“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well.”

Kaoru is a mystery, even to herself. She has no family, and her past is filled with riddles. She was raised by three creatures in a workshop in Prague, named Brimstone, Issa, Yasri, and Twiga. And she spends most of her free time hopping around the world collecting teeth (human and animal) from various sources for Brimstone's secret purposes. One day black scorch marks in the shape of hand prints begin appearing on random doors throughout the world, including Brimstone's shop. Then the Angel sightings start...and Kaoru becomes entangled in an otherworldly battle that has been waged for an eternity, as she begins to realize that her past may be more connected to her present than she ever dared imagine.

“Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?”

I first read this book series when it came out a few years ago and then decided to re-read it again recently, as the semester began to wind down. It was a great series then, and I loved it just as much, if not more so, this time around. And really, what's not to love? Chimaera, Angels, ancient cities, Prague, puppets, romance, goulash, epic battles, resurrections, and a whole host of other awesome things. It's a story about magic. And friendship. It's a story about war; how wars start, why they continue, how they can be made to end. It's also a story of love; love lost and love found again. But mostly it's a story about hope. How things can change for the better even when you don't expect them to. How making the world a better place than the way you found it is one of the most noble aspirations. This is a wonderful series to read, especially during winter break. It's insightful, but it's also a lot of fun as well.

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”