Amara Jones hates angels. You would too if you’d watched them kill countless humans over the past five years without missing a beat. Demons are just as bad, but at least you expect it out of them; they’re from Hell. But Angels are supposed to be the guardians of humanity. What a joke; only humans will save humans, but in this war we don’t stand a chance. Find out if humanity will survive the night in Louisa Carmody’s debut novel The Shadows That Listen this August.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Orbit for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of The Shadows That Listen contains some spoilers!]
Humanity is caught in the middle
Five years ago the world tore open, and demons crawled out of Hell and started raising, well, Hell. Humanity was screwed. Then the heavens opened, and angels appeared. But humanity was still screwed. Turns out that angels don’t really care about humans. They didn’t actively hunt down people as the demons did, but they didn’t worry about collateral damage and often killed people just for being too close.
Amara hates them. Before the war, she was part of the army, taking out enemies for her country. When the demons first appeared, she fought to protect the world she loves. When the people in charge realized they couldn’t win, they forged a treaty with the Angels. Since demons are nocturnal, humans could have the days. But after curfew, if a human was outside, they were fair game. It was a difficult life, but it saved countless lives, so it was endured, and then it became normal. Amara became part of the newly formed AIA (Angel Intelligence Agency). It’s basically a glorified desk job. Every day Amara searches video feeds to find out what happened to people who didn’t make it home the night before. It’s depressing, and she hates it, but in this new world, this is the closest she can get to protecting people.
Then the man she loves misses curfew. Amara doesn’t hesitate. She’s trained to protect people all her life; what good is that if she can’t protect the one person she loves? So she heads out into the night and runs straight into an angel. Not just any angel either, the Archangel, the leader of the whole angel army. She hates him with a passion, but it turns out he wants her help too. There’s a rogue angel that he needs to find, and the AIA has the best surveillance there is. He offers to help her stay alive until morning if she helps him find the angel. Amara wants nothing to do with him but realizes it’s her best chance to find Jeremy, so she agrees. What she discovers with the archangel will change everything about her life, if she survives the night that is.
Action-packed and full of tension
Amara is a warrior, and that’s exactly how Carmody writes her. She is always moving, always in motion; even if it doesn’t make the best tactical sense, she has to be doing something. But she doesn’t just fight to fight; she’s a protector. When she can’t protect someone, it weighs on her. This aspect of her character helps to keep Amara real; without it, she’d feel like a muscle-bound meathead. Instead, she comes across as someone who cares deeply, but can’t express it with words, so she protects those around her with everything she’s got.
As exciting as all the action is in The Shadows that Listen, the tension between Amara and the archangel, Nathaniel (not that she ever calls him that), is even more fun. From the moment they meet, there’s an obvious tension between them. At first it’s all anger (okay, so he’s ridiculously good-looking, but Amara hates him too much to give in to that right away). We get why Amara hates the angel; his kind have killed countless humans when they’re supposed to protect them. But the angel’s animosity is harder to understand. Sure, they see us as annoying monkeys in their way, but the hate seems out of place. They both find a perverse joy in annoying each other, and it quickly becomes obvious that innuendo embarrasses and annoys both of them the most. So of course they both make as many double-entendras and flirtatious comments as they can.
Predictably, at some point they stop being made out of spite and start becoming real. Amara fights her feelings the whole way: angels are evil, they’re worse than demons, they’re the real enemy. But she can’t help what’s happening. Interestingly enough, Nathaniel seems to be having the same problem, fighting an attraction that he desperately is trying to deny. The provocative dance the two weave as they circle each other is both titillating and hilarious. Both have an acerbic wit that they use to great effect whenever they start to get too comfortable. Their chemistry is well written and very enjoyable to read.
The Shadows That Listen is an excellent first novel
I love that Louisa Carmody, the author, describes her debut work as something she wrote because she wanted to read it. Turns out that it’s something other people want to read too. I certainly enjoyed it. The Shadows That Listen is the first of a series, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest. After you read The Shadows That Listen, you will be looking forward to the next one too. Check out this great new book on August 18th and finish your summer reading strong.
Rating: 8/10
The Shadows That Listen by Louisa Carmody is available August 18th!
Learn more about the book at the official website for the title.
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