Black Spring

September 29, 2014
Harbingers of apocalypse are evoked with paradoxical whimsy and tragedy in Henry’s seventh Black Wings urban fantasy installment (after Black Heart). Family feuds among refurbished archetypes plague the sympathetic yet hardboiled series heroine, Madeline Black, as she flees Alerian, Lucifer’s half-brother, who plans to incite Chicago’s supernatural population to eradicate all human life. Worried that her baby is a monster and plagued by supernatural enthusiast Jack Dabrowski, Madeline prepares for Lucifer’s wedding while attempting to contain her growing rage. Aided by Judas Iscariot, angel Samiel, and new lover Nathaniel, Madeline may still be able to thwart the approaching war between gods, but at what price? Dramatic supernatural struggle and intensive psychological conflict are lent disarming humor and empathetic humor in an adrenaline-soaked plot that cross-pollinates a number of mythologies. Domestic concerns inject tender and convincing humanity into supernatural tragedy; household chores and sibling rivalry are metaphors for cosmic battles of blood and treachery. Spunky heroine Madeline is likable precisely because she is so recognizably flawed. This quick-paced but thematically introspective read will delight series fans.

November 15, 2014

Madeline Black was an Agent of Death, but now, just as she has a baby on the way, Chicago's mayor plans to round up the city's supernatural residents into internment camps. In the seventh and final series title (after 2013's Black Heart), Maddy will deal with pregnancy, impending violence on her city's streets, and what could be the most harmful of all--Lucifer's upcoming wedding.

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