This was very different than what I expected! Eight Seraphim families have boys born to them (thru a span of thousand of years) with special powers given by the Fates to combat Hell's King and save humanity (the ArchAngels). But one of them ends up becoming the King of Hell.

This starts out as a general story and then suddenly changes to chapters that are from the viewpoint of seven of the "ArchAngels". It focuses mainly on the relationship of all of them with Lucifer- one of the ArchAngels, and then leaves you wanting for the next book.

I enjoyed this book and it's different perspective into this story. ( )

2/5 stars I received a copy of this book from the author as a LibraryThing Early Reviewers winner. I think this book was largely lost on me as I haven't read the rest of the series. It definitely had a lot of character development and backstory between the brothers. While the characters are well-developed, I didn't really care about them. I'm sure this is unfair of me, but I wasn't invested in their story. I also didn't find the story to have any closure. I'd imagine that this novella is set between two of the main series' books, rather than at the beginning.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me this novella.

I really enjoyed reading this story, it was beautifully written and the creation of characters and places pulled me into the story.
I love stories regarding archangels and found this one to be a really good telling, especially since it featured Samiel and his brothers before he became Lucifer ruler of hell. It was a very intriguing story which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Saltsmans way with words and descriptions made for an enjoyable read ( )

Review of eBook

The seraphim, a warrior race of eternal beings, dwell in the Celestial Kingdom. In 8000 BCE, the birth of a baby causes concern in the Kingdom. Unlike the entirety of the seraphim who have silver hair, white wings, and silver-toned flesh, Samael, his skin tinged honeyed gold, has brilliant silver hair and wing feathers. But those feathers are coarse, hinting at a more concerning difference between the infant and the seraphim.

Over the next one hundred thirty years, seven other babies are born with significant differences; eight male seraphim with feathers matching their hair and with shades of gold in their skin. But their wings, all with coarse feathers, grow rigid and inflexible as each archangel grows until, eventually, their hard wings develop sharp edges. With their strength now unmatched by other adult seraphim, their parents become more and more concerned. Finally, they demand to have an envoy sent to the Fates to find out what is wrong with their sons. While they wait for the envoy’s return, Mariel tasks her brother, Jaoel, with visiting Hell to listen for any rumors concerning the realm’s relationship with humanity.

Morieshal returns to the Kingdom changed, and now in the service of the Fates. But he brings a disturbing message: the wrong is not with the eight boys but in the cosmos; the changed archangels are a solution to the problem. He shares a tragic message with Mariel and proclaims that the eight boys will become brothers. But these sons of the seraphim are destined for much more. For war with Hell looms in the future . . . and Hell’s power is far greater than any other realm in the cosmos.

Will the eight archangels accept the decree of the Fates regarding their future? And what will that mean for each of them?

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“The Angels’ Keep,” like the author’s earlier “The Master’s Court,” is a fantasy novella set in the realm of the author’s four-book series, “The Devil’s Trill.” In the order of books, “The Angels’ Keep” comes between “The Devil’s Trill” and “The Harpy’s Lullaby.”

Here, in this compelling tale, readers meet eight sons of the seraphim . . . . Samael, Gabriel, Lucifer, Zadkiel, Uriel, Raphael, Azrael, and Ariel . . . and see how they relate to each other, watching as they train and discovering how they do indeed become brothers.

Moving into the past to provide the backstory for the brothers’ relationships, the unfolding narrative explores both their similarities and their differences. Tension mounts as events inexorably move toward a confrontation between the archangels and the devils of Hell.

With powerful world-building and nuanced, well-developed characters, the story of the eight archangels pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. Realistic interactions keep the characters credible as the plot twists and turns, taking the narrative in surprising directions; readers are sure to keep turning the pages as swiftly as possible.

With magic and fantasy elements seamlessly woven into the telling of the tale, readers will find much to appreciate in this tale. The only downside here is the use of some crude, offensive language that some readers are sure to find objectionable. Readers should be aware that the story does not have closure; the narrative ends with the promise of a confrontation as the archangels strive to keep their vow of protecting humanity that, presumably, will be part of the story in the final book in the series.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program ( )

A short addition to Saltsman's Devil's Trill series. I managed to lock myself in my library and read it in one sitting. I enjoyed this book as much as... if not more than the others in the series. The author is covering ground that her contemporaries fear to tread. I love how she manages to create an entire celestial world, mix it with a variety interactions and connections with other culture's deistical society. Brilliant. And it works. The fact that the classical celestial world is structured with no leader and no mention of a higher being is very enlightening. What caused me to take a star down is the fluffiness between the brothers. I get it. They are bound by a common thread, they are raised together, they live, fight and have the unthinkable position of being our guardians thrust upon them. But they cry a little too much for my taste. I expect them to be emotional. They are beings that encompass senses vastly more exposed and heightened than those in their charge. So it must be natural that their nerves border on schizophrenic. It shows that our keepers are just as flawed as the ones they keep. The Angel's Keep has plenty of humor spread across it. Hade's appears to be an extremely frightening individual. The other books in the series hint on how dangerous he is, this book pushed that out a bit more showing the reader that everyone fears him and there is an apparent reason Lucifer may not be protecting him but protecting everyone else from him. ( )