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    Raziel
    Raziel
    Raziel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Raziel

    Written by Kristina Douglas

    Narrated by Karen White and Paul Costanzo

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    She was just an ordinary mortal...until death catapulted her into a seductive world she never imagined.

    "You're dead" is so not what Allie Watson wants to hear. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like the dark, angelically handsome man who ferried her to this strange, hidden land. The last thing she remembers is stepping off a curb in front of a cross-town bus. Now she's surrounded by gorgeous fallen angels with an unfortunate taste for blood-and they really don't want her around. Not exactly how she pictured heaven.

    Raziel is unsure why he rescued Allie from hellfire against Uriel's orders, but she stirs in him a longing he hasn't felt in centuries. Now the Fallen must brace for the divine wrath brought by his disobedience, and they blame Allie for the ferocious Nephilim clawing at the kingdom's shrouded gates. Facing impossible odds at every turn, the two must work together to survive. Raziel must defend his spirited lover against the forces of darkness-because Allie may be the Fallen's only salvation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 15, 2011
    ISBN9781452673097
    Author

    Kristina Douglas

    Kristina Douglas is the pseudonym for a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over sixty novels, including the Fallen series.

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    Reviews for Raziel

    3.5/5

    77 ratings13 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I actually pick this book up as a replacement for my L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress Legends Series and was quickly surprised, sonrisa.... I was quickly caught up in the writer's vision of fallen angel's and the whole order of the way God, Heaven, Earth and beyond worked....I give this 1rst book in her series a 5 estrellas out of 5....I was completely drawn in and captivated from beginning to the very end. I even reread it before I started on the second one in this series..... I am one of those reader's who will follow an Author, their series or at least try other books within their author's works/library.... I'm now reading the second installment of this series, and I have to say that I am not as taken in with the two main character's "Azazel and Rachel aka Lilith" as I was with "Raziel and Allie" in the first installment..... I am finding it very hard to continue, but will do so just because I always finish what I start and I'm hoping that the story surrounding these two character's will blossom into a stronger and more powerful existance..... I like being swept into the books that I read so much so, that I loose all tiempo and place outside of the actual story.... I love being lost within what I'm reading...I will for now give the 2nd book a 3 estrellas out of 5.....
    • 4/5
      Raziel (Fallen (Pocket Books)) Raziel By Kristina Douglas was much better than I had expected. I usually don't have much luck with books about angels, with the exception of Angelfall and now Raziel, apparently winged hotties are just not my thing. There were some elements of this book that reminded me of Angelfall which I LOVED, and which initially drew my interest in reading this book. Raziel is definitely for adults and has some pretty detailed erotic scenes which I was so happy to find were not overdone and cheesy as in so many adult books (I thought they were actually quite well done). The main character, Allie's new and uncomfortable shoes distract her to the point that she doesn't notice the huge bus bearing down on her until it is too late and she finds herself standing next to what must be an angel? demon? vampire? He informs her that she is dead and he is there to escort her to heaven. This doesn't work out exactly the way Raziel, her fallen angel escort, has planned, however, and now he has to explain to the other Fallen why he has brought this human woman to Sheol to live among them. Allie would like an explanation about this as well because she's not really sure what she's doing living among these terrifying, grumpy, gorgeous creatures but she's fairly certain she doesn't quite fit in. Meanwhile, the Nephilim are at the gates and if they break through, it will certainly be a bloodbath. While there were some parts that were almost painfully slow, Raziel was still an satisfyingly entertaining read. I guess I like my angels to be more the dark, apocalyptic, dangerous type instead of all goodness and light. The background of the Fallen and their ongoing conflict with Uriel and search for Lucifer was original and one of the most interesting parts of the story. I'm looking forward to learning where the author takes it in the sequel because the ending left a lot of unanswered questions. This is certainly a series I'd recommend for fans of the genre.
    • 4/5
      Douglas does an excellent job at creating her world of fallen angels and demons in the first book in her Fallen series, Raziel. The book begins with Allie beginning a typical work day only for it to end in her death. Raziel is the fallen angel sent to guide her to her afterlife of hellfire only to save her at the last minute putting not only himself at risk but the rest of the Fallen as well. Douglas uses the first person narrative to tell her tale giving the reader the points of view of not just Allie but Raziel as well. She also gives a glimpse into the life of Sarah and Azazel giving the reader an outside perspective on the book's two leads. I wasn't sure that I would like this style at first but found that I enjoyed getting the inside thoughts of both Allie and Raziel about certain events. The book's mystery of why Allie was so important and who was betraying the Fallen was well done. Overall this was a great read that I would recommend. I do have the next book in this series and plan on reading it as soon as I get the chance.
    • 4/5
      Raziel (Fallen (Pocket Books)) Raziel By Kristina Douglas was much better than I had expected. I usually don't have much luck with books about angels, with the exception of Angelfall and now Raziel, apparently winged hotties are just not my thing. There were some elements of this book that reminded me of Angelfall which I LOVED, and which initially drew my interest in reading this book. Raziel is definitely for adults and has some pretty detailed erotic scenes which I was so happy to find were not overdone and cheesy as in so many adult books (I thought they were actually quite well done). The main character, Allie's new and uncomfortable shoes distract her to the point that she doesn't notice the huge bus bearing down on her until it is too late and she finds herself standing next to what must be an angel? demon? vampire? He informs her that she is dead and he is there to escort her to heaven. This doesn't work out exactly the way Raziel, her fallen angel escort, has planned, however, and now he has to explain to the other Fallen why he has brought this human woman to Sheol to live among them. Allie would like an explanation about this as well because she's not really sure what she's doing living among these terrifying, grumpy, gorgeous creatures but she's fairly certain she doesn't quite fit in. Meanwhile, the Nephilim are at the gates and if they break through, it will certainly be a bloodbath. While there were some parts that were almost painfully slow, Raziel was still an satisfyingly entertaining read. I guess I like my angels to be more the dark, apocalyptic, dangerous type instead of all goodness and light. The background of the Fallen and their ongoing conflict with Uriel and search for Lucifer was original and one of the most interesting parts of the story. I'm looking forward to learning where the author takes it in the sequel because the ending left a lot of unanswered questions. This is certainly a series I'd recommend for fans of the genre.
    • 1/5
      I was extremely bored with this book, but forced myself to finish it.

      I felt no sympathy or connection with Allie, who seemed to spend the book bemoaning her "renaissance size" and other superficial drivel. I'm sure I had a scowl on my face whenever Allie had a scene.

      Raziel was flat and one-dimensional, which was disappointing because I love me a broody man.

      There was absolutely no mystery in this book, and by the time the traitor was revealed I didn't even care.

      Wouldn't recommend this, and won't be continuing.
    • 4/5

      4.5 Stars

      Raziel is a fallen angel. Together with his fellow brothers (in arms), they live with their bonded human females in the hidden world called Sheol. If I understood their history correctly, God had placed the punishment and eradication of all evil to the archangel Uriel. He in turn uses fallen angels and demons to carry out his orders. When Raziel is to escort another soul to the bowls of hell, he does his duty as usual only to do something completely out of the ordinary. At the last minute he questions his orders.

      Allegra "Allie" Watson is a writer of religious mystery novels; very tongue in cheek. It's a busy day in New York when a handsome stranger, a sudden downpour, too high heels and a city bus make an impact on her life.

      A new and exciting story surrounding fallen angels. I loved the main characters, Raziel and Allie. They fought like cats and dogs throughout the entire story, but mostly it was the equivalent of a boy tugging on a girl's pigtails. Allie is nothing like the meek females the warriors are used to. Her presence among them is a source of distrust, anger and resentment. She deals with it quite well; much better than with her feelings for the handsome angel who seems to hate her. Any author who isn't afraid to detail the horror, blood and gore of a battle amongst immortals gets high points in my book. If you loved Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld, then you'll enjoy this story as well.
    • 3/5
      StoryThis is the first book in a new PNR series so there's a fair bit of world building to do which means that the romance doesn't take up as much page time as in say, a straight contemporary or an historical. I found the romance between Raziel and Ally didn't really get going until about 2/3 the way through the book and, I felt just when I was really getting in to it, the story ended. I still have some questions which hopefully will be answered in the next book - eg what happens to the angel's wings? The concept is interesting and I'm interested in continuing the series but it took some time for me to connect with the romance aspect of this one.Narration.This is a dual narration - Karen White reads the female POV and Paul Costanzo reads male POV - the story is told in alternating first person, mostly from Ally and Raziel's POV. This was my first experience with both narrators. Karen White reads with great expression and I thought she conveyed the... not abrasiveness... but something a bit nicer... of Ally very well. Her male voices are more by way of tone rather than a deepening of pitch but it was easy to tell the difference between Ally and Raziel. Differences between the other Fallen were harder to pick and I relied dialogue tags (and sometimes there weren't any so I had to guess) in those circumstances. Overall, I was quite happy with Karen White's narration and I probably would have enjoyed the book better if she had done all of it. Because, I didn't think all that much of Paul Costanza's frankly. This was a first person book, when Raziel is talking about strong emotions, I expect to hear that emotion in the voice, but Mr. Costanzo's narration was very removed and mostly, for me, emotionless. Funnily enough, the emotion he did manage to convey came mainly when he was doing Ally's voice, which was a bit "draggy" but not too bad (it's really hard for men to do a good female voice I think). It was almost impossible to tell the difference between Raziel and the other Fallen's voices and given that Mr. Costanzo got most of the scenes where they were interacting, it did make things difficult. I'm hoping that Mr. Costanzo's narration will either grow on me or will get more "connected" to the characters in the next book.Story 3 stars, Narration 3 stars - Karen White 3.5/4 stars, Paul Costanzo 2.5 stars.
    • 4/5
      This book didn't feel like a typical genre romance. Even a typical paranormal genre romance. And I thought this was a good thing. This was a very good story, and I found the characters, and the situation they were in very compelling and interesting. The nature of death, and angels, and the afterlife have an interesting twist that kept my interest engaged. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.
    • 4/5
      Bought for MyselfOverall Rating 3.75Story Rating 4.50Audio Rating 4.50Character Rating: 3.50NOTE: I need to explain that this book, other than one moment, is a strong 4.5 for me. I really did enjoy the story, world building, and tone of The Fallen: Raziel.(Going to do review in reverse order)Audio Specific: Narrators Paul Costanzo & Karen White did a wonderful job on this audiobook! I am a huge fan of the duel narration as I think it balances the emotions/voices of the characters. In this case, both had similar timing and pacing which made the story flow very well.Complaints: I only have one but to me it really made me dislike Raziel for awhile after (aka 3.5 for the character rating). The first time (since this is PNR, I don't consider this a spoiler) that Raziel and Allie have sex, there is a question of whether it is by force or choice. I do feel she would have chosen to sleep with him but we won't know because of the power he put over her. I even kind of understood why he did it but it was still bothersome for me.What I Loved: I loved absolutely everything else about this story. I think Allie was a strong, resilient character that reacted much like anyone thrown in her situation would. She seemed to roll with the punches she was thrown with minimal whining (though she did a little) and with gumption (which I appreciated). Raziel was a great alpha in that even when he "knew" what she meant to him, he was fighting it. Why? Well dangit he didn't want a mate. What is that saying? The bigger they are, the harder they fall! All of the side characters were richly descriptive and an integral part of the story. The world building, story creation, and pacing were phenomenal. I do believe these are angels that I am looking forward to reading more about, especially after that ending!Why I gave this a 3.75: The one moment stuck with me for awhile and I wanted to strangle Raziel. He did grow on me again and I ended up enjoying this book immensely. Please, understand that this is just my POV as the reader and I do not think everyone will have a problem with that scene.
    • 1/5
      Sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me. I got 83 pages in and just gave up. I felt absolutely nothing for the Raziel and Allie. The only characters I found intriguing were Azazel and Sarah (and I believe the next book in this series, Demon, follows Azazel so I’m definitely interested in checking that one out). I really enjoyed Kristina’s idea of the feral, flesh-eating Nephilim who only come out at night and stalk the fallen angels and I wish that had been enough to make me stick with this but honestly, I wanted to punch both Raziel and Allie too much to make me suck it up. ;)
    • 4/5
      If you did not already know, I love Angel Mythology. I am uber happy that it has made such a splash into the writing circuit! I was excited to receive a book from an unknown-to-me author writing a new series on Angels, and I feel honored that Pocket (Simon & Schuster) contacted me! A MAJOR moment for lil ole me.Kristina delivers the reader with a very detailed description of the world right up front, and does great to keep the reader informed throughout the novel. The Fallen were cast out a millennia ago and cursed to live off blood and ferry souls to Heaven or Hell, via Uriel’s order. Uriel is the last archangel, handed the reigns by God himself. He is a twisted SOB and would like nothing more than to rid the world of the Fallen, whom he despises for their defiance. He also rules over the Nephilim, a nasty, evil sect of flesh-eaters who are seriously gruesome!Raziel crosses paths with Allie minutes before she dies, as he is the one who will cart her soul to its proper resting place. However, when Raziel arrives at the appropriate destination, only to realize that it is Hell, he impulsively rescues Allie from eternal damnation at the last possible second. This is a no no, as the Fallen are never to interfere. And Raziel doesn’t understand why he saved her, especially since he put his own existence at risk. You see, Raziel was burned during the rescue and fire is the ultimate killer of the Fallen. As Raziel fights for his life, Allie does the only thing she can think of. She asks God for help. And so the fun begins…I really enjoyed the resistance between Allie and Raziel. There was no possible way that either of them were going to admit their feelings before the other, and it became quite amusing. Raziel pretty much despises her for waltzing into his life for a reason unbeknownst to him and his people, inadvertently lifting the magical veil over his homeland and placing a flashing beacon overhead that reads “Hey, Nephilim, over here! Come eat us! Yay!” However, once he gets a taste of her, there is no looking back.Allie is a spitfire with a strong voice. She is brave, stubborn and speaks her mind. She lives to tease and annoy Raziel, especially when she realizes that he can read her mind. Her thoughts are anything but wholesome, and Raziel is sent into a rage every time he has to fight down his lust for her. Funny!The book started out a bit slow for me and I was afraid that I was not going to enjoy it. However, the novel definitely changes speed and the reader receives great romance, fantastic sex scenes, gruesome action and a serious cliffhanger! The series has a lot of potential and I look forward to the next one!
    • 4/5
      Quick & Dirty: Well written with a solid plot, Ms. Douglas delivers a unique world with an unforgiving villain and chilling danger.Opening Sentence: I am Raziel, one of the twenty fallen angels spoken of by Enoch in the old books.The Review:Raziel is a fallen angel. Cursed by God, he doesn’t have many options. Raziel serves Uriel by escorting the dead to their final destination: heaven or hell. Unfortunately, Allie’s number has been punched. Raziel sets out on just another delivery assignment when he realizes that something isn’t right. Not wanting to mistakenly condemn her to hell, Raziel pulls Allie back from the deadly and fiery abyss. He never expected to feel a connection between them, let alone expose his fellow fallen brethren to danger. Raziel battles to save Allie from the forces of darkness and figure out her role in the fate of the Fallen.I’m actually surprised that I ended up liking this book as much as I did. The beginning grabbed my attention, but the pacing of the story dragged for the first half of the book. Kristina Douglas (aka Anne Stuart) crafted a story with just enough of an edge to standout in the increasingly crowded fallen angel genre. Raziel is the first story that I’ve read in awhile where I didn’t really know what to expect from the characters. In this case, I think it worked well with the character and story development. Ms. Douglas masterfully delivers a few twists and turns, witty dialogue and sizzling sexual tension.The story is told in first person with alternating POVs between Raziel and Allie. Not every author is successful in pulling this off, but Ms. Douglas did an excellent job. While I had a hard time connecting with Raziel’s character, I still felt he added a lot of depth to the story. On the one hand Raziel was very cold and dispassionate about his circumstance, yet he cared very much about human life and his fellow fallen angels. Even with his detached demeanor, I liked his character. His behavior and actions felt plausible. Raziel and Allie are very stubborn, unyielding and principled, so it’s little wonder that it took some time for them to really click. A few elements of the story aren’t perfect, but there’s no denying the captivating story of these fallen angels.Allie is one of those characters that you either love or hate. For me it was the latter because I found her extremely annoying. She has some redeemable qualities that allowed me to warm up to her towards the end, but what I initially thought was cute about her in the beginning quickly wore off. I also had to suspend disbelief about the emotional connection she was supposed to have with Raziel. I think in some sort of twisted and accidental way, their relationship developed an intimate and possessive vibe, but it never really translated into emotion for me.In addition to the writing, the worldbuilding and mythology are well crafted. The Nephilim are flesh eating monsters created by Uriel, driven solely to follow his every whim and command. I don’t want to give too much away, but the battle between Uriel and the Fallen is certainly intriguing.Overall, Raziel is an enjoyable read. With vivid descriptions, intrigue, fearless and devastatingly handsome fallen angels, you won’t regret falling to this dark and dangerous world. The excellent writing will keep readers turning pages long into the night.Notable Scene:The Nephilim rose up over me, so close I could see the maggots living in its skin, and the smell of blood and death was enough to make me gag. If I was lucky, it would rip off my head – it would be quick, rather than having my stomach and intestines clawed out – and I wondered if I could get away, run far enough up the stairs to jump, as I’d promised Raziel.The creature had a hideous open hole for a mouth, and the double sets of teeth were jagged, sharklike, made for tearing flesh, and I wasn’t going to scream, I wasn’t, even when it reached me. Its hands were deformed, more like pincers, razored and bloody, and I slashed at it, blindly, severing one of them. It didn’t react, coming closer, and its remaining claw made a horrible clacking sound. I clutched the sword, prepared to fight to the death.The Fallen Series:1. Raziel2. DemonFTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Raziel. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
    • 3/5
      After I finish a book, I usually write the review immediately, pouring all my thoughts out onto the page. With this book I finished and then had to sleep on it before I could write anything down. Now that I am sitting here typing it, I am still not sure how I feel about it. There were a lot of elements to the book that were different from other paranormal romance titles I have read and I am not sure if I like them.For example, in paranormal romance the perspecive usually goes back and forth between the lead male and female role but remains in the third person. In Raziel the alternative views were told from the first person. It was a little confusing at times and I did not like having to double check who’s perspective I was seeing the world from at any given time.Another problem for me was the romance itself. It was slow building, which did not bother me, but by the time the two characters actually give into what they are feeling things seemed to progress a little too quickly. By the end of the novel, I was not even really sure Raziel was truly in love with Allie and I don’t know if she felt it from him either. They were bonded, but I did not feel any more than that. I think if we did not have to wait until page 200 to see characters explore their emotions further then they could have developed a relationship a little more naturally.One more thing, the women The Fallen fall in love with are human, so they grow old and die eventually. Then after a period of mourning The Fallen usually fall in love again eventually. I am just not sure how well that idea sits with me, it probably should not irk me but it does. I know happily ever afters aren’t always in the cards, but in this world it definitely isn’t. Especially if you are the human mate of a Fallen angel. I am not sure how content I would be if I were one of those women and therefore that aspect of the book bugged me a little.The story itelf does have a lot of potential and I am intrigued by the world. I did enjoy this book, but I am still a little hesitant as to whether or not I will enjoy the series as a whole. The next book is called Demon and comes out later this year. I am going to give it a shot and read it, hoping to be more captivated by The Fallen and the world they live in.