Review: Extinguish – J. M. Darhower

One… Two… Three… Four…

I Declare War

Serah always believed the world around her was perfect. As a Power, one of the warrior angels, she has spent her existence defending the innocent from evil. After tragedy strikes, tearing Serah’s brother from her life, she’s given the task of stopping the approaching apocalypse before it’s too late.

Only one thing, though: she has to venture to Hell to do it.

Lucifer—or Luce, as he prefers to be called—has been biding his time in Hell, longing for revenge against those who oh-so-easily cast him into the pit. When the heavenly beauty shows up at his gate, he’s just as captivated by her presence as she becomes of him. The attraction between them is palpable, and Serah’s willpower slowly slips. How can this charming creature, this scarred Archangel, be the one annihilating the world she so loves?

As the war wages on, the world entwined in chaos, Serah starts questioning everything she ever knew. When the light and dark, hot and cold, finally collide, she has to make a choice—a choice that sets her world on fire, black and white exploding into colorful flames.

Serah has questions. She wants answers.
Luce just wants to play a game.

Series: Extinguish #1
Release Date: May 19th 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Source: Provided by Author
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I’m not one for Angel/Demon stories, but this one has a unique twist that caught my attention and made it hard for me to put the book down.

There is a brewing war between good and evil.  Lucifer and the Archangel, Michael.  And warrior angle, Serah, has been tasked to go to Lucifer’s realm and convince him to give in.  Serah who once had very strong belief on what was right and wrong, and a love for Michael, soon finds herself questioning everything they believe in…including how evil Lucifer really is.  It hard for the angel who believes everything the angels have been told.  She has to come to terms with her twin brother falling and realizing that Luce, what Lucifer prefers to be called, may not be the evil being everyone has made him out to be.  Despite him being a complete ass to her, often threatening her, she finds the small remnant of the archangel he used to be.  She sees his goodness, even if it’s buried under six thousand years of anger.

When we met Luce, he really does come off as Satan.  But it’s understandable how he can be bitter and want to war with his perfect brother.  He was punished for having the one thing humans take for granted:  free will.  And while he’d do anything to take down Michael, even go after his lover, Luce finds himself equally draws to Serah.  The strong willed angel is afraid of him, but she doesn’t really fear him.  And it’s that lack of fear that starts to break down his walls and causes him to regret some of the actions he’s put into place by using her.

The ending of EXTINGUISH breaks your heart, because Luce truly suffers at the end.  In a no win situation in the battle between Michael and Luce, it’s Luce who’s finally broken when the one thing he loves more than his existence is jeopardized.

Even if you don’t enjoy an Angel/Demon storyline , this is definitely one to try.  It’s uniqueness made it so I needed to know what happened next.  Because the last person you expect to be rooting for is the devil himself.