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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: Toxic friendship, Violence, Animal death, Hate crime, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
sapphicbookfae's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
this book made me go through a SERIES of emotions! and i enjoyed that
i really loved the sweet moments between the angels and my heart ached because of the heavenly emphasis on purity and obedience as goodness. these concepts are used so easily to control loved ones at times in a manipulative manner. and of course Lucifer's flawed but he went through so much and it's hard for me to hate this version of him
i will say that i hoped for a redeeming ending DESPITE the occurrences of coercive obedience, lack of autonomy, emotional and sexual abuse from those in positions of power. i think this book tells an "ugly" story quite beautifully and demonstrates the extremes that the above occurrences can lead to. the ending chapters did feel rushed to me and i was left wanting to know more about certain characters (maybe intentionally)
definitely give this book a read if you have religious trauma (LMAO) like me and maybe struggle with being honest about your queerness with your catholic religious family members... you get the extreme perspectives
i really loved the sweet moments between the angels and my heart ached because of the heavenly emphasis on purity and obedience as goodness. these concepts are used so easily to control loved ones at times in a manipulative manner. and of course Lucifer's flawed but he went through so much and it's hard for me to hate this version of him
i will say that i hoped for a redeeming ending DESPITE the occurrences of coercive obedience, lack of autonomy, emotional and sexual abuse from those in positions of power. i think this book tells an "ugly" story quite beautifully and demonstrates the extremes that the above occurrences can lead to. the ending chapters did feel rushed to me and i was left wanting to know more about certain characters (maybe intentionally)
definitely give this book a read if you have religious trauma (LMAO) like me and maybe struggle with being honest about your queerness with your catholic religious family members... you get the extreme perspectives
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
cyancookie's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Incest, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment
random19379's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Death, Animal cruelty, Grief, Suicide, Vomit, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Violence, and 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
maximauve'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: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Animal death, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Self harm, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
ashlislibrary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Death, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
reellyfish's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. However, I probably would not recommend this book if you’re christian/religious.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Self harm, Sexual assault, Animal death, Cursing, and Incest
blasphemycakeboxing'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: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Rape, War, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture
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: Self harm and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: Animal death