ARC Review: Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman


Title: Traitor Angels
Author: Anne Blankman
Series: N/A, Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date:  May 3rd, 2016
Pages: Kindle, 336
My Rating: 2.5 Stars

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Six years have passed since England’s King Charles II returned from exile to reclaim the throne, ushering in a new era of stability for his subjects.

Except for Elizabeth Milton. The daughter of notorious poet John Milton, Elizabeth has never known her place in this shifting world—except by her father’s side. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by night she learns languages and sword fighting. Although she does not dare object, she suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose she cannot fathom.

Until one night the reason becomes clear: the king’s man arrive at her family’s country home to arrest her father. Determined to save him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by her father’s mysterious young houseguest, Antonio Vivani, a darkly handsome Italian scientist who surprises her at every turn. Funny, brilliant, and passionate, Antonio seems just as determined to protect her father as she is—but can she trust him with her heart?

When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the half-finished Paradise Lost—a secret the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice: cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code, unleashing a secret that could save her father…and tear apart the very fabric of society.


  I was given an ARC by the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 
  I have always been fascinated by authors who can incorporate fiction or myths into history, so when I first heard about Traitor Angels, I immediately wanted to read it. Although I lack knowledge in history, I always find these types of stories intriguing. Anne Blankman is no doubt a brilliant author to have been able to weave this story, and for that I admire her talent.

  Traitor Angels is unlike any other book I’ve read. Set in the time of King Charles II, Traitor Angels tells the tale of the fictional characters Elizabeth Milton, the daughter of John Milton, and Antonio Galleti, a man from Florence. In this novel, Blankman weaved a conspiracy tale involving John Milton, Galileo Gallilei, Vicencio Vivani and the throne of England.

  I really didn’t expect this book to have religion embedded into it. As a general rule, I usually avoid books where religion plays an important role in the novel. As a result, I was taken aback a little by this. I also didn’t expect there to be mention of Galileo, but that was actually fascinating.
“Regardless of how fast you run, how far you go, you cannot get away from yourself.”

  Traitor Angels is a novel with blood-pumping action. Led by the badass main character Elizabeth, the characters took on a dangerous journey to discover what her father and Galilio has planted for them to find. Although the story was interesting, I found a few phrases to be repetitive, especially while they were figuring out some clues. I found them to be mentioned repetitively, and that was a bit annoying. Also, I sometimes found myself skipping some of the narratives because I just wanted to get to the end already.

  Traitor Angels is no doubt a work of art, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s different from what I expected it to be, although I still found the story to be interesting. As a whole, I just found it to be an okay book.

2.5 not-for-me stars


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