Audiobook Review: Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger #2)

Author: Jennifer Armentrout

Narrator: Lauren Fortgang

Audiobook Length: 16 hours 38 minutes

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.

[Storm and Fury #1 Review]

Rage and Ruin continues right where Storm and Fury leaves off in The Harbinger series. As the second novel in the trilogy, I was not expecting much considering how the second novel in The Dark Elements series disappointed me. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about, as there was a surprising amount packing into this middle novel with developments with the story and romance. This novel is more character-driven than plot, so it is a little slower than the previous, however, the story still moved along, which I appreciated.

Trinity, the half-human half-angel True Born now has a new protector, Zayne, the Warden/Gargoyle. They continue to search for the Harbinger that is out there killing both demons and Wardens. Since Zayne is now bound to Trinity as her protector, there is a new forbidden element to their attraction, as Guardians are not allowed to be with those they protect. However, this is difficult as not only do they have the attraction, but also through their bond, they can feel what the other does. The two of them have a lot of chemistry, but both have to fight the urge to be together given this newfound obstacle.

Along for the ride in this story is Roth, the Crown demon prince, Layla, the half Warden half demon girlfriend of Roth, and Cayman, the demon deal broker, who all were present in the previous series and Storm and Fury. Stacy, the human best friend of Layla and ex of Zayne, makes an appearance in this one after being featured in the last series, as well. I love how all of these characters, including the witches from the previous series, return in this series as it gives a nice continuity for those that read both series and there is enough information given for those that did not read the previous.

Through this novel, the characters learn more about the Harbinger and try to figure out ways of how to stop the evil from spreading. In between their searching, Trinity continues her training as she is still is trying new ways to best learn how to fight we her eye disorder. Zayne tries his best to help Trinity along while acknowledging her desire for independence. As the author has the same disorder, I appreciated how much attention is given to Trinity. There are moments where she can see almost to the point where it is almost like the disorder does not exist and there are others where she is at the brink of feeling helpless. The emotions and frustrations that Trinity goes through was well thought out as she has good moments and bad, which added a nice realism to the story.

Overall, this was an excellent sequel. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, so it is difficult to judge the series until I read the final novel. As I am doing the audiobooks, I love this narrator’s portrayal of everything, although it is weird sometimes to listen to The Dark Elements characters as that series was done by a different narrator. Even though Roth is still my favorite between Zayne and Roth, I love that Zayne is finally getting the love that he deserves by being an amazing love interest in this story. Trinity can sometimes be a little much as she has some moments of jealousy and doubt, but it is understandable given her circumstances and experience. She was raised among the Wardens while having to hide her true self, so although she knew others, she never fully got close to them, so she is slowly learning to open herself up more as time goes on. There is a cliffhanger at the end of this story and I cannot wait to start Grace and Glory!