It’s been a long time since I read this book the first time, and I have to admit I had forgotten a lot of the fantastic detail Kiernan Kelly put into developing this world and story. The version of angels and demons in ‘Dancing on the Head of a Pin’ is one of the many variations people have come up with: it contains some of the events and creatures mentioned in the Bible, has a specific view of what Heaven and Hell are up to, and adds two particularly interesting characters to the mix: Malak, a somewhat inexperienced angel, and Cael, a minor demon. In this story, Malak and Cael don’t just have a personal battle to fight, they also have to confront Lucifer himself, and he plans to destroy them whatever it takes.

Cael saved Malak’s life back in the times of Sodom and Gomorrah and earned himself a potential ticket out of Hell. Since he was only there because he “chose the wrong side” during the Fall, he figures he has suffered long enough. He has three thousand years to seduce Malak or else it’s back to the Pit for him. While he thought this to be an easy task, Malak has resisted all his advances and now Cael’s time is almost up. Asmodai himself pays him a visit to remind him of the consequences, and Cael becomes more determined than ever to avoid this fate.

Malak is grateful that Cael saved him, but he isn’t ready to give in – it would mean losing a piece of his soul in the process and damning himself to live out eternity on Earth. Well, not quite eternity, just until the end of days. Malak has been tempted to give in for centuries, Cael is quite the charmer, and they have gotten used to each other. When Malak finally admits to himself that he has already fallen in love, and that he can’t let Cael return to Hell, their union is truly epic.

But this new stage in their new relationship has consequences. Asmodai is furious about losing his chance to personally torment Cael, Lucifer is angry about Cael escaping his clutches, and as a result, unilaterally triggers the release of the Four Horsemen that will bring the end of days much earlier than planned. What follows is a hair-raising battle of good against evil, of Malak and Cael working together to save Earth and all its humans from an eternity in Hell. Each Horseman brings new challenges and Malak and Cael truly have their hands full keeping up with all the chaos they unleash. What a ride!

If you like angel and demon stories, if you want to see two beings who are supposed to be on opposite sides work together to prevent disaster, and if you’re looking for a read that is exciting, suspenseful, full of rules and loopholes, and with a very emotional and hot love story at its heart, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. It’s simply amazing!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )