It was great to catch up with Griffin and Basil again in this third book about the Terrae Angeli - the Earth Angels. They are the traditional guardian angels who watch closely over humans. In Karchut's mythology, they are also very like humans in that they have free will - the ability to choose to be good or evil. Griffin is back to being a Terrae Angeli in this one. There are some tensions with his girlfriend Katie. She was happy when he had been turned into a human. But she knew how unhappy he was. Now she is somewhat unhappy that he can't put her first. Calls to save humans in danger have to come before plans with her. This causes Griffin to be unhappy too.And the villain of the piece - Nicopolis - is back. It wasn't bad enough that he cruelly abused Griffin when he was first made and cheated to make Griffin fail his test to be an Earth Angel thus causing him to be turned into a human, now he is determined to take revenge on Griffin. He feels that it is Griffin who has derailed his progress to becoming an upper level Earth Angel. He has found a magical device that increases his power over his elements and is intent on using it to kill Griffin. Worse yet, he has recruited other like-minded Terrae Angeli to go on some sort of crusade to restore the Terrae Angeli to his notion of purity.Terrae Angeli are divided into two kinds - Wind and Waters and Earth and Fires. Nicopolis is convinced that Wind and Waters, which he is, are closest to being celestial angels and that Earth and Fires need to be destroyed. Naturally, Griffin's gifts are Earth and Fire. This book is filled with adventure as Griffin and his Mentor Basil along with some companions including Griffin's nemesis Sergei and new characters Mentor Nan-ji and her Tiro Vassar run to an isolated cabin to get Nicopolis and his crew away from ordinary humans. There is a lot of danger as they battle for their lives. The book is also filled with humor as Sergei and Griffin tease and pick at each other. And, underlying it all, the book is filled with love - parent-child love, romantic love, and love of life. I really like this series and recommend it for readers of all ages. The whole series - Griffin Rising, Griffin's Fire, and Griffin's Storm - would make wonderful Holiday gifts for the Middle Grade and Young Adult readers in your life. They have both adventure and romance. They have humor and heart.
