Review: Surrender the Dark by L.A. Banks

Surrender the Dark

Author: L.A. Banks
Publisher: Pocket
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781451607789
Release date: 3/29/11
More info at:  http://www.leslieesdailebanks.com/

Received book from publisher to review.

Celeste Jackson has fought all her life against a fog of hallucination and substance abuse, but it’s not until she meets her protector, Azrael, an angel who has left the safety of the Light, that she learns of the evil forces that have been trying to ruin her, and why. A fierce battle for control of the mortal realm is brewing, and only Celeste—with the help of the Remnant, her half-human, half-angel brethren—can stand in the way. Together, Celeste and Azrael must gather an army of sensitives to defeat the dark powers that have ruled humanity for centuries, but time is running out. If Azrael surrenders to his growing desire for Celeste, he risks being trapped among humanity forever.

But the longer he stays, the harder she is to resist. To save the world, Celeste must draw on her own dark experiences with addiction to help Azrael overcome the one temptation that could possibly make him an eternal prisoner—his obsession with her.

Evil forces are everywhere and no one knows this better than Celeste Jackson. She has been able to see these evil forces since she was a little girl.  No one truly understood her and as an adult she turned to prescription medication and drinking to stop the visions.   Her abusive relationship comes to an end when she can finally see that her boyfriend is possessed by a demon.  She barely manages to get away before it has a chance to kill her and she flees for her life in the middle of the night.  While all of this is happening, Azrael is an angel that has fallen to earth.  He is the Angel of Death and his main purpose is to find Celeste and keep her safe. Celeste doesn't know just how truly special she is and he must take steps in order to not only keep her safe from evil, but fill her in on everything that is going on.  A war is coming and others must be found.  Celeste is the only one that can do this and in order for it to happen Azrael must get her system clean of all the impurities that she has consumed so that she may finally be in tune with the other angels.

What I loved about this book is Celeste's internal struggle with her feelings.   She feels that she is an ordinary person and that she couldn't possibly be important.  I think we all have that feeling in life and don't truly understand that one way or another, we all have a purpose.  When Celeste finally realizes this, her faith is so much stronger and she begins to feel that she has more to offer.  She has a purpose and it's an important one and with the love and support from Azrael, they can set forth and accomplish their goals.

I'm giving Surrender the Dark a rating of:  

My spirits really felt uplifted while reading this book due to it's spiritual nature.  L.A. Banks did a great job of writing a character that was not a believer into someone that truly had to go through a journey in order to see their true worth.  I enjoyed Celeste and Azrael's journey and am looking forward to reading what happens next in this series!