get the books right out to you.

For those of you that check this blogger site, you can click here to see the Updated Author Promotion Page at Novel Reads and read a letter to readers from author Laura Bickle about her upcoming release Embers.

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

JCC

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.
Genesis 6:5

Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at twenty-three, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller to the late mother superior of Saint Rose Convent plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.

For the secrets these letters guard are desperately coveted by the once-powerful Nephilim, who aim to perpetuate war, subvert the good in humanity, and dominate mankind. Generations of angelologists have devoted their lives to stopping them, and their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris and the mountains of Bulgaria.

Rich in history, full of mesmerizing characters, and wondrously conceived, Angelology blends biblical lore, the myth of Orpheus and the Miltonic visions of Paradise Lost into a riveting tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

*This review is done from a copy of the book supplied to Novel Reads from the publisher.

Sister Evangeline loves her life at Saint Rose Convent. She takes great comfort in the daily routine of prayer and her work in the convent library. Since Evangeline lost her mother and her father brought her to New York to live, she's thought of the sisters as her family. But one day, a letter arrives from a V.A. Verlaine requesting information from the convent about some letters that Abigail Rockefeller may have exchanged with the Mother Superior of the convent of that time. Something stops Evangeline from dismissing the letter in the usual way the sisters are to handle them, and when Verlaine shows up at the convent, Evangeline becomes disturbed by the affect he has on her and the mystery as to why these letters are so important and why the sisters want very badly to keep them hidden.

As Evangeline and Verlaine begin digging, it becomes clear that the man who hired Verlaine may not be simply interested in art history as he claimed. Soon, Evangeline and Verlaine are thrust into a world both know very little about and are fighting not only for their lives but the fate of the world. For it's the Nephilim that want the letters, they have gone from powerful giants of old to a dying race, infected by a horrible disease that could ruin them for all time.

Evangeline soon finds out that Sister Celestine, a nun that came to convent the same time the letters stopped, knows more about Evangeline, her grandmother, and Angelology than she ever could have guessed. Now an old, frail woman on her deathbed, Celestine is the only hope Evangeline and Verlaine have at unraveling the mystery of what past Angelolgist uncovered and the Nephilim would do anything to retrieve.

Written in two view points, Third Person to take us on the present journey and First Person to take us on Celestine's journey, Angelology takes the reader on a journey like no other. It took me a while to finish the book, but I closed the pages and literally looked at The Hubs and said, "Wow!"

There is something about a book filled with angels and giants, biblical references and myth that captures me like no other book can. It didn't hurt either that Trussoni has a voice so distinct and her "pen" writes beautiful lines such as, "The mind and spirit become ripe in their own fashion and at their own pace. Beautiful music plays, but not everyone with ears can hear it."

Angelology is a book filled with danger, intrigue and mystery. A book so riveting it will stay with you for a long, long time. If you've not had the pleasure of reading it, I strongly suggest you find time.

Take Care

*Where I've been: I've mentioned before that Bear was having problems with Bullies at school. Well, it's getting worse. Not only is he having problems, but many 4th Graders are. I have been working on putting together a Student Advisory Program at our school that will empower the kids and help (hopefully) to put a stop to the horrible bullying that is getting out of hand at our school.

I've also been busy wrapping up the Spring Fundraiser for the PTO and writing a "How to Write a Story" book for my daughter's 2nd Grade class.

My part in all of this is winding down now, though, so I should be back more!