Black Night

Black Night
by Christina Henry
Black Wings, book two

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. (description from Amazon.com)

As I said in my review of Henry's first book, Black Wings (here), this is an urban fantasy that goes by in a flash. Maddy is a strong heroine. There are interesting paranormal beings (let's see, faeries, werewolves, fallen angels...yup, pretty much the works) and not only the cool urban setting of Chicago, but in this book we get to see one of the Faerie Kingdoms.

I loved how Henry layered in the interactions with the different species. It was awesome to see what J.B. is and how he relates to Maddy's mission from her grandfather. The way that their relationship influences certain things was interesting...

Again, I loved Beezle best of all. I really just want to reach into the book and pull that little gargoyle out to ride around on MY shoulder. He is so funny and wonderfully protective. <3

As I read about Maddy's powers growing, her understanding of her powers growing, and the revelations about what her destiny could truly be, all I could think was "how long do I have to wait for the next one?!" They haven't announced a release date yet for book three in the series, but Christina Henry's website says there will be at least six books in the series... :)