Archon: The Books of Raziel. Sabrina Benulis

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Archon: The Books of Raziel. Sabrina Benulis (The Books of Raziel #1)

by Sabrina Benulis (Goodreads Author)

3.1 of 5 stars 3.10 · rating details · 420 ratings · 137 reviews

There are some things worse than death . . .

For years, Angela Mathers has been plagued by visions of a supernatural being--an angel with beguiling eyes and magnificent wings who haunts her thoughts and seduces her dreams. Newly freed from a mental institution where she had been locked away for two years, Angela hopes that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican's exclusive...more

Paperback, 385 pages

Published 2012 by HarperCollins (first published December 27th 2011)

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Jan 03, 2012 Max rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Teens to adults

I received the ARC version of this book from a friend who is in the industry and read it while traveling. I haven’t reviewed books up until recently but I’ve been an avid reader for a long time, and I have to say I will give this my best shot.

Maybe this synopsis will help out the other readers of the book as well since it seems they missed a lot of the information that was actually in the book though they said it was not there.

As for the synopsis, this book is about Angela Mathers who is a tro...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Melindeeloo rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The two things going for Archon are the gorgeous cover and the dark atmospheric feel to the writing especially with respect to the academy setting of the story. Unfortunately, that isn't enough to overcome the fact that the first third of the book is very confusing and that I really couldn't connect with any of the characters.

Archon's protagonist is a Blood head, which has nothing to do with vampires, although that is what came to mind everytime I saw that word, but instead refers to a red-head...more The two things going for Archon are the gorgeous cover and the dark atmospheric feel to the writing especially with respect to the academy setting of the story. Unfortunately, that isn't enough to overcome the fact that the first third of the book is very confusing and that I really couldn't connect with any of the characters.

Archon's protagonist is a Blood head, which has nothing to do with vampires, although that is what came to mind everytime I saw that word, but instead refers to a red-head with witchy potential. Angela dreams of angels and is suicidal when we first meet her, since Angela is sure that death is the vehicle to connect with the most beautiful of the angels in her dreams but in each attempt to kill herself 'something' stops her from dying. Much of the story is about various parties looking for a prophesied Blood head, 'the Ruin', who will become the vessel for a dead angel. Or wanting to be the Ruin in the case of the Angela's nemesis Stephanie - who in a YA cliche, is the queen bee of a clique of Blood heads at the academy where the story is set and is competition for the same 'hot' guy - in order take over Lucifel's throne in hell.

Neither of these characters are likeable - actually none of the characters in the book are likeable - and neither are heroine material either. In fact pretty much all of the characters are at least gray, and personally, I actually ended up being far more intrigued by the 'villains' of the piece - a djinn who is an angel offshoot that eats the some of the students and a demon who ends up behaving in a surprising way at the end. Oh, by the way, both of these villains end up having more nobility than the angel who also is one of the players in the story.

Archon was a very difficult book to read, I struggled through the first third and set this down twice at that point since I still didn't have a clue as to what was going on, and while I can sometimes tolerate this in a first person narrative in which I am learning about the world with the narrator and am immersed in their reactions. Angela is pretty flat emotionally, so here it was just frustrating, and not enough of her background is shared early on in order to feel much sympathy for Angela.

Quite frankly if my fifteen year old hadn't convinced me that it wasn't fair to write a review if I didn't finish the book, I would just given up and at that point. However, I did pick the book up again and approached it with a different mindset and once there finally is an explanation of what the heck is going on and some of the villains come out of the shadows as well, I found the middle of the book to be fairly interesting, and there is a gothic texture to the writing that is interesting as well. Unfortunately, the story loses momentum around page 350, and when Archon finally finishes much is left unresolved since Archon is apparently a series starter.

So bottom line is that before starting reading Archon I should have committed the back cover blurb to memory - I don't read them before reading a book - I would have been far less confused because it turns out that the blurb actually shines a light on the setup to the story better than the early chapters of the book did. And if there had been a better intro to Angela's horrible childhood it might have allowed me to connect to her as a character early on as well, I probably would have liked Archon more - first impressions are crucial. But as it was, if I had purchased this book myself instead of getting the ARC free from the Amazon Vine I wouldn't have finished Archon even though there are a few bright spots in this dark murky confusing tale. (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Jodi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angels, and demons, and witches oh my! My senses were overwhelmed with “Archon” beginning with the book jacket, making me want to read what was inside. With the first installment in her trilogy, Benulis uses lush descriptions and larger than life characters to tell the story of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

Angela Mathers has led a hard life. Born a twin, she was shunned by her parents because she was a blood head, a feature that according to prophecy will be the dark messiah. Filled with sel...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Step Into Fiction rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jessica

Captivating story, fantastic characters with one hell of a heroine.

Review originally posted at Step Into Fiction

Review completed by: Jessica

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Jun 02, 2012 Pauline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The concept behind this book is the prophesy that someone with red hair will bring the ruin of man, causing all people with red hair to be isolated into carefully monitored groups where they can be watched to see if the prophesied "blood head" is among them.

Actually, this is a pretty little Goth story, very charming in a dark way. The lead character, Angela, was abused by her wealthy parents then disowned by the rest of the family when those overbearing parents died in a fire...then tormented b...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Mai marked it as avail-both · review of another edition

The book description is all over the place. Either Archon is that big of a mess, or someone at HarperCollins needs to be fired, or has been and this is their revenge.

I'm a sucker for angels though -the constant barrage of bad reviews for Halo is the only thing keeping me from read it- and will probably pick up this book anyway.

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Dec 19, 2011 Nicole About Town rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harpercollins, for-review, from-the-publisher, arc

While this book was good, it left me with far more questions than it did answers. I know that it is the first book in a trilogy, so I didn’t expect to have the events in the book all wrapped up in a neat bow by the end. But this book left me with question all throughout the book as opposed to at the end. Let me start by saying that I reviewed this book from an ARC copy provided by the publisher. Because of that I am keeping an open mind and hoping that the finished copy of this book underwent so...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Ally rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Archon is a book that suffers from a rather unusual problem. The setting outshines the characters. The water drenched crumbling world of Luz is fascinating. You can tell the author has planned it out well and probably has notebooks filled with little details about it that just didn't make the final edit. The concept is interesting as well playing with traditional ideas of the Antichrist or Ruin as she is referred to in this book.

The problem lies with the characters. Their physical presence is e...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Tori [Book Faery] marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Sounds like this book will either be awesome, or a hot mess.

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Nov 16, 2011 Krystal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Angela Mathers has not had the easiest childhood; she has extreme reactions to vivid dreams and can see angels. For Angela, seeing is believing and she once again takes it to an extreme. She decides to try to kill herself, hoping that she would be able to live in a world with angels-she mistakenly believes angels are only around and with the dead or dying.

In the beginning of the book, the author explains much of the necessary background a reader would need to fully grasp the concepts of this no...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Addieborja rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate this book. I tried to push myself to read just in case it got better but no... It didnt. It was worse.

I hate the blond leader of the pop group. She like has to get her priorities straight. She wants to be a demon? Wtf! Seriously. Dont want to be the goood guy? That woman is psycho! And i hate it how she sleeps around so much. She sleeps with Kim 5 nights a week? Seriously? Im surprised shes not pregnant! And dont forget to add how man. Its like woah. Take it easy dude. Seriously. I find i...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Danielle Wilson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had high hopes for this book. The cover looked cool. The story blurb sounded interesting (if a little high school-ish). Then I started reading.

Please believe me when I say I don't typically have trouble with reading comprehension. I felt like a complete idiot when reading this book though. I spent so much time feeling confused that I just couldn't get into the story, let alone feel sympathy for ANY of the characters.

The setting of Luz seemed like an awesome place. The crumbling ruins on a sto...more

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Dec 14, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of possible spoilers*

In Sabrina Benulis’s debut novel, Archon, there has been a prophecy made that the destruction of the world as we know it will be brought on at the hands of a red-headed human. Therefore, no parent wants to have a red-headed child and when they do it usually leads to a childhood of abuse. The Vatican has created a school, West Wood, for these ‘blood heads’, as they’re called, in an isolated town called Luz.

Angela has been obsessed w...more Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of possible spoilers*

In Sabrina Benulis’s debut novel, Archon, there has been a prophecy made that the destruction of the world as we know it will be brought on at the hands of a red-headed human. Therefore, no parent wants to have a red-headed child and when they do it usually leads to a childhood of abuse. The Vatican has created a school, West Wood, for these ‘blood heads’, as they’re called, in an isolated town called Luz.

Angela has been obsessed with angels as long as she can remember as her dreams are full of the beautiful creatures; the same couple of angels appear in her dreams again and again. She recreates them in her paintings and has attempted suicide numerous times so that she can be with the bronze angel of her dreams. This has led to her being in a mental institution for the last couple of years. But now she has left the institute, and being a blood head, she is entering West Wood Academy, where her brother is a novice, or priest in training.

Angela just wants to go to the academy to apologize to Brendan (her brother) for accidentally killing their parents when a suicide attempt got out of hand; burning their home to the ground with her parents inside. Then, she wants to continue her mission to die; unfortunately her angel keeps protecting her and keeping her alive.

But Angela discovers the more she’s at the academy, the more she truly has to live for.

I must start this review off by saying that I’m not a fan of most young adult novels. I feel that the genre suffers from more and more authors that write books geared to younger and younger people most of which seem to be geared towards teens or even tweens in some cases. So I was thrilled to see a young adult book that truly is geared to adults. There is sex in the book. It’s not a play by play like more adult driven genres have, but Benulis lets you know that it happened. And, there is mild swearing in the book as well. The author doesn’t try to censor herself for a younger audience, which I applaud her for. This is not a book for readers younger than adult.

Unfortunately, the book being geared toward adults isn’t my only requirement for a good book and I did find this one lacking.

I found this book to have a lot of interesting things going on, but it seemed to be too much all at once and made the book hard to follow. I was finding myself re-reading paragraphs once or twice trying to figure out what just happened. A little confusion in the beginning while the story is being lined out is acceptable. I received this book from the publisher, Harper Voyager, and I really enjoyed the paper they sent along with it outlining several of the main characters. It explained who they were, some of their familial relationships, their appearance, and a short profile about their character. I would love to see this included in the book along with the glossary that is already in the book. But even with that information, I still had trouble keeping up with this book and it just got worse as the book progressed and ended up leaving me pretty bored and a little lost in the process.

Benulis gave us an interesting story with a completely different look at angels, then we’ve ever seen before. I felt it has potential, but ultimately falls short.

http://openbooksociety.com/article/ar...(less)

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Aug 25, 2012 Psyreads rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Archon's world is fascinating, most likely the best feature of the book and the reason I gave it 2 stars.

Although the book is well written, its structure is confusing at best and it could use a major editorial overhaul. It appears as if the author spent considerable time and effort developing the world and creating the characters, perhaps to have the story hacked by the editor(s). I had the feeling that crucial segments were removed from the story, particularly in character-building scenes in th...more Archon's world is fascinating, most likely the best feature of the book and the reason I gave it 2 stars.

Although the book is well written, its structure is confusing at best and it could use a major editorial overhaul. It appears as if the author spent considerable time and effort developing the world and creating the characters, perhaps to have the story hacked by the editor(s). I had the feeling that crucial segments were removed from the story, particularly in character-building scenes in the first half of the book. The reader is suddenly plunged in the middle of situations having to put together pieces of information to make sense of the story and the characters. Nice idea in theory which just does not work.

The story only turns grimmer as the book progresses, making the reader more and more uncomfortable. Way too many pages are devoted to battles between peripheral, non-human characters (for instance the demon Naaman and the Jinn Troy) which are not developed enough or have sufficient redeeming qualities for the reader to empathize with them.

Some character names were somewhat confusing (e.g. men named with women's names and vice-versa), and yet another factor which made it difficult to connect with the characters. While the protagonist was interesting, I simply did not care for the others.

Some details which would have called for a more thorough research from the author's part, since the inaccuracies become distracting and pull the reader away from the story. This is often a danger when a story mixes its own mythology with existent dogmas. If not well-done, it causes suspension of disbelief. For instance, aspiring priests in Catholic religion are often called seminarians and never placed in co-ed schools at such unripened stage.

In addition, the book portrays the Catholic church in a very unfavorable light, with themes involving corruption, elitism and broken celibacy vows to name a few, which may be offensive to certain readers.

The book is the first on a series, which I sincerely hope is better developed in further installments. The ending was not particularly fulfilling, and I closed the book with the feeling very little was accomplished in terms of both the story progression and overall character development.(less)

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Aug 18, 2012 Bron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angel, demon, dark

Angela is a "blood head"- another word for red headed in a world that has a dire prophesy relating to someone with blood on their head. She has grown up seeing angels in her dreams, and has survived many attempts to kill herself, she is sure this is because someone is protecting her.

In Archon, Angela's arrival at Luz causes a total upheaval of the academy's community, including upsetting Stephanie, the leader of the powerful Pentacle Sorority who immediately targets Angela as competition. Angela...more

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Jun 07, 2012 CriCra CriCra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. La mia recensione sul Blog, SognandoLeggendo:
http://sognandoleggendo.net/blog/?p=1...

«Angela restò a fissare il proprio riflesso, distorto dal vetro. Gli occhi sembravano più grandi, e la sua immagine si stagliava su uno sfondo di nubi cupe, minacciose. Nell’illusione ottica, lampi e pioggia si confondevano con i suoi capelli, agitati da un vento brusco e implacabile. Le candele che brillavano alle finestre delle case di fronte le circondavano la testa come una corona di stelle. «Lei sta arri...more

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May 17, 2012 Literary Feline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first read Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, I found myself on shaky ground. I'm an extremely visual reader, creating scenes and characters in my head as I read the words on a page. I picture everything. With the first book in the Black Jewel's Trilogy, however, I had trouble seeing the world the author had created in my mind's eye. I can't explain why, just that it's so. Perhaps it was the way the author jumped right into the story and took off running. It was the same for me with Ar...more When I first read Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, I found myself on shaky ground. I'm an extremely visual reader, creating scenes and characters in my head as I read the words on a page. I picture everything. With the first book in the Black Jewel's Trilogy, however, I had trouble seeing the world the author had created in my mind's eye. I can't explain why, just that it's so. Perhaps it was the way the author jumped right into the story and took off running. It was the same for me with Archon by Sabrina Benulis. And yet both books captivated me, drawing me into their worlds. Even when I wasn't reading, I felt a little like I had one foot in the book and the other in reality. I love it when a book has that effect on me.

Set in Luz, a city on the cusp of all that is holy and hell, the novel is about a damaged young woman who wants nothing more than to die. Only she can't. Every attempt she makes ends in failure. Haunted by visions of angels, Angela longs to join them. She is sure she will find answers at the Vatican's exclusive university in Luz.

A prophecy foretelling the end of the world warns of the coming of the Ruin or Archon. The Archon is believed to be the reincarnation of the once powerful angel, Raziel. Angela is one of many who fit the description of this alleged Ruin with her red hair, pale skin and mystical powers. Considered freaks of society and ostracized, the blood heads are both feared and hated.

Angela becomes the target of a particularly nasty sorority leader who will stop at nothing to prove that she, Stephanie, is the Archon. Soon Angela finds herself at the center of the struggle between Heaven and Hell--where good and evil are blurry at best and where the likely outcome is life or death.

Despite my initial difficulty picturing Luz, I found Archon to be an intense and entertaining book. The characters were fascinating--flawed and mysterious, beautiful and yet ugly. The whole evil versus good came into play time and time again and was upended just as many times throughout the book. It was hard not to feel sympathy for even the darkest of characters. Angela, the main protagonist, is a strong young woman despite her insecurities. She shows courage and decisiveness when she most needs it. And yet clearly she is quite damaged, having been terribly abused as a child because of her blood head status.

The angels in Archon are more like the ones in the television show Supernatural than they are from the show Touched by an Angel. The angels are prideful and self-centered, having their own agenda that doesn't always include the humans. It makes it all the more interesting. I confess I didn't see the allure of any of the angels really. Sure they were beautiful, but their personalities left a lot to be desired.

Of all the characters, the one that I was most drawn to was Sophia. She is a mystery right from the start. Kim, too, was an especially interesting character. He and Angela seemed well suited for each other. I was never quite sure of Kim or Sophia--where their loyalties lied. Both are still a bit of a mystery and I hope to learn more about them in future books.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. The author expertly weaves the characters and their stories together. There are several moments throughout the book that left me holding my breath, afraid of what was to come and yet dying to know what would happen. I picked up Archon to read on a whim and am so glad I did. It was an exciting read and I look forward to seeing what else Sabrina Benulis has to offer. I just hope she doesn't take too long!

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Apr 16, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Archon has a beautiful cover and great potential. Unfortunately I wasn’t as excited about the story once I started reading it.

Good points: the author builds the world of Archon slowly and as the story went along instead of the first half of the book being devoted to world building leaving little room for plot or action. There is a lot of action and the story flows. The mythos is highly unique and fascinating – a new view on angels, demons, and other types of ‘otherworldly’ beings. It’s definitel...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Maurinejt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anyone who graduates with a degree in "popular fiction" is a little bit suspect, I must admit, as the author claims she does on the back flap. Still, I forgive a lot for a good book. This one fell short. The pantheon of selfish angels and demons who can happily reproduce with humans and carry their own agendas and faults is contrary to the teachings of Christianity; ditto with the strange so-called Vatican academy the protagonist finds herself in. The story really longed to go off the grid, set...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Victoria rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-science-fiction, young-adult

Both the cover and the description definitely enticed me, but unfortunately this book failed to deliver on that promise. The writing itself was not actually at fault, as what prose there was carefully written, with lush words and interesting word choices. Sadly, there was just not enough of this to pull this book through to be a success. The characters, including many supernatural beings including angels, demons and jinn, were not fully fleshed out to be remotely sympathetic, or even interesting...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Sonia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finalmente si respira aria di novità.
Finalmente posso iniziare una recensione senza dover esprimere il mio odio verso le autrici young adults che sfornano libri tutti uguali.
Finalmente inizio una storia senza immaginare nessuno svolgimento né prevedere come andrà a finire: non ho la minima idea dei personaggi che incontrerò...
A dispetto della cover, che - per quanto possa risultare attraente - era fin troppo allineata alle cover dei romanzi (fotocopia) tanto di moda ora, a dispetto del titolo ma...more Finalmente si respira aria di novità.
Finalmente posso iniziare una recensione senza dover esprimere il mio odio verso le autrici young adults che sfornano libri tutti uguali.
Finalmente inizio una storia senza immaginare nessuno svolgimento né prevedere come andrà a finire: non ho la minima idea dei personaggi che incontrerò...
A dispetto della cover, che - per quanto possa risultare attraente - era fin troppo allineata alle cover dei romanzi (fotocopia) tanto di moda ora, a dispetto del titolo ma soprattutto del sottotitolo (Il libro segreto dell'Arcangelo), ci si trova di fronte a qualcosa di originale, ricco e per nulla prevedibile.
Fosse solo per queste impressioni, scaturite già verso la cinquantesima pagina, l'autrice si merita i miei più sinceri complimenti, pur se nella sua totalità il romanzo non mi ha interamente convinta.
Ma mi ha coinvolta tenendo costantemente alta la mia attenzione, altrimenti avrei rischiato di perdermi tra angeli, demoni, troni, jinn, insanguinati e altre creature finora sconosciute.
Protagonista è Angela, che vista l'età e la condizione familiare potrebbe essere la tipica protagonista dei romanzi appartenenti al genere young adult. Diciottenne, ultima arrivata in una nuova scuola, orfana di entrambi i genitori. Detta così, ci si potrebbe davvero preoccupare. Ma bastano poche pagine per capire innanzitutto che non ci troviamo in una normale scuola. Qui la maggior parte degli studenti appartengono agli Insanguinati, persone con particolari capacità, tra cui quella di evocare demoni e angeli. Perciò nessun potere da nascondere agli altri: nessuno è normale. Il passato di Angela è racchiuso in un ospedale psichiatrico, dove la ragazza ha vissuto gli ultimi anni a causa dei suoi inutili tentativi di suicidio, che hanno portato però alla morte dei genitori. L'inizio del romanzo ha la sua buona dose di inquietudine che piace e incuriosisce.
Vogliamo capire di più: cosa cerca Angela, chi è l'Angelo che sogna ogni notte e che lei rappresenta nei suoi dipinti, perché la sua presenza in quella scuola sembra un segno del destino...
Non posso continuare a riassumere: vi dovrei parlare di Angeli e Arcangeli, di bene e male, di demoni carnivori e violenti, e di Archon, la Rovina... Ma non lo farò: c'è troppo da dire e la Benulis sa raccontarlo decisamente meglio di me. Ha saputo portare in queste pagine dei personaggi nuovi, ha saputo dare vita a una lotta tra bene e male dove i confini sono così sottili che nessun lettore riuscirà a capire da che parte schierarsi o per quale personaggio tifare. I suoi Angeli sono demoniaci e i suoi Demoni... bé, lo sono anche loro.
La storia ha un ritmo sostenuto, gli eventi si susseguono velocemente e ad ogni nuova scoperta sembra sostituirsene immediatamente un'altra: non è così facile starle dietro, comprendere le alleanze e la natura di ogni creatura presente in essa. Forse è questo l'unico difetto che si può imputare alla scrittrice: aver messo così tanta carne a cuocere che ad un certo punto il lettore si ritrova nella confusione più totale. Bisognerà far appello alle certezze acquisite durante la lettura e sperare che bastino per arrivare fino alla fine senza perdere troppo.
Noi ci siamo riusciti e ne siamo riemersi un po' storditi ma soddisfatti.
Buon esordio per la Benulis, aspetteremo con ansia il secondo volume della trilogia.

http://cuoredinchiostro.blogspot.com/...
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Jan 21, 2012 Jesse Coffey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a good read. A little too convoluted in places and there were a few sections that I had to re-read. There's a lot flying at you in the story, a lot of details and information. Some things don't get fully explained -- on purpose -- and you're left guessing. But the answers do surface as you go.

These are definitely NOT the stereotypical angels and demons that we're used to in the movies and books we've had until now. The angels are tinged with darkness, the demons are tinged with light....more

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Jan 18, 2012 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I'd probably give thsi 3.5 stars, but rounded up. It's not YA, probably because it's too dark and sexual, and technically these are supposed to be college-aged students, but it's in the vein of so many popular dark and lovely YA novels. This is the first one in a while that I haven't lost interest in two-thirds of the way through though, which is why I rounded up.

There are lots of characters and due to possession and other supernatural factors it's hard to keep track sometimes of who's who, but...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy-horror-fiction, fantasy-adventure-fiction, supense-thriller-fiction

Angela Mathers, with her stain of dark red hair and alabaster skin – a freak, a monster, a blood head, and perhaps the possible fulfillment of a horrific prophecy, remains haunted by angels. One in particular with beguiling blue eyes and magnificent bronze wings who seduces her dreams. Her only escape from the nightmares is her paintings that depict the dark visions that have possessed her mind for years.

Newly freed from the mental institution she spent the last two year of her life in, Angela i...more Angela Mathers, with her stain of dark red hair and alabaster skin – a freak, a monster, a blood head, and perhaps the possible fulfillment of a horrific prophecy, remains haunted by angels. One in particular with beguiling blue eyes and magnificent bronze wings who seduces her dreams. Her only escape from the nightmares is her paintings that depict the dark visions that have possessed her mind for years.

Newly freed from the mental institution she spent the last two year of her life in, Angela is hopeful that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican’s exclusive univerisity, will bring her peace and will finally provide and explanation for the dreams and visions that plague her mind. The university is a school for students, specifically blood heads that possess super-natural powers, and among them is one special blood head that is more powerful than them all: the Archon, the human reincarnation of the dead angel Raziel. When the Archon arises as is foretold in the prophecy, they will rule over the supernatural universe.

Angela, already struggling with her own life and its sense of normality, has no desire to conquer the supernatural universe, but the choice may not be her own. Torn between the man she loves and her obsession with the beautiful angel who haunts her dreams and paintings, she must choose what is best for her and for the world, for she is the key to Heaven and Hell. Both will stop at nothing to have the Archon on their side of this battle between their worlds.

Sabrina Benulis, author of Archon: The Books of Raziel, has really put a fascinating spin on her own unique and complex version of Paradise Lost; of heaven, hell, and life on earth, how and why the angels fell in the first place, and the impending apocalypse prophetically called the Ruin.

I would recommend this book to young adults and those comfortable with a Gothic style genre as well as the supernatural. I received this book compliments of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Diane Tran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to give this book a 5-Star.

Characters:

The characters are amazing. Benulis has creatively shown a different personality for each (as well as beautifully described) and each has their own deep dark side. The main character is fabulously written. She has a darker more tormented side which does not brood over too long and you can strongly see a quite strength within her as the story builds. You will not be able to choose a certain favorite character because of the mystery surrounding the st...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Jennifer Rayment rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

* Unusual and unique storyline
* Poetic writing
* Wonderful ability to set mood and landscape
* Cover is awesome!
* Scenes involving sexuality were done extremely tastefully

The Not So Good Stuff

* Religious in nature & has Angels and Demons -- soo not my type of story
* Extremely violent and dark
* Very little humour -- you guys know I need some
* Seriously confused with who was who and what they were -- please remember I have no religious background so my confusion could be...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Brittany Rehage rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Archon is unlike any angel-centric book I've read recently. It's darker, grittier, and more complex. It's definitely not a love story with angel elements. It's about the darkness that is so dark, the Vatican has created a special Academy designed to help them find and destroy the evil that has everyone so afraid.

Angela Mathers is an extremely strong and independent female character. She might start the novel suicidal and slightly off-kilter, but by the end of the novel, she's powerful and steady...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Martina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 22, 2012 Kristen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, sci-fi-fantasy, horror

I am baffled by all the excellent reviews. Are there 2 versions of this book out there and I have the version intended to bewilder and confuse? An angel I am told was male, but later that he/she/it is pregnant? A fairie is an angel? Angela is the Archon but not? She houses Raziel's soul but doesn't? And I still don't know what the Ruin is...! It was a sign when I realized I was two weeks into this book and still only about 60% through it that I was not going to agree with all the positive review...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-3-march

From the inside cover:

There are some things worse than death…
For years Angela Mathers has been plagued by visions of a supernatural being—an angel with beguiling eyes and magnificent wings who haunts her thoughts and seduces her dreams. Newly freed from a mental institution where she had been locked away for two years, Angela hopes that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican’s exclusive university, will bring her peace and a semblance of normality.
But Angela isn’t normal. With her stain of da...more From the inside cover:

There are some things worse than death…
For years Angela Mathers has been plagued by visions of a supernatural being—an angel with beguiling eyes and magnificent wings who haunts her thoughts and seduces her dreams. Newly freed from a mental institution where she had been locked away for two years, Angela hopes that attending Westwood Academy, the Vatican’s exclusive university, will bring her peace and a semblance of normality.
But Angela isn’t normal. With her stain of dark red hair and alabaster skin, she is a blood head—a freak, a monster, and the possible fulfillment of terrifying prophecy. Blessed with strange, mystical powers, blood heads hold a special place in the Academy. Among them, one special blood head is more powerful than them all: the Archon, the human reincarnation of the dead angel Raziel. And when the Archon arises as foretold, it will rule the supernatural universe.
Barely in control of her own life, Angela has no ambition to conquer an entire universe, not when she’s suddenly contending with a dangerous enemy who is determined to destroy her and a magnetic novitiate who want to save her. But the choice might not be her own…
Torn between mortal love and angelic obsession, the young blood head must soon face the truth about herself and her world. It is she who holds the key to Heaven and Hell—and both will stop at nothing to possess her.
In Archon, Sabrina Benulis has created a dazzling imaginative tale set in a lush, vivid supernatural world filled with gargoyles and candlelight, magic and murder, in which humans, angels, demons, and those in between battle for supremacy—and survival.

The reason I have this here is because without reading this you might be entirely confused from the get go. Archon is a wonderfully written book with beautiful language, and an in depth world and characters. Archon is a book you need to read slowly and take in every detail, all of which are very important to following the story line. Sometimes I had to reread a paragraph here or there because I missed something. Now I don’t mind doing this but if you do mind and you don’t pay close enough attention to detail you will miss out when reading this book and end up completely confused but if you don’t mind it like me and pay attention to detail you will surely not think of this book as a waste of time.

I cannot wait for the next book 8)
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About Sabrina Benulis

My novel Archon, the first installment in The Books of Raziel series, is the beginning of a gothic paranormal fantasy with an edgy bite. If you are looking for something daring and different in every way, I'm your girl. If not, don't say I didn't warn you. ;-) You will probably really like Archon if you like darker fantasy, horror, and paranormal thrillers.

Book 2 is in the works as we speak, with...more

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“Any final requests? This is going to be quick."
"Yes, actually I'd like you to change your mind."
"Not about to happen.” — 6 people liked it

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Archon: The Books of Raziel. Sabrina Benulis (The Books of Raziel #1)

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