Archon
The Books of Raziel, Book 1
Sabrina Benulis

Harper Voyager
2011 / ISBN: 0062069403
Paranormal / Young Adult
Amazon

Reviewed by Carmen Ferreiro

On the island of Luz, off the eastern coast of the United States, the Vatican runs a university for gifted students. The process of admittance is highly selective, unless you are a blood head with paranormal powers. In which case you are in, no questions asked.
The reason for this is that there is a prophecy that predicts a blood head will be The Archon, the incarnation of Raziel, one of the three fallen angels. The Archon will have the power to remove Lucifel (Raziel·s sister) from her throne in Hell, and this could mean the ruin of Earth as humans know it. So the Vatican calls the Archon ·the Ruin· and wants to be sure they can control it before it·s too late.

The Vatican is not the only one searching for the Archon, Angela, our blood headed and very paranormally gifted (she can see angels) 17 year old protagonist soon finds out. Angels, Jinns, demons and witches are watching too, ready to use the one that would become the Archon.

But how to tell who this Archon is?

Before dying, Raziel left a book that can only be read by the said Archon. Anybody else will lose her mind while trying. The problem: nobody knows where the book is.
Yet the Archon·s coming must be near, for the signs are many and Angela·s life and those of her friends are in danger. But what can Angela do to save them? Is she the Archon? And if she is, will she be the Ruin as the Vatican fears or something else completely?

Archon, yet another take in the Angel vs. Demon vs. Human story so popular these days, is not a book for the faint of heart. There is violence, there is gory a plenty, and characters of dubious behavior I found difficult to relate to.

The world and characters Ms. Benulis has created are both repulsive and fascinating, and the constant change of point of view, sometimes in the same paragraph, makes for difficult reading. Yet, despite all this, I found myself drawn into the story and, after I finished it, wishing for the next book in the series to be out already.