“Heart of a Warrior Angel” grabbed me from the first page with an all-too relatable tale of abuse and survival that spanned several continents. I really love books with interesting characters and fascinating backstories and this one had both in spades! Mira grows up in her father’s house in Tblisi, Georgia, the favorite daughter… a little too favored. She rebels and begins to date Dragon, and soon finds herself pregnant by him. In a battle between an overly domineering father and boyfriend, the women are caught in the middle and abused, and Mira, and her daughters Lilac and Jasmine are no exception. The young family moves to Jerusalem for a time, and then eventually immigrates to Canada. I loved the detail of this novel present in each setting, from the streets of Tblisi, to the saltwater seas of Israel, to the new family’s experiences opening a deli in Canada. Lilac’s painful childhood was so vividly cast for the reader, from sneaking into the movies to see Bambi, to needing to steal clothes to have something clean to wear, to an arranged marriage her father tries to set up when she was only sixteen. Lilac is fiercely protective of her three younger sisters, wanting to shelter them from her father’s abuse. Lilac is bright and determined, forging a future and career for herself and always thinking of her sisters and mother before herself, even as she's trapped with Dragon.

After Lilac and her mother and sisters are forced to confront their father one terrible day, and their lives change forever, Lilac begins the next stage of her spiritual journey. I loved seeing her strength and resilience as she undertook a path of self-discovery and peace and moved forward to live a beautiful and fulfilling life despite her father’s abuse.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

This was an amazing read! It made me cry, kept me on my toes, shocked me, and broke my heart. Never a dull moment, except towards the middle — which was a bit too much spiritual explanation for me, making it a little hard to read but I pushed through it and I truly enjoyed it! ( )

↠↠ arc received, review to come ♡

This novel starts in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Dragan marries Mira, who is a teenager. She is pregnant soon afterwards. Dragan is very cruel and abusive toward Mira, and Lilac, their daughter. Mira's parents (he is part of the Russian mob) give Mira, Lilac and Jasmine, another daughter, a safe place to go. Abruptly, Dragan moves the family to Israel.

Mom and Dad are able to follow. Dragan does his compulsory military service, then is committed to a mental hospital, because of PTSD. Mira and the girls are actually able to have normal lives. Dragan escapes, and, in the middle of the night, moves the family to Toronto.

Among Dragan's many demands is that Mira produce a male heir, but she gives him two more daughters. If anything, the emotional and physical abuse gets even worse. Dragan opens a local restaurant, at which the whole family is expected to work, as slaves. Years later, in a fancy house on the outskirts of Toronto, the moment comes when Dragan is out of the picture, permanently.

The family then learns how to breathe again, and starts the process of healing (it is not always a straight line upwards). A nagging question for all is: Was Dragan's behavior learned from his father, was it because of his PTSD, or was it genetic, and will any of the family exhibit the same behavior?

This is not an easy novel to read, but it is a very good novel. Personally, the second half of the novel got a little too new age-ish, but, having endured that level of abuse, emotional help from anywhere will be appreciated. Yes, it is very much worth reading. ( )

Heart of a Warrior Angel: From Darkness to Light by Lali A. Love
Starts with reviews from others. Acknowledgments and table of contents then the story.
Story a traumatized family where girls are brutalized by their father. Horrific details of how the torture is done and why.
Like how females are able to drudge forward every day.
Do like that a few of them actually have a few good childhood memories.
Like Mafia and financial funds in the book, quite the combination.
Energy, spiritual emotions and other realms all have a part in this book. A bit above my level of understanding but a good story.
Love the glossary at the end, so resourceful and helps you really understand it all.
Others works are also cited at the end. Not really my favorite genre, felt a bit in outer space or another dimension at times.
I received this review copy from the author via the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
B07T792VT1 ( )