Book Review: True Believers by Maria Zannini

Title: True Believers
Author: Maria Zannini
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: 10/18/2010
eISBN:9781426890673







When I first read the synopsis of this book I was pretty enthused- after all, I love stories that involve the Nephilim. Then I started reading the book & got a little confused when aliens started getting brought into the mix early on in the book. Don't worry readers- it doesn't get as muddled up as you'd think & there's a method behind Zannini's writing. I'm not going to spill the details, but trust me- she puts an intriguing spin on things. Since I can't do justice to the already fantastic plot description put out by Carina Press, I'm going to list it below:

Taelen Jessit is an alien emissary on a mission sanctioned by the U.S. government to search for ancient gods. His hunt leads him to a dig headed by archaeologist Rachel Cruz. When his military entourage forces Rachel's team out of the cave they were exploring, a flash flood hits the riverbed and threatens to tear them through the ravine.

In the aftermath of the flood, Taelen witnesses the incredible healing of Rachel's broken ankle and believes his gods have blessed her. He is inexplicably drawn to her, and she to him.

What Taelen doesn't know is that Rachel is Nephilim—a descendant of the gods his people worship—masquerading as a human to find the god-killer and destroy it. Rachel needs help to bring down the tech that is manipulating the Earth's magnetosphere and frying her people alive. She's given Taelen her heart, but can she trust him with her secret?

I have to admit that I was a bit curious as to how such a book would work out once I realized what it was going to be about. Part of me wondered if I would like it or if this would just end up getting bogged down under its own weight & I'm glad to say that I did enjoy it a great deal. Zannini manages to take two different genres & make them work together quite well. Readers will love the interaction of the two main characters & the instant heat that rises between them is pretty believable & tangible.

The only drawback I had was with the ending- I wanted more & I really felt like this was left open for possible sequels. Not a bad thing, but towards the end I was wondering how everything was going to be wrapped up & felt a little disappointed when some things didn't happen. I'm still glad I read it & I'll be watching for more works by her, so it isn't like the ending is a deal breaker by any means.

This really is a perfect book for October since reading it reminded me of candy: incredibly fun & hard to put down. Like I said earlier- I can't wait to see if Zannini will revisit this world.

(ARC provided by NetGalley)