Black Night (Black Wings, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Christina Henry (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 26, 2011

Madeline Black is an Agent of death, meaning she escorts the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. Of course, not everyone is happy to see her...

If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christina Henry is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ace; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937007065
• ISBN-13: 978-1937007065
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like this... July 31, 2011

By Kimberly D.

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I had read the first entry into the series, 'Black Wings', and loved it. Alas, the sophomore curse.
The author jumped the shark in this book, introducing too many characters, or, to be more specific, Species. All the sudden we have fairies, vampires, and werewolves in addition to gargoyles, angels, demons, agents of death, nephilims, and more. It made for a very convoluted story, not to mention that the main draw of the first book had been it's relative gothic simplicity, with all the species being in the same subset.
My main issue with the book, however, was how incredibly rushed it felt. The author tried to cram too many story lines into a rather short book. Among many other things, Maddie deals with: Star-crossed love with Gabriel, unwanted attention from unwanted fiance, Lucifer and Azazel's ulterior motives, JB's crush, The fairy Court, a crazy portal that came out of nowhere, someone with green eyes keeps unexpectedly tackling her, something unknown is killing werewolves violently, The fairy Queen wants Lucifer's baby, The Fairy Queen (and everyone else, it seems) wants Maddie dead, Gabriel is kidnapped, Antares is still trying to kill her, Maddie gets raped(sort of), Beezle gets kidnapped...and on, and on.
Also, it seemed like there was a lot of information missing between the first book and the second, especially in terms of character development. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed reading something, although I hadn't...
Not the best book, I was very disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I miss Evangeline and the bureaucracy! August 8, 2011

By Kelly (Fantasy Literature) TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I devoured Christina Henry's Black Wings in one day. The sequel, Black Night, took me several weeks to read. I think the problem is the absence or near-absence of two of the most striking characteristics of Black Wings: the dark humor stemming from Madeline Black's job as an Agent of Death, and the epic Storm Constantine-esque beauty of the flashbacks involving Maddy's ancestor, Evangeline.

Maddy's job is much less prominent in the story this time around, and there are no scenes from ancient times. Instead, the plot is closer to the usual urban fantasy fare. Maddy is caught at the intersection of fae, werewolf, and demon politics. She has three potential love interests (Team J.B., if you're wondering) and has become extremely powerful magically. She rarely listens to advice, yet usually turns out to be right anyway. It feels like a plot I've seen before -- and it feels like a plot that would work just as well if a different heroine were plugged into it.

There's plenty of action, though, and there's still humor, much of it to be found in the interactions between Maddy and her gargoyle Beezle. I was especially tickled by their conversation about a menacing swamp monster: "Is it all squishy and tentacly?"

Then, Black Night improves markedly as it heads into the final stretch. Maddy is sent into a nightmarish labyrinth where she confronts all of her deepest fears, and begins to show a strength of spirit to match her magical strength. The aftermath is heartrending in a pensive sort of way, and then Henry throws a few curveballs that I did not see coming at all. The last few chapters are terrific.

It's not quite enough to make Black Night a spectacular read for me overall, but it's enough to keep me interested in the series. Some of this book's events will have lasting ramifications in Maddy's life, and I look forward to seeing how they will play out.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Second Book in the Madeline Black Series! July 26, 2011

By Kristen

Format:Mass Market Paperback

GENRE: Urban Fantasy
THEME: Vampire/Angels
RECEIVED: Received for Review from ACE
BLOG: <...>

REVIEW:
The second installment for the Black Wings Novel, Black Night was such a thrilling read. I couldn't put this book down and over all I felt it held my interest a lot more that the first book. The character, plot and writing was just fantastic.

Madeline Black is back, along with her trusty Gargoyle Bezzle and her ever so attractive bodyguard Gabriel. She's an agent of death, one who makes sure the souls who have passed go to the afterlife. Madeline went through a lot in the first book, not only is she the daughter of Azazel a fallen angel and the right hand man to Lucifer, but she's also Lucifer's granddaughter. To add to that she fell held over heels for her fathers thrall and also fallen angel Gabriel whom she is forbidden to be with... plus an annoying fiancé to go a long with everything else.

She's had it tough and now her grandfather sends her on a political run to negotiate with the fae and their very power and crazy queen.

Madeline I felt was a lot stronger and her character really developed into one of my favorite female leads. She's tough, powerful and determined to protect those she cares about against anything and everything. I'm really interested to see how much more powerful she gets through out the series. Her sarcasm and interactions with everyone I really enjoyed especially her with her pal Beezle who is my favorite in the series. Beezle looks like a guinea pig and has a smart mouth and hilarious comebacks.

This time around I was excited to learn and read more about Madeline's boss J.B. He was a rude and always arguing with Madeline but in Black Night you find out more on his past, who he's connected to and that he's could possibly be more powerful then he lets on. Gabriel, I felt held such a prominent part in the first book and I was a bit sad to see him pushed back a little in this book. But the plot was so strong so I truly didn't mind.

As a big fan of werewolves I enjoyed the addition to the plot with the wolves. Madeline interacts with the pack leader and together they try and solve a mystery that affects them both. It was a great addition to go along with the main plot.

Overall Christina Henry really pulled me into her world with her writing. Her character developments and action scenes enthralled me so much that I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to see what other problems, mysteries and romance troubles are ahead for Madeline Black. If you love Urban Fantasy's with kick butt action, magic, mystery, and great characters and more, this is the Urban Fantasy for you!

RECOMMENDATION
This is an adult book with minor violence and some great sarcasm. If you enjoy Kim Harrison's Hallows Series you will love Christina Henry's Madeline Black Series.