Last year I read, and very much enjoyed, Angelfire by local (to me) author Courtney Allison Moulton. I have since been awaiting the sequel, Wings of the Wicked, with much anticipation. I was hoping it would live up to the promise of the first book. I'm very pleased to say it has. Since discovering that she is the Preliator things for Ellie have become very straight forward, and very confusing at the same time. She spends her nights chasing down demonic reapers with her guardian Will, who has been at her side for centuries, despite her many reincarnations. Now their relationship is platonic, which is difficult for both of them, especially since they have expressed their feelings for one another.. But these things must be swept aside - an ancient evil stirs and war is upon them. Will Ellie be able to balance everything and not lose herself... or, worse, her soul?I found the sequel to Angelfire to be better than the first one... almost. I add a caveat because I had one problem with the ending of the book that skewed my enjoyment a touch. For the first 400+ pages the book was absolutely incredible, dark and intense. The plotting was pitch perfect and the character interactions were funny and compelling and sad... and then one big plot point/reveal happened around, oh, 100 pages away from the end... And that was where I wanted it to end, but it did not. It kept going and going. I feel that the end after that major point could have had about 50 pages trimmed out and the flow would have been much better, but, as it is, I grew weary. It's a little disappointing, but only in a minor way. I think the book would have been an absolute 5 if it were not for this one small detail. Moulton really seems to enjoy the monster making part of this series... you can tell it in her writing. There's a lot of love there. Other than that one gripe, wow. This was a great read. There are a lot of things that happen to Ellie and company that make this book stunning; Ellie particularly. She goes through some major life changing events in this book, as does Will. I was glad to see Moulton broaden the scope of her characters by that much. It makes them well rounded interesting individuals to read. Moulton does manage to defeat the dreaded middle-book-sucking scenario...despite my displeasure with the last few chapters. I really did love this book. A lot. The world is wonderful, the mythology is engaging, and the characters will stay in my brain for a while. Also, I'm completely happy that Moulton added a scene in East Lansing. That made my day. Here's hoping for a smidge more in the next book. 4.5 out of 5 stars. - review courtesy of www.bibliopunkk.net
