Publisher’s Summary:
Tiamat and his brothers, a legion of 100 half-angels, have orders to send all humans on to their final judgment. Yet in a moment of weakness, Tiamat risks his life to rescue a hiker named Kali from the very destruction he initiated.
Kali, thrust from the surety of her world into the boundless hell of Tiamat’s, must try to find a way to survive on the Earth’s vast, devastated landscape. Plagued by a legion of Nephilim bent on sending her on, she is forced to trust the one being who could prove to be her greatest enemy.
First Impression:
I’ve listened to a wide variety of genre, with the exception of non-fiction. I like to listen to books as an escape from reality. I’ve recently listened to a good number of books with prince of Hell so it’s about time for me to make the shift to angels. I’ve also listened to a number of books with Nephilim…but I have to say that this is a new one for me. I wasn’t sure how I would deal with such a morbid topic, but I was pleasantly surprised with how the story began to play out. I like Kali as a main character and Tiamat shows potential. I would like to hear how the author intended the names to be pronounced. The narrator pronounces Kali like Callie instead of the Hindu pronunciation of the goddess of destruction. Otherwise this is a good start to a novel with a very interesting premise
Review:
This was really an interesting read. I can honestly say that I had no idea where the author was going with it so I was just along for a good ride. Following the relationship dynamic between Kali and Tiamat resulted in whiplash. I mean, it was more than hot and cold…it went from one extreme to another. Somehow, despite everything that was said and done, I could not paint either character as a villain. I see this as good writing. Their feelings in other novels may have been considered to be too strong and sudden, but given their history and the apocalyptic setting, I can totally see how one might latch on to a familiar person. One of the things I love most about this book is the author’s / Kali’s awareness of her actions. There are times that I thought “Why would she feel that way” or “Why would she do that?” Within the next few minutes there would be an answer to my question. That is to say the main character has good insight…and that is missing in a LOT of the books I’ve read. The author also goes out of her way to explain in detail things that might otherwise be glossed over otherwise, making me think that she might have some background in science (which, as a scientist, I appreciate). There were intense moments in the book, but not so much that I had to take a break from listening. On the contrary, it was hard for me to stop listening to this book after the first few chapters. Also, we don’t find out why it’s called Wormwood until the latter half of the book, and when we’re given that explanation, I almost feel like I needed a prequel to really understand Tiamat’s character. The narrator was okay. She gave Tiamat a kind of clipped, nasally voice that took away from the angelic portrayal of that character by the author. Otherwise, I can’t say that she made the novel less enjoyable.
Final Thoughts:
Wormwood was an innovative romantic post-apocalyptic novel. I can honestly say that I haven’t read / listened to anything like it before. This is part of a series I believe and I’m interested to see where she takes it in the next book. It can definitely be emotionally charged and so I would anticipate moments where you might stop what you’re doing to process what is happening. For this reason I’d stick with a simple project.