Garth Nix

A new fantasy masterpiece from Garth Nix, bestselling author of the Old Kingdom series. More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara. It's a seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding. Four young people hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, a glory-seeking musketeer; and Dorotea, icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet but do not suspect their importance. And none of them know just how Liliath plans to use them, as mere pawns in her plan, no matter the cost to everyone else . . . Fans of Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Leigh Bardugo will fall in love with Angel Mage, a feminist fantasy that takes place in an alternate European world ruled by fearsome magic and deadly passions.

Angel Mage

Katharina Hoffmann

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.
It's a seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding. Four young people hold her interest: Simeon, a doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, a glory-seeking musketeer; and Dorotea, icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic.
The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet but do not suspect their importance. And none of them know just how Liliath plans to use them, as mere pawns in her plan, no matter the cost to everyone else . . . 

I just really liked how diverse this book was.
I liked the story of people exploiting Angels and their powers. I enjoyed the group of Agnez, Dorotea, Simeon and Henri and I liked how different they were from each other.

However, I feel like 50% off the book served as exposition. While some actions have been explained in more detail than would have been necessary, other bits like the angels' relationships with the humans and with each other, the complicated interaction between King, Queen and Cardinal (and the reason for it) and the co-existence of powers should have been explained and explored in more detail in order for me to give the book a higher rating.

I also thought that the story of Liliath falling in love with an angel as a catalyst for the following events was a bit weak. I would have liked something more dramatic as a reason for the ash-blood plague.

However, I liked the writing style and even though I would have liked to get more Rochetea slow-burn I think it's nice that there was no romantic relationship in the foreground of this story.

Sahi K

I remember owning a couple of books from this author’s Abhorsen series years ago but I never read them. Even this book wasn’t on my radar, but when I happened to read the synopsis around the time of its release, I thought it was a bit different from my usual reads and wanted to give it a try. I can’t say I was blown away by it, but it turned out to be a good read. 

I liked the idea of this world, each kingdom having its own archangel with their own host of lesser angels, and the mages of the kingdom being able to summon them using icons. I particularly loved the way the icons are described in detail and it would be very interesting to see some artwork related to it. But we are never given any details of the world itself, beyond the basics. It’s almost not until the end that the Doom of Ystara is revealed, and while it made for a nice mystery, I just wasn’t sure the revelation was worth the wait. There are also too many names of people we care nothing about, a hierarchy of the angels which I couldn’t remember at all, and so many different angels who could be summoned that I stopped who was capable of what magic. The only part of the world that I could remember atleast a little was the top most power players in the kingdom of Sarance and their archangel. 

The best part of the book was that it was fast paced right from the get go, with the readers being thrown in the middle of the action in the prologue itself. As there are too many characters introduced to us in the beginning, it took a while for me to realize who the important ones are and then try to remember them. This book is told through third person (I think) and had a level of detachment in the narrative style which prevented me from getting to know any character closely. I found the dialogue also to be a bit repetitive and annoying at times. There are only a few action sequences but I thought they were described very well. But on the whole, I was very interested to know what the end goal was and how it would be achieved, and that’s what sustained me to keep going. I’m also a bit conflicted about the ending - it felt underwhelming but also appropriate, so I don’t know what to say about it. 

Whenever there is an ensemble cast, I’m always excited to get to know them all but unfortunately, that didn’t happen here. Lilliath is probably the only one we spend a significant amount of time with, and she was very much a mystery throughout. All I could understand was that despite her promises to her followers, she really seemed very selfish and had her own motives, without any care to protect those around her. Among the other four main characters, the only one I really got to know a bit was Dorotea. She is a scholar and has powers that no one understands but I loved how confident she was in herself, and just wanted the opportunity to continue her education. Her quest for knowledge and her belief that books are the biggest treasure really endeared me to her. Henri, Simeon, Agnez and Dorotea’s instant connection and friendship was also lovely to read about, but it would have been nice to know a bit more about them individually. 

To conclude, I think this was a book that had a lot more potential but not all of it worked on page. If you have read the author’s previous books and enjoyed them, then the writing style might work for you. If you like books which focus more on the plot but not a lot on characterization, then this might be the right book for you. It has an interesting world and magic system, but there was just something missing. And I also feel it could have been better fleshed out if it was a duology rather than trying to compress it all into a standalone book.

Story Eater

Let me begin by asserting that anything Garth Nix writes is going to be convoluted. This is because he has a fantastic knack for world-building, a skill I have only read in few writers today, and he creates semi-unique worlds for each of his stories. He pairs these worlds with great stories and characters, which is why his stories are some of my favorites. 

Angel Mage is predicated on the world system of angelic power, which is controlled by humans and not by any supreme deity, as would be custom to the beliefs of the Roman Catholic church of Dumas’ France in The Three Musketeers. I find this problematic only because all (except maybe one or two) of the angels’ names end in -el, which means “God,” though God is absent in the grand scheme of Ystaran things. 

The MC here somehow controls angelic power without the physical cost, and the opening chapters give us a foundation of mystery as to why this can be for her and not for others. Liliath also pines after an archangel, Pallaniel, and all of her actions are driven for her lust to get back to him (or her, as angels in this book are gender fluid). 

	There is a wrench in this story, however. It seems the more Nix grows in general world-wide popularity, the more I notice his work becoming politically polarized (i.e., Frogkisser!). Nix, in this work has moved onto a stronger statement with his letter of equality for women in all places, including, I assume from the structure of the religious organization alluded to in this story, the Roman Catholic church. He has even taken to making what I interpreted to be a subtle insult to the Virgin Mary and Christ with an odd depiction of them on one of the icons: 

	"The cap had an icon pinned to it, on that Henri could actually look at, a high angel he didn’t know, shown as a smiling, motherly woman holding a baby. Only the mother had a horse’s head and the baby a foal’s head, though the rest of them was human. And the foal had a halo but the mother didn’t, so it was the angel…” 

	Though I am not Roman Catholic, I’m pretty sure that depiction can be interpreted as a dig, bordering on what some would consider blasphemous. Since I doubt that was put there accidentally because, obviously, Nix is not unintelligent, I’m gonna go ahead and call that a jerk move. Trigger warning for that, according to whomever reads the book, I suppose. 

	The novel finally moves past the establishment of a world system and navigation through the plot, which is pretty simplistic once all of the onion layers of character and backstory are peeled away. It was not a phenomenal read, but it was not a complete snoozefest. I’m getting progressively disappointed with the politicization of Nix’s newer works, however, and I’m not quite sure they will continue to be on my TBR list. I read fantasy to get away from that mess, not dive right back into it with a different packaging. I was more than a little disappointed with this one.

My thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher but then bought my own copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Garth Nix

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Recommended Age: 17+ (death, mutations, plague, violence, gore)

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Synopsis: More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .

Review: For the most part I think this book is really interesting. It's definitely a different narrative than what you might read or expect from Garth Nix and it's highly imaginative. I think a lot of high fantasy lovers will like this book.

However, I felt like the book was really weirdly wrote. The book just jumps out of the hate without explanation and it's really hard for the reader to connect with the book and characters if you don't know what's going on. I also felt Lilith was an unlikable character and it made me not connect with her.

Verdict: It wasn't the book for me but it might be for you!

Leelynn Brady

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Katherine Tegan Books, Edelweiss, and Fantastic Flying Book Club for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Okay, like I mentioned before, it has been many many years since I first read a Garth Nix book, and rereading the first book of The Keys to the Kingdom brought back some memories but it was definitely aged out for me. This one is a NA book, and it definitely had a different feel than other books I read from him, so that’s definitely a plus for me.

Second of all, I am so into a book that deals with a main character that is pretty much a bitch villain and I’m so turned on by it? Like, give me more books about bad girls and let me see how calculating and vindictive and badass they are. Don’t give me the Not Your Average Girl™ MCs that we seem to get in YA novels – more back in the day than now, thank gosh but still – and I don’t need girls trying to save the world. Give me the girls trying to burn it. Liliath is giving me those vibes, especially since she was trying to burn the world over 100 years ago.

Clearly there’s a pattern here.

Anyway, immediately we are introduced to a world that is in chaos, almost as if it is the zombie apocalypse in an angel like world. It’s actually kind of scary when you think about it. This was basically the prologue, to understand what happened to the world of Ystara over 100 years ago that Liliath was involved in before she took a long beauty sleep. Just kidding, it wasn’t that simple, but she was still beautiful and young when she woke up. It was crazy, lots of people were either dying or becoming… infected.



Over 100 years later, the descendants of those that somehow survived seem to be punished for what happened back then, and Liliath plans on using four of them to bring on her plans that were so rudely interrupted.

Basically, I was into this one. I liked Liliath even though she was anything but good, at least to me anyway. I may not have been super invested in the other four characters that were involved with Liliath – probably just because I was already a Liliath Stan and that’s just me being uber biased – but this was such an interesting standalone journey that I’m super impressed with it. Nix did a great job to me, and while I may not have read his other work from way back then, I am curious to see what other NA books he may have in store.

I may also be an angel plotline ho, and the whole thing with the Ash Blood sickness was something I hadn’t seen before, so I was already cool about it. No big.

Ciska van Bokhorst

2 1/2* eerder. Werd niet echt in het verhaal gezogen.

Ben Nathan

Garth Nix is my literary comfort food. I just feel happy and at home when I read his prose. This story was exactly that. It was a smooth ride in a cool world that made me want more so I was just sightly too full.

Roos Kuijper 

Still in doubt what to rate this book!
It was an interesting read.

Rowan Jones

3.5* rounded up.

This is a standalone fantasy retelling of the three musketeers, with angel magic. 

I really loved the magic system and the setting for this, but I wasn’t really invested in the characters - I preferred the villain over the heroes. I feel like there wasn’t much depth to the story, and there wasn’t much action either.

So when it’s not character driven or plot driven, there’s not much left to prop it up - I absolutely love Garth Nix’s other works that I’ve read but this one just missed the mark slightly for me. I wish there was more use of the angel magic, or maybe angels as characters.

I’d 100% recommend it if you like the Three Musketeers (I personally don’t know the story). Maybe there are callbacks that fans of the original story will appreciate. Ultimately I did enjoy the book, but not one I would ever reread.

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara. A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, a genius at making icons to summon angels, and supremely adept in forcing them to do her bidding. Liliath already knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighbouring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran's descendents. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will become ashes, or they will turn into beastlings. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives. But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who fix her interest, for they are the key to her quest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. The four feel a strange, immediate kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. Only Liliath knows their secret, and she draws them in to her complex plot, just as she manipulates Queen Louisa and her musketeers; King Ferdinand and his guards; Cardinal Duplessis and her pursuivants; and the Refuser Night King Biscaray and his criminal gangs. All become pawns in Liliath's grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else.

Joanna Rosenwink 

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix is one of my all
time favourites so I had high hopes when I heard he had written a new fantasy book. I was lucky enough to go to a book signing and meet him a few days before it was due to be released so that made it even more special. 

The angelic magic we are introduced to in Angel Mage is unlike anything I’ve read before and yet it is so well written it’s hard at times to remember you’re reading a fantasy. Rather than racing through this book like I often do, I slowed right down so I could concentrate and take it all in. The characters were fascinating and all very believable. There are elements of all of the main characters I could easily relate to and I found myself longing to be part of the group of four friends. Although the book deals with some quite dark themes, Nix still manages to instil it with humour. I don’t know if there are plans for any further books set in this world, but I for one would love to learn about the further adventures of Simeon, Henri, Agnez and Dortea.

Angel Mage

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