Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon is a dark fantasy, quest style story centered on shapeshifters that will set your kindle ablaze with fiery desire.
After being trapped and used as bait, Aurora is forced to witness her father’s brutal murder by cutters. They tear his body to pieces, to be sold on the black market for their mystical powers. Swearing a blood oath to find his killers and avenge his death, she spends years tracking down the people responsible, destroying them and taking back what they have stolen. Unable to rest until her oath is fulfilled, she leads a lonely and bloody life. But she is nearing the end of her quest, one final mission and her oath will be fulfilled. She will be able to leave the nightmare behind and make a new start in a new land far from Nordana. But her plans to leave are derailed by the haunting song of a caged angel.
Evangeline Aquilar is an avian shifter and the daughter of Lord Augustus Aquilar. She is next in line to inherent the lucrative family’s business. Finding herself trapped in a cage in the depths of a mine, Evie is doomed to face the cutter’s blade. In her despair, she chants a melancholy version of her people’s dawn song. When Aurora hears her angelic voice in the darkness of the mine, she can’t let herself leave until she frees her.
The only way they will escape the cutters is to trust each other but as they flee, a well-placed shot pierces Evie’s wing sending the two shifters crashing to the ground. Forced to continue on foot, the two women set out on their perilous journey. Along the way they learn more about each other and the bourgeoning attraction between them grows stronger. However, even after they flee the cutters, they are not free from danger and must rely on each other if they are to make it to their ultimate destinations.
The Characters
Michelle: Aurora comes from two very ancient and very powerful old bloodlines making her an extremely potent shifter. She has lived a difficult and lonely life; always on the move, always hunting or being hunted. She is a brave and fierce alpha predator but also, because of her history, suffers intense insecurity when dealing with interpersonal relationships.
Evie is an avian shifter. She is intelligent, politically savvy, very outgoing and an extremely sociable woman. She is also far from a shrinking violet, but rather quite dominant in her own right. This makes for a very interesting dynamic between her and Aurora that is deeply emotional but also absolutely smoking hot!
Sheena: Aurora is a fierce fighter who is used to relying only on herself. She is capable, strong and independent. She has gone through a major trauma as a teenager and yet she allows herself to be vulnerable with Evie. I liked that about her. I enjoyed watching her open up and share parts of herself that she wouldn’t normally share.
Evie was the perfect partner for Aurora. She was so different and so unabashed about getting in Aurora’s space and challenging her in a way that no one else would ever dare and yet doing it so that Aurora never felt the need to display her own dominance.
Evie is the shifter equivalent of the feisty femme. She even rustles her wings when she gets upset and I love it.
The character interactions were real. I adored that there were moments of seriousness and moments of sexiness interspersed with moments of humour and playfulness. By the end of the book I absolutely couldn’t see either of them with anyone else.
The Writing Style
Michelle: This is quite a long book and I did find the pacing to lull from time to time. It is heavier on dialogue than action but really delves deeply into the characterization and the development of the relationship between Aurora and Evie. The story is well written and contains some great world building with some creative lore and species’ that were exciting and engaging to read about.
The Writing Style + Narration
Sheena: This book is a monster at just under 550 pages so it’s really submersive, which is fun for an epic fantasy set in a whole new world.
Noon’s world building was amazing. The details were there but not to the point where I lost interest. the culture, shifter experience, how magic tied into everything and how humans co-existed with shifters were well drawn and fascinating to read about. I really hope that Noon writes more in this world because I feel like we have just touched on the tip of what it holds.
Abby Craden narrated the audiobook and I couldn’t be happier. The audiobook was spot on. Every moment, every feeling, every voice was perfect.
I read the book first and then listened to the audiobook a month or two later which is why I am about to say the following: As a book it is overly simply written. There are a number of feelings and explanations for things that are explained a little too much. But, as an audiobook I didn’t find the same frustration as I did when reading. Craden took the text and elevated it so that it just became part of the story and the world. I would even go so far as to say that the simplicity made this audiobook really easy to listen to absorb and perhaps it made it even better.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book while reading it. The story is great and the character work is phenomenal. I just found the actual writing a little overly simple for me. And the audiobook really fixed that problem.
The Pros
Michelle: The characterization in the book is really just fabulous. Both Aurora and Evie are brought to life through detailed and heartbreaking backstories. Their thoughts, desires and insecurities are so vividly described that I became completely invested in them and the evolution of their relationship. Oh, and speaking of relationship, Noon completely nails the chemistry between the two shifters. There are some off the charts scorching sex scenes in this book.
Sheena: I adore how unique and fun this story is. I love the world building and the interactions between the main characters made me a happy Sheena.
I highly recommend the audiobook. Highly. Highly recommend.
I also want to give a shoutout to the gorgeous cover. Hey there sexy.
The Cons
Michelle: Even considering the deep character exploration and steamy relationship, I felt this book could have been a little shorter as I found my attention wavering from time to time.
Sheena: I am about to reveal a minor spoiler so if you don’t want anything to be released move onto the next section now. I was not prepared for the rape of a teenager and the violent death of her father. Neither were detailed and it was revealed in conversation rather than as a descriptive memory. It was relatively brief in the greater story and it wasn’t harped on, which I appreciated.
The Conclusion
Michelle: If you are looking to escape into a vivid fantasy realm inhabited by a myriad of wonderfully realized characters, then this is the book for you. And if you are also looking for a great story and a relationship teeming with scorching hot chemistry then look no further, this book is definitely for you.
Sheena: If you love the idea of a world so magical that shifters of all kinds are a natural part of the world. If you love the idea of ancient species living in a world with humans, no technology but rather magic that runs things then this is a great book for you. And if you are a die hard romance fan then this story has at the heart of it a romance between two shifters from seemingly different worlds who find that they are perfect for one another.
I absolutely recommend this book and LOVED the audiobook to the point that I listened to all 20 hours of it even though I had read the book already.
Excerpt from Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon
Aurora was halfway up a mine shaft when she heard faint singing. She paused in her climb and frowned as she craned her neck to listen. The mine was locked up tight until morning and all the main lights were off: there shouldn’t be anyone moving about in the murky depths. Maybe a drunk guard who’d taken a wrong turn and instead of going to the barracks to sleep it off, ended up wandering around lost and confused in the labyrinth of tunnels? Straining to hear, she realized it couldn’t be a guard because the singer was female and this mine only hired male guards.
Aurora continued climbing, rotating her head to hone in on the song. Her unease grew the more she heard. The melody was hauntingly familiar and infused with the singer’s desperation. When Aurora realized she was listening to an avian dawn song she cursed. She often heard their early morning praise drift from their tall towers and watched them raise their wings with the rising of the sun as they welcomed its return. They sang beautifully and even though she wasn’t fond of the winged shapeshifters she would always pause to listen. This particular song happened to be her favourite. It was old, from the time when powerful monsters stalked the night and surviving until dawn was a victory. It was supposed to be sung while bathed in the first light of day as a joyous celebration of survival, not underground in the middle of the night!
Get It Online
When you use the links in this review and buy within 24 hours of clicking then we get a small commission that helps us run the site and it costs you nothing extra
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9780473505134
Publisher: Bluefire Books Ltd.
Audiobook Publisher: Tantor Audio
Narrator: Abby Craden
If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at
Note: I received a free review copy of Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site
