Release-Day Review: Archangel’s Sun by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #13)

Archangel’s Sun (Guild Hunter #13)
Nalini Singh
Published: Nov. 24, 2020 (Berkeley)
Purchase at: Amazon or Bookshop
Review Source: Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events from the previous book in the series. If you haven’t it, check out VBC’s review of Archangel’s War. Not familiar with Guild Hunter at all? Read our review of book one Angels’ Blood.

The world is still reeling from what was wrought by Archangel’s Lijuan and Carisemnon. In Africa, Archangel Titus is tasked with not only rebuilding his own territory, but also that of his now gone enemy. The war may be over, but small battles are still raging as nests of the undead are uncovered across the continent. Titus’s patience has been running thin and aide is scarce.

When Lady Sharine, known throughout angelkind as The Hummingbird, is sent to help, Titus knows it’s only because there is no one else available, and doesn’t really expect an angel who has been lost in her own world of memories to offer any real help. The angel who stands before him, however, is not at all what he expected.

Sharine is a beloved and cherished fixture in angel kind known for her beautiful paintings, but a series of past tragedies and traumas left her mind broken. Sharine has finally started to clear the fog. Started to live again. She is determined to not let the past continue to influence the future including dealing with overbearing archangels.

But if Sharine is not what Titus expected, the same can be said for Sharine’s own expectations when it comes to Titus. Sometimes the most unexpected thing is what you needed all along.

Despite the ongoing battles peppered throughout, Archangel’s Sun feels like a cooling off period after the back to back intensity of Archangel’s Prophecy and Archangel’s War. Focusing more on the revelations discovered while people and places are still in a state of recovery.

Sharine and Titus’s story is one I didn’t ever think about, they are a pairing I wouldn’t have pinpointed but they turned out to be absolutely perfect. I liked how Sharine is initially underestimated. Being soft, not a warrior, she’s a “treasure” who should be spared any talk of blood and fighting. She’s a singing example of soft not being weak. I loved how she was quick to embrace modern technology and would offer insights that younger angels couldn’t even think of. If anything, I wish Sharine’s wisdom and experience had been explored further. Titus is constantly forgetting that Sharine is older than him by millennia because she’s learned to live more in the present and embrace changes that come with the passing of time. I always love the idea of these long-lived creatures and the history they each have. I just wish we got a bit more of that this time around.

As far as Sharine and Titus, I just like the ease of their relationship. I like that she pushes his buttons and to a lesser extent he pushes her, but them being together is never about filling some kind of void but rather just something that enhances their lives.

I enjoy when we get this kind of break and in such a long-running series I think it’s important to have. Of course, Nalini Singh always gives enticing indications of where we’ll go next and I’m really eager to see what plays out next.

 Sexual Content: Sex