OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness" by Tabitha Barret.]

The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness by Tabitha Barret is the first installment of a series. In this book, we follow the heroine, Michelle Black, and her experiences into and through Hell as Lucifer's lover.

Michelle Black, though a social pariah, was just trying to live a normal life like any other person. However, normal for her didn't necessarily apply to anyone else - Michelle dreamt of Hell every night and went through the tortures of each Realm before she could wake. It was only with support from her best friend and long-time crush, CJ, and visits from Uncle Bob, who was more of a father to her than her real one, that Michelle managed to live through day after day.

However, when Michelle was brought to Hell through her own actions, she realised that her nightmares had become a reality in which she was Lucifer’s Mistress. Michelle didn't know what to make of Lucifer. He was the ruler of Hell and he treated her like slave, but some of his words and actions were tender and caring. With no idea at all what was going on, Michelle fumbled her way through her new ‘life’, all the while uncovering lies, betrayals, and love that endured thousands of years.

There were a lot of things I liked and disliked about The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness, which made it difficult for me to decide on whether or not I liked the book as a whole.

First of all, I really loved the world-building. Tabitha Barret created a world that was unique in its own right, and gave a different spin on angels and demons. I definitely won’t look at them the same way again.

Secondly, I really liked the characters: Michelle was a strong, but vulnerable, female lead; Lucifer was a study in contrasts. Even the side characters, with their strong personalities, had their chance to shine and contribute to the plot.

Despite all that, it was still a little tedious to make it through the first half of the book. For one, at the beginning, the characters were a little too stereotypical for my liking: the female lead was a social pariah with not-so-nice parents and a long-time crush on her best friend, CJ, who also happened to be the most popular guy in school. Then, when she went to Hell, it was lust-at-first-sight between her and Lucifer, after which she almost never thought about her crush and best friend she left behind in the mortal world.

Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I found some of Michelle’s reactions unrealistic. In the interest of not spoiling the story, all I am going to say about this is that she was, in my opinion, too calm and accepting of her fate and the bombshells angels and devils alike kept throwing at her (even after taking into account the strength of her character).

The writing style also irked me: while the story clearly had adult content, the tone of the writing didn't match. Frankly, the delivery of the story - which, to me, was something one would read in a young adult novel - put me off quite a bit. The naming of the chapters didn't help. For example, for a particular chapter in which it was mostly about Michelle being horrendously tortured, the author titled it “A Bag of Marshmallows and a Death Wish”. It was very difficult to take the book seriously after that.

However, I really thought that the plot, characters, and setting were fascinating and full of potential. Therefore, I rate The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness 2 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of paranormal romance who aren't as picky as me with regards to the writing style in particular.

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The Third Throne: Angel of Darkness
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Like erasmus's review? Post a comment saying so!

This book sounds so weird. It reminds me of a movie--the third movie in the Omen series about Damien. He's the devil (I assume) in human form, and he has a romantic relationships with a woman that's really... odd. And he gives this monologue about the beauty of evil. Reading your review reminded me of that movie, which I haven't seen in a long time. I always liked that movie, but everyone I knew at the time thought it was awful. I am oddly intrigued by this book. And how do you torture someone with marshmallows? Reading that chapter title leaves me wanting to know more. I may have to read this book. Anyway, great review!

Haha, thanks! I've not heard of the Omen series before. And while marshmallows were not invovled in any torture (just after and only for about two lines), I can see how the chapter title can be misleading as well. If you do read the book, I hope you enjoy it!

The book does sound interesting, with the main character going to Hell and all, and dealing with a Lucifer who shows a few acts of kindness. Perhaps the author (I'm talking about the marsmallow-chapter-thing) was just trying to introduce a bit of light humor to a dark setting. The Uncle Bob thing--the name itself--sounds like one of your stereotypical encounters to me. Uncle Bob... so old.

Perhaps. I didn't think of that when I read it. Uncle Bob is waaaaay older than you might think *hint hint*

This book seems interesting. It's a shame the titles of the chapters are strange, but I agree with @Leon Durham - perhaps the author was trying to lighten things up. This is a really great review. I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you!