Harbinger (Celestial Creatures Book 3) by Olga Gibbs – Blog Tour

Thank you so much to Olga Gibbs and to Mel from https://frasersfunhouse.com/ for the opportunity to participate in this blog-tour and for an ARC copy of Harbinger in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Check out my reviews of the first books in the series below.

Click here to read my review of book 1 – Heavenward

Click here to read my review of book 2 – Hallow

Synopsis

“I am Uriel: The Harbinger of Chaos, The Keeper of the Gates, The Begetter of Life, The Dam of The Ends, and I’m coming to take what is mine!”

The clash with Baza and his angels had demonstrated to Ariel that Earth (Apkallu) is not the safe heaven she hoped it would be, and it is only a matter of time before she is hunted and dead.

The only way to survive is to accept her destiny and to fight back.

But upon her return to Uras, Ariel is rejected in her own domain and has to suppress the revolt against her reign. The angels refuse her and her lead, abandoning her and Uras in favour of another ruler.

She knows that without an army of followers she won’t stand a chance against Baza or Mik’hael, so now she needs to go into the most unexpected places to find it.

“HARBINGER” Goodreads link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48200966-harbinger

My Thoughts

Harbinger is the third book in the Celestial Creatures series to fully appreciate the plot, I’d highly recommend reading the first two novels beforehand. There are a lot of Sumerian and old religious terms and Olga thankfully provides a glossary for these which is so helpful but also fascinating too.

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security with the Young Adult pitch as this is a dark novel at times and is more aimed at the older age range. It doesn’t feel as though you are reading a YA novel at all.

In summary, Ariel is a human who holds the essence of Uriel, a powerful Angel and ally of humans who was murdered. Ariel has to make a choice between sides, basically choosing between heaven and hell but knowing whichever size she chooses it will bring battle to her door. Ariel has Sam and Rafe to protect her but in an unfamiliar world seemingly full of betrayal, violence and an eternal raging war she has little trust in anyone. The whole plot is about one woman’s choices and the fight between good and evil but as always, things are not so black and white.

Harbinger kicks off immediately after the events in Hallow where Ariel has finally began to accept who she was and who she now is and the responsibilities that come with it.

I think Ariel is one of my all time favourite characters in a novel, simply because her story arc is so perfectly developed and she grows so much. Beginning in Heavenward as a broken and insecure teen, growing into an angry and stubborn character in Hallow and finding her way towards being a completely kick ass warrior woman in Harbinger, Ariel has had a major transformation and readers of the series have been there every step of the way. Don’t get me wrong, the petulant, stubborn teen still comes through but I think we never loose part of that as we grow (or is that just me?).

Most of book two was spent on Earth but in Harbinger we get more of an insight into the homes of Angels. The world building is exquisite and makes the experience like watching a film. Every detail is skillfully described. I loved the previous books but I do feel Olga has outdone herself this time in term of writing style and I know how much she pushed herself to write the final novels.

The previous novels were about Ariel’s survival, saving her sister and her coming to terms with everything that was happening to her. Harbinger is all about the warrior! Now in Uras with a diminished army and Rafe falling to pieces, Ariel finds herself preparing for battle against Baza and his army of enslaved lizard creatures (who once were human). She has to search for unlikely sources of support in preparation for the final showdown.

The narrative moves at a fast and intense pace and the novel is full of surprises. I cannot believe Olga so cruelly finished on such a superb cliffhanger and I cannot decide If I’m outraged or impressed. All I know is that I cannot wait for the final installment – Halo.

Author Bio – Olga Gibbs

Olga Gibbs lives in a leafy-green town, nestled amongst the green fields of West Sussex, England. She was writing from the age of fifteen, mainly short stories and novellas and was a guest columnist for a local newspaper. When she is not dreaming up new adventures for her imaginary friends, she does outreach work with teenagers.

She is currently writing the final books in the “Celestial creatures” series and another stand-alone psychological crime thriller.

Please visit author website www.OlgaGibbs.com for more information on upcoming books.

Author links

Website: https://olgagibbs.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/olgagibbsauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olgagibbsauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorOlgaGibbs/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/olgagibbs

Bookbub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/olga-gibbs

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17733283.Olga_Gibbs

Purchase Links:

Heavenward purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/bWzWlx