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A Temptation Of Angels

by Michelle Zink (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 2,018 ratings · 324 reviews

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance…

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting th...more

ebook, 448 pages

Published March 20th 2012 by Penguin Group (USA)

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Nov 30, 2011 Marg K. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star-rating

Okay, I've got some good news and I've got some bad news. Actually, to be more accurate, I've got a whole lot of really bad news and I've got a little bit of fairly good news. Therefore, I think I'll try softening the blow somewhat by starting this review off sunny side up.

The good news is that I thought the writing flowed naturally & smoothly and possessed an eloquent quality that I found quite appealing. Also, I thought that there were some rather intriguing ideas incorporated into the sto...more

65 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

oh my god that was INCREDIBLE! there is more right?!? i mean there HAS to be more! I need more! oh my! sooo good!

Michelle Zink continues to leave me spellbound! A Temptation of Angels the perfect blend of historical fiction & romance with a supernatural twist! I loved the characters, I loved the story.... I loved it all!

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Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night by a frantic mother and then being thrust into a secret passage in your bedroom wall…. with the instructions...more oh my god that was INCREDIBLE! there is more right?!? i mean there HAS to be more! I need more! oh my! sooo good!

Michelle Zink continues to leave me spellbound! A Temptation of Angels the perfect blend of historical fiction & romance with a supernatural twist! I loved the characters, I loved the story.... I loved it all!

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Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night by a frantic mother and then being thrust into a secret passage in your bedroom wall…. with the instructions to find an address. That’s what happens to Helen.

Not only does she loose her parents and everything she know, she is thrust into this world that she never knew she belonged to. And if you are anything like me, you won’t be able to flip the pages fast enough to discover this world (and the boys in it!) along with her.

Michelle Zink continues to leave me spellbound! A Temptation of Angels the perfect blend of historical fiction & romance with a supernatural twist! I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved it all!

Michelle Zink is such a talented writer. I remember when I started reading A Temptation of Angels and being reminded of that talent! Wondering how I could forget something like that. Michelle is one of those writers that can easily transport you to a different world or a different time. It doesn’t feel forceful as it can in some novels.

I was intrigued by the first chapter. Who is this girl and who is trying to kill her?! I know you will be flipping the pages just as fast as I was.

Helen is a strong female protagonist. She’s stubborn, smart, fearless & fearful at the same time. Everything that I as a reader enjoy in a character and more. It’s not only Helen who makes such a lasting impression. All the characters in A Temptation of Angels are realistically portrayed. No matter if we were only introduced to them for a short time.

There is also a bit of a love triangle, as you know I’m a sucker for those! I am still undecided whom is the better choice for Helen. As I feel most readers will be too!

An absolutely beautiful story! I only hope there is more to come! There is more, right?(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 04, 2012 Vanessa *Bluest Ribbon* rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: its-not-me-its-you, made-my-head-hurt

Disclaimer: This is purely a result of having no life. If you have any complaints or violent reactions, then I suggest that you go amuse yourself. Thank you.

I'm amused at how much publicity "A Temptation of Angels" is getting. Zink's team knows their shit. And really, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm just plain amused.

I'm amused that everybody seemed to LURVthis oh-so-good-novel.

I'm amused that I didn't. It made me completely lethargic andapathetic.

I'm amused that it promised me a "page-turning epic...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Ferdy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, boring-crap-hero, whiny-annoying-blah-heroine

0.5 stars - Spoilers: read at own risk.

Sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright is awoken in the middle of then night by her mother who orders her to flee after informing her that she is in grave danger. Helen is reluctant to leave her parents, however she is forced to go when her family home is set on fire. With her parents dead and her house destroyed, all Helen is left with is a note given to her by her mother with two names and an address. Helen is offered help in the form of two brothers - Griffin...more

12 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First posted at Bewitched Bookworms

I admit, I never read a book from Michelle Zink before but I heard good things about her Prophecy of Sisters series. Being a sucker for Angel stories I knew I had to read this one! Add in the beautiful mysterious cover and I was sold!

World full of Angels, Hero’s, Heroine’s, Secrets and Love!
There is no mistaken here that this book focuses on the world building and setting the odds for what is to come in the next books. We discover together with Helen that Ange...more First posted at Bewitched Bookworms

I admit, I never read a book from Michelle Zink before but I heard good things about her Prophecy of Sisters series. Being a sucker for Angel stories I knew I had to read this one! Add in the beautiful mysterious cover and I was sold!

World full of Angels, Hero’s, Heroine’s, Secrets and Love!
There is no mistaken here that this book focuses on the world building and setting the odds for what is to come in the next books. We discover together with Helen that Angels indeed exists and at the same time of course also their evil counterpart (demons). Moreover, Helen is no ordinary Angel, she’s one of very few Keeper of the World who are bound to protect the world and something very important… (Nope, not going to spill anything!)
I was fascinated with the lore Michelle Zink used and created here. We have a beautiful and wonderful mix of historian (story is set in London in the early 1900s), angelic lore, a little steampunk (very little but I found it cute) and I was very fast drawn into this world and desperately wanted to know more about the basics, rules and secrets!

Helen – wonderful strong protagonist!
Helen really had no easy time before she meets the Brothers (we talk about those hotties later) yet she stays incredible strong and never was on the edge to break. I found her a wonderful person yet I know giving the circumstances I wouldn’t have been so strong! It was admirable! At the same time she’s determined and focused to avenge what she has lost and does not let The Brothers tell her what to do! I believe she’s not the typical woman living in this time – but I liked her even more because of this! sometimes however, she overestimated herself a little and did some stupid things that she could have definitely avoided!

The Brothers! Oh my!
What is a good story without some hot boys? Well, nothing which is why we gat not one but two brothers here which are so different from each other, yet I fell in love with both of them! Darius is the older brother and bound to protect his little brother and standing rightful against everything evil – he’s also not very nice to Helen at some points, but what can I say I often have a soft spot for the bad boys! He’s a very closed character and no one apart from his brother can get near to him, which made him even more fascinating!
The other boy is the boy Helen falls for: Griffin – younger brother, strong, loyal and sweet! Yet, of course deadly when he has to fight some evil demons! He’s exactly what Helen needs in her situation right now, a broad should to lean one, someone who would protect her against everything and who simply loves her!

Unnecessary Love Triangle..
Yes there is one, but… I didn’t see this Triangle coming until the very end and it might be slightly spoilerish but this was one of the reasons why it was only a 4 star instead of a 5 for me. It was unnecessary and it felt forced for me. Also the BOI (Boy of Interest) didn’t do anything for me and I still have no clue why Helen has feelings for him!!!

Bottom Line
Fantastic introduction into a new world of Angels secrets, love and friendship. Wonderful heroine, smart and hot boys and so much more!!I’m eager to get back into this wold!(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) marked it as not-yet-released-books-to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: covers-to-die-for

My god! This sounds amazing. Can't wait for it to be released!!

Mar 20

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Renu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, favourites

"I'm not very good with anything physical..." she began as they turned down a hallway she had never seen. He flashed her a grin as they walked. "I find that hard to believe." She caught the innuendo in his voice and felt a blush creep to her cheeks. "You know what I mean."

The characters of A Temptation of Angels all had distinctive voices, their interactions and relationships were conveyed beautifully and I become easily attached to them. My favourite two characters were Helen the protagonist an...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 22, 2012 Victoria rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those who wants to read about damsels in distress, weak heroines, and no originality

Shelves: cover-i-love, angels, fantasy, young-adult, i-thought-it-was-okay, books-reviewed, disappointing-books, not-for-me, why-did-i-read-this, could-have-been-better

I have had high expectations after reading the blurb of this book and glancing at the beautiful cover. I was eagerly anticipated for this book. And now after reading this book, I have to say this book was very disappointing to me. I was so looking forward to reading a book about kick-ass heroine, swoon-worthy love interests, and brilliant pages of action that kept me engaged into the story.

But sadly, none of it happened in this book.

After seeing her parents brutally murdered by fire in her home...more I have had high expectations after reading the blurb of this book and glancing at the beautiful cover. I was eagerly anticipated for this book. And now after reading this book, I have to say this book was very disappointing to me. I was so looking forward to reading a book about kick-ass heroine, swoon-worthy love interests, and brilliant pages of action that kept me engaged into the story.

But sadly, none of it happened in this book.

After seeing her parents brutally murdered by fire in her home, the main character, Helen, who is given an address quickly run to a hidden, safe underground in London where a secret organization called the Dictata controls the balance of evil and good. Helen quickly adjusts to her life in the Channings's house where the her protectors and people tell her that she's one of the angelic descendants and has a responsiblity to be trains to conquer and slay the evil.

The main character, Helen, is dull, flat, and one of the most boring heroines I have ever come to read about. Most of times in the book, she's constantly need saving from her heroic protectors and when her protectors tell her to stay out of the trouble, she does the complete opposite, ignoring their words and get into situations she doesn't know how to get out of. Let me get to those protectors in a moment. I'm kinda tired of reading heroines who are damsels in distress and must be save by everyone! Come on! Pick yourself up! Don't rely on the guys to save you! Save yourself! I wish Zink wrote a more stronger and kick-ass heroine. We do not need to be reminded that girls are weak and can't pick theirselves up because not every heroine is like that!

Moving on to the heroic protectors...The brothers who happened to be her protectors (Darius and Griffin) are both boring and dull like Helen. They're always saving the girl and treating her like she's the queen and they need to save her. I'm really tired of the same YA books I've been reading. It's the same stories I have been reading. Come on! Can authors start inventing stories that have some orginality?

Griffin who happened to be the love interest is brooding, tortured, and really boring. Throughout the book, he constantly keeps saying "I will always protect you" or "Trust me, I will never let anything hurt you!". I lost count on how many times he keeps saying that. Please stop saying that! It's annoying! Helen can protect herself. Of course, he just had to be the protector.*rolls eyes*

Same goes for the 2nd love interest (Raum) who happened to be responsible for the death of her parents. Both love interests are the same-- gorgeous, boring, brooding, and flat. I don't understand how Helen can grow to develop romantic feelings for the guy who happened to be responsible for the murder of her parents. Of course, he's your childhood friend who spent a lot of times with you and makes you happy, but come on! I don't think anyone in their right mind could fall for the person who is the main cause of your parent's murders.

The positive thing about this book is--the writing and the storyline that Zink crafted together. The writing can easily flowed on the page and kept me reading until the end. It's not poorly written, but not the best writing I've seen. The writing is simply fine. The storyline was intriguing to me. Not a lot of action has happened in this book. It was more of a-training-and-sneaking- up- to-face-the-enemy-and-trying-to-find-methods-to-find-him-book.

I have a good feeling there might be a series in this book after the ending I've read. I'm not sure if Zink will continue this series because she has left a lot out and there's not a single sequel she's working on right now. But I'm sure about one thing. I'm not going to continue this series at all. Enough is enough!

If you're looking for a kick-ass, strong heroine and plenty of action, you will definitely not find it in here.

If you are however looking for the same YA books (insta-love, damsels in distress, boring and brooding love interests, unnecessary love triangles) that authors repeatedly keep writing, then look no further. You have found the right book to read.

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Faye rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angel-demons, favorites, recs

Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters Series) continues to write beautiful, tantalizing novels. Her latest; A Temptation of Angels is a wicked combination of Angels, a Strong female protag, and Historical Fiction that you won't be able to put it down. You'll love Helen Cartwright!

Helen has good head on her shoulders, she doesn’t fall head over heels for a guy or let it clutter up her thoughts. She’s a girl on a mission. I’m just gonna say it, she is AWESOME! Loved her bravery and tenacity. She’...more

5 likes · like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Stacy/GirlsInTheStacks.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy

A great beginning to hopefully a new series!

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Caitlings rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, paranormal, read-in-2011, historical, romance, ya, own

REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED AT WHATCHYAREADING.NET

One of the earliest books Kate and I bonded over was Michelle Zink’s Prophecy of the Sisters. And over the next two years we got to read the rest of the trilogy, if not together then at least in the spirit of togetherness, all with much discussion about Dimitri and sisters and awesomeness. So, when the amazing people at Penguin Teen offered to send us an early manuscript of A Temptation of Angels, we jumped all over the chance!

I posted my mini-revie...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2012 YAL Book Briefs rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: For those with Patience

Shelves: did-not-finish, angels, historical, historically-inaccurate

To see full review click here: http://yalbookbriefs.blogspot.com/201...

It's not horrible. I mean, the writing was easy to get through and none of the characters were terribly offensive, I just couldn't connect to this book and I think that was it's main problem. Well, that and the info dumping.

Seriously, I think more than anything else the info dumping confused me. I sort of got what was going on, but at the same time I didn't. It was really weird.

Another problem I had with the book were the ch...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

2.5 stars!

Oh boy, this book was very tedious for me. There was a lot of talking and little action. The writing did this thing where a chunk of paragraph was followed by a sentence telling the audience what it REALLY meant. So it’s to say the least, this was yet another book that suffered from telling and not showing. Halfway through the book, I was wondering when exciting things were going to happen and they didn’t really until the very last part. I don’t even know if I can really say I liked t...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Aisha Patel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, paranormal, fiction, fantasy, demons, historical-fiction

First off i dont really see the connection between the title and the actual story and at this point im feeling kind of betrayed and mislead.The 'forbidden love' and title is what caught my attention (silly me believing they were actual GOING TO BE IN THE STORY) cuz they werent there.

Apart from my obvious disappointment there was so much preparation, so much talking and nothing actually happening. Its not that the book was empty and while i was reading it didnt feel like open air but after finish...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 19, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewrequestbyauthor

Obviously, this is an instance of review copy failure. To be fair, I did receive this ARC after publication, but I still meant to have the review done way before now. Better late than never, though, right? The good news is that, despite some predictions to the contrary, I did actually like A Temptation of Angels, and, in some ways, I was very surprised and impressed by Zink's novel.

On the surface, this book was poised to frustrate me endlessly: a special snowflake heroine with violet eyes, the m...more Obviously, this is an instance of review copy failure. To be fair, I did receive this ARC after publication, but I still meant to have the review done way before now. Better late than never, though, right? The good news is that, despite some predictions to the contrary, I did actually like A Temptation of Angels, and, in some ways, I was very surprised and impressed by Zink's novel.

On the surface, this book was poised to frustrate me endlessly: a special snowflake heroine with violet eyes, the murder of parents, angels, and a love triangle. Actually, though, Zink dealt with most of these in a manner that I deemed perfectly acceptable, so, if you've been considering this book but unsure, you may want to give it a go.

Angels have not been my favorite subset of paranormal fiction by any means. Too often they serve as a platform by which the author can serve up their religious viewpoints to unsuspecting young readers. Thankfully, A Temptation of Angels ranks with the grouping of angel fiction that makes no attempt to say anything whatever about religion, along with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which I read earlier this week.

Though I obviously liked her omission of any real look into where the angels precisely came from or who they were working for, I would have appreciated a bit more elucidation into how the Keepers function on earth. Having finished the book, I'm not entirely certain what normal operations as a Keeper entail. What really boggles my mind, though, is how they come into being. I really couldn't get a handle on any of this from the few mentions they got. For once, I would have liked more infodumping.

What I really appreciated about A Temptation of Angels was Helen, and the way the boys treated her. Though I didn't initially think too much of her, she grew on me. She refused to let herself be left behind or ignored. The boys bossed her around much of the time, but only because she really didn't know what she was doing. If she picked up a needed skill, she would be accorded respect for that. When she had a better idea, they listened to her. Unlike so many YA boys, they did not view her as lesser solely for being a woman. Though she does spend a lot of time being lifted and caught, I suspect that, down the road, she would build up her strength and no longer require or accept that help. As a heroine, Helen was constantly growing, unwilling to be anyone's dependent, which is a wonderful message for teenage girls.

Yes, there is a love triangle, but I do need to give Michelle Zink props for not adding Darius into the mix. Things would have been so much worse had she been torn between Darius and Griffin as I initially feared. The triangle between Griffin and Raum made more sense, given that she had feelings of slightly different natures for the two, which could be complicated and nigh indecipherable to an innocent sixteen year old, new to the world of romance. In fact, were it not for the instalove, which grows naturally enough but in too short a time span (just a couple of days), I would probably be pretty okay with how all of this went down, especially since Helen was in control of herself throughout and making her own thoughtful decisions.

Zink's writes well, so far as sentence structure goes, which was another plus. I didn't however get a sense of the time period, and was surprised to note that it was a historical several chapters in. Perhaps that's my own failing, but, even once I knew, something about the book read as modern for me, though I really could not say why. The story does have the slower pace of most historicals, so beware of that.

For those who dearly love paranormal romances and can bear another instalove love triangle, Michelle Zink's novel will likely not disappoint. Even I, tired as I am of instalove, thought Zink's novel was quite enjoyable.

More of my awesomeness can be found at A Reader of Fictions.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 30, 2013 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

: I loved this book! It was amazing and kept you reading ! I will not lie to you guys it took me a little while to get into this book at the beginning but after i got reading I was hooked and could NOT put it down! Michelle wrote an amazing new take on angels!!! I loved this book because it was different, it had a whole lost of mystery, drama, and love :)

I will start with Helen. She is an amazing character! She lost everything right off her house, and parents. She was running from something she...more : I loved this book! It was amazing and kept you reading ! I will not lie to you guys it took me a little while to get into this book at the beginning but after i got reading I was hooked and could NOT put it down! Michelle wrote an amazing new take on angels!!! I loved this book because it was different, it had a whole lost of mystery, drama, and love :)

I will start with Helen. She is an amazing character! She lost everything right off her house, and parents. She was running from something she could not see, and shows up after dark in London on a houses steps in nothing but her night gown and lightly packed bag! She has no idea what's going on and stays in denial for a little bit and holding on to the hope her parents are coming to get her, that they got out! After she realizes somethings, she jumps right in wanting revenge and wants to hold her own out there against what is hunting them! It doesn't help that she is falling for Griffin. Helen is a strong character who only gets stronger with every page, that learns something new and doesn't hold back.

Then there is the brothers Griffin and Darius. Darius is skeptical about Helen and she can't say why but she wants to prove herself to him and to herself along the way that she can do this. Then there is Griffin who falls in love with Helen that night on his doorstep. In her he sees something amazing and he is right. The brothers are protective of eachother, Darius is protective of Griffin who is of Helen who is of Raum. The boy from her childhood who she thought was an imagineary friend, who betrayed their kind for his own gain who is regretting it every step of the way once he realiizes it is her. Griffin is not about petty jealousy of Raum either. All the guys in this book are true Alpha males, (Darius has his own girl) they want Helen to be theirs and its MINE MINE MINE, even in the midst of battle they block her not letting her hold her own but she pulls through just fine and along the way falls in love!!

This was an amazing book, I loved it when I got my groove and Michelle created an amazing London with amazing characters!!!
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1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Coranne (The Best Books Ever) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is the first book I have read by Michelle Zink. I have not yet had a chance to read her wildly popular Prophecy of the Sisters series. This book immediately starts with action. We find Helen in her bedroom when her mother comes in asking her to hide in a secret room behind her wall- a secret room that Helen didn't even know exsisted. After a tragic loss, Helen makes her way to two brothers who have been given the task of protecting Helen and instructing her on the Dictata.

This book is full...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bound-manuscript, mundie-moms-reviews, arcs-i-own, 2011-100-book-challenge, 2012-release, books-i-own, signed-books-arcs

4.5 stars

An incredibly enchanting story with the perfect blend of paranormal lore, historical fiction and romance. A Temptation of Angels is a thrilling story that's rich in mystery, friendships, love, and betrayal. There's plenty of steampunk elements that will do more than satisfy fans of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices craving for this addicting Victorian London era. Though there's not a lot of action in this book, Michelle creates a fulfilling storyline with well developed characters that...more 4.5 stars

An incredibly enchanting story with the perfect blend of paranormal lore, historical fiction and romance. A Temptation of Angels is a thrilling story that's rich in mystery, friendships, love, and betrayal. There's plenty of steampunk elements that will do more than satisfy fans of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices craving for this addicting Victorian London era. Though there's not a lot of action in this book, Michelle creates a fulfilling storyline with well developed characters that I didn't even realize that was missing until I was done. Michelle's writing is engaging and left me wanting so much more after this book ended.

The characters are fabulous in this book! There's not one I didn't enjoy, though there are some I loved more than others. Helen, our story's teenage main character, is a character that I had a hard time connecting with at first. She wasn't this fierce, butt kicking character I had excepted her to be right off the bad, though I admired her steely determination she had the entire story. Helen's someone who grew on me over time. I felt that as the story progressed and as she continued to grow as a character I was able to get to know her more and the more I got to know her, the more I started to like her. I will say this girl is resilient and pretty brave. The story starts off with her running for her life, she's thrown into a world she never knew existed, finds out some pretty shocking things about herself and she's also being hunted. Helen was strong when she needed to be and in the face of danger she never waivers on what she feels is right.

What's a Victorian paranormal, romance story without some well written heroes and main love interests. Griffin and Darius are brothers and these two fiercely and loyally protect Helen at all costs. They're also the two whom help her in her quest for answers and are responsible for introducing her to the new world she never thought existed. These two brothers were complete opposites. Despite being rough around the edges, Darius is a character I wanted to get to know more about. He distances himself from others, acts as though he's hard to please and yet I feel there's so much more to him than we learn about in this story. Griffin on the other hand was so easy to love right off the bat. He's genuine, charming, respectful and strong. The thing I loved most about him is he's flawed, which also made him so realistic. He's not this perfect character who's never done anything wrong in his life, yet he's a perfect match for Helen.

The setting in this book is fabulous! I absolutely love this time period and the Victorian London setting really set the tone for this book. Michelle really brought this time period came to life for me, and she made me feel like I was getting a glimpse back in time with her descriptive writing for this time period. I feel that Michelle has done such a great job at creating a story that will appeal to YA fans who enjoy the perfect blend of paranormal, romance, historical and steampunk elements. A Temptation of Angels isn't your average angel-lore. It's a richly crafted together story that truly offers readers a little bit of everything, and introduces them into a unique world with a fascinating lore. I sincerely hope this book will be made into a series, or at least have a companion book to go with it. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Deniz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: angel, paranormal

A Temptation of Angels is a well written and interesting take on Angels and Demons. I enjoyed the different emotions and insight especially the main character Helen.It would have been so a 5star book would it not have been for the last 50pages..
why?!! I wonder still! why add a love triangle at the end?! It positively didn't work for me! And with that the ending was a bit lukewarm rather that what I had expected until i hit page 350 or so... sad really. But a very enjoyable well written book inde...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 25, 2013 Reianna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The concept behind this book is so interesting. The idea is intriguing and the synopsis literally pulled me in. I was so excited to get into it, and while the plot line behind it is still brilliant, the actual book? Not so much.

The plot, as stated above, is a very interesting idea. A fresh twist on a common sub-genre within YA. In the book, a young woman, by the name Helen Cartwright, suffers a tragic loss - (view spoiler) (unsure if that's technically a spoiler, but just in case), as well as he...more The concept behind this book is so interesting. The idea is intriguing and the synopsis literally pulled me in. I was so excited to get into it, and while the plot line behind it is still brilliant, the actual book? Not so much.

The plot, as stated above, is a very interesting idea. A fresh twist on a common sub-genre within YA. In the book, a young woman, by the name Helen Cartwright, suffers a tragic loss - (view spoiler) (unsure if that's technically a spoiler, but just in case), as well as her home. Narrowly escaping, she follows her mother's instructions and finds herself at the doorstep of two mysterious men. Neither of which she knows, but with nothing to her name aside from a small suitcase, she has no other choice but to stay at their home. One thing leads to another, and Helen comes to find out about a whole other world, living within ours. Of beings, both good and evil. Struggling with all of this new found information, the loss of the people she loved most in the world, and an evil like no other...Helen is also falling in love. Though their love isn't exactly accepted, the two don't exactly care. But then, a dark, mysterious and handsome boy from her childhood shows up. And she's forced to make yet another tough decision.

The characters were awful, I'm afraid. There isn't much to them; I found them to be more like cardboard cutouts than actual people. They don't develop throughout the story. Though situations do change them and they have different outlooks on life (for some, an entirely different life), they themselves don't really change at all. You'd think such extraordinary situations, and what they're forced to deal with, would change someone. I suppose not.

The main character, Helen Cartwright, is so aggravating. Her life is literally turned upside down. Everything and everyone she knows is gone. And she doesn't blink an eye. Nothing phases her. One thing that really irks me in books is when a character is throw into something life changing, and they act like nothing has happened. I'm afraid this was the case in A Temptation of Angels. Helen also never grieves for her loss - which I find strange. It's not because she's a strong character (she isn't), or anything of the sort. She just...doesn't. Her decisions had me wondering for her sanity. She's headstrong in a bad way - reckless and childish.

This book fell prey to something that's been catching among YA novels - an insta-love relationship. I hate insta-love. The entire book takes up very little time. If I remember correctly, less than a month of time goes by. Maybe a couple weeks? Within the first week, she's already madly in love. WHY? Not only is that impossible in reality; when you throw in everything she's gone through, and is going through...it makes it even less of a possibility. Something I did like about this, though, was the love triangle. She never loves two boys at once. She doesn't stay up late thinking about how much she loves both of them, or seriously considering which one to decide. Though momentarily confused, she never really leads anyone on. I appreciated this. I've never thought it possible to romantically love multiple people at once, and so it always bothered me when a girl found herself in "love" with two men. However, this isn't the case for this book. Props for that, Zink.

And the writing style. I found the way this book was written to be...boring. The style is stuffy and it in now way engages the reader. I found myself skimming over passages - even the action/fighting scenes! I just found it so underwhelming. It wasn't exciting. Nothing got me into the story.

I give this book 1.5 stars. I'll probably look into reading the sequel once it comes out. As I said, the plot is genius, so I'm interested - however little - in seeing what Zink comes up with next. Maybe it'll be better than this one.(less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Nizhni rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I'll be nice and say the book was OKAY.

Alas, the problem is it wasn't when I picked up the book it promised me a friggin love triangle, angels and demons and one hell of an adventure kinda thing.... Let us start with point 1.

The so called "love triangle" - Okay lemme get this straight you call one seemingly over drama-queenish kinda desperate "PROTECT MY HONOR" guy [who by the way is waaaaaaaaaaay to over protective] paired with a damsel in distress, happy-go-lucky apparently unknowingly...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Michaela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The very begining of the book was really interesting, with the whole, get out of bed and hide scene. After that everything was just alright. I inicially thought Helen would end up with Darius just because he was a hard case but who knew he was already taken. I shoulda known Griffin was being more than just you typical nice guy. But if you ask me, Griffin is safe. Wren, he's the one who makes you forget everything with a simple kiss. But Noooooo, she chose Griffin. There better be more where this...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Darcy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: at-the-library

This book was terrible. I couldn't even finish it. I read about the first hundred pages and skimmed the rest. Clockwork Angel/Prince was much better than this garbage.

***SPOILERS***
I get that vampires are out, angels are in.
Some books that feature these other creatures are good.
This was garbage.

The main character was atrociously flat. I want to say that I hated her but she had barely a personality. She was supposed to come across as strong-willed and sassy but she was just a whiny stupid child...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Nitika rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished

This book is one of my favorite books now! I really hoped that there would be more at the end and I feel that the end was more of a cliff hanger than a complete ending in a book. Besides that I love all the characters, especially Helen. I love that she is headstrong and doesn't let the fact that she is a girl get in her way or that she hasn't reached her enlightenment age yet stop her from protecting the people she cares and loves. The brothers were a fun pair in the book, I must say though that...more

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May 02, 2012 Ashley Granger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-prob-has-vampires, ya

I didn’t hate this book, but didn’t love it either. After finishing it, the most I could say was, “meh.” The first observation I have to note is that this book is incredibly easy to read. There are no challenges here. It’s a straight-forward book, which I would recommend for younger readers, but older readers might find it a little too easy. I was disappointed by several aspects of the book. The author describes it as “Victorian/Steampunk” but the only references to anything Victorian are toward...more I didn’t hate this book, but didn’t love it either. After finishing it, the most I could say was, “meh.” The first observation I have to note is that this book is incredibly easy to read. There are no challenges here. It’s a straight-forward book, which I would recommend for younger readers, but older readers might find it a little too easy. I was disappointed by several aspects of the book. The author describes it as “Victorian/Steampunk” but the only references to anything Victorian are towards the clothes, and occasionally, which behavior/clothing/actions would be “proper” and which would not (though these rules don’t seem to mean much to Helen). The novel takes place in London, but again, there are only vague references to this. There is no real setting, so it’s difficult to picture it in your mind, which I find frustrating when I’m trying to get into a book.

The love triangle is predictable, as is often the case in young adult fiction, though it often seems that the authors feel that they have to put a love triangle in the book to stir up conflict. However, it would have been more beneficial to the readers for the author to have provided more details about several things in the book. They are angels, but wings are not mentioned, which I found odd. In fact, their physical bodies seem to be completely human. They have one supernatural skill, but nothing else is mentioned. They talk about the age of Enlightenment, but don’t delve further into the topic. The shadowy Dictata organization is also alluded to but not described very well. The author managed to leave the door both open and closed on the possibility of a sequel, so we’ll have to see what happens there. There are enough questions left unanswered that a sequel would be possible, though I’m not sure I’m invested enough to read it. I will probably check out the author’s Prophecy of Sisters trilogy, because I have heard good things about it, but if the first book is as simply written as this one, I will most likely leave the other two to the younger readers.(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 Muggle Madness rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lets begin with the cover. It is simply gorgeous and spectacular, which attracts the readers eye right away. Eye-catching covers -always-add a little spunk and mystery into the story held within.
The beginning of the story is strong and Michelle Zink sculpted the scene perfectly since it started off as fast paced and made anxiety build because, in the beginning I was like "WTF is happening?!?!?" and gradually the mystery unfolded; since the story started off so intense it kept me reading, whic...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Vicky rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really looking forward to reading this...unfortunately, for me, the story didn't live up to the hype. While the writing is well done, flows nicely and has intriguing aspects, there were also parts where I had to sit back and say "huh?"

What I liked:
The setting - Victorian London - with steampunk aspects. Intriguing and fun.
The premise - interesting and different - especially with the steampunk aspects thrown in.

What I didn't like:
* The characters. They were just to stereotypical. You had th...more I was really looking forward to reading this...unfortunately, for me, the story didn't live up to the hype. While the writing is well done, flows nicely and has intriguing aspects, there were also parts where I had to sit back and say "huh?"

What I liked:
The setting - Victorian London - with steampunk aspects. Intriguing and fun.
The premise - interesting and different - especially with the steampunk aspects thrown in.

What I didn't like:
* The characters. They were just to stereotypical. You had the heroine who, at times, was too over the top damsel in distress. The older brother bad boy, Darius - grumpy, sarcastic. The younger brother, good guy - just a little too good. Come on, griff, at least get a little angry. The really bad boy, Raum - dark, nasty past that leaves him broken. Sweet heroine, Helen, who's beautiful and independent, except when she's not - which happens a lot.
* The plot - moved kind of slow until the end.
* Lack of information - other than a couple of "Well, as you know..." scenes, we really don't get much information about the parties involved in the epic war. (more below in the spoiler)

(view spoiler)

Overall - it wasn't a bad story, but did have some parts that I just didn't care for. Still, it is YA steampunk set in Victorian London, so it is unique and different. I'd recommend it for girls who enjoy paranormal stories with heroines who aren't necessarily kick-ass and who fall for guys they shouldn't.

(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Frishawn Rasheed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Look Ma...No Wings!
I am tickled pink to report that though this is "angelic themed YA," there is nary a feather to be had throughout the entire read.
This means that you will not find any of the following in this book:
1. Shedding, molting, preening, or flying.
2. No references to wingspan, color, or feather size.
3. No mysterious photo-shoot breezes that only effect the wings and the hair of the angel in question.
4. No stroking, fondling, or wing molestation of ANY sort.
5. No wrapping, covering, o...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Whatchyareading added it · review of another edition

Shelves: caitlin, kate, paranormal, series, young-adult

One of the earliest books Kate and I bonded over was Michelle Zink’s Prophecy of the Sisters. And over the next two years we got to read the rest of the trilogy, if not together then at least in the spirit of togetherness, all with much discussion about Dimitri and sisters and awesomeness. So, when the amazing people at Penguin Teen offered to send us an early manuscript of A Temptation of Angels, we jumped all over the chance!

I posted my mini-review of A Temptation of Angels months ago, but I’m...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Tia rated it 5 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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About Michelle Zink

Michelle Zink is author of the Gothic fantasy series, Prophecy of the Sisters (Little Brown Books for Young Readers) and A Temptation of Angels (Penguin/Dial).

Her next book, This Wicked Game, releases March 2013 (Penguin/Dial).

Learn more, listen to playlists and original music composed by Kenneth Zink, and visit Michelle's blog at www.michellezink.com.

More about Michelle Zink...

Books by Michelle Zink

Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters, #1)

Guardian of the Gate (Prophecy of the Sisters, #2)

Circle of Fire (Prophecy of the Sisters, #3)

Whisper of Souls (Prophecy of the Sisters Novella #1)

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Quotes from A Temptation of Angels

“ I'm not very good with anything physical...' she began as they turned down a hallway she had never seen.
He flashed her a grin as they walked.
'I find that hard to believe.'
She caught the innuendo in his voice and felt a blush creep to her cheeks.
'You know what I mean.” — 18 people liked it

“He's a clever little thing, isn't he?"
She leaned in to drop a kiss on the kitten's soft head, reaching to move him off Griffin's chest. He reached for her hand, stopping her.
"And what about me?" he asked, his eyes burning into hers.
"What about you?"
"Am I not clever enough for a kiss?" His voice was gruff.
She favored him with a shy smile.
"You're more than clever enough, Griffin Channing.” — 15 people liked it

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