Black Wings, Book 3

Synopsis: Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago’s dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Maddy’s boss wants her to figure out why. At the same time, the pact that Maddy unwittingly made with the local werewolves comes back to bite her when their alpha is kidnapped. As Lucifer’s heir, she should be able to discover who-or what-is responsible for both occurrences, but the fallen haven’t been too happy with her since she agreed to harbor Gabriel’s half brother, Samiel.

And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems, too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance, Nathaniel, is out of the picture-or so she thinks…  

Review: I admit that I wanted this book for a while. There are always so many events in the Madeline’s life and I was eager to find out what was going to happen now. I must say she doesn’t have a lot of friends, but if it was not already complicated, some persons would be more than happy to see her dead.

The tension between Maddy and Gabriel is omnipresent throughout the book, as she tries to make him express his feelings while he merely withdraws into himself, something that irritates our heroine at the highest point (and I understand that). All the other characters are also her for us and I must admit that my favorite is Beezle. How not to succumb to this little gargoyle? He is so adorable. Okay he is also very annoying (it’s often like that, right?). He is always devoted to Maddy although a donut can get him to do everything and anything. I think our little gargoyle could be defined in a few words: Ambulant stomach! (yes, it’s true). But I think that we could not do without him, he is an important character for the story.

The plot is also very interesting: Wade and his whole pack disappeared and Jude appears on the Maddy’s front door, asking for help. And of course, to our group is added Samiel, but also Nathaniel, Gabriel and his boss. Ah Nathaniel, what different feelings I had for your character! In the second volume we are surprised to almost like him and I was hoping to love him a little more here but I think sometimes we really hope in vain. But all this will of course add many other problems such as the Samiel’s trial and Lucifer still wants to have his little girl with him. Madeline thinks she is smart enough to thwart his plans, but his grandfather had millennia to practice and I do not think there is one person who can stand in his way. We feel that little by little he will achieve his purpose while she won’t be able to rebel. We can also note that he is also more and more a father to her and it’s really touching to read about each of their meetings.

There are some great progresses in this book and we can see what the punishment of Lucifer are (they are really imagined). We will therefore encounter many surprises full of originality.

Well you understand that I loved this new volume. It is true that I did not expect at all this conclusion. I was quite surprised and even shocked by the events but I realized, however, before Maddy what was going to happen. I do not really know now what will happen to her and those she takes care about now, but I’m curious to read the following events.

Black Wings, Tome 3

Résumé (traduction personnelle) : Il se passe quelque chose d’étrange avec les âmes des morts de Chicago. Les fantômes arpentent les rues, et le patron de Maddy veut qu’elle découvre la raison. En même temps, le pacte que Maddy a fait involontairement avec les loups garous locaux la rattrape quand leur alpha est kidnappé. En tant qu’héritière de Lucifer, elle devrait être capable de trouver qui ou quoi est responsable, mais les déchus ne sont pas très contents depuis qu’elle a accepté d’abriter Samiel, le demi-frère de Gabriel.

Et comme si le travail n’était déjà pas assez, Maddy a en plus une tonne de problèmes personnels. Maintenant que Gabriel est devenu son esclave, leur relation est arrivée dans une impasse. Au moins, son ex-fiancé, Nathaniel, est en dehors du tableau, ou le croyait-elle…

Avis : J’avoue que j’attendais ce livre depuis un moment. Il y a toujours tellement d’événements qui surviennent dans la vie de Madeline que j’étais impatiente de découvrir ce qui allait bien pouvoir se passer à présent. Il faut dire qu’elle ne s’est pas fait énormément d’amis, mais si ce n’était pas déjà compliqué, ils seraient plus que ravis de la voir morte.

La tension entre Maddy et Gabriel est omniprésente durant tout le livre, alors qu’elle essaie de lui faire exprimer ses sentiments, lui ne fait que se renfermer sur lui-même, ce qui énerve notre héroïne au plus haut point (et je la comprends). Tous les autres personnages sont aussi au rendez-vous et je dois avouer que mon préféré est beezle. Comment ne pas succomber à cette petite gargouille ? Il est si adorable. Bon d’accord il est aussi très chiant (ça va souvent de pair, non ?). Il est toujours dévoué à Maddy bien qu’un donut puisse lui faire faire tout et n’importe quoi. Je crois que notre petite gargouille pourrait se définir en quelques mots : estomac ambulant ! (si, si c’est vrai). Mais je crois qu’à présent on ne pourrait pas se passer de lui, il fait partie à part entière de l’histoire.

L’intrigue est d’ailleurs vraiment très intéressante : Wade et toute sa meute ont disparu et Jude se présente devant la porte de Maddy pour lui demander de l’aide. Et bien sûr, à notre groupe se rajoute Samiel, mais aussi Nathaniel, Gabriel et son patron. Ah Nathaniel, quels sentiments différents j’ai eu pour ton personnage ! Dans le deuxième tome on se surprend presque à l’apprécier et j’espérais pouvoir l’aimer un peu plus mais je crois que parfois on espère vraiment en vain. Mais à tout cela va bien sûr s’ajouter de nombreux autres problèmes comme le procès de Samiel et l’envie de Lucifer d’avoir sa petite fille auprès de lui. Madeline se croit assez maligne pour déjouer ses plans mais son grand père a eu des millénaires pour s’exercer et je ne crois pas qu’il y ait une seule personne qui puisse se mettre en travers de son chemin. On sent bien que petit à petit il arrivera à ses fins alors qu’elle ne pourra même pas se rebeller. On remarque aussi d’ailleurs qu’il est plus un père pour elle que n’importe qui et c’est vraiment attendrissant de lire chacune de leur rencontre.

Il y a de grandes avancées dans ce livre et on peut observer ce qu’il en est des punitions de Lucifer (elles sont vraiment recherchées). On pourra ainsi rencontrer de nombreuses surprises pleines d’originalité.

Bon vous l’aurez compris j’ai beaucoup aimé ce nouveau tome. Il est vrai que je ne m’attendais pas du tout à cette fin. J’ai été assez surprise voire choquée par les événements mais j’ai cependant compris bien avant Maddy ce qu’il en était pour elle. Je ne sais pas très bien à présent ce qu’il va advenir d’elle et de ceux à qui elle tient, mais je suis assez curieuse de lire les futurs événements.

Black Wings, Book 6

Synopsis: As a former agent of death, Madeline Black is no stranger to witnessing violent ends. But being the one to cause them is an entirely different story…

Despite her having saved Chicago from a vampire invasion, the Agency wants to get Maddy off its payroll – permanently. With the deadly Retrievers hot on her trail, she has no choice but to trust Nathaniel to port her to safety. But the exotic and dangerous world she winds up in doesn’t provide her with the peaceful sanctuary she sought. Caught in a turf war between a group of fae and a disturbingly familiar foe, Maddy soon discovers that the twisted plots of her grandfather Lucifer and his brothers extend even into this unknown realm.

Now, with enemies gathering on all sides, Maddy’s fate is looking darker than ever. And to protect her unborn son from her adversaries, she may have to tap into a power she hoped never to access…

My thoughts:

Christina Henry’s Black Wings series continues to be a thrilling ride. Black Heart is dark, intense and captivating. The focus on personal growth means Black Heart is not quite as action-packed as Black City, but there is still enough action to keep it interesting.

Hunted down by the invincible Retrievers, Maddy is ported to safety by Nathaniel. However, the strange world she ends up in is not exactly harmless. Drawn into the turf war between a group of Fae and their enemy, Maddy needs to quickly sort out friends from foes. All the while planning her return home for there is no way Maddy is leaving her friends to face her enemies on their own.

Being Lucifer’s granddaughter means inheriting his enemies. It also means that Maddy is often used as a pawn in one of Lucifer’s many games. Or those of his brothers. Forced to fight enemies to save the city and people she loves means Maddy has made enemies of her own. The more powerful the enemy, the more Maddy has needed to call upon the power in her blood, but power comes with a price. So far Maddy has managed to survive, but the cost of survival has been high. The increasingly ruthless way with which she responds to threats and enemies has put distance between her and some of her friends. In Black Heart Maddy is struggling with the consequences of her great power and the way it has changed her.

One of the things I love about this series is that Henry’s characters are all very appealing individuals. Take Lucifer, for instance, whose evil genius is always fun to read about. He plots and schemes and oozes charm in his own evil little way. In Black Heart he only plays a minor role, but his brother Puck does his utmost to fill his shoes. The convoluted schemes of Lucifer and Puck are always entertaining. I also love the new character Henry introduced. I cannot wait to see what role he will play in future books.

This series keeps getting better, but also darker. It is well-paced and smoothly written, boasts vivid characters and plenty of action. Like always, I finished Black Heart wanting more, but sadly I have no idea when book 7 is due.