Halo of the Damned...

Apr 09, 2013 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-personal-reading-challenge, 2013_reads, april-2013-reads, pick4me-potentials

Review of Halo of the Damned by Dina Rae
5 stars

Dina Rae is a very special kind of author, as I discovered with the very first novel by her that I read, “Bad Juju.” Then I moved on to read “The Last Degree,” and now “Halo of the Damned.” Of course I was a Dina Rae convert from the first novel . She has a certain aura in her writing I’ve not experienced anywhere else, and if someone were to put a document before me, or a set of printed pages, without a title, author, or blurb listed, and tell me t...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Bryan Schuessler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

When I read the synopsis of HALO OF THE DAMNED I thought, “Oh Hell! This book is going to be littered with tons of religious innuendo! I don’t want to be preached to! I don’t want some Evangeli-Catho-Bapti-Biblethumpiotic author trying to infuse her religious beliefs within a thriller that centers around religious themes!” Or so I thought that would be what reading a book about an advertising agency run by a fallen angel whom works for none-other-than Satan himself that just so happens to hire a...more When I read the synopsis of HALO OF THE DAMNED I thought, “Oh Hell! This book is going to be littered with tons of religious innuendo! I don’t want to be preached to! I don’t want some Evangeli-Catho-Bapti-Biblethumpiotic author trying to infuse her religious beliefs within a thriller that centers around religious themes!” Or so I thought that would be what reading a book about an advertising agency run by a fallen angel whom works for none-other-than Satan himself that just so happens to hire a nephilim whom just so happens to have more in common with the dark demon than he really knows. That was a giant mouthful of plot crammed into a meandering sentence of descriptive babble. In fact, I am pretty sure that was a run-on sentence and really has no place in this review…or the English language.

HALO OF THE DAMNED, written by newcomer Dina Rae (she only has one other novel published), is a well-paced story that fuses theology, religion, horror, suspense, gore, sex, and well-researched subject-matter in a gripping novel that reads like something Dan Brown (ANGELS & DEMONS) would have perched atop the N.Y. Times Bestseller List. I mean to say that I really, really became absorbed within the book and was not checking how many pages I had left in the book after finishing up the current chapter I was reading. It was a real page tuner (as corny as that sounds!).

As far as my reading tastes go, I enjoy reading fiction as much as I do non-fiction, but with a fictional piece of work I tend to find it quite a bit more interesting if I learn some facts in the process. That is not to say that I can’t enjoy a book that is purely written for entertainment purposes and really offering nothing more than a blissful ride of cranial sensory stimulation, but I find that if a book blends in real research and academic subject matter to enhance to story, it adds an element of truth and reality that simply reinforces the fantasy to the reader. Dina Rae’s tale of religion, fallen angels, Satan, cults, and police work make for a well-rounded package destined to appease even the most finicky reader (unless one is a hardened Agnostic and has no imagination whom finds reading Mathematics and Science books extremely stimulating).

The book dives right into the gore and violence as Andel Talistokov, whose angelic name is Armaros, is staring at the barrel of a handgun when one of his star advertising execs turns on him. He (0r it) decides to eat her, the delicious blood as nourishing as it is a food orgasm. This all occurs in the first few chapters and one is instantly sucked in to the story, anxiously seeking out answers to unanswered questions as Ms. Rae continues to whet the readers’ appetites chapter after chapter. I tend to like my books to contain a nice amount of gore, sex, violence, research, and have some life-lessons thrown in their here and there.

HALO OF THE DAMNED explores one of mankind’s oldest religions, Yezidism (an ancient angel worshiping religion) and how one family whose roots and history lie within it break free and end up battling the forces of evil on all fronts. The book tosses a bunch of interesting characters into the story’s plot, from the typical stereotype of the sneaky private eye (Abe Silverman from Chicago) to a hard-nosed cop (Detective Leonardo Magliano) hot on the trail of an angel-worshiping cult. If that doesn’t sound interesting enough Rae adds a lawyer (Sean Slattery) whom is legally and sexually entangled with a family of angels and half-angels trying to figure out their roles and past family history. As two sisters (Joanna and Kim) reconnect (one was locked up for drugs), they find out a lot more about their mother and all the secrets she had hidden from her daughters. The story is filled with mystery and a story that weaves in and out of the believable to the truly unbelievable.

Ms. Rae introduces characters to the plot of the story that one cares about, gets to know throughout the chapters, and actually remain memorable. I was also happy to not have to have story “notes” because there were too many characters whisking in and out of the story and leaving little to no impression upon the reader. Easily forgettable characters leave a book easily forgotten. HALO OF THE DAMNED brings to the forefront questions about one’s existence, good vs. evil, the balance of one’s planet Earth, and how much corruption really prevails on a national level. If a book does not throw questions at me and cause me to think and get the cranial juices flowing, it is nothing more than a faded memory soon to have never existed. I believe Dina Rae’s book will be embedded in my brain for years to come.

While reading HALO OF THE DAMNED, it puts in to perspective one’s faith ( or lack of), cults, organized crime, power, corruption, greed, the power of advertising, and inbreeding on a disastrous level. As I finished reading the book, a slight grin developing across my face, I was satisfied to have learned about a subject matter I was unaware of (Yezidism) and a new subject that has a lot of perversion and kinkiness to it (creating a nephilim via angel incest). If a book does not teach me anything or is only vapidly entertaining, I tend to question why I wasted my time in reading it. This book was entertaining, informative, and emotionally engaging. I tend to think the small press of Eternal Press will soon not be able to keep up with the printing demands of such a talented and gifted writer. I will not be surprised when I start reading about Dina Rae and the buzz her books will be bringing. I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Dina Rae’s HALO OF THE DAMNED, a quick read at only 248 pages.

For more info on author Dina Rae and her books, head over to www.dinarae.co to for info on HALO OF THE DAMNED and other future projects.(less)

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May 05, 2013 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, paranormal, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...
This book is not for the faint of heart or those sensitive to blood, gore, and general not-nice-activities–but, if you are you probably wouldn’t pick up a book about demons anyway, because–let’s face it– demons, by their very nature– are evil. And, evil beings do things that are— well— evil. Which leads to the conflicts in this book.

Andel is in the same position Satan was in before the fall–he wants to take Satan out and be worshipped...more

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May 04, 2013 Books Mom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, paranormal

Dina Rae takes the reader into a dark corner of the supernatural world-- the world of demons and nephilim. Andel Talistokov, one of the fallen angels who were thrown out of heaven when Satan rebelled against God, is taking a page out of Satan's book and wants to be worshipped instead of God ... or Satan. Joanna Easterhouse and her family discover they come from a long line of celestial beings who stand against the evil that Andel embodies.

The actions in this book start off dark and graphic--Ande...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Librarian Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reconstructing Jackson is an interesting look into the USA following the Civil War. While I don't read a lot of historical romance, I do love to read early American. As one who cut my teeth on Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour, the stories about how the US came to be have always fascinated me. Reconstructing Jackson was no exception.

It wasn't an easy read. Times are difficult for everyone in the book from the crippled hero, to the abused heroine, to the "darkies" who are now technically free, but stil...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks-read-in-2013, paranormal-read-in-2013, read-in-2013

Joanna has spent a few years in jail for her drug habit. She had the habit do to hearing voices all her life. The drugs kept the voices away. When she is released she goes home to live with her sister and niece. All she wants to do is stay clean and get a job. Her mom left behind many secrets including who their father is. She was hiding so much more that they better prepare to face. Andel is a successful business man with ties to Satan. He grows to cocky and soon begins to ignore Satan's wishes...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Morgan Wyatt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, horror

Dina Rae’s Halo of the Damned, a different type of paranormal, is published by Eternal Press. Instead of the retelling of Gods and Goddesses, Ms. Rae decides to go with one of Satan’s own. As many of you have suspected after bombarded by images of perfect slender females in commercials, there is pure evil in advertising. This happens to be a devil named Andel’s tale.

Andel shows up in Wheaton, Illinois to do Satan’s bidding, or at least that’s the plan. Andel head up an advertising firm named Evi...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Elizabeth Alsobrooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This dark occult horror novel doesn't pull a punch. Rae demonstrates her research skill and imagination in this take on fallen angels gone awry.

Andel Talistokov is a fallen angel that uses subliminal suggestion in advertising as a weapon for Hellish intentions. Ruling a power structure reminiscent of the one run by Al Pacino in the Devil's Advocate, Andel feels invincible. He tried to defeat God, and now he wants to defeat Satan. Yezidism, an ancient angel worshiping religion, provides the powe...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Vanna Smythe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this to be a very unique paranormal, horror story. I admit to be fascinated with the premise of the Catholic faith and a novel which features fallen angels, Satan and hell. I also like a good horror story and Dina Rae has done a great job of keeping me entertained on both those fronts.

The story follows sisters Joanna and Kim as their mother's secret history begins to come to light. In the course of the novel the two sisters find out that they are actually part human and part angel, or Ne...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Vidya-BooksAreMagic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, blog-tour, horror, zombie

Andel just made me feel sick. All the gruesome zombie-ish routines of eating humans and Andel's assistant, Marcus' past are enough to make most of us stop this book. But, its like you just love to be afraid when seeing the horror movies. I just continued and it became less horrific. I still continued and something new came up. I was still reading when I predicted the next move and I finished reading when I felt like its a good read.

There are usual paranormal references like nephilim, angels, etc...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Laura Hartley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I signed up for this book tour, I thought that Halo of the Damned was going to be your average paranormal romance with all the usual clichés - but I was wrong. Halo of the Damned is something different and unique that takes paranormal romance and throws a bit of gore, horror and mystery at it. The writing is absolutely superb and the story keeps you gripped from beginning to end. The book's description drew me in as it sounded like this book was going to be a mixture of old and new worlds w...more When I signed up for this book tour, I thought that Halo of the Damned was going to be your average paranormal romance with all the usual clichés - but I was wrong. Halo of the Damned is something different and unique that takes paranormal romance and throws a bit of gore, horror and mystery at it. The writing is absolutely superb and the story keeps you gripped from beginning to end. The book's description drew me in as it sounded like this book was going to be a mixture of old and new worlds which is exciting. This book is a mix of so many genres and I was surprised at how well they all meshed together. It is unusual for horror, romance and mystery to fit so well together, but somehow Dina Rae did it.

I was slightly taken aback by the opening scene which was rather gory and very creepy. There are some passages of this novel which are really disturbing and some might even classify them under the 'horror' genre. These scenes didn't bother me or deter me from reading, I just wasn't expecting them to be there. If you're not comfortable reading slight gore, then this probably isn't the book for you; however, it's not the sort of stuff that'll give you nightmares - at least, I don't think it is.

I thought that the layout of the book was a bit peculiar as each chapter only consisted of about 2 pages and the chapter alternated between plot strands. I'm not sure whether or not this was a good or a bad thing, probably a mix of both. It was good because each little snippet left you hungry for more thereby keeping you interested for the entirety of the novel; however, it did make the story a little jumpy. The short chapters had me turning pages like crazy, desperate to see how the two story lines merged together.

I could never quite figure out whether or not I liked the character Andel or not. He was just so bad - and not in a bad boy way, in an evil way. This made his character intriguing and unpredictable which added to the mystery of this book. I was curious to see how the relationship between Joanna and Andel panned out and I finished this book in no time at all.

It was great to read a paranormal romance with darker themes because it was quite a contrast from the usual YA paranormal romances that I read. Fans of this genre won't be disappointed; however, this isn't one for the faint-hearted. This story is completely unique and a must read for people who love books about fallen angels. It is not in the least bit predictable and I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next as I turned each page. This book wasn't at all what I had expected it to be and whilst it is a 'paranormal romance', don't think that you know what sort of book this is, because you don't. You'll have to read it yourself to find out what I mean! (less)

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Jul 15, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The fallen angel Amaros has come down to Earth in the guise of the human Andel, working at the bidding of his master, Satan, he is recruiting more souls for his lord’s armies. And he’s perfectly placed to do so – as the head of several major advertising firms, he and his people have become a master of corrupting souls around the world, making him one of Satan’s most effective generals.

But there’s precious little gratitude in Hell, and Amaros’ mistakes have been noticed, in particular he has been...more The fallen angel Amaros has come down to Earth in the guise of the human Andel, working at the bidding of his master, Satan, he is recruiting more souls for his lord’s armies. And he’s perfectly placed to do so – as the head of several major advertising firms, he and his people have become a master of corrupting souls around the world, making him one of Satan’s most effective generals.

But there’s precious little gratitude in Hell, and Amaros’ mistakes have been noticed, in particular he has been siring children – nephilim – an activity strictly forbidden by both Heaven and Hell. Even worse, a branch of his descendants have gone further, through inbreeding and further summoning, concentrating angelic blood in their offspring in their own insular religion.

The prideful Amaros has been given his orders to return to Hell – but as Satan chafed under god’s rule, so too does Amaros under Satan’s.

And we have Joanna, newly released from prison for cocaine use, she’s starting to build her new life. But her first job out of prison puts her in Amaros’s company and any attempts for normality quickly fade as she and her sister Kim are faced with their own hidden family history, their grandmother’s agenda, what really killed their mother, Lydia – and the legacy she left behind. Along with Lydia’s lover, Sean, they piece together to puzzle of what exactly happened, what their family history truly is and the forces that are at stake.

This book is extremely dark and gritty. And I’ll warn for this from the very beginning. This isn’t a happy angel story where a fallen angel finds a mortal woman and then falls in romantic true love and they have lots of sweet, joyful living. No, these are fallen angels. They’re evil, deadly creatures out to reap souls for Satan – or themselves. This means these books are grim, people die, people are eaten, people are raped, there are serial killers, incest and torturers. It’s grim and dark and leaves no shadow of a doubt that this is evil.

Which is, in some ways, refreshing. There was no romanticising of evil, no sympathising of it. We didn’t see the darkly tortured angsty creatures we’re so used to and we didn’t, in any way, make the evil murdering monsters seem sexy, even when they were sexually attractive. Even people who had fallen into Andel’s thrall fell there beause of his charisma and out of worship and greed after deliberate manipulation on his part – there was none of the very typical “oh he’s so gorgeous so I’ll forget he was a serial killer” we’ve come to know and loathe

I can’t say it was a story with a lot of surprises. There were some twists – Tony was a twist and the exact nature of the scroll was a twist, but most of the story was heavily foreshadowed throughout (the author also has an interesting habit of briefly recapping what’s happened repeatedly, which really prevents any surprises since the plot’s very laid out from there). That didn’t mean the story was boring however, and while I could see the shape of what was coming, it was interesting to see how it developed especially since, while the plot wasn’t difficult to predict, the world and story was original.

The idea of vampire-like creatures being creations of the fallen angels was an interesting twist; I also really liked the real world consequences to the murders, especially with Marcus. In a lot of these stories we see vampires leaving a trail of bodies in their wake and it never seems to catch up with them. There are no police, no grieving loved ones, no manuhunt, no attempt to find the perpetrators of their crimes – but not here. One of the interesting side-plots of the book is Marcus’s increasingly inept attempts to try and escape from the trail of evidence he’s left behind.

After so many demonic forces used in fiction, I think I’m surprised that this is the first time I’ve come across a demonic advertising industry (though it does make a lot of sense and really fit). How the advertising campaigns were designed and how extremely exploitative language and disturbing behaviour fit into the businesses practices as standard really stood out and meshed seamlessly with Andel’s own demonic nature. In fact, one of the powerful undertones is not so much the overt power of the fallen angels and their demonic vampires – but their insidious influence. The wealth and power Andel has, the power their followers have through their church, their reach and their immunity. And all of this becomes even more exciting and tense when that power begins to unravel, when the veil of secrecy begins to fade and all that insidious influence is shown to be so very hollow.

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Jul 09, 2012 Crystal (Redheads Review It Better) Cuffley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, fallen-angels, paranormal-romance, suspenseful-romance

Oh wow. This is the first book of Dina's I have read and might I say, I was thoroughly satisfied! I really like paranormal romance and what made this book even better was the suspense level. It had me at the edge of my seat frantically turning my virtual pages. Intense is not an accurate way to describe this book. What more accurately describes it is, Intensely intriguing with a side of holy crap did that just happen?!?!?! I want to give everyone a heads up, there are some gory things that happe...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Majanka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, horror, paranormal-romance, read-2012

Halo of the Damned is intense, and not like what I expected at all, which is a good thing. When I heard ‘paranormal romance’ and ‘angels’, even with the words ‘dark’ and ‘horror’ added in, I immediately jumped to conclusions. I love paranormal romance, but I’ve seen all the clichés one too many times to enjoy them anymore. Halo of the Damned isn’t your typical paranormal romance. It doesn’t throw around clichés, instead it works with them and features them in a new spotlight.

The story starts out...more Halo of the Damned is intense, and not like what I expected at all, which is a good thing. When I heard ‘paranormal romance’ and ‘angels’, even with the words ‘dark’ and ‘horror’ added in, I immediately jumped to conclusions. I love paranormal romance, but I’ve seen all the clichés one too many times to enjoy them anymore. Halo of the Damned isn’t your typical paranormal romance. It doesn’t throw around clichés, instead it works with them and features them in a new spotlight.

The story starts out with one of the bad guys, Andel, and what an amazing start it is. I immediately fell in love with this villain, although he is, without a doubt, eviler than most of the villains you see nowadays. I liked him because there was a certain dark passion behind his motives, and a surprising amount of originality. The author wasn’t scared to shy away from violence and some gory scenes, but I personally didn’t mind. I see how some people could find it disturbing, but it is horror. While I usually tend to prefer my horror more of the psychological kind, this book offered more than enough balance between blood and gore and psychological horror to be entertaining.

On the side of the good guys, we have Joanna and Kim. While I wasn’t particularly fond of them at first, they grew on me as characters. The most intriguing part behind the story is the brainwashing though, and the cult doing these things, no matter how horrifying, because of something they believe in. The author clearly did her research, and it shows. I thought the scenes of the rituals were, although gruesome, very fascinating as well, and it shows us the human pscyhe in a new shape and form. Even though there’s a romance storyline in this book, the book doesn’t depend heavily on it – it’s more of a side story.

I must applaud the author for bringing together a mix of genres that don’t always match well together: romance, horror, paranormal, mystery and thriller. This account of fallen angels is one of the most refreshing books I’ve read in a while in this particular genre. The book grabbed me from page one. It reads like a true pageturner, and kept me up till late in the night to finish reading. If you’re a fan of dark paranormal romance and/or horror, Halo of the Damned needs to be on your TBR list. Right now.(less)

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May 15, 2012 Ophelia Julien rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fun with Demons

Current cultural trends show a persisting, growing obsession with all things angel, demon, and darkly supernatural, all with a thread of romance thrown into the mix. Fans of this genre will not be disappointed with Dina Rae’s Halo of the Damned.

Set ironically in Wheaton, Illinois, a city with one of the highest number of churches per capita, the story opens by acquainting the reader with Andel, the head of an advertising agency that bears the very honest name Evil Empire, after hi...more

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May 12, 2012 Lisa Markson rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Review of
Halo of the Damned
By Dina Rae

I really loved this story. Dina paints a fantastic story of what happens when a Fallen Angel wants to take over Hell. You ask what is this world coming to. How would you feel if you find out that your whole life was a lie. Johanna and Kim find this out. Their mom was a offspring of their grandmother a human and Andel who is the Fallen Angel Armaros. Many people lives are endangered on Armaros quest for Satans seat as ruler of Hell. He is not wanting to b...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Margaret West rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought at first that I was not going to like Halo of the damned. I found it quite hard to get into at first, but I’m glad I persevered because after a while it turned into an enthralling page turner.
First, I suggest that you release the rational side of your mind and allow this dark paranormal to take to you places that you never knew existed. Where demons are repentant and angels are all forgiving to us mere human beings. There is death, destruction and bloody fights, which expertly builds u...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Tony-Paul Vissage rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story relies heavily on the Book of Enoch and other testaments not included in the King James’ Bible, and there’s a plethora of information about how and why these specific angel fell. It’s also a tongue-in-cheek comment on American sales agencies in that the biggest and most successful advertising agency of them all just happens to be owned and operated by one of Satan’s own.

The characters are as varied in their motives as they are in their backgrounds, but they all have one thing in comm...more

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Feb 23, 2012 P.L. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Genesis 6:4 … Nephilim . . . offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men." Good and evil. Heaven and Hell! The mysteries of the Nephilim are explored in Halo of the Damned.

After Joanna is released from prison, she is given refuge by her sister Kim and Kim’s daughter Maria. Lydia, their mother who died the year before, left behind a tangled web of mystery and deceit. Joanna secures a job in an ad agency founded by the Fallen One, Armaros. Seeking his own dominion on earth, Armaros u...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Lizzy Lessard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, reviewed

Overview: Halo of the Damned is the third book I’ve read from Dina Rae and she sure does have a very signature way to her writing. It’s raw, extremely unpredictable, and compelling from the first page to the last. The dialogue and writing feel over-dramatic at times, and the way her books are written feels like Dan Brown or Tim LaHaye. I like how each of her books tackle a different genre – this one is a dark thriller. I like how this book is about a devil religion unique to this book – which me...more Overview: Halo of the Damned is the third book I’ve read from Dina Rae and she sure does have a very signature way to her writing. It’s raw, extremely unpredictable, and compelling from the first page to the last. The dialogue and writing feel over-dramatic at times, and the way her books are written feels like Dan Brown or Tim LaHaye. I like how each of her books tackle a different genre – this one is a dark thriller. I like how this book is about a devil religion unique to this book – which means Catholics are spared from the corrupt priest stereotypes. It’s dirty, but not gory. A great Halloween read for those who like their “evil” without too much scare.

Characters: Like in her other novels, there is a huge cast of characters with distinct personalities. With such a large amount, there isn’t much character development for many of the characters, but they will leave you guessing from scene to scene. Joanne is the star of the novel and she is both a recovering drug addict and an ex-con. I like how her view of the world was more jaded than the typical heroine and how she didn’t fall madly in love instantly with the first male who showed interest in her. There is a little bit of a love triangle, but honestly, one of the men was way out of his league in trying to get her. The romance is very underplayed and the plot definitely hog most of the spotlight. One person I couldn’t stand was Marie – as she in no way resembled a 6-year-old in her mannerisms behaviors, or vocals. I think her character would have been more convincing if she was at least 12 or 13.

Plot: It could be viewed as a good or bad thing, but many of the scenes are revisited by different characters. Scene A might be told in Joanne’s POV and end in a cliffhanger. A chapter or two later, Marcus will pick up the same scene either explaining the events leading up to Scene A or the events that happened because of Scene A. Halo of the Damned is definitely a non-linear story, but surprisingly the pacing of the novel is strong even when the information in the book is familiar to the reader.

Ending: Thankfully this was not a cliffhanger. I could see the potential for a series involving many of the characters, but even as a stand alone this book has a satisfying ending. There’s a few twists that happen during the path of the book and I had a general idea of what would happen at the end – but there was no predictability to the actions of most of the characters. Overall though, it was a good read. A “light” read for those who like “dark” books.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Ronda Tutt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, mystery, suspense, horror, erotic

Mystically Captivating & Realistically Horrifying!

What a fascinating read! Talking about being glued to the pages, I was totally hypnotized as the story came alive on the pages. Readers who love stories of the fallen angels will eat this story up. The story captivates you immediately as the mysterious religion (Yeridism) behind the fallen angels unfolds within the story and gives the reader an insightful realistic and goring detail of how the angel worshipers perform their rituals and why t...more Mystically Captivating & Realistically Horrifying!

What a fascinating read! Talking about being glued to the pages, I was totally hypnotized as the story came alive on the pages. Readers who love stories of the fallen angels will eat this story up. The story captivates you immediately as the mysterious religion (Yeridism) behind the fallen angels unfolds within the story and gives the reader an insightful realistic and goring detail of how the angel worshipers perform their rituals and why they perform them. Warning! Some of the details may be horrifying to the tender hearted as there are rituals of rites of passage into adult hood to include sexual scenes, and sharing of eating the human flesh (outside enemies).

The authors writing is fascinating in the fact that the connection between the characters is so humanistic in real life that she had me believing these type of people really existed. I had to literally go and look it up on Google to see if this religion exist and it does. This author has thoroughly done her homework bringing in the history of the fallen angels from the biblical aspect of the book of Enoch accounts.

The plot itself stays mysterious all through the book and keeps you on the edge of your seat at every turn of the page. The excitement and twists is intriguing and definitely gives the reader a different outlook towards the fallen angels, an outlook from a darker side. You will not find the sweetness you may find in most romance novels about fallen angels. I have to say this is probably the most realistic account of truth you will find about fallen angels even though this is fiction.

I love how the author has taken this story and has added other genre elements to it like romance and small amounts of erotic scenes between events. The mystery and suspense of how through advertising concepts humans can be mentally brainwashed into doing things definitely kept me glued to the pages, and the paranormal aspect adding the horror of humans being drained dried of their blood or being literally eaten starting with the organs to include their bones. Some scenes are very graphically descriptive as if the human is like someone buying a cow in the market, prepared, and cooked for dinner.

All I can say is that this whole story was fascinating, very educational for me because I did actually learn about a religion I didn’t know existed, and I look forward to reading more of this authors work.

Excellent Read!
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Apr 10, 2013 Sabrina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book has a paced story that combines horror, suspense, religion and that’s what makes it an amazing book! After just reading a few pages you can see Dina Rae has researched everything that it’s written in this book and that is what will make this book to be on top of all the lists.
Life isn't the same, everything changes and sister Johanna and Kim asks them self what to do now when they found out they’re hall life was full of lies. Their mom was a offspring of they’re grandmother, a human a...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mkr, paranormal, read-in-2013

Review posted on MamaKittyReviews.com
http://mamakittyreviews.com/?p=5504

This book not for the faint of heart, if you have an aversion to blood and gore, rape, incest, or anything cult related; then this book is not for you.
Let’s jump right in with my likes and dislikes.

Likes: The characters, they are all flawed – extremely flawed. Some are redeemable; others make your skin crawl. I know this was the intent, and it takes true talent to portray that in the manner it is done here. I normally don’t...more

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May 30, 2012 Tyler-rose (The Reading Pile) rated it 3 of 5 stars

originally written on www.the-reading-pile.blogspot.com

So Dina's book opens introducing us to Andel after his first kill - a very interesting opening that's for sure. Not gonna lie, but this intro definitely hooked me. I really enjoyed it, and then it kind of went down hill from there. Halo of the Damned had it's good moments... it's great moments... it's meh moments... and it's down right slow and bad moments...

I'm torn about this book because I did enjoy a lot of it. Andel and Marcus were my f...more

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Jun 04, 2012 J E Cammon rated it 4 of 5 stars

The twists of Dina Rae’s paranormal adventure start with the title, Halo of the Damned, and on the very first page the reader feels the exit to their experience barred and locked behind them. Rae’s writing blends fantasy and research into an immersive landscape with deep, rich characters. There’s the ex-con Joanna working up the corporate ladder in a harsh economy, her sister Kim, the single mother with a past waiting to scab over, as well. And on top of these real situations, burdening the shou...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Blaze McRob rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Halo Of The Damned" by Dina Rae is a super read! Anyone interested in fallen angels will love this novel. The author did a great job with research, hitting on some of my favorite sources for angel lore. The book of Enoch has always fascinated me, and this great tale draws on the lore, suppositions, and possibilities inherent in this book and other usually discarded tomes. Good for Dina! The way she draws upon the personalities of the protagonists and antagonists is phenomenal as there is somewh...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Aaron Dennis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: enjoyed

Halo of the Damned by Dina Rae is available at www.eternalpress.biz

Andel Talistokov watched Marcus, his assistant (among other titles) scrub his office cleaner than an ICU room. He carried Catalina’s fresh head into the custom-made panic room he had built before occupying the building.
The room was twenty feet below the basement, and he and Marcus were the only ones who knew about it. Inside the room were a toilet, table, and kitchenette equipped with basic appliances. The refrigerator acted as...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r-complete, read-2012

Not for the faint hearted!
(I received a digital copy of this book for free as part of the ‘Halo of the Damned’ Blog tour.)
32-year-old Joanna has just been released from prison, after an 18 month sentence for possession of cocaine. She goes to live with her sister and niece, who are living in her mother’s home since her death. Lydia (their mother)’s will leads them to some unusual discoveries though, as it turns out she had a lot of money, several homes, and some strange artefacts in the shape of...more Not for the faint hearted!
(I received a digital copy of this book for free as part of the ‘Halo of the Damned’ Blog tour.)
32-year-old Joanna has just been released from prison, after an 18 month sentence for possession of cocaine. She goes to live with her sister and niece, who are living in her mother’s home since her death. Lydia (their mother)’s will leads them to some unusual discoveries though, as it turns out she had a lot of money, several homes, and some strange artefacts in the shape of a painting, a scroll, and strange curved bit of metal.

Unfortunately, Jo’s sister Kim shows these artefacts to the wrong people, and Kim narrowly avoids death in a car accident – the same way her mother died. Realising that something is seriously wrong, Jo and Kim try to protect Maria (Kim’s daughter) from what is happening. Maria however seems to know more than anyone, when it turns out that her grandmother had been teaching her things about angels and their writings, and showing her how to use a Ouija board.

Meanwhile, Jo has found herself a fantastic new job at an advertising firm, which is a huge surprise to her now that she has a criminal record and is on parole. What she doesn’t know is that the head of the company (Andel) is a fallen angel, who likes to eat people, rape people, and generally cause pain and suffering. He’s built an entire empire of advertising companies, partly using his evil means, and likes to have people worship him, even if this means annoying Satan.

What events really led to Lydia’s death? What is the significance of the scroll, painting, and piece of metal? Just how far will Andel go to get what he wants?

I’m not really sure where to start with this book. The story was interesting, but I think I’m just a little bit too sensitive for the subject matter, as I was uncomfortable at several points whilst reading this book due to some of the more violent events. This book is really not for the faint-hearted, and contains scenes of violence, devil worship, blood drinking, cannibalism, and rape (of both males and females), and I really wished I hadn’t started reading it while eating my breakfast!

Joanna is an interesting character, although she is unsure what to make of her niece’s strange habits of talking to a doll (who talks back to her and tells her strange things), and using a Ouija board to talk to her dead grandmother. With the weird occurrences that are happening though, I think I might have been more inclined to take her advice, especially after her sister claims that her car accident was caused by seagulls attacking her car.

Jo’s mother’s family were seriously weird. They had this strange religion that they described as ‘angel worship’, when they really meant fallen angels – Satan etc. They were into some seriously sick activities, including incest, rape, and murder, but on the outside looked like totally normal people, which just made it all the more disturbing.

I really wasn’t endeared to Jo’s boss – the fallen angel/demon Andel either. In the first few sentences of the book he is portrayed eating his own daughter’s dead body, which really put me off my breakfast! He’s generally a bit of a nasty character all round to be honest, although I suppose this is to be expected of a demon, and his activities are generally rather unpleasant.

There were also a few side characters involved – Sean – Lydia’s lawyer and lover, Abe – the private investigator looking into Lydia’s family for Sean, and Marcus – Andel’s second in command and another nasty character (he’s into torturing animals).

I’m afraid the final straw for me was when a police detective got his eyeballs pecked out by seagulls. Really gruesome, I felt physically sick, and really just could not bear to read any more. I was going to give it 6 out of 10 stars up until this point, but I really had to knock it down after this. Sorry but I’m going to have nightmares of that scene for a long while to come.

Overall; this was a well written book, with a well thought out storyline, the subject matter was just a bit too violent and taboo for me.
4 out of 10.(less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Melissa Rheinlander rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow... this is a DARK and fantastically horrific read. Rae definitely has her gory detailing down and opens the book up with just that and doesn't let up! The violent and gory details can definitely make your skin crawl. Rae creates characters that have depth and that you become engrossed with. Rae's research is laced all throughout the book and makes you want to learn more. Again this book is full of gory, horrific, and violent details and is not for the squeamish/lighthearted. Looking forward...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

I interviewed Dina Rae on my website and she was incredibly personable. I liked her attitude so much, I bought her book 'Halo of the Damned.' Here is the link to her interview.
http://jakeelliotfiction.com/2012/10/...

This is a simple, yet fun and twisted read. The basic story is about Andel,one of the fallen angels who is in cahoots with Lucifer. Here on Earth, Andel runs an ad agency in Chicago. He's done a fantastic job using advertising as a means to manipulate and deceive people away from sal...more

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