Book Review - Armageddon

Armageddon
Author: Christina Bauer
Series: Angelbound #3
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 14th October 2014
Publishers: Ink Monster LLC
No. Pages: 303
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Myla Lewis once fought gladiator-style in Purgatory’s Arena. Now, she’s fighting again, only this time in Hell. And the stakes have never been higher. The King of Hell, Armageddon, has kidnapped Myla and Lincoln’s young son, Maxon.

In the wake of Maxon’s abduction, all the after-realms calling for war, and no one shouts louder than Lincoln. Myla knows that a war against Hell will cost millions of lives, so she devises her own plan, involving a small attack team and a secret entrance to Hell. Will Myla save Maxon, or will her child and all the after-realms fall to Armageddon?

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Some books can be imperfect and their issues can hinder your enjoyment of the experience, they can have you finding yourself annoyed or irritated by the glaring problems or lack of continuity, but with some books, those things don't matter. The Angelbound is the perfectly example. Is each instalment without faults? No, at least, it doesn't feel to me like it's faultless, but this has never been an issue for me. I never expect perfection, nor a story written with lyrical prose and deep, intense emotions, I sign up for an entertaining, mature, humorous and exciting read, and every time, Bauer delivers.

Entertainment. Maturity. Humour. Excitement. All features of Angelbound that are always delivered upon, and features that were definitely included within Armageddon, maturity playing such a stronger and more important role than I had really expected. Watching Myla develop from a teenage quasi-demon with an attitude and a tank full of sass, into a Mother, Wife, and Queen, it's such a huge dramatic change to have taken place within three novels and a few years, but Bauer manages to make the transition so clean and so realistic, I find I'm very much a fan of the jump-cut she made between the prequel Scala and this instalment. I think the jump-cut, for some people, may cause a rift between who Myla was previously and who she is now, but for me personally, I loved this change. I like seeing how her priorities changed between her wants and the needs of her son Maxon, how her protective and mothering instincts affected her actions and her emotions, and even her decisions both as a mother and a ruler, and I adored how this fast-forward into her live only cemented my love for the romance in this series.

In Angelbound I had a few issues with the romance, and for the life of me, I don't know why I ever did. Bauer has creative such an equal partnership and a relationship full of loyalty, care and sexual attraction, it's hard not to get swept up in Myla and Lincoln's love for one another. Bauer's sex positive attitude and how she doesn't make a song and dance about general foreplay in a relationship is such a great feature to have, and while I do think that there are some scenes within this novel that put this series on a fine line between Young Adult and New Adult, I adore the inclusion of them and how they shed should a positive attitude on it through literature. The romance is steamy and sexy and honest as well as realistic. There's never a moment when I doubt their connection or their feelings for one another, and I've never doubted the chemistry between them, romantic and sexual. Sex is not a plot device, and should be enjoyed, by the reader and the characters, and Bauer succeeded in this through Armageddon.

My issues as usual consist of how slow the first half felt and how fast the second half felt, and how, what could be utterly fabulous action scenes worthy of awards were relegated to being undercut by what felt like too simple and too quick moments, moments that felt too easy or not dealt with enough, and anti-climatic reveals, and if I can be completely honest, it is a little disappointing on the whole, however, what was there was just as impressive as it's been previously, and the extra inclusions of Egyptian and Roman mythology within the novels storyline and plot were welcomed features I loved. The lack of secondary characters that featured were also missed personally, characters such as Cissy and Walker who played such vital and important parts in other instalments, even her Mother, they felt pushed out and replaced by other characters who, granted, were really enjoyable to read about and get to know, such as Hildy and Maxon, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed by what was less defining moments in what I would consider the closing chapter between Myla and Lincoln.

While Armageddon is not the best in the series so far, and while I do feel as though it is weaker than Scala was, I still most definitely enjoyed reading more from Myla, Lincoln and now, Maxon, who we'll follow very soon, and I can't wait to see the direction Bauer takes this series. I do think that waiting so long and seeing the characters change a little did affect the level at which I enjoyed Armageddon, but this is entirely my fault and my own personal issue and doesn't pull away from the fact that this book, and this entire series is most definitely one you should not miss, and one you should see the reading as soon as possible. This is definitely the best paranormal fantasy/romance series I've read, and it could without a doubt be yours too.