Dark Angels: A Novel
by Karleen Koen
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 452)
Read in February, 2008
I've never said this about a book before, but Dark Angels is too shallow. "OMG, somebody's stockings were green! How exciting!" *rolls eyes* The attitudes of the characters in this book make the French Revolution seem like an almost reasonable response to the narcissistic, drama-mongering courts of France and England.
I couldn't relate to the characters or their motivations, and I don't care who marries whom. I especially don't like Alice, the protagonist. I think she is ...more
I couldn't relate to the characters or their motivations, and I don't care who marries whom. I especially don't like Alice, the protagonist. I think she is ...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
historical fiction/period piece geeks like me :)
i got this cause i enjoyed the author's other novel, "through a glass darkly" and this was a prequel of sorts to that. this book ALMOST had it. ALMOST! but then it went and pulled one of my pet peeves, which is a tacky ending. I started to get worried when a new plotline seemed to be starting and I could tell there were only about 10 pages left in the book :( it seems like a case of editor-itis, because there were all these wonderful plotlines that seemed to be going places but most of...more
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Read in November, 2007
Since it had been so long since the publication of "Now Face to Face," the sequel to "Through a Glass Darkly," I was operating under the dim reminiscences of books I read twenty years ago, which were favorable enough that I picked this one up with alacrity. Once I picked it up, I was trapped in it.
Here the main character is the architect of everything that happens in the other two books (to an extent): the woman who becomes the duchess of Tamworth, whose granddaughter Ba...more
Here the main character is the architect of everything that happens in the other two books (to an extent): the woman who becomes the duchess of Tamworth, whose granddaughter Ba...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
chick lit readers
The story of a young woman's scheming during the Restoration, I almost gave up on this one. I didn't really care about the heroine, I didn't like really any of the supporting characters and I just couldn't get into this book, which can only go into the category of "women's books". Which is just an adjective, not a judgment (c'mon, the protagonist is a women trying to get a rich husband and there's a lot of dress descriptions).
But I needed something to read at the gym and ended pic...more
But I needed something to read at the gym and ended pic...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
historical fiction fans
This was a treat for me... it's a well crafted historical novel set in the reign of Charles II of England. And that has to be one of my favorite periods in English history. This is the prequel to Through a Glass Darkly Koen's earlier novel and the main character in this novel is the grandmother in the earlier novel. I reread Through a Glass Darkly after reading this novel and doing so definitely lent a new flavor to it. Dark Angels is set mostly in the court of Charles II...more
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Read in March, 2007
I thought this was a fine piece of historical fiction. It is full of triumph, tragedy, romance, and intrigue. It did take me some time to get comfortable with it. You’re almost immediately introduced to this large cast of characters, and it takes a while to remember who is who and how they relate to the story.
Alice is quite the complex character. You want to like her, because it’s through her eyes that you see most things, but Koen makes her hard to like. Alice is intelligent, devious, a...more
Alice is quite the complex character. You want to like her, because it’s through her eyes that you see most things, but Koen makes her hard to like. Alice is intelligent, devious, a...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
more horny girls
Another Cracker Barrel pick. I'm reading another Koen book now - Through a Glass Darkly - that a friend recommended. They're both cute page turners with the occasional hearty sex scene.
So there you are, calmly driving through, let's say, Ohio looking at the cows, and the silos, the giant Jesus crosses scattered throughout the picturesque countryside and then - bam! - he takes her (who turns out to be him) from behind, pleasuring 'her' as he does so, and just as she's about to reach orgas...more
So there you are, calmly driving through, let's say, Ohio looking at the cows, and the silos, the giant Jesus crosses scattered throughout the picturesque countryside and then - bam! - he takes her (who turns out to be him) from behind, pleasuring 'her' as he does so, and just as she's about to reach orgas...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
historical fiction enthusiasts
Loved it!
I've been going through a Restoration phase lately, and this was the book that kicked it off. Alice Verney is a maid-of-honor to Queen Catherine (wife of Charles II). An extremely sharp, capable, sensible girl, she is a powerful figure in the court due to her beauty, breeding, and charm, and becomes a lightning rod for political and social upheaval. At times, her modern sensibilities and extreme rationality make her hard to entirely like, though she is easy to admire. This book isn'...more
I've been going through a Restoration phase lately, and this was the book that kicked it off. Alice Verney is a maid-of-honor to Queen Catherine (wife of Charles II). An extremely sharp, capable, sensible girl, she is a powerful figure in the court due to her beauty, breeding, and charm, and becomes a lightning rod for political and social upheaval. At times, her modern sensibilities and extreme rationality make her hard to entirely like, though she is easy to admire. This book isn'...more
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Read in November, 2007
Prequel to "Through a Glass Darkly" - it is set in the court of King Charles II, extra-fascinating for me, as an ancestor of my husband's was said to be the illegitimate son of Charles II.
The main character is Alice Verney, a "maid of honor" to the queen. This position seems to consist of looking beautiful and entertaining the queen. The intrigues and heartbreaks that Alice encounters can be found in any age; however, it's lovely to see them set against the backdrop of E...more
The main character is Alice Verney, a "maid of honor" to the queen. This position seems to consist of looking beautiful and entertaining the queen. The intrigues and heartbreaks that Alice encounters can be found in any age; however, it's lovely to see them set against the backdrop of E...more
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Read in December, 2007
Not quite vapid enough to be a bodice ripper, yet not quite heavy enough to be serious historical fiction, this book walks the fine line and manages to be true to its setting while still being enjoyable enough to be a quick and engrossing read despite its daunting size. I enjoyed this more than I liked its sequel, Through a Glass Darkly. While I still found the fact that there were way too many characters to properly keep track of to be a problem, I enjoyed Alice infinitely more than Barbara as ...more
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Read in October, 2007
Dark Angels is the first in a trilogy and is a thoroughly enjoyable, fun read. It is a little long and has some slow parts, but if you enjoy historical fiction and all of the intrigue that accompanies English courtly drama, then you won’t be disappointed. I recommend reading the trilogy in order, rather than in the order the books were written. Starting with Dark Angels will give you insight into characters who play important roles in the following two books, Through the Glass Darkly ...more
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Read in July, 2007
This was a good book. I enjoyed the characters thoroughly and the court intrigue was enthralling. It is of course shocking and dramatic - why it is fiction and not biography - but as a whole it was a fun imagination of what it might have been like to be inside Charles II court.
I've always been a sucker for a good historical fiction. You throw in history (always better when well researched), action and adventure, intrigue, fascinating characters and a little romance and you've got a recipe...more
I've always been a sucker for a good historical fiction. You throw in history (always better when well researched), action and adventure, intrigue, fascinating characters and a little romance and you've got a recipe...more
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Oh the cunning back stories that were part of life in the royal court under Charles II! Our heroine, Alice Verney, must keep her wits and dreams about her as her father, former love, companion ladies-in-waiting and a motley crew of courtiers all push forward with their own agendas and schemes, many times contrary to her own. Slow to initially hook this reader, Dark Angels is a bit of historical fiction that warmed up quite nicely for an early spring read.
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Read in August, 2008
I love books set in the 1600's or anytime where royal court is high & mighty & filled with stories of love, betrayal & all that other juicy stuff. This book was a bit hard to read quickly. The wording just didn't seem to flow very much. I would not consider Ms. Koen one of the better historical fiction writers, but I did finish the book. I wonder if I would enjoy her Through A Glass Darkly which follows the lead character, Alice Verney into later life?
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Read in August, 2007
This is the sequel to Through A Glass Darkly, published by my company (Sourcebooks). I haven't actually read Through A Glass (we published it years ago, before I was with the company), but I picked up an advanced copy of Dark Angels at Book Expo America and read it recently. I really enjoyed it (historical fiction) and am looking forward to reading Through a Glass. Long books, though, so be ready to devote some time to it!
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The prequel to Through a Glass Darkly. Not quite as good, but it was the third book I had read. This book is about the grandmother as a young girl in the King's Court. The later books are about everyone else. I am not sure I would have kept reading the other books if I had read this one first. Oh, who am I kidding? I would have. But read this one after the others. It is also the newest...maybe that says something?
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I happened upon this as a book on tape and was riveted to the story. I listened to a large portion of it while working on the front garden on Northwind Road. It turned out to be the second book in the series, but the first story chronologically, so I am REALLY glad that I read it first. It's great to read what happens to Alice and her love with Richard in the next story, which is Through a Glass Darkly.
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all about the court of charles the second of england, and including the back story of fictional characters from "through a glass darkly" and "now face to face". I will admit I am addicted to these books and I hope she writes more about this fictional family - the history seems to be tirelessly researched, I have checked a few of the details and they all check out. addictive!!
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
readers of historical fiction
I really enjoyed this book. I was so excited to see that Karleen Koen had FINALLY written another book. This book leaves a couple of open ended things in the plot, so there may be another book coming one day. I certainly hope so--and I hope we don't have to wait another 15 years for it! Anyone who loves historical fiction will enjoy this book. I was sad to see it end.
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I enjoyed this a lot -- as evidenced by the fact I stayed up most of the night reading it. When I read Through a Glass Darkly, I could just tell that Koen had this fantastic backstory put together for the older characters. This book is some of that backstory. While TaGD focuses on Barbara Devane, this prequel is about her grandparents.
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