Customer Reviews

Secret of the Slaves (Rogue Angel, Book 8)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Annja Creed is hired by a philanthropic rock star to help track down a legend. Historically it is known that many slaves escaped captivity in South America and fled into the Amazon jungle. There is a rumor/legend that one such group remained hidden and managed to develop advanced medicines including a way to avoid death. But while the mythic settlement may now how to ward off death, Annja still manages to find herself in the middle of a lot of it. But soon it begins to appear that the legends might very well be true. As the trail nears its destination the action steps up, mercenaries are hired, and secrets are revealed.

This is a good and solid tale although it is a little more fantastic than the rest of the series. There are some interesting secrets revealed that might begin to give a central purpose to the series (other than just fighting the good fight). It will be interesting to see if these developments continue. Check it out.

Annja Creed's life has changed after she became the heir to Joan d'Arc's sword and assumed Joan's role as a Champion for Good. This time Annja finds that her destiny is not as black and white as she first thought. In Secret of the Slaves Annja is hired by the famous and charismatic rock star Publico to track down a legendary city of slaves in South America. The story Annja is given turns not to be totally true and her ideals are shaken.

I enjoyed this book and read it in a few days, but there was something different about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I have read all of the Rogue Angel books except one. Even knowing that the Alex Archer name is a pseudonym for numerous writers under the book imprint has not stopped me from reading most of them, but this practice addresses why there is varying quality of the writing. In past books, Annja has often agonized over her decisions of when and how to use her sword. She also has been open-minded about the things she witnesses, knowing how her own abilities and her sword are not the "norm." At last, I figured out what was bothering me about "Secret Lives of Slaves." In this book, Annja acts out of character. One way was how she stuck with whatever Sir Ian Moran (the rock star) said and never seemed willing to delve into his intentions and motivations. Second, it seems our girl is getting a little promiscious. I've noticed this trend in the past few books. She basically sleeps with whomever is in the current adventure. Both of these negatives are a momentary distraction, but Annja is still able to hold her own and kick butt with the best of them.

The plot revolves around a hidden civilization that has the secret to the fountain of youth and "immortality." Sir Ian wants to find this civiliation to stop them from hoarding their secret and reveal it so that it could help others. Unlike, previous books that seemed to be based on a historical event or archeological find, this one seems to have melded real beliefs (Orixas) and current events ( slavery of workers in Amazon for mining gold and deforesting the Amazon rainforest).

As always, the book had me delving and researching recent events of violence in Brazil related to fights over land by companies, indigenous people and poor colonists. Regarding slavery which was abolished in Brazil in 1888, the government acknowledges that at least 25,000 Brazilians work under "conditions analogous to slavery". Some groups say the true figure could be ten times that amount. In 2005, 4,133 slaves were freed after Brazilian Swat-style teams raided 183 farms.

Because, the plots' basis is current and of the "immortality" angle, it seems the storyline is definitely stretching credibility. The plots of previous books have a more archeological focus than this book, which is also something that struck me as strange. I could not see a reason for Annja to even initially accept the request based on her archeological focus. This book also was much more "action" based. Overall, still a good addition to the series, but they are starting to feel a bit like the authors are struggling for a plot. My suggestion is keep the motivation in the past and archeological and not devolve Annja into a crime-stopping, vigilante mercenary.

I would recommend the book as a good addition to the series.

This book continues the tales of Annja Creed.

I won't spoil any of the plot in this review. The story is pretty well told, and the book does move quickly (as all of them seem to do). This book was not my favorite for some of its slower portions trying to tell story that felt rushed or squished. However, there were two or three plot turns that made my jaw drop in anticipation of the next chapter.

These books move quickly, but are really quite fun. I enjoyed this chapter (perhaps not as much as some others), but would recommend it for the fans of the Rogue Angel series.

The book really lacked a sense of, well . . . sense. Our good friend Annja Creed has ssaid herself how she is an archeologist and a minor television personality, but suddenly she's so famous that a weir rock star is calling her up? and she didn't think he sounded a little to good to be true?
Why she fell for her partner is beyond me as well. He was angry and weird, with an inconsistent character, so i couldn't really pin him down at all. Then she finds the thing she's looking for (not gonna tell) and it seems a little (alot) unrealistic.
The worst thing for me was Annja temporarily acting like a bad guy. You'll get that if you read it.
BUT! it has ok fight scenes, and i didn't even realised i disliked it until i thought about it because i was so busy reading. I would buy it because - if your like me and tend to skip books that a)don't have Garn and/or Roux b)have terrible reviwes because they were written by one of the worst authors hired to write in the series - then you won't read another book until maybe book 22 or 24.

Annja Creed is a very interesting character. These books are quick, fun reads without the preachiness of some recent action fiction. Sort of "Witchblade" meets "Tomb Raider". If you know and like the "Rogue Angel" series, then then you will definitely enjoy this book.

I have really enjoyed the Rogue Angel series up to book 8. . .this one was OK but really not up to par with the previous books. And reading other's reviews of books 9 & 10, I believe that I am going to stop here and look for another author.