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Rate: 3.5/5

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Medium: Kindle

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Overview (No Spoilers):

Recently, the time period surrounding the Revolutionary War has frequented my nonfiction reading material as I’ve been picking up biographies from Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton. Angels & Patriots continues that trend only with the added twist of being historical fiction. Baker has created a unique literary perspective in which history is rewritten with our founding fathers gaining aid from Angels who have been banished to Earth for defying God.   Familiar characters such as Paul Revere, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock face more evil than they initially comprehend as the demons have aligned themselves with the British army. As with many novellas, the world building and character depth was secondary in order to establish rapports and relationships between Angels, demons and humans. With that being said, many questions, especially regarding the Angels were raised that have piqued my curiosity. Overall, I’m excited to see where Baker’s upcoming full length novel that continues this tale will go and what interactions the Angels will have with other key historical figures, such as Washington, Franklin, Lafayette, or Hamilton.

Buy Angels & Patriots here.

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Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

• One of the main historical characters I know very little about was Dr. Joseph Warren. I really need to read up on him more!
• How does Colm have the jurisdiction over God to be able to tell the reaper where to take souls?
• How did Jeremiah find the Angels and befriend them?
• How did the Angels journey to America if they’ve inhabited those bodies for approximately 600 years? Have they fought in other wars?
• What did they do to evade the demons prior to coming to America?
• Are the souls in the rest of the Angel’s vessels too? It seems like they might due to feeling overprotective for the younger brother of their bodies.
• Do the demons have to take over dead bodies too? Or can they possess living souls? If the Angels kill a demon is it just gone or can it come back in a different form?
• I was a little confused with regard to why Henry didn’t just kill Ian when he had the chance? Isn’t it the demon’s purpose to kill the Angels? What is the overall goal of the demons?
• Several exchanges had the ancient Angels seeming very immature, especially Michael. Was Michael like this before his banishment or is it carried over from the body his inhabits?
• Were Michael and Colm brothers before banishment? If so, how can Angels be brothers?
• I had a hard time connecting with Sidonie because I felt like she was a two dimensional object of Ian’s lust, in lieu of a character in her own right.
• How is Brandon able to conceal his aura and the other are not able to?

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Vocabulary Builder:

When reading it is common that I encounter words that I’m not privy to the exact definition, however it is easy to infer the meaning of the aforementioned word based on the context of the sentence and story. As such, relatively new to the Critiquing Chemist, you’ll find an additional section that includes vocabulary words that I encountered upon reading the book being reviewed and either had to look up the definition or it is a word in which I would like to add to my repertoire. This endeavor is easier when in the Kindle format, and potentially impossible with audiobooks, however I’m going to attempt to continue this section for all future book reviews. I’ll be using the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Millstone: heavy burden; to grind or crush

Fife: a small transverse flute with six to eight finger holes and usually no keys

Cajoling: to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance

Cravat: a band or scarf worn around the neck

Forthwith: immediately

Jilts: to cast off or reject (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly

Poesy: a poem or body of poems

Emanation: the origination of the world by a series of hierarchically descending radiations from the Godhead through intermediate stages to matter

Uncouth: lacking in polish and grace

Innate: existing in, belonging to, or determined by factors present in an individual from birth

Swain: a male admirer or suitor

Luxuriating: to indulge oneself

Mewled: to cry weakly

Bier: a stand on which a corpse or coffin is placed

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