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Archangel's Enigma (2015) is the eighth book and features Naasir and Andromeda in the lead roles.

This was released on September 1st 2015.

About[]

Offical Sypnosis[]

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of dark passion and immortal power—and to one of the most seductive and impenetrable heroes ever to stalk the Guild Hunter landscape…

Naasir is the most feral of the powerful group of vampires and angels known as the Seven, his loyalty pledged to the Archangel Raphael. When rumors surface of a plot to murder the former Archangel of Persia, now lost in the Sleep of the Ancients, Naasir is dispatched to find him. For only he possesses the tracking skills required—those more common to predatory animals than to man.

Enlisted to accompany Naasir, Andromeda, a young angelic scholar with dangerous secrets, is fascinated by his nature—at once playful and brilliant, sensual and brutal. As they race to find the Sleeping archangel before it’s too late, Naasir will force her to question all she knows...and tempt her to walk into the magnificent, feral darkness of his world. But first they must survive an enemy vicious enough to shatter the greatest taboo of the angelic race and plunge the world into a screaming nightmare…

The Prophecy[]

Archangel of Death. Goddess of Nightmare. Wraith without a shadow.
Rise, rise, rise into your Reign of Death.
For your end will come. 
Your end will come. 
At the hands of the new and of the old.
An Archangel kissed by mortality.
A silver-winged Sleeper who wakes before his Sleep is done.
The broken dream with eyes of fire.
Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. [1]

Full Plot Summary[]

World-Building[]

Leads[]

  • Andromeda: aka “Andi”, is a Scholar with a specialty in Sleeping archangels who has worked and lived at the Refuge for the past three hundred and twenty-five years under the mentorship of Jessamy. Granddaughter of the archangel Charisemnon. Parents are: Lailah and Cato. A joyful time that is coming to an end—she is obligated to return home to a cruel court in fifteen days.
  • Naasir: one of Raphael’s Seven—feral and a six hundred-year-old immortal Made by Osiris, and something other with a primitive outlook on life. The Naasir is Socially inept, those who love him have taught him how to blend. And he is refreshingly honest with the soul of a prankster. Has silver eyes and silver hair.

Characters[]

  • Alexander: Sleeping archangel, an Ancient with an affinity for metal. Went into Archangel's Sleep four hundred years ago. Rohan is his son and a great general.
  • Aodhan: aka Sparkle; Angel, one of The Seven. Illium's close friend from angel childhood. He's worried for his best friend since childhood. Helps Elena with strength training while she helps him adjust to a new life.
  • Ashwini: Ashwini Taj—Guild Hunter, and an excellent tracker. Married to Janvier, a vampire. One of Naasir's best friends. She was recently turned into a Vampire. Has long, straight black hair and brown eyes.
  • Astaad: Archangel of the Pacific Isle snd Cadre—dominates the sea. Reservedly friendly with Raphael; took down Lijuan's cargo planes with reborn as they flew over his territory during the war; secretive; believes in honor;
  • Avi: one of the angel guards at Amanat and mated to Jelena, father of Tasha—they are some of Caliane’s most trusted people.
  • Beth Deveraux: Elena's full sister. Married to a vampire. She's pregnant. [2]
  • Caliane: an Ancient, she is thousands of years old and Raphael’s mother with power of the earth, went to Sleep under the sea long ago. She’s recently awoken, and she and her people in her city of Amanat are coming to terms with the changes in the world since she went into Sleep. Has wings of purest white, tumbling raven black hair and blue eyes.
  • Cassandra: A truly ancient ancient, long thought aslop and nearly forgotten. She made a prophecy about Alexander waking from the Sleep early that would mean her demise was to follow. [1] [3]
  • Cato: Andromeda's official father; wife: Lailah; part of Charisemnon's court; sexually perverse;
  • Chaoxiang: had been Lijuan’s beloved. A mortal who adored her.
  • Charisemnon: Archangel of North Africa, Andromeda's grandfather—a pedophile archangel[4] whose Vampire Virus got the better of him.[2] He was Lijuan's ally in the Angel War who sent Reborn into Raphael's & Titus's territories.
  • Dahariel: Angel, Astaad’s second, is Andromeda's actual father, and he taught her how to fight, especially with a sword, and how to survive.
  • Dmitri: Vampire. Leader of The Seven, and Raphael's second in command. Dmitri is nearly 1,000 years old—he is the most powerful vampire in the world and stronger than a large number of angels; Honor is his wife and both adore Naasir (whom he raised from age four). Has dark honey skin, black hair and dark brown eyes.
  • Elena: the first Made Angel in memory. Raphael's Consort; a former Guild Hunter who became an angel in Angels' Blood. Their apartment is in the Tower, their home is in the Enclave. Is very close with Illium, who cares deeply for her and was her first immortal friend. Has wings the color of black, midnight-blue, fading to dawn and finally tipped in white-gold. Pale, near-white hair and gray eyes with a developing ring of silver. She and Raphael are the series leads.
  • Elijah: Archangel of South America and Cadre—is an ally to Raphael.
  • Explorer: unnamed mortal explorer—found Alexander's place of Sleep, not knowing it. Andromeda read about it in the archives. He saw a great chasm filled with molten lave—Andi thinks it's molten metal and that's the place. [5] See Shavi[6]
  • Favashi: Archangel of Persia; can control the winds. General Rohan, Alexander’s son, rules a section of her territory.
  • Galen: Angel; one of The SevenRaphael’s weaponsmaster and part of The Seven. Married to Jessamy; burly build, trained Elena.
  • Hbeebti: Raphael’s pet name for Elena; it means beloved in the language of Elena’s grandmother.
  • Heng: one of Lijuan’s trusted courtiers of the inner court—tortured for passing info to Mchaela. Andromeda was forced to watch.
  • Honor: Honor St. Nicholas; Guild Hunter, recently turned into a Vampire. Married to Dmitri, adores Naasir and a mother-figure to him. Ashwini's best friend. Friends with Elena. Specializes in ancient languages and history. Has light brown skin, curly ebony hair and deep green eyes.
  • Hummingbird: another name for Illium’s mother, Sharine.
  • Illium: aka "Bluebell", one of The Seven. Very powerful angel, just over 500 years old. Cares very deeply for Elena, a once-mortal new-Made angel. One of the most beautiful angels, renowned for his blue wings and his pranks; he's struggling with a sudden power increase caused by the Cascade, growing away from his friends. Has silver-edged blue wings, ebony hair dipped in crushed sapphires (black with blue tips) and gold eyes with black lashes tipped with blue.
  • Isabel: Angel, one of Raphael's (and Jason's) people—was Naasir’s partner when he was on long term loan to Amanat.
  • Izak: "Izzy"; is one of the wounded angels and still healing from events in Archangel's Legion. He’s studying hard for his position in Elena’s Guard.
  • Janvier: is the Cajun vampire mated to a Guild Hunter, Ashwini—Over 200 hundred years old. One of Naasir's best friends. He is often called "Cajun" affectionately by those of the Seven he works with. Has a small place in the Enclave.
  • Jariel: an angel who was on the verge of becoming an archangel—found murdered. [2]
  • Jason: Angel, one of The Seven; The best spymaster in the Cadre—Princess Mahiya is his mate, around 700 years old. Has black sooty wings that do not reflect light, long black hair and black eyes. Has a tribal tattoo on the left-hand side of his face.
  • Jelena: mated to Avi, his beloved—they are some of Caliane’s most trusted people.
  • Jessamy: angel Historian who lives and teaches at the Refuge and is married to Galen. About 2,000 years old; Andromeda's mentor;
  • Kahla: a maiden in Caliane's city of Amanat—died of one of Charisemnon’s diseases, she was supposed to be a carrier but died too soon. [7]
  • Keir: angelic healer, cared for Elena while she was healing in the Refuge. Is a self-described "player".
  • Lailah: Andromeda's mother; of Charisemnon's court—wrote her daughter a letter telling her she was expected back in fifteen days to fulfill the bargain made on her day of birth.[8]
  • Lijuan: aka Zhou Lijuan; Archangel of China and Cadre; aka "Angel of Death" or "Goddess of Death"—spews a poisonous black rain from her hands, and is the world’s enemy. Created the Reborn.
  • Mahiya: Mahiya Geet; angel, princess, mated to Jason; Daughter to Neha's twin sister, Nivriti. Used to live in Neha's house. Co-lead of Archangel's Storm with Jason.
  • Michaela: Archangel of Central Europe and Cadre; is beyond arrogant and could be pregnant although Raphael also thinks it could be something Uram did to her.
  • Montgomery: vampire butler—works for Elena & Raphael; Hundreds of years old;
  • Nadiel: an archangel and an Ancient, Raphael's Father. 
  • Neha: Archangel of India and Cadre; Queen of Poisons; Mahiya's aunt; has an adversariel relationship with Raphael and Elena.
  • Osiris: Alexander’s older brother with the ability to meld things—Made Naasir. Made Naasir into something other through his experimentations with melding
  • Philomena: another of Lijuan's trusted generals
  • Primary: leader of the Legion that serves Raphael and Elena
  • Raphael: is the Archangel of New York, controls North America, along with his Consort, lover and mate Elena. The son of two archangel's, Nadiel and Caliane. He is one thousand, five hundred years old, has white-gold wings, ebony hair and blue eyes. He is the youngest angel ever to Ascend to Archangel and has immense power, including the ability to heal, although it is a young ability. He and Elena are the series leads.
  • Rohan: is Alexander’s son and a great general ruling a section of Favashi’s territory, territory that was once Alexander’s. He and his mate have had a son, Xander, who is being fostered at Titus’ court.
  • Sam: full name Sameon; is the young boy at the Refuge who gives the warning; wishes to become a part of Elena's Guard when he is older.
  • Scribe: (no name given) has been researching the Prophecy by the Archangel Cassandra for Lijuan.
  • Sharine: Illium’s mother and known as the Hummingbird. Love is her greatest strength and weakness, and something happened that has sent her into a retreat. Cares deeply for Raphael. Losing Illium could break her.
  • Shavi: brother of the Wing Brotherhood—he had been a new when an explorer got past him, he fell for a distraction.[6] See Explorer[5]
  • Suyin: Lijuan’s niece, was a gifted architect who is said to have died, although her body was never found. Held Captive for centuries by Lijuan.
  • Tarek: vampire leader of Alexander's guard and of the village that protects Alexander’s Sleep.
  • Titus: Archangel of Southern Africa and Cadre—has gained power over the earth; friendly with Raphael and Elena.
  • Venom: Vampire, youngest of the Seven—a old vampire with deadly poison in his blood, and currently based in the Refuge. Has the ability to entrance humans; has snake-like, slitted, green eyes
  • Vivek: Full: Vivek Kapur: aka "V"; Elena's friend—inactive Guild Hunter; Hunter-born; Handicapped; The Guild’s resident computer genius; Made vampire by Aodhan. Will serve his 100 year contract under Elena Deveraux, attached to the Tower, directly under the command of the Seven and ultimately will be made part of Elena’s Guard.
  • Xander: Rohan's son—being fostered at Titus’ court.
  • Xi: second-in-command to Lijuan—a trusted general who follows her blindly; interested in Andromeda; his wings are gray and red.

Groups and Organizations[]

Titles and Positions[]

  • Guild Hunters: Hunters that work for the Guild and hunt vampires that have gone rogue from their angel owners by running out on their contracts—or those that have become law-breakers, or killers.
  • Historian: The angel who keeps and records all the histories of angel-kind
  • Scholar: Angels who study and keep records of angel-kind—often focused on one area of study, and apprenticed to the Historian
  • Weapon's Master: Angel in charge of training and weapons. Each archangel has one head Weapon's Master, with others who are subordinate. Raphael's is Galen.

Supe Types[]

  • Angels: angelkind
  • Archangels: Ascended, the most powerful of the angels.
  • Ancients: Very, very old Archangels, most of whom are in the Sleep
  • Chimera:  a mixed species being—Made by Osiris. There were many failed experiments—their twisted skeletons left as evidence. [10]
  • Hunter-born: Hunters born with the ability to track by scent; stronger, faster, live longer; a kind of supernatural human.
  • Reborn: shambling, living dead who hunger for flesh. Lijuan’s horrific creation—like zombies.
  • Sleepers: Archangels who have gone to rest in a hidden location when they get too old and their power starts to overtake them. They may sleep for hundreds or thousands of years, and they may or may not awaken. No one knows for certain how many Sleepers there are, but Caliane believes there are seven Archangels who Sleep.
  • Vampires: Vampires are Made by Archangels. They must serve out a 100 year contract with an angel owner.
  • Wing Brother: member of the Wing Brotherhood that guarded Alexander's place of Sleep.[9]

Things, Events, States of Being, Processes[]

  • Amber: Amber means entangled—it's romantically traditional to give amber to the one you claim as yours. Lovers usually exchange amber embedded jewelry — Gold is exchanged for married couples. [11]
  • Angelfire: a power ability that only Cadre members can possess; Raphael is a known user.
  • Anshara: healing trance—Suyin went into Anshara from repeated trauma
  • Black Rain: poisonous rain—Lijuan's new weapon gained from the Cascade. Anyone she hits with it turns to black ash. [7]
  • Bloodborn: aka Angel of Blood—A form of insanity that all angels have potential to fall victim to. Uram, an Archangel, suffered from this. Thought to be caused by a surfeit of toxin in angel's blood used to Make vampires.
  • Cascade: supercharging event that increases an archangel’s abilities or powers. It’s not always a good thing.
  • Made: a vampire is Made, not born—one angel was ever Made: Elena
  • Melding: the process, or power, of combining things together, like a tiger with a Made boy.
  • Sleep: When an Ancient Archangel puts himself to rest in a secret hidden location—he or she may awaken centuries later. 
  • Star Grimoire: a lost book that is rumored to exist, an angelic treasure lost for thousands of years. It is the key that will unlock Andromeda’s vow of chastity.
  • Vampire Virus: the virus was sent into Raphael's territory just prior to the War of Life and Death. The same virus is now ravaging Charisemnon himself—the originator of the virus, the one who unleashed it on NYC.
  • War of Life and Death: aka Angel War —The war that too place in NYC when Lijuan and her forces attacked Raphael and his people. Life stands for Raphael and Death stands for Lijuan, the angel of Death.
  • Wildfire: the new power that the Cascade has brought Raphael

Places[]

  • The Tower: tall building in NYC from which Raphael runs his territory with Dmitri and others of the Seven. Elena & Raphael’s apartment is there;

See Also[]

Book References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Archangel's Enigma, Prologue
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 17
  3. Archangel's Enigma, ch. 22
  4. Archangel's Enigma, ch. 18
  5. 5.0 5.1 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 25
  6. 6.0 6.1 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 35
  7. 7.0 7.1 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 24
  8. 8.0 8.1 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "GH8ch2" defined multiple times with different content
  9. 9.0 9.1 Archangel's Enigma, ch. 33
  10. Archangel's Enigma, ch. 237
  11. Angels' Blood, Book-1, ch. 1
  12. Archangel's Enigma, ch. 9–14
  13. Archangel's Enigma, ch. 6

External Links[]


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