Review: Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

 

Devil's Kiss (Billi SanGreal#1) By Sarwat Chadda
Release Date: 5/7/09
Publisher: Hyperion

Goodreads Description:

There's Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself....And Billi SanGreal.

As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order's ancient battle against the Unholy.
Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.
But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years — a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.

My Thoughts:

This book held me and didn’t let me go the ride was full of twist, turns, and emotional upheaval. As a teenager your emotions are everywhere, this is the time in your life when you are trying to figure out who you are, it’s complicated enough without adding the fact that you’re training to become a Knight of the Templar.

Billi is only 15 and lives a life unlike anything you can imagine, she spends hours fight training, learning Latin, folk lore as well attending school and trying to pretend to be a normal teenager. To top all of this off her only friend, is thousands of miles away in Jerusalem and she hasn’t seen Kay in a year, she feels abandoned and alone.

In the beginning you might see Billi as a little annoying but what can you expect, she’s only 15 and she has this huge responsibility sitting on her shoulders.  She deals with things the best way she knows how, and throughout the book you watch her grow.  Sometimes you forget that this is a YA story because of the style in which it was written. The description of the Temple where Billi spends all of her time was so descriptive that I felt like I was standing outside a window peeking through. The story of the Knights of Templar and their history was intricately woven throughout the book as your watched Billi on her journey to Knighthood as she deals with the card she’s been dealt. From the first line “Killing him should be easy; he’s only six” till the last I was captivated and eagerly turning the pages to find out more. I stayed up late at night depriving myself of sleep just so I can finish the story; I was hooked and couldn’t put it down until I devoured the last word.

I have no clue why I haven’t heard about this series before, it is brilliantly written and I would recommend that everyone run out and purchase it.  Mr. Chadda you have definitely made me a fan for life. Dark Goddess was released in January, and I'm going to start it next.

I give this book five stars.

Favorite Quotes:

“There’s so few of us, but we keep the darkness at bay. Why? Because we’re ruthless. We bring nightmares to the monsters.” He leaned closer so he could whisper it. “Fear is a powerful weapon.”

“Billi, without a soul we lose that one part of us that’s divine, the breath of God.”

About the Author: 

Sarwat Chadda was brought up on teh adventures of teh great medieval heroes like Saladin and Richard the Lionheart. His passion for storytelling grew from his love for the history, culture, and myths of Europe and the Middle East.

Sarwat used to be an engineer, working on projects like the Channel Tunnel and Hong Kong Airport, but now he writes full time. He has traveled widely, from China to India, from Nicaragua to yemen-- but there's no place like home, and home is London. Devil's Kiss is Sarwat's first novel.

You can find the author at the sites listed below:

Author Website
Twitter