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erosugar's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, and Grief
justno's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"I know what the Lord dressed me in and what He handed to me, and inside, I can feel the detail He put into me. And yet, still, I’m so lost. I only want to be useful to Him, but I don’t know how. I want to know what He made me for, so that I can fulfill my role and uphold His splendor, but I don’t know how. It’s devastating to me.”
I would like to preface my review by saying that I was raised Christian, and so my experience really shaped my perspective on this book.
"Angels Before Man" questions the unquestionable: Could God not be good? Could Lucifer have a reason to do all evil? and it completely destroys you, because as you see Lucifer descent into madness and as all of his actions become more and more destructive you both wish to see the inherently corrupt nature in them while at the same time coming up with explanations for all of his actions.
The prose of this book completely destroyed me, it made me feel things I have not felt before with a book (I have around 100 highlights on my Kindle, THAT'S how much I loved it) it painted both the beautiful and bright picture of paradise and also the grim and painful reality of suffering that came with Lucifer's fall.
"Lucifer, quietly, had asked if angels were also made in pairs. “Angels are perfect,” He’d replied, “they are whole, and they are eternal.” There was no need for them to devote themselves to anyone but their Father."
Lucifer and Michael's relationship is beautiful, there's a clear connection between them, an understanding, and a desire that's doomed from the start and even when everything was falling apart their love, or the remnants of it were the only thing still standing.
In my very personal experience I related to Lucifer sometimes, his questions were questions I have asked before, his anger I have felt, his confusion I understand. And in a way I also understand Michael, his duty and the truth that holds him down, no matter how much he loves Lucifer his existence is dependent only on God.
Also I read this during Holy Week, and while at church, which is a little funny in retrospect
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, and Abandonment
alicia_ann_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a book that made me feel things.
First, it's a queer retelling of Satan's (Lucifer) Falling, which I wasn't familiar with so did a quick google to discover it was mentioned in two books if the Bible.
I'm not a Bible follower, but I imagine that anyone who had any form of religious trauma in their life would find this book incredibly cathartic.
The prose was wonderful, the first half is the telling of Lucifer's life from birth, his struggles with being the centre of attention, the 'angel of beauty", his shame and lack of self confidence... Until he meets Michael, who slowly coaxes him out of that shell. You see a really slow burn romance.
The second half of the book takes that and shows Lucifer's fall, how his worship focus went from God to Michael and how God had punished, and from that punishment the seed and kernel of defiance and hatred grew, how Lucifer coined new terms, created Sin as God created...
It is graphic and gory, and really hard to read at times, but it was also powerful.
The negative aspects: Was a little long. Middle part dragged and in the second half saw an increase in internal dialogue; which in and if itself is not an issue but the way it was presented on page was really difficult to read.
You had internal dialogue between apostrophes butted next to external dialogue in quotes with no delineation; and multiple POVs back and forth on one page.. I had to read slowly.
First, it's a queer retelling of Satan's (Lucifer) Falling, which I wasn't familiar with so did a quick google to discover it was mentioned in two books if the Bible.
I'm not a Bible follower, but I imagine that anyone who had any form of religious trauma in their life would find this book incredibly cathartic.
The prose was wonderful, the first half is the telling of Lucifer's life from birth, his struggles with being the centre of attention, the 'angel of beauty", his shame and lack of self confidence... Until he meets Michael, who slowly coaxes him out of that shell. You see a really slow burn romance.
The second half of the book takes that and shows Lucifer's fall, how his worship focus went from God to Michael and how God had punished, and from that punishment the seed and kernel of defiance and hatred grew, how Lucifer coined new terms, created Sin as God created...
It is graphic and gory, and really hard to read at times, but it was also powerful.
The negative aspects: Was a little long. Middle part dragged and in the second half saw an increase in internal dialogue; which in and if itself is not an issue but the way it was presented on page was really difficult to read.
You had internal dialogue between apostrophes butted next to external dialogue in quotes with no delineation; and multiple POVs back and forth on one page.. I had to read slowly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
readingemm's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
corin_134340's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
kenzielireads's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
When the author warns you that part 2 does not need to be read, believe them. Do not read the second half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
troll_for_initiative's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
cakeboxing's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As horrifying as it is beautiful, as pleasurable as it is disturbing. This book had me totally, completely at its mercy.
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
The writing style was unique. Most of the time, it was excellent and the prose elicited stronger emotional reactions from me than I would have thought. But I often found myself rereading passages multiple times to try and understand it, and came away forced to guess the implied meanings.
To me, the ending felt lacking, and a bit dissatisfying, but also leant true to the character of this version of God that had been built up in this book.
If you want a book that will mess with your mind, heart, and (Christian) religious beliefs, this is the one to reach for.
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
The writing style was unique. Most of the time, it was excellent and the prose elicited stronger emotional reactions from me than I would have thought. But I often found myself rereading passages multiple times to try and understand it, and came away forced to guess the implied meanings.
To me, the ending felt lacking, and a bit dissatisfying, but also leant true to the character of this version of God that had been built up in this book.
If you want a book that will mess with your mind, heart, and (Christian) religious beliefs, this is the one to reach for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Torture, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ploganiv's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This has become one of my top 5 favorite books. It is such a cool concept, and the author's writing treads the line between poetry and prose in such a sophisticated way. The way Nicolás describes things is so beautiful and tender with his word choices. His imagery and metaphors are next level. It is self-published, so with that, there are some editing errors and style choices I would change, but Lucifer's character is probably one of my favorite arcs I have read in a long time. He starts off so pure and inquisitive as God made him, but as time goes on and he has all these experiences, he doesn't get why things are the way they are. The ending is hard to read, but at the same time, you feel for how he finally brakes. Another aspect I really enjoyed is the way masculinity is presented in the novel. It is really unique and refreshing. These angels live together for eternity and have formed such a loving and caring bond with one another. Rafael just got an agent, so I am so excited to see what he writes next and what comes of this beautifully tragic novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Self harm
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
ambers's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'Queer people writing about religion' is (or at least should be) a genre in and of itself, and that genre is hands down one of my fav. I am exactly the kind of audience who would go ape shit for 'Lucifer and Michael are in gay love, and God is the OG villain'. Unpredictably I devoured this book in one sitting.
And while I read this book for fun, it FEELS like something I would've read for an English course. I swear I mean that as a compliment. It's a book that invites you to analyze it, so spend more time thinking about it even after you've finished the final page. I did, and while I originally rated this 3.75 stars, I ultimately bumped it up to 4 after spending some more time with it.
Because there's CLEARLY so much love, care, and thought that the author put into this book, right down to the writing style itself. I wish the author had denoted thought/dialogue a little more smoothly, but otherwise I was fully along for the ride.
From the first half to the second, from the beginning to the end, the writing gets looser, more lush and poetic, and we're introduced to multiple POVs - fitting, as Lucifer's anger, pain, and God-complex all grow. It's essentially two books in one, each with a unique writing style that tells you something key about the lead's mental state, and that's incredibly impressive for a debut novel.
This book is, of course, a heavy one. I would advise anyone to check the trigger warnings before picking it up - but if you're in the right headspace for it, it's absolutely a worthwhile read.
And while I read this book for fun, it FEELS like something I would've read for an English course. I swear I mean that as a compliment. It's a book that invites you to analyze it, so spend more time thinking about it even after you've finished the final page. I did, and while I originally rated this 3.75 stars, I ultimately bumped it up to 4 after spending some more time with it.
Because there's CLEARLY so much love, care, and thought that the author put into this book, right down to the writing style itself. I wish the author had denoted thought/dialogue a little more smoothly, but otherwise I was fully along for the ride.
From the first half to the second, from the beginning to the end, the writing gets looser, more lush and poetic, and we're introduced to multiple POVs - fitting, as Lucifer's anger, pain, and God-complex all grow. It's essentially two books in one, each with a unique writing style that tells you something key about the lead's mental state, and that's incredibly impressive for a debut novel.
This book is, of course, a heavy one. I would advise anyone to check the trigger warnings before picking it up - but if you're in the right headspace for it, it's absolutely a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault