Burn by Paula Weston Series: The Rephaim #4
Also in this series: Shimmer
Published by Text Publishing on June 24th 2015
Genres: Action & Adventure, Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, General, New Adult, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Click here to buy the book from Amazon •Booktopia • Book Depository • Angus and Robertson
Suddenly, Gaby remembers everything. For a year she believe she was a backpacker chilling out in Pandanus Beach. Working at the library. Getting over the accident that killed her twin brother. Then Rafa came to find her and Gaby discovered her true identity as Gabe: one of the Rephaim. Over a hundred years old. Half angel, half human, all demon-smiting badass and hopelessly attracted to the infuriating Rafa. Now she knows who faked her memories, and how—and why it's all hurtling towards a massive showdown between the forces of heaven and hell. More importantly, she remembers why she's spent the last ten years wanting to seriously damage Rafa.
If you are a fan of superbly written, action-packed fiction with interesting, brilliantly flawed characters – look no further than Paula Weston’s Rephaim series. This is a series you won’t want to put down! Typically I don’t like series concerning angels yet this series has changed my mind. Burn, the fourth and final book in this stunning series, contains all the fast-paced action and romantic intrigue of the previous installments with the added drama of a thrilling conclusion.
Everything has been leading up to this book and now Gaby remembers everything. The truth behind why she and her twin Jude can’t remember a decade of their lives. The reasons for Rafa’s strange behaviour towards her. And the part the young human girl with visions of the Rephaim has to play in the complicated history of the Angels and the Fallen.
What I love most about this series (apart from the incredibly wonderful Rafa) is the pacing. It is a mean feat to condense hundreds of years of Gaby’s history and combine it with the present day happenings. It amazes me to think that the happenings of this series occur in less than a fortnight of real time. And yet – the flow of information, events and reminiscences – it works perfectly. As a reader you are always there in the moment with the characters and I always felt completely involved with the story.
As a concluding chapter to the series, Burn is great. All the unanswered questions about what lead Gaby, Jude, Rafa and the other Rephaim to their present is explained in ways which felt right. There’s a lot of action and excitement with never a boring moment. The characters have all grown over the course of the novel and despite the real time passing being so short, their growth felt natural and believable.
Fans of Gaby and Rafa’s complicated relationship have much to appreciate in Burn too. Paula Weston has written a wonderfully complex and messy love story. It’s mature and manages to feel appropriate for the teenage characters Gaby believes them to be at the start yet also right for their century old souls.
Burn cements the Rephaim as one of my all-time favourite series. This is my go-to recommendation for people wanting something a little bit different. The main character is a fierce half-angel warrior who is also down to earth (quite literally). Despite the otherworldly problems Gaby faces, the emotions she experiences and challenges she faces feel real and relatable.
If you only read one angel series in your lifetime – let it be the Rephaim series. You will not be disappointed.
Many thanks to Text Publishing for the review copy.