And, yes, the cover shown at right is the UK cover because that's the one I have! :)Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (September 1, 2009)
Harcover: 336 pages
Price: $12.23 (hardcover) from Amazon
Summary: As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order's ancient battle against the Unholy.
Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years -- a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.
Rating:
Review: All I can say is: wow. The book was like a sweeping whirlwind, and I still can’t believe it’s already finished. The Devil’s Kiss is fast-paced from beginning to end, and it had me literally lying on the edge of my bed.
It starts with Billi, the heroine, killing a possessed little boy, which, in case you’re wondering, is perfectly normal. After that, I thought the story was going to slow down a bit, but the slowing down never came. It was like fast-forwarding through the front of the book, and, though I was a bit like “what?” at the beginning, I was soon able to grasp the main gist and background. However, throughout the course of the whole book, new things just kept on jumping out at me. The never-ending string of action can be a little daunting, but it certainly makes the book exciting!
On that note, the action was pretty intense. There was never a still moment, always fighting or anticipation, and, just when you thought something was definitely going to happen next, there would be a twist and the outcome would be totally different. That’s a lot to be said right there, because this book brings something new to the table. Admittedly, there were parts where I was very tense because of the characters’ ignorance to what seemed to me to be obvious danger, but overall, the story was not very predictable.
As for romance, Billi’s relationships appealed to me since I always like some romance mixed in, but they weren’t very deep and were over very fast. Billi herself was a very strong character that I could admire, though the character development was pretty much limited to a select few.
Bottom Line: There was a lot going on, but, for me, that was most of the charm. I loved all the action and, though the romance wasn’t standout, it was a good mix for a girl like me. Though my main objection was that some things just seemed to come out of nowhere, it did make the story fairly unpredictable, which I liked. I would definitely say give this one a try if you’re into the paranormal (interesting lore here) and action, and I'll definitely be looking forward to the sequel!
