(un) Death-Match unReview: Dog Soldiers

"Remember - short, controlled bursts."

Tan and I couldn’t think of a movie that involved both werewolves and angels. If you can think of one, let us know in the comments! Instead we reviewed a horror flick neither one of us had seen before: Dog Soldiers.

KIMBERLY
Hello my lovely frenemy! Before we get down to reviewing the nitty gritty details, I have to confess that I hadn’t seen this flick before. When considering what movies to review, I did notice this one popping up on a number of lists for top 10 werewolf movies. It was actually passed up for North American theatrical release for a variety of reasons, including the accents. And, I’m sorry, but that’s just a ridiculous reason. Trainspotting anybody? It’s obviously not the high production value Hollywood movie that we’re seeing in this genre. But, for a low budget British horror flick what are your thoughts?

TAN
Ridiculous indeed – horror movies with accents (even subtitles!) are perfectly acceptable to me.

My very first thought having finished the movie was that this was Dead Snow, but with werewolves. Isolated cabin where the undead enemy surrounds the small group of humans, eventually breaks in, tears out their guts, and infects most of the group until there is just one person left. That being said, both are pretty entertaining low-budget horror flicks, so I was happy. I did, however have a small problem with one character: the dog.

KIMBERLY
Aw, why no love for the dog? I, for one, was glad that there was a friendly canine presence because I needed to anthropomorphize something in order to lighten some of the super intense moments. Truth be told, I’m a complete wimp when it comes to the genre (I know, I know) but it doesn’t stop me from watching or reading. And I think Dog Soldiers is a pretty solid flick.

I can definitely see why, despite the production value the movie is on so many top werewolf movie lists. It’s a comedy-horror that’s sort of reminiscent of the cult classic, and one of my personal faves, An American Werewolf in London. There are plenty of genre in-jokes with an ample mix of gross-out gore to add a bit of dark humour to the movie. As you point out, it’s not entirely original and has a plot that follows a certain formula but I found it highly entertaining as a whole.

It doesn’t hurt that Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Grey’s Anatomy) is in it either. In fact, the acting overall was neither flat nor over-acted as some lower budget horror films tend to be. At least that’s how I felt. Not necessarily Oscar, or more fittingly BAFTA, worthy but good for a scare. Apparently, it did win an award at The Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film in 2002..!

TAN
Ok.. here is my beef with the dog:

At the beginning of the movie, McKidd’s character refuses to kill the dog on his training mission, earning him a dismissal from the Special Ops team he is training for because he can’t follow orders. Now, to me, this scene has foreshaddowing written all over it – at some point, this character will have to kill a seemingly innocent dog to save himself or others. But that never happened. I kept waiting for the cottage dog to do something evil.

But, instead of siding with his pack – the werewolves that have presumable raised and cared for this dog – he sides with the human interlopers who are killing them. At the end of the movie, it’s McKidd and his new canine friend, which he’ll probably take with him back to civilization. Couldn’t they have hinted that he was a weredog or something, just to bring the movie full circle?

Here is a question for you: (I’m not sure I’ve seen enough werewolf movies to answer this myself) What does Dog Soldiers contribute to the genre? For me, if a movie is going to make the top ten list, it should contribute something unique to the werewolf tradition.

KIMBERLY
Yes, I definitely got the same vibe from the dog but that’s what added to the thrill for me. The dog was kind of a red herring. I shared that same feeling of foreboding and was certain it was going to turn out to be the werewolf leader or something. Right down to the very end, actually. There was a lot of web talk about a sequel but I think that project might be dead now. Maybe the dog would have played a role in that?

As for adding to the werewolf tradition and whether the movie deserves to rank on top ten lists, I’m not so sure either. I think it scores so well on many a blogger’s list because it’s kind of an homage to the horror genre. I mean, one of the characters is named Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead). The humour is pretty subtle and dark. Apparently it’s rife with so many movie references that only film nerds catch all of them on first viewing. Maybe it doesn’t add to the genre but it’s kind of a balls out example of the genre at its low-budget best, don’t you think?

I appreciated elements of the cinematography showing both the werewolf and human perspectives throughout. Also, despite the production value, those were some freaky ass werewolves. There’s something about elongated limbs that reminds me of aliens (which scare the bejesus out of me more than any supernatural creature because I can’t discount the possibility of their existence). The photographs in the credits were a nice touch, too.

Does it belong on a top ten list? I’m on the fence. I’ve watched it twice in one month already though and want to watch it again to see if I can catch any more of the references and in-jokes. I think it’s a movie that has great cult appeal.

TAN
You know – I think you’ve just convinced me to watch this again with an eye to catching these movie references.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie. Maybe not as much as I loved Cursed, but I can see why people like it so much.

My vote is 7 out of 10.

KIMBERLY
Maybe we’ll have to compare notes at a later date on the movie references. LOL! As far as I know, according to the DVD commentary (which I haven’t listened to yet) the references and subtle head nods in the film include: H.G. Wells along with movies The Evil Dead, Zulu, Aliens, The Matrix and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

I enjoyed the flick too and give it a 7.5/10. It’s no American Werewolf in London–which is being remade–but I enjoyed the thrill and humour overall.

unReview: Legion

Alright, unDead nation, I am feeling a little defeated this weekend. Legion, though creeptastic in parts, was a pretty big let down. Let me just say that if you are going to watch an apocolyptic angel movie this weekend, save some money and rent Constantine.

Let’s start with the good. The creep-factor is pretty high for some parts of this movie. That old lady from the trailer is even worse on the big screen. Ditto for the ice cream man. But HOLY CRAP.. wait til you see the kid. “It’s OK. I just want to play with your baby”. *shudder*

I liked Paul Bettany, and I actually kinda liked thier take on Micheal. Michael disobeying God is a new interpretation of his angelic archetype, and I am always a fan of innovation. Michael is a pretty arrogant guy, and could be a little more forth-coming with plot-enhancing explanations, but he comes by his arrogance honestly and he’s right almost all of the time.

Gabriel, on the other hand, was a pretty weak character. And, it’s been done better in Constantine and The Prophecy. He’s somewhat of a minor character in Legion, which is strange since he is the one who leads the army of creepy possesed people. He doesn’t even appear until the last third of the movie.

About the fighting: This is the kind of movie that needs a pretty epic battle; it IS the end of the world, after all. And to his credit, Gabriel tried. He came onto the scene ready to kick-butt and take some names. But there was no ‘battle’, just a couple of scuffles.

But, the biggest problem is that nothing in the plot makes sense.

Consider this your fair warning: The rest of this is spoilers…

Things that were never explained:
Who the hell names thier kid “Jeep”?
Why don’t the angels just possess the people in the diner?
Why THAT baby? He’s just some bastard son of a waitress.
Why does the baby stop the possessed people in thier tracks?
Is this baby made of adimantium? He gets tossed around like a pigskin.
Why does Jeep get covered in angel tattoos, but never gets any angel powers?
Did this happen to the whole world? Or just the South Western US?
Were all the possesed people ok after God changes his mind?

5 Reasons NOT to be a Werewolf

1) They Probably Shed
Think about it – it’s not like they are derived from poodle stock. Big massive wolf-men mean big massive hair balls. Ugh.. imagine the shower drain in your neighbourhood werewolf’s house.. ewwww.

2) Transformations are uncontrolled, and monthly.
The lady-fans can attest that PMS is bad enough; monthly mood swings, cramps, blood. Times than by 100 and I figure you have “The Change”. And I say.. no thank you.

3) Werewolves are cannibals.
That takes care of all of you vegetarians, now doesn’t it? Like zombies and vampires, werewolves are all about the delicacy known as.. You. Your guts in particular, it would seem.

4) Werewolves are S-M-R-T.
I know you dog-people would love to argue, but on the grand scheme of things, I’d rather have a person’s IQ than a wolf’s. Opening a gate was about the most impressive thing arttibuted to wolf intellegence.

5) Werwolves are ugly.
SRSLY.

Werewolves: In A League of Their Own

Deanna recently pointed out an article at The Independent that basically says angels are the new vampires. The writer seems to think that the days of Nosferatu are numbered and that they’ll be replaced in pop culture by the winged. When asked why the upsurge in angelic literature, one interviewee supposed it was because “people find (angels) very approachable.”

Approachable. SRSLY?

There are so many things wrong with that sentence. First, I’m not looking for an undead creature to go to Glee club with me, even if they do have a millennia of experience in a choir of angels. Second, have you seen the creeptastic angels in Legion? Approachable? Hardly.

Photo credit: airpark from Flickr

So, are angels the new vampires? I’m going to throw you a curve ball here and say yes. And here’s why: because they’ve both got image issues.

Let’s look at the facts. Historically speaking, angels represent two extremes: there’s the white gowned, haloed goody-two-shoes on one shoulder and the horned, pitch-fork bearing devil on the other. Never the twain shall meet.

One-dimensional? You know it.

You want to talk about hierarchy of angels? Well, here’s the word straight from HR: angels are all essentially cubicle employees. In fact, Douglas Coupland could write a book about them. When it comes right down to it, they’re merely cogs in the wheels of the universe doing the same basic jobs but for different corporations: Heaven Inc. and Hell Corp.

In Heaven Inc., angels work in cubicles constructed of cloud walls where motivational posters float with positive statements beneath pictures of unicorns and rainbows. And that “Hang in there!” kitten struggling to stay on a branch.

Conversely, Hell Corp. employees work surrounded by walls made of fire. They don’t have posters at all (you know, because of the fiery surroundings) but instead are made to read e-newletters about employees of the month. Pat Robertson is January’s lead contender. And Fox News is streamed into desktop monitors 24/7.

Disgruntled? You bet. How do you think Hell Inc. started in the first place? It was the result of a failed corporate coup by Lucifer and his lackeys. You know the kind of guy he is, the one who calls in a bomb threat just to get a day off work. Well, here’s the flaw in the plan: most bosses aren’t omniscient. In the words of the Trump: “You’re fired!” (see what I did there?) Since Heaven Inc. was the only place hiring at the time, to continue employment Lucifer had to found his own competing firm: Hell Corp.

The point is, angels are all serfs to a corporate CEO. And the only two career choices they have are Assistant to the Manager (Heaven Inc.) or Assistant to the Manager (Hell Corp.). I’m going to channel fellow blogger Deanna here for a moment and just say, “Yawn.”

Werewolves, on the other hand, represent the more realistic rift between two extremes. Might I add: without the aid of props like blazing swords and fluffy wings? They’re slaves to no one’s agenda. They are the risk-takers who do things we can only dream of—and I’m not just talking about cool but ultimately slacker jobs like “resort waterslide tester.” They’re the supernatural creatures you envy. The ones that others want to emulate but with whom they would never, ever even dare try to make an outright direct comparison.

So, yeah, angels can be the new vampires. I’ll give them that. (If you follow this blog, you know what happened to vampires in the last round.) Heck, angels can be the new black for all it matters in this conversation. The point is that no supernatural creature can contest their equivalence to werewolves. Werewolves are simply in a league of their own. I say step up to the plate, angels. Show me what you’ve really got ’cause it’s game on.

[Vote werewolf today at the top left of this page.]

An Interview with Lauren Kate

TL: Who would win in a fight, werewolves or angels?

LK: Having spent hours yesterday writing an insane battle scene for Torment, I’m going to have to put my money on the angels. I’ve never talked smack about a werewolf before, and it makes me a little nervous. But angels, though just as ruthless as their opponents, have this incomparable grace and cunning that gives them a wing up. Plus, no offense to Jacob, they’re just easier on the eye. Very important for us mortal spectators.

TL: Do you think angels are the new vampire?

LK: I think what draws us to angels is probably similar to what draws us to vampires, or werewolves. Most of us grow up with some sort of angel mythology–whether it comes from a religious upbringing, or a cultural context. We have an idea of what they’re supposed to look like (flawless features, fluffy white wings), how they’re supposed to behave (always perfectly benevolent), and what they’re supposed to do (well, I suppose biblically, they’re messengers of God, culturally there’s the idea of a “guardian angel”). For readers, there’s an almost built-in collective conscience about angels–which is great because it’s familiar and therefore accessible. For authors, there is so much room to play off these existing expectations, rewrite old stories, and experiment. So there’s something in it for all of us. Which is good because they seem to be here to stay.

TL: How would you summarize your book in one sentence?

LK: At her new reform school in Georgia, Lucinda Price is torn between two otherworldly hotties, unaware that they are fallen angels who have battled over her for centuries.

TL: Why did you decide to write about the Nephilim/fallen angels?

LK: The idea began when I came across a line in Genesis that talked about a group of angels who were kicked out of heaven because they lusted after mortal women. I started thinking about what it would be like to be normal girl–suddenly the object of an angel’s affection. All the excitement and the challenges that would naturally spring from that. As someone who’s been writing love stories my whole life, this angel angle seemed like the perfect way for me to up the ante and tell a really BIG love story, one that brought in questions about trust and betrayal, and preconceived notions about good and evil.

TL: What kind of research did you have to do for Fallen?

LK: Beyond the few biblical references of angels, I looked to the books of Enoch as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are extra-biblical texts. I also loved Omens of the Millennium by Harold Bloom, and A History of Heaven by Jeffrey Burton Russel. I think this is the book where I found the first mention of the Grigoris (which inspired Daniel’s character) and the Nephilim, which you’ll meet in Torment. I refer to The Dictionary of Angels a lot for terms and definitions. To round out my story, I also read some books about the other side including a trilogy by Jeffrey Burton Russel: The Devil, Lucifer, and Mephistopheles. It was so much fun to read up on all of this angelology, at first it was hard to stop researching and start writing!

TL: Is there a chance for Daniel’s redemption?

LK: Definitely not.

Just kidding. Isn’t that what we’re all in this for? Let’s just say there’s a chance for all sorts of unexpected things to happen!

TL: How do you choose your characters’ names?

I’d say about fifty percent of the names I choose for sonorous reasons (i.e. I just like the way the sounds roll off the tongue), and the other half have some meaning relevant to the story. Probably not too far from the methods parents use to name their kids. Daniel Grigori, for example, falls into the latter category. Daniel is the first book in the bible where an angel (who happens to be Michael) makes a choice independent of God, and I thought this first moment of independence suited Daniel’s character. The Grigoris are (allegedly) a group of angels who “fell” because they lusted after mortal women.
Matt King’s name (in The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove) is probably a little bit more self-explanatory—though his first name was originally Mike but I changed it when my editor pointed out that it rhymed with Nat! ‘Matt and Nat’ was a little too cute for Natalie’s story.

TL: Your book has been optioned by Disney. Who would you like to see star in it?

LK: I kinda love Ed Westwick on Gossip Girl and think he’d make an excellent Cam on the big screen. For Luce? I thought Dakota Fanning nailed her two minutes of darkness in New Moon. With the right dye job…I could see it! It’s harder to think about whom to cast for Daniel, though I know Disney has been kicking around some top secret ideas.

TL: Name your top 5 favourite angels from literature or movies.

LK: I get to pick from the fallen ones too, right? Then first, I gotta say that Satan in Paradise Lost is pretty charming. As is Matt Damon in Dogma. I think Wings of Desire is beautiful. And of course, It’s a Wonderful Life. I also always like when devil/angel avatars pop up on cartoon character’s shoulders. Like Tweety Bird and Garfield. Does that count?

I’ll be queuing up to see Legion when it comes out too!

TL: Do you have a guilty pleasure read?

LK: My guilty pleasures are usually magazines—fashion mags like Vogue and InStyle, gossipy ones like US Weekly, and I love cooking/food related magazines. I don’t really think of books as guilty, but for vacation/beach read stuff, I love wry, sassy writers like Maureen Johnson. And I love F. Scott Fitzgerald so much he feels like a guilty pleasure even though his books are all classics and therefore good for you.

Catch the rest of Lauren Kate’s Blog tour:

January 11th: Beatrice/Galleycat.com
January 12th: Through a Glass Darkly
January 13th: A Patchwork of Books
January 14th: The Reading Zone
January 15th: The Children’s Book Review
January 20th: TeenReads.com
January 21st: The Book Butterfly
January 26th: CynthiaLeitichSmith.com

Battle Royale: Werewolf vs. Angel

Here at (un) Death-Match, we like our contests. Maybe you do, too. If not, suck it up, princess ’cause we’ve got another one starting today. Only this time we’ll be pitting my gorgeous werewolves against Tan’s creepy angels (have you seen the trailer for Legion yet?)

Up for grabs: five prize packages with our two book picks (Bitten by Kelley Armstrong and Fallen by Lauren Kate). What do you have to do? Leave a comment here or tweet using the #undeathmatch hashtag about why your creature of choice should win this battle royale. Remember, we need to be able to contact the winner so that means you have to either sign in when leaving a comment (so we can reach you by e-mail) or follow us on Twitter (so we can DM you). Contest closes midnight ET on Monday, January 18.

Now, what are you waiting for?

Undeath Match at the Movies

This is a pretty big month for Undeath Match at the box office. Deanna, Kimberly and I are all pretty excited about the release of Daybreakers, Wolfman and Legion respectively. (But really, were all pretty excited for all three of these movies!) So we just had to know which of these movies you, our Undead Devotees, are most excited for. Check out the trailers below, and vote in our mini-poll.

Daybreakers

Wolf Man

Legion

(un) Death-Match unReview: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Now that the feathers have settled around the pro-angel holiday season, I thought I’d get down to business here. Let’s start off the New Year in celebration of werewolves by taking a look at Kelley Armstrong’s book, Bitten.

As I’ve written before, werewolf stories are about what it means to be human. It’s that struggle between the inner self and external societal pressures. It’s man versus beast. In a word, it’s epic.

Bitten has a little bit of something for everyone: part whodunnit, part horror, part fantasy, part romance. Although this sounds like a recipe for disaster, in the capable hands of Armstrong it’s done bloody well (pun totally intended).

The werewolves of Armstrong’s fictional world are not the hulking, mindless man-beasts of classical literature and cult horror films. These are people who turn into wolves at will, hold down steady day jobs, have relationships and endure the trials and tribulations of regular life. Only, as with any canine society, their lives are contained within a Pack order.

In the world that she’s created, there are Alphas but they are both from within the male Pack and the single female protagonist. Although male werewolves are generally born into the world, the only way a female werewolf can exist is by being bitten. A weaker character than Elena Michaels wouldn’t have stood a chance. If she managed to survive the transformation she wouldn’t have been able to deal with the implications of what it means to be a werewolf in a modern world.

Instead, we have Elena who basically says FU Werewolves and tries to regain her old life. In her journey, she isn’t looking for a hero or a white knight. She’s just looking for a return to some sense of normalcy. And she wants an equal partner in her life.

That’s where Clayton Danvers fits into the picture. As Kelley Armstrong herself wrote in a guest post on this site, Who Says Werewolves Can’t Be Sexy? Indeed. Move over Eric Northman. Clay is the complex soul with the nice package (if you know what I mean). Sure, he’s a little possessive in this first book but he’s no Edward Cullen/Jacob Black. His behaviour falls more within the reality of Pack rule.

Anyone who’s had a dog in their life will tell you there’s a pecking order that’s established and that dog humping everything in sight isn’t because it has a fetish but because it’s trying to dominate. That’s sort of the way things play out in this novel among the characters. There’s nipping and play-fighting and moments that seem sexually charged or motivated but it’s all part of the life of werewolves in this world.

Of course, in this world, there are villains and they are the Mutts who prefer solitude to Pack rule. When humans are murdered on Pack territory, Elena is called back to help hunt down the lone werewolf who’s responsible for the crimes and gets much more than she bargains for when she returns.

But that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. If you haven’t done so already, go read the book. If you have read Bitten, what are your thoughts? Were you as awe-struck by Armstrong’s mighty pen as I?

And remember to vote werewolf! No sitting on laurels (or haloes as the case may be).

Meet the Angels

Unlike Vampires and Werewolves, whose respective traditions are only a few centuries old, Angels go waaaaaaaay back. A few millenia at least. Having been around that long, a few of them have reached a kind of celebrity status, at least among the religious set.

But where can you find them in popular culture? Let’s find out together.

The Metatron

The Metatron is number one among all the angels in Heaven. Now, I could tell you all about his job description, or I could let the wonderful Allan Rickman do it:

He also figures quite prominently in Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass.

The Archangels
There are generally thought to be 7 Archangels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel are almost unanimously agreed upon by all Western religious traditions to be part of this group. The other 3 angels’ names vary depending on the source.

Michael
Now, if THIS is what you are thinking of when I say Michael, you might be following the wrong blog.

Michael is the head of God’s Army. When Lucifer rose up in Heaven, it was Michael who led the defending army, and who personally put Satan in his place. In Judaism, it is believed that Michael was the protector of the Jewish people back in the day when other gods still existed in the Middle East. Michael is almost always depicted with either a sword or a spear. He is the warrior angel, no doubt about it.

In the upcoming movie Legion, Michael is the only angel fighting on our side. Michael is mentioned in the Milton’s classic Paradise Lost, and according to wikipedia, The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty was based on the diary of a man named Father Bishop, who performed an exercism on a 13-year old boy. During the ritual, “the boy saw a vision of the Devil and ten of his helpers engaged in a fiery battle with St. Michael. At one point during the dream, the angel smiled at the boy and said “Dominus.” Shortly thereafter, the boy shouted out: “Satan! Satan! I am St. Michael, and I command you, Satan, and the other evil spirits, to leave the body in the name of Dominus, immediately.” Thomas B. Allen also used this diary as a source for Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism.

Raphael
Raphael is God’s Healer. In art, he is generally depicted holding either food or medicine, not a weapon. In Paradise Lost, Raphael is the voice that talks to Adam about the Tree of Knowledge, and also the history of the War in Heaven.

Raphael is known for one battle – his fight with Azazel, whom he bound and cast into a crag.

Gabriel
Gabriel is about to take the spotlight from Michael, IMHO. Traditionally, he has been God’s herald, delivering important messages to humanity on His behalf. He will also be the one blowing the trumpet that will signal the End of Days. Like his buddies Michael and Raphael, Gabriel was also in Paradise Lost, as the chief of the angelic guards placed over Paradise. More recently, Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses has his main character be the modern incarnation of Gabriel.

But it’s on the big screen that we see a darker side of Gabriel, on that shows the angel to be jealous of humans, and rather violent. In The Prophecy series of the 1990s, Gabriel (played by Christopher Walken) wants to destroy humanity because he is sick of the love God shows them. This theme is played out again in the 2005 film Constantine, where Gabriel is played by Tilda Swinton. She plots to release Hell on Earth so that humanity will have to fight and earn God’s love. And of course, Gabriel will reprise this role in Legion, leading the army of God to destroy humanity.

Oh, and did you know that vampire slayer extrodinaire, Van Helsing, is actually the angel Gabriel? True Story.

Uriel
Uriel is the angel with the Firey Sword. He booted Adam and Eve out of Eden, and now stands watch there, barring reentry. He is the angel of repentance and wisdom, who both delivered important figures from harm and taught the prophets divine knowledge.

Uriel’s best known reference might be the book Uriel’s Machine: The Ancient Origins of Science. It is based partially on the tradition that Uriel taught Enoch (a rather holy man who may or may not have become The Metaron) all about the solar system.

And finally, the angel you’ve all be waiting for…

Lucifer
Also known as Sataniel, he was originally an Archangel. In the Latin, Lucifer translates to Bearer of Light. It is said that he was the greatest among the Angels at one time, the most beautiful, and the most dear to God.

However, Lucifer wanted to be as powerful as God, and had to be put down. Michael and Gabriel put him in his place and beat back his armies. They were thrown into the depths of hell, and have since been thought of as demons.

Now, there are literally thousands of references to The Devil and Satan in movies and literature. But, to get a good sense of Lucifer as a fallen angel instead of the father of all evil, I would recommend Paradise Lost, or I, Lucifer.

Armstrong up to bat for Team Angel

Since I am new here, maybe you don’t know that I am one of Kelley Armstrong’s biggest fans. (Full disclosure: I also work for her publisher, but that came about 5 years after I discovered her books.) In fact, last month, when Round 2 of Undeath Match was announced, I did a happy dance in my cubicle knowing you were soon to discover the awesomeness that is Bitten. Because Kelley Armstrong is a great writer, and she made werewolves sexy.

But the Otherworld isn’t limited to werewolves – there are witches, vampires, and demons. And yes, there’s an angel in this series too. And because Kelley is Kelley, she’s a bad-ass rebel kind of angel. Yep, Eve Levine is just the kind of woman I’d draft for this team.

Eve spent life as a black witch. We first meet her in Stolen, the second werewolf novel in the series. It was mostly a supporting role, but she definitely got my attention – right up until she died trying to save her daughter. I thought that was it for the feisty witch.

So you can imagine my surprise and delight when Eve got her own story in book five, entitled Haunted. (Go on, read a little bit here, I’ll wait.) A romp through the afterlife featuring ghosts, demons and the Fates, Haunted is the story of how Eve “got her wings” (And here’s a spoiler – there are no bells involved.)

It’s been nearly five years since we’ve heard from Eve, and being in the know at Random House Canada, the next few books were not slated to feature angels. But it turns out Kelley was missing Eve too. And so, a novella was born. Brand-spanking new from Subteranean Press, Angelic is Armstrong’s second book featuring Eve and her firey sword. From Kelley’s site:

As a half-demon master of the dark arts, Eve Levine isn’t what anyone would call angelic. That’s exactly why the Fates chose her for the job. She’s their secret weapon against the forces of evil.

However after five years, Eve is tired of being the designated rebel of the angel corps, expected to break the rules, then penalized for it. When the leaderless djinn stage an uprising, Eve sees the perfect chance to get herself fired. As she plunges deeper into the demon world, though, she realizes she’s in danger of losing a lot more than her job.

She’s a half-demon… and an ANGEL. That combo right there is why Eve (and Kelley) deserve to be on Team Angel. I can’t wait to read this novella.*

*I am sorry to say that my copy is most likely sitting on my doorstep as I write this, while I am a few hours away visiting family for the holidays. But soon, it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.