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spaceaviator's review
dark
lighthearted
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
5.0
I really liked this book.
Some of the violence in Part 2 became a bit intense and made me feel uneasy. That said, knowing how the story comes together and ends, makes me more okay with it.
Nicolás’s writing style is what really made it for me. The way narration changed as Lucifer did, as well as the way he writes thoughts and intertwines separate scenes as one. It feels like there’s so many layers to explore in his writing, but it’s also intuitive to follow.
This was a very unique book and one I would read again some day.
Some of the violence in Part 2 became a bit intense and made me feel uneasy. That said, knowing how the story comes together and ends, makes me more okay with it.
Nicolás’s writing style is what really made it for me. The way narration changed as Lucifer did, as well as the way he writes thoughts and intertwines separate scenes as one. It feels like there’s so many layers to explore in his writing, but it’s also intuitive to follow.
This was a very unique book and one I would read again some day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Part 1 and the Interlude are mostly quite nice with some conflict. Part 2 is where it starts to get more tense toward its second half (and exponentially so). You can read just Part 1 and the interlude and it will still feel like a complete story.loyddl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
3.75
I enjoyed the story until it neared the end where Lucifer’s character change became prominent. For as much build up as it got it still felt abrupt and completely disconnected from the Lucifer we followed in the rest of the book. I think the problem was that near the end of the book Nicolás stops giving us Lucifer’s perspective on important events that would impact his dramatic character change. For most of the book we get intimate detail from Lucifer’s perspective and thoughts but more and more writing was put toward other characters point of view. As a result, even though we see the pain Lucifer goes through, his later actions feel like they are too extreme and come out of nowhere.
I also think the writing fell flat in the story’s resolution. For something so long built up it also felt anticlimactic. And again, we’re taken out of Lucifer’s point of view and only given a finale description of him rather than any though or emotions felt by him as a result of his actions.
A finale thing I would have loved to see, especially in the finale act, is the development of Micheal. Without giving any spoilers, Micheal is important in Lucifer’s fall yet I don’t understand his actions near the book’s resolution based on the relationship between him and Lucifer that had taken half the book to develop.
While I enjoyed the story, it’s setting, and it’s characters, the ending makes me hesitant to pick the book up again. The book is all buildup but does not explain some characters most extreme actions.
I also think the writing fell flat in the story’s resolution. For something so long built up it also felt anticlimactic. And again, we’re taken out of Lucifer’s point of view and only given a finale description of him rather than any though or emotions felt by him as a result of his actions.
A finale thing I would have loved to see, especially in the finale act, is the development of Micheal. Without giving any spoilers, Micheal is important in Lucifer’s fall yet I don’t understand his actions near the book’s resolution based on the relationship between him and Lucifer that had taken half the book to develop.
While I enjoyed the story, it’s setting, and it’s characters, the ending makes me hesitant to pick the book up again. The book is all buildup but does not explain some characters most extreme actions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Cursing
lcoffey's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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: Self harm, War, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault
liebert's review
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: Violence, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cursing and Animal cruelty
liketheriver's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Interesting and thought provoking read. I literally had to put it down several times because I didn’t want it to be over and knew it couldn’t end well for Lucifer. True enough, he girlbossed too close to the sun.
Don’t know whether to recommend or warn against this book if you have religious trauma.
Don’t know whether to recommend or warn against this book if you have religious trauma.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
seykv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
I remember when you were created, Lucifer. I saw how our Father sewed you from coppers, how He handled you when you were settings of gold. He embroidered a nose on you, a sweet mouth on you, then the outline for a pair of eyes before He placed suns there. He sculpted your face with wet clay; He opened you like a mandarin and planted a garden of budding flowers inside. He weaved your hair, I think, from the streaks of three bursting stars, and from your wings out of four wandering crescent moons. Your hips came from the tides of a sea, and then He carved your hands and feet from marble and pearls. I watched Him breathe life into you, then cradle you as if you were His first angel. He placed you into a fire cut into the air, and He let you simmer there.
Wow. Just wow. More people need to read this book.
Angels Before Man follows Lucifer's transformation from God's favorite, an angel too shy to glance at his reflection, to the Devil we all know (and love!). This novel is a masterfully crafted character study told through prose as ethereal as its setting. Highlighting the unsavory aspects of Christianity, Lucifer's tragic descent feels not just believable, but inevitable.
Lucifer seems like the perfect angel in the beginning: beautiful, humble, and--most importantly--obedient. He endeared me from his first stuttering words. The novel starts as a fluffy slice-of-life following Lucifer’s early years in paradise. He coos at flowers. He cuddles a colorful cast of characters. He finds a role serving his beloved God. Lucifer loves Heaven, and it loves him.
The entire universe sprawled before him but peppering his cheeks with enough warm kisses to make him laugh.
The sparse plot finds its tension in dramatic irony. Scattered throughout are indications of Lucifer's true nature.
Then Lucifer meets Michael. In many ways, their bond is the story's catalyst. It is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Lucifer's innocence seeps away one page, one conversation, one betrayal at a time. The angel Lucifer and the demon Lucifer are as different as could be. Yet there were no moments when I felt he suddenly broke character. There were, however, moments when I felt like a frog that saw the boiling of slowly heated water at last. Lucifer would commit some act that would horrify his younger self, and I would then realize that Lucifer had not blushed, bowed, or cried for a number of chapters--he had become so distant but taken such small steps that I took no notice.
The novel uses Lucifer's fall to explore themes of shame and freedom. These are placed within the context of organized religion, but anyone who has felt at odds with inane higher authority can relate to them.
Lucifer dares to question God for giving him life--then shaming him for loving it more than Him. For these sins, God punishes him.
Lucifer passes from disobedience into full-blown rebellion. He gains a hatred of the weakness in Heaven that gives God power and excuses His crimes. It applies to angels who serve God, angels who serve him, and even himself. In one memorable scene, he imagines defiling and murdering his innocent young self. He wants to shape Heaven to his libertine beliefs.
Lucifer does not, of course, succeed in that. God is all-powerful. Perhaps He even planned for Lucifer's rebellion. (Why else would He let Lucifer enact so much violence before stopping him? Why else would He encourage Lucifer to use his body by taking his voice?) But the novel makes clear that God does not win, and Lucifer does not lose. Lucifer does create a new order. While the angels who remain in Heaven now fear the lonely God, the demons who fall to Earth still love Lucifer--because they are the only ones free to love whoever they want.
All this is accentuated through beautiful and imaginative prose. The author paints the story through otherworldly metaphors that are right at home in Heaven.
One angel's eyes are described as such:
His irises were bustling rivers, housing a million fish circling abysses of pupils.
This depicts the simple act of fixing hair:
He split the sea of golden threads, then crossed each river over one another, creating a pattern, weaving a braid.
Even a bruised and bleeding face is made poetic:
[The face] belonged to someone who'd been invaded by red cherries, blackberries, blueberries, a conglomerate of them bursting from his skin.
However, there are times when the prose is... experimental
The ending is satisfying enough that the novel can serve as a standalone. However, after seeing (stalking from top to bottom) the author's Tumblr, I have seen that two more entries are planned for this narrative. They will center Azazel and Dina and cover the Flood and Armageddon. I am sure they will be of similar quality to Angels Before Man, which has quickly become one of my favorite novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Religious bigotry, Torture, Gore, Gaslighting, and Self harm
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest
kristinajoy07's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Gore, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
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: Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Genocide, War, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Torture, Grief, and Animal death
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: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Body horror
Minor: Rape
catmisae's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’ve always found Satan to be a compelling literary figure, and I really like interpretations of the fall of Satan when they’re done well. Angels Before Man was fine, but there were tonal shifts that I though could have been done better, and overall, reading it just felt like work.
This book is split into two halves. The first half is about Lucifer’s birth and early life in heaven, where he learns about his place in existence and figures out his “role” as the angel of beauty and worship. This part of the book draaaagged and was pretty repetitive. It’s literally millions of years of Lucifer being self-conscious/ashamed of his beauty. This aspect of his character is important, but I don’t think it needed to be reinforced quite as much as it was. One thing I did like about this section of the book was that it established God as a self-centered and domineering figure early on, in a way that was obvious to the reader, but not to Lucifer himself.
The second half depicts Lucifer’s alienation and disillusionment with God, and ends with him being cast out of heaven. This part had a lot more going for it as there was more conflict for me to sink my teeth into and the pace picked up significantly. I liked the examination of conflict in a society made up of people who don’t understand death and where war and deceit haven’t been invented yet. I liked God’s ambivalence over whether or not he wanted his creations to embrace complementarianism (in the sense that some of his creations are meant to be two parts of a whole, while others are meant to be autonomous individuals who care only about him). I wish we could have gotten more Uriel content, because I honestly became more invested in his story within the few pages we got of his POV than I was in the other characters who got way more screentime.
I could name a number of other things that the second half of the book did well, but all of that is somewhat diminished by the fact that I had to get through a lot of what I considered to be filler content in the first half of the book first. By the time things started getting interesting, my patience had worn thin and I just wanted to get to the end of the story.
There is also a significant increase in graphic violence and sexual content in part 2, which I personally felt was fitting for the story being told, but may come as a surprise to some readers (the first half is REALLY tame compared to the second half). I’ve listed some content warnings below.
This book is split into two halves. The first half is about Lucifer’s birth and early life in heaven, where he learns about his place in existence and figures out his “role” as the angel of beauty and worship. This part of the book draaaagged and was pretty repetitive. It’s literally millions of years of Lucifer being self-conscious/ashamed of his beauty. This aspect of his character is important, but I don’t think it needed to be reinforced quite as much as it was. One thing I did like about this section of the book was that it established God as a self-centered and domineering figure early on, in a way that was obvious to the reader, but not to Lucifer himself.
The second half depicts Lucifer’s alienation and disillusionment with God, and ends with him being cast out of heaven. This part had a lot more going for it as there was more conflict for me to sink my teeth into and the pace picked up significantly. I liked the examination of conflict in a society made up of people who don’t understand death and where war and deceit haven’t been invented yet. I liked God’s ambivalence over whether or not he wanted his creations to embrace complementarianism (in the sense that some of his creations are meant to be two parts of a whole, while others are meant to be autonomous individuals who care only about him). I wish we could have gotten more Uriel content, because I honestly became more invested in his story within the few pages we got of his POV than I was in the other characters who got way more screentime.
I could name a number of other things that the second half of the book did well, but all of that is somewhat diminished by the fact that I had to get through a lot of what I considered to be filler content in the first half of the book first. By the time things started getting interesting, my patience had worn thin and I just wanted to get to the end of the story.
There is also a significant increase in graphic violence and sexual content in part 2, which I personally felt was fitting for the story being told, but may come as a surprise to some readers (the first half is REALLY tame compared to the second half). I’ve listed some content warnings below.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Rape, and Self harm
Minor: Animal death