Forgiven by
Jana Oliver
- Reading level: Ages 12 and up
- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312614802
- ISBN-13: 978-0312614805
Jana Oliver's third spellbinding Demon Trappers novel - following The Demon Trapper's Daughter and Soul Thief - brings all new thrills, as Riley Blackthorne takes on demons, love... and the future of the human race.
The
days are growing darker for 17-year-old demon trapper Riley
Blackthorne. With her father’s reanimated body back safely, Beck barely
speaking to her because of a certain hunky Fallen angel, and a
freshly-made deal with Lucifer, she has enough on her hands to last a
normal teenage lifetime. Though she bargained with Heaven to save his
life, her ex-boyfriend Simon has told the Vatican’s Demon Hunters that
she’s working with Hell. So now she’s in hiding, at the top of
everyone’s most-wanted list.
But it’s becoming clear that this
is bigger than Riley, and rapidly getting out of control: something
sinister is happening in Atlanta… or someone. The demons are
working together for the first time ever and refusing to die, putting
civilians in harm’s way. Riley thinks she might know who’s behind it
all, but who’s going to believe her? Caught between her bargain with
Heaven and her promise to Lucifer, Riley fears the final war is coming –
and it may be closer than anyone thinks…
Okay, so first I’d like you to know that this was the first book I read from the author---the first book I read from the series. So I don’t have anything to compare to especially with the previous books in the series. Though personally, I asked to review this book is because the many positive reviews I heard from the first two- The Demon Trapper’s Daughter and Soul Thief.
Surprisingly enough, even with the vast new and old characters- the demons, the trappers, fallen, summoners, I wasn’t entirely lost. Once I tuned in with Riley, everything comes vivid in her POV. I understand the situation she’s in, the relationships and misunderstandings she had with the other characters and even her choice to uncover the mysteries and protect humanity. The storyline was easy to follow but the twists and turns are not easily figured out.
I loved Jana Oliver’s writing style, its fresh and unique. The readers were always up for action and at the same time, subplots were given emphasis and the tension between the protagonists, the mysteries, the conflicts were all there. She wrote the book with passion and deep detail that it’s easy to imagine the world she made, the demons, and the action-packed scenarios happening.
I also loved Riley, she’s a strong character that doesn’t depend on her leading man or anyone, she actually thinks about resolutions and the things to do in order to make things right especially the consequences of her past actions. Her behavior was measured and it’s less on drama, she was too mature for a seventeen-year-old, which isn’t bad.
Beck…at first, I thought Beck’s a girl..:D. He was hot, gorgeous, yes, but it was really unfair of him to get really mad with Riley, just because she made the mistake of sleeping with another man, which, take note, Beck had been with many girls before. I would have loved to see more of them- Beck and Riley that is.
Meanwhile Justine, I hate her. Though I know, she played an important role in the story. Just don’t want to talk about her. By the way, another queer about this book, is that the feminine names are mostly used by boys and the masculine ones, Riley, Justine are for girls.
The ending? I would have like to see the epic battle to be really epic. I was expecting far something greater and yet the resolution was too perfect for me. With all the non-stop action, the ending seemed a little too easy maybe. Meanwhile Riley’s dad is a character I would never forget, her love for Riley that even in death, he would still do everything to keep her safe.
I laughed, I cried, got annoyed, mad, I felt everything while reading this book. I can’t wait to read the last book in the series and see how the story would end and especially to have more of Riley and Beck.
Forgiven is an action-packed, enthralling and riveting tale of Demon Trappers and the world in chaos of the near Armageddon set in the future but not too futuristic. With heart-pounding, jaw-dropping scenarios, Forgiven would leave you wanting for more. Highly Recommended!..:)
View all my reviews
ONE2018Atlanta, GeorgiaRiley
Blackthorne’s tears were no more. She’d cried herself dry, yet she
still lingered in the arms of a dead man. If given the chance, she would
remain in her father’s arms for the rest of her life.
When she
looked up, sad brown eyes gazed back. Master Trapper Paul Blackthorne
was a reanimated corpse now, summoned from his grave by none other than
the Prince of Hell. Like the day he’d been buried, he wore his best suit
and favorite red tie, the one she’d given him as a Christmas present.
On
the run from the Vatican’s team of Demon Hunters, Riley had taken
refuge in the home of Mortimer Alexander, a summoner of the dead. She
had not expected to find her father waiting for her. Now, as they
huddled together, she laid her head on his chest, seeking solace in his
embrace.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“I’ve missed you too, Pumpkin.”
This isn’t right. We’re just borrowing time.Her
dad should be in his grave. Then he would never know that Riley wasn’t
his innocent little girl any longer, that she’d given up her virginity
the night before.
I was a fool. Why did I let Ori do that?She’d
spent that night in the arms of someone who had said he would protect
her. Who had claimed she was special and that he cherished her because
she reminded him of Heaven. Morning brought the bitter truth—Ori’s
protection came with a big price tag. Her lover, the
Fallen
angel, would watch over her only if she consigned her soul to Hell. Then
Lucifer, the Prince, had arrived and turned Ori into a statue for
failing to follow his orders.
Riley wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. Her body felt like a war zone, some unknown fire burning inside her now.
What if I’m pregnant?
She shuddered at the thought. Ori had said that wasn’t possible but
that could have been a clever lie. Is that why the Demon Hunters wanted
her? What would the child of a Fallen and a mortal be like? Normal?
Evil? Somewhere in between?
What would the Church do to me and the baby?When she shivered, her father broke the embrace.
“Come
with me,” he said, taking her hand and slowly rising to his feet. “I
need to feel the sunlight again.” He stopped in the kitchen and poured
her a tall glass of apple juice, then they entered a walled garden,
where cardinals and raucous blue jays flitted around a well-stocked bird
feeder. Water cascaded from the fingers of a nude stone nymph perched
in the center of a broad fountain. They settled on a stone bench still
covered with frost, and Riley’s behind immediately reacted to the cold.
Her father didn’t seem to notice it.
He handed her the juice. “Drink. You look awful.”
It wasn’t a good sign when a dead guy said you looked bad.
Riley
took a long sip. It was cold and it tasted good. Clutching the glass in
her hands, she gave in to the questions that careened around inside
her.
“What’s it like to be … dead?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Very peculiar.”
“You can’t tell me, can you?”
“No. Not like I thought,” he murmured.
The next question was harder. “Did you see Mom?”
He shook his head as his eyes clouded with sadness. “No.”
Riley’s heart fractured into smaller pieces. “Lucifer told me what you did. How you gave up your soul for me.”
Her dad’s eyes widened. “You spoke with the Prince?”
“He was in the graveyard this morning after…” Riley paused, biting down on her lip.
No, can’t go there.
Maybe someday she’d have the courage to admit what she’d done, but not
now. “Lucifer said you pledged your soul to him so that Archfiend
wouldn’t kill you. So you could take care of me.”
Her dad issued a resigned nod. “Your mother understood why I did it.”
“Mom knew?” she blurted. “Why didn’t you guys tell me?”
“You were too young.”
“That’s
crap, and you know it,” she retorted. “I was old enough. What else
haven’t you told me, Dad? What else is going to fall on my head when I’m
not looking?”
He didn’t reply, his eyes not meeting hers. Which meant there
was more.
It was so unfair. Her father was supposed to remain alive until she had become a master trapper.
“Lucifer didn’t keep his bargain,” she complained. “Your soul should be yours.”
“He said he wouldn’t release it, that I owed him a debt, but he wouldn’t say what.”
“So you’re stuck in Hell until he decides you’re not?”
Her father winced. “Don’t be angry. I did what was best. My soul isn’t important.”
He’s wrong. It was so important that Lucifer wasn’t willing to give it up even when her dad had died before his time.
“Does Mort know who summoned you?” There was a faint nod. “And he’s okay with that?” she asked, surprised.
“He was shocked, but he hasn’t thrown me to the wolves yet.”
“What about Beck?”
Her father shook his head. “I don’t look forward to the day he learns the truth. It’s going to tear him apart.”
Denver
Beck, her dad’s trapping partner, had considered Paul Blackthorne a
mentor. To learn he was aligned with Hell would be as devastating as
when Beck had found out she’d slept with a Fallen.
Her father touched her arm. “I’ll see if our host has someplace for you to sleep. You need rest.”
Riley
blinked to hold back the tears. “In a little bit,” she said, not
wanting to be separated from him. Closing her eyes, she leaned against
him, inhaling the confusing scents of oranges and cedar chips that
seemed to be her father now. Desperate to find some good in all this
disaster, she took his hand and squeezed it, remembering what it had
been like before he died. When his hands were warm and his heart
beating. When there had been all the time in the world.
* * *
The
spare bedroom in Mort’s house was bright, decorated with cream walls
and peach accents. It looked like a girl’s room, which made Riley wonder
if he had a sister or a niece. She yawned, then pulled the curtains
closed to reduce the light. As she pulled off her shirt, her long brown
hair fell over her face. With it came the unmistakable scent of crisp
night air.
Ori’s scent.“Damn you,” she swore, flinging her
clothes in all directions, as if that might reverse the dark echoes of
the angel’s touch. She fled into the shower stall, adjusting the
temperature as cold as she could stand to combat the inferno inside her
veins. As the water cascaded, she scrubbed her skin until it turned red.
The memories refused to be washed away.
When Riley finally climbed
into the bed, she curled into a fetal position, sleep tugging at her.
She wasn’t the first to give up her virginity to a guy who said he’d
always care for her. Riley had heard other girls admit the same mistake
during whispered confessions in school restrooms. From this point on,
she would always divide her life into
Before and
After the Angel. Statue or not, Ori would be inside her heart, affecting every chance at love for the rest of her days.
Just like Beck.* * *
To
Denver Beck, there were many ways to welcome a new day—spread-eagled on
his own lawn, wrists secured by flex-cuffs wasn’t the best of them.
“What the hell is goin’ on?” he bellowed into the dirt.
The
response was the sound of combat boots tromping around inside his house
as their owners’ voices called out to each other in Italian. When there
was a sharp shatter of glass, he swore. Beck closed his eyes to keep
the dirt out of them and forced himself to relax. If he fought back, the
Demon Hunter behind him might feel the need to make this his last day
on earth.
I’ll be damned if I die like this.His only
choice was to remain here until the Vatican’s elite team finished its
search. Which, from all the commotion, involved tearing his house apart.
When
he heard a name in the midst of the voices flowing around him, he
sighed into the dirt. They were searching for Riley Blackthorne, the
seventeen-year-old daughter of Beck’s dead trapper buddy, Paul.
The
day had sucked even before the paramilitary-style raid, one Beck was
sure his neighbors were enjoying with their morning coffee. Right after
dawn, Riley had arrived on his doorstep, weeping and shell-shocked.
Through tears and sobs, she’d admitted her blackest sin: She’d spent the
night with one of Lucifer’s own.
Beck had known this Ori guy was bad
news from the first moment he’d seen him with Riley, but he’d never
expected the bastard to be a Fallen angel.
Why him? Even now,
he could see her huddled on the couch, weeping, as he’d shouted that
very question at her. After all Beck had done for her, she’d taken up
with that
thing.When he’d spat insults at Paul’s daughter,
she’d responded in kind. Fearing how bad it might get between them, Beck
had bolted from the house. When he’d returned a short time later he’d
found his front door wide open and the Vatican’s team on the prowl.
More
rapid-fire conversation bounced around him: Beck didn’t need to speak
the language to hear the frustration. Since Riley wasn’t lying in the
dirt beside him, the raid made the hunters look bad. They would need a
scapegoat, and Beck would do just fine. A new voice cut in—one he
recognized—it was the hunters’ captain. Apparently he’d finally decided
to join the party.
Without warning, Beck was hauled roughly to his
knees. Once he was up, he tried to wipe his mouth on a shoulder; it
proved impossible with the flex-cuffs in place. The Demon Hunter with
the rifle circled around to the side, the weapon pointed at Beck’s
chest.
The captain of the unit squatted in front of him, his dark
eyes flinty. Elias Salvatore was thirty-two, a decade older than Beck.
He had a Mediterranean complexion, black hair, and a goatee, coupled
with an athletic build. His navy turtleneck sported epaulettes and the
Demon Hunters’ emblem—St. George slaying the dragon. Crisply pleated
trousers were tucked neatly into polished combat boots.
“Mr. Beck,” he said evenly.
“Captain Salvatore. What the hell is goin’ on?”
“We were informed that Riley Blackthorne was here.”
Who told ya that?“She was here a while ago. Must have left.”
The man’s eyes narrowed farther. “Where is she?”
“No
idea.” It was a safe bet one of the neighbors had heard them shouting
at each other, so he went with the truth in case the hunters bothered to
check. “We had words.”
“About what?”
“That’s none of yer business,” Beck said. A second later, he was facedown in the dirt, a heavy boot pressing on his back.
The
captain issued a crisp command and Beck was hauled up again. He gave a
look over his shoulder and found that the boot belonged to Lieutenant
Amundson, the captain’s second-in-command. He was a tall man, Nordic,
and not known for his manners.
Beck spat dirt. “Get these damned cuffs off me.”
Salvatore
gave a gesture. There was the snick of a knife, a stinging pain, then
the cuffs fell away. Amundson had made sure to cut Beck’s palm in the
process.
Beck wiped his hands on his jeans, then inspected the wound.
The
captain delivered a penetrating look over the prisoner’s shoulder. He
gestured for the lieutenant to move away. “I apologize.”
Beck clamped down on his fury. Throwing punches wouldn’t be a smart move at the moment.
Did the hunters know about Riley and the Fallen?
They have to. Why else would they be lookin’ for her? Still, he didn’t dare make assumptions.
“What’s this all about?” Beck asked.
The captain rose. “Let’s go inside.”
Beck
stood, dusted off his jeans, and retrieved his trapping bag from where
it lay near the driveway. He felt the bottom of the canvas and was
relieved to find it wasn’t wet, which meant none of the glass spheres
inside had shattered when he’d been tackled by the hunters. He’d need
those special magical globes to trap Hellspawn.
After ensuring they
were alone, Salvatore closed the front door behind them. Beck had
expected the place to have been turned inside out, but that wasn’t the
case. The only damage appeared to be a glass that had been knocked off
the counter. He ignored the mess on the floor and dropped onto the couch
in the same place that Riley had occupied when she’d delivered her
devastating news.
Where are ya girl? If she ran to her
apartment, they’d find her there. If she was smart, she’d go to Angus
Stewart, one of the two master trappers in the city. Stewart would watch
over her.
The captain sat in a chair opposite him. He moved as if he
hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days. “We must find Riley
Blackthorne as quickly as possible.”
“Why?”
“There’s a Fallen angel in Atlanta. His name is Ori. We believe he has targeted Paul Blackthorne’s daughter.”
Beck made sure he appeared shocked. It wasn’t hard. He still couldn’t believe that Riley had been with one of Lucifer’s allies.
“Why would one of those want her?”
“He is known for his seductions.”
Beck’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t reply.
“There is a strange pattern of events in this city, and that usually means there’s an epicenter, a focus to that activity.”
“If yer sayin’ that Riley’s the reason for all this—”
“What
other conclusion can we draw?” Salvatore retorted. “Every demonic event
in this city has centered on her: A Grade Five demon tried to kill her.
The same fiend pressed its attack during the trappers’ meeting at the
Tabernacle, and that ambush alone cost you a third of your Demon
Trappers Guild.”
“I know the numbers, hunter,” Beck replied sullenly.
“If
she is the nexus of this activity, we have to locate her and find a way
to break that connection with Hell before more people die.”
Beck
didn’t want to think about what “break that connection” meant. “Why a
commando raid on my house? Ya could have knocked on the door like anyone
else.”
“You weren’t home,” the captain observed. “Do you usually leave your house unlocked?”
Beck hesitated. “No. Why?”
“Both
the front and back doors weren’t bolted, and your alarm wasn’t engaged.
The back door was partially ajar, indicating a hasty departure,
perhaps?” The captain leaned forward, elbows on knees. “Did you call
Riley and warn her that we were coming?”
By now they’d have gone
through his phone and know he’d called Riley after they’d quarreled, so
he opted for the truth. “I didn’t know ya were comin’ here.”
“Yet you spoke to her.”
“Yeah.
We argued about this Ori guy. He’d told her he was a freelance demon
hunter, and I told her to stay away from. She wasn’t listenin’, so we
had words. I called her to…” Why had he called her? Certainly not
apologize, that was for sure.
“Where is she now?”
Beck shook his head. “I don’t know. Now I’m done talkin’ to ya unless the Guild’s lawyer is watchin’ my back.”
The
captain sighed. “Look, I respect your loyalty to the girl’s father.
Paul Blackthorne trained you, brought you up through the Guild. You were
there when he died at the hands of the same demon that tried to kill
his daughter. I know what you’re feeling, but we need your help.”
“Bite me.”
Salvatore
scowled. “So be it.” He triggered a radio on his shoulder, and Italian
filled the air. He’d barely finished giving the order when two hunters
were through the front door.
The captain rose from, his face set.
“Denver Beck, as representative of the Holy See, I arrest you for
obstructing justice, additional charges to be filed at a later time. You
are duly warned that if you are found to be aiding Hell in any manner,
the ultimate penalty is death.”
“Go figure,” Beck muttered.
Copyright © 2012 by Jana Oliver
