Guardian

//Guardian// is the second book in Claire Delacroix's futuristic paranormal Fallen Angels trilogy. This exciting follow-up to the futuristic fantasy //Fallen// continues the saga of Lilith Desjardins' quest to locate Delilah, the daughter taken from her at birth. Part romance, part urban science fiction, part political commentary, //Guardian// serves as a warning to all humankind advising against the dangers of Big Brother or too much government involvement in the daily life of its citizenry. In post-apocalyptic America, church and state have merged into the New Republic. Although still ruled by a president, an Oracle, the voice of the angels, advises government on all decisions. Long ago the Daughters of the Solace have chosen the Oracle from their ranks, claiming divine guidance. Only this time, the angels have chosen their own Oracle. In the new Republic, any physical abnormality is enough to proclaim one as a second-class citizen, deemed SHADE(s), or humans who fail the Sub Human Atomic Deviancy Evaluation. A shade's only purpose in life is to serve. When Shade Delilah Desjardins reveals in front of millions she is the true Oracle chosen by the Heavens, she has little choice but to run or face assassination. With help from a fallen angel named Rafe, she is racing for safety. The fast-moving, descriptive prose keeps you turning the pages till the very end. The romance between Delilah and Rafe is a sweet bonus. Reviewed by Lanine Bradley

This is the second book in this series by Claire Delacroix and an improvement on the first instalment, 'Fallen'. That book took a long time to get going but 'Guardian' started well with our heroine, Twenty-Three, being kidnapped by a mysterious man. The man calls Twenty-Three 'Delilah' and seems to know things about her. He's Rafe and is mysterious for various reasons, one of which is that he has no memory of his life before a year previously. Someone is instructing Rafe what to do but he doesn't know who that someone is or what their motives are. Delilah knows that she is the Oracle, a woman who is meant to help guide the President of the Republic and who speaks the words of God through the help of angels. But her situation is fairly dire as there is a false Oracle and consequently a price on Delilah's head. Can she trust Rafe? Will Rafe find out who he is? Can Delilah be installed as the Oracle? This was an enjoyable read with fast pacing and the interesting background setting of the former novel. Rafe and Delilah's relationship was well-written and although I felt there were a few plot holes it was overall an exciting and imaginitive book. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

I looked forward to reading GUARDIAN, because when I read FALLEN, the first book in the fallen angel trilogy, I was an instant fan of Delacroix's new urban fantasy series. The author has created a gritty post-apocalyptic world set in the year 2100, where secret forces of good battle the evils of government corruption and the horrific treatment of the enslaved humans, called shades, who are victims of radiation-induced genetic defects. Fallen angels, as darkly appealing as any Byronic hero, work covertly to save humanity. In GUARDIAN, Rafe is urged by unknown forces to attend the ceremony at the Citadel of the Daughters of the Light, where a new and false Oracle for the Republic is about to be selected. When twenty-three, a young woman and a shade at the Citadel, disrupts the proceedings with a prophetic vision, chaos erupts and Rafe feels compelled to protect the shade who shimmered with Angelfire, and whom he suddenly knows to be the true Oracle. With the help of an old woman and Ferris, a young shade, twenty-three is given a new identification bead and her true name, Delilah. Born with the third eye of prophecy to Lilia Desjardins (the heroine from FALLEN), Delilah was harvested by The Society of Nuclear Darwinists as a child, but then rescued by those who have looked over her ever since - angels - while at the Citadel. Now, the only thing Delilah knows is that she's been kidnapped by a man whom she believes to be a shade hunter and that other hunters are trying to kill them. Unable to trust Rafe, who can't seem to tell her just who is he or whose orders he's following, Delilah follows her instincts. She sets out to contact the reverend, a woman who Delilah believes can help her realize her destiny, which is to be the true Oracle. Rafe follows Delilah, determined to protect her, while drawn to her both physically and spiritually. Delilah and Rafe become prey, fleeing to the underground, encountering a fringe society of Wraiths, and turning to each other in passion, all while trying to escape the premier shade hunter. Their journey takes them from the Seattle to other side of the country where they confront the malevolent network behind the conspiracy to install a false Oracle for the Republic, one whom could be controlled. Lilia and Montgomery actively work to assist Delilah and Rafe, nicely tying the first two stories in the series together. In GUARDIAN, the hero and heroine do the work of the angels, but need each other in ways that are entirely of this world. The reader will enjoy discovering if they are able to finish their quest without losing each other. Delacroix continues to deliver the goods with her masterful storytelling. The author gives us a fascinating, fast-paced story, unique and intriguing characters, and the enduring theme of love and hope found in all of the author's work (she also writes as Deborah Cooke and Claire Cross).

In 2100 The Republic classifies her as a Subhuman Atomic Deviancy Evaluation; dubbed a SHADE, but ironically near New Seattle, Twenty-three knows who she truly is as the next oracle. However, as a Shade, establishing her identity means those who defend the caste system will assassinate her. Still she must reveal her angelic blessed skill. Fallen angel Rafe searches for the seer Delilah Desjardins. He finds her as she comes out in the open claiming to be the Oracle although the powers in new DC starting with new President Van Buren refuse at first to accept a Shade as the Oracle. Rafe abducts Delilah before she is murdered and struggles to keep her safe from killers who reject numbers as humans. He also has to contend with his need for her if he is to keep her safe from him as that would cost her ability to read the future. "The Eyes of the Republic" see everything in Claire Delacroix's post-apocalyptic nod to 1984 as this Brave New World is unsafe for anyone who tries to break caste boundaries; racism is the law. In fact slavery of a Shade is an acceptable practice to the point that Shades have a number not a name. The cast is solid as Delilah begins her dangerous journey to become accepted as the Oracle through a landscape of de jure and de facto racism. Readers will enjoy the stunning detail of the future of the Republic as Ms. Delacroix provides a vivid dark FALLEN earth. Harriet Klausner