Book Review- Devil's Kiss

By Sarwat Chadda

Published by Disney Hyperion

Released on September 1st, 2009

Source- Bought

4.5 Stars- It's A Great Read

Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she would have to make sacrifices to be in the Knights Templar. Sacrifices like losing her mother to the Templar's ongoing battle against the Unholy; sacrifices like trading her childhood in for relentless training; sacrifices that keep her completely isolated from the world of a normal teen girl.

Billi's lone wolf status is challenged when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from his psychic training in Jerusalem. Kay manages to stir things up quickly -- he's gorgeous, arrogant, and wants to slide right back into his old place in Billi's life. Billi is skeptical, but interested, until she meets Michael -- an ethereally handsome guy who seems to understand her like no one before him, and effortlessly stakes a claim in her heart.

Just as Billi's starting to enjoy this pleasant new twist to her life, Kay ruins everything. In a moment of bravado, Kay uses the last of the Templar's treasures, King Solomon's cursed mirror, drawing the attention of one of the most dangerous of the Templars' enemies -- The Angel of Death.

Only with the mirror can the dark angel unleash his full powers, and now that he's heard the call of the mirror, he'll stop at nothing to get it. To save London from catastrophe, Billi will have to make sacrifices greater than she'd ever imagined (quoted from Goodreads)

Devil's Kiss is an engaging, action packed read that I couldn't put down. Sarwat delivers a story that is rich in history with his Knights Templar, has a strong, realistic heroine in Billi, a lot of action surrounded by a good vs evil war, magic and fabulous supporting characters.

Billi is a main character I was really drawn to. She's young, and has a lot on her shoulders. Being the daughter of Arthur, the leader/master of the Knights Templar, she is raised with tough love and trained to kill. While my heart broke for her at times, as she feels she'll never measure up and be good enough for her dad, I came to understand why her father is raising her the way he is. The Knight Templar need to be thick skinned and skilled killers in order to protect those from an unseen frightening force. I liked that Billi's feelings towards her father are addressed later in the book when more of the plot is revealed. Her feelings shape the type of person she is and some of the choices she makes. This is what makes her most relatable.

Billi's grown up around men, whom are all Knights, and her closet friend Kay, whom has just come back from being gone a year for training. I like Kay and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. They both have feelings for each other, but both fight how they feel, as feelings for one another would hinder their course of action in a fight. They both changed over the course of Kay's absence, and continue to change through out the course Devil's Kiss. No matter how much Billi tries to deny she needs him, Kay is always there for her when she needs him most, even in battle.

Devil's Kiss has a very enticing plot that is filled with constant action in it's endless battle of good vs evil. What I liked most about the action, is that Sarwat is consistent with this battles. They're engaging, capture your attention and allowed me to get to know the characters a little more during and after each battle. I came to understand motives with some of the characters, other shocked me and some I ended up liking by the end of the book. I came to admire Billi most of all, as through out the course of the story, she becomes a more empowering character. Her journey is filled with suspense and a lot of danger, and heartache, but when she comes face to face with fear itself she doesn't back down.

Devil's Kiss has a rich history with the Knights Templar and their continuous war with Michael, the Angel of Death. The twists and turns that are thrown into the story lead up to the story's last, heroic, heart breaking fight. Don't get me wrong, the story ended where it should have, but as a reader who was totally drawn into the story itself, I wanted it to keep going. Devil's Kiss is a story readers will really enjoy, as it's rich in history and ancient battles, while providing the right amount of character chemistry that kept me glued to it's pages.

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series and I'll be sharing my review for the sequel, Dark Goddess tomorrow. You can pick up your own copy of Dark Goddess when it's released on Tuesday!!!