"Devil's Kiss" by Sarwat Chadda [4]

As the youngest and only female member

of the Knights Templar, Bilqis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a warrior in her order's ancient battle against the unholy.

Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to slide back into Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Mike, who seems to understand her like no one else and effortlessly stakes a claim on her heart.

But the Templars are called to battle before Billi can enjoy the thrilling new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have guarded for almost a thousand years - King Solomon's cursed mirror, a source of unimaginable power. To save the lives of millions, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than she could have imagined.

First a warning ... this novel has religious context in it that has been misconstrued and for those that are not able to read it as just a story you might not want to read at all.

I actually really enjoyed reading this novel in spite of the liberty the author has taken with the religious side of the story. So it's about a young 15 year old girl who has grown up in the Order of the Knights Templar, and they fight the evil unholy, which is what they have been doing for thousands of years. But Billi only being 15 wants a normal life, she is sick of fighting and training and just wants to be like all the other girls her age. Her best friend left for Jerusalem and she hasn't heard from him in a year, her Father doesn't love or care for her like normal Father's and the Knights of the Order don't want her there either. Billi meets Mike and he gets her in every way possible that the others don't and she wants to leave. Things come to a head when an old enemy arrives and everything is thrown into confusion and Billi has to make some life altering decisions.

This novel was actually really well written, it is fast paced so that you don't lose interest in the story, the characters are all very interesting and you get to like them, and there are enough twists in it that keep you reading. It is a dark type of story and deals with the evil side of life, so it's not a novel for young people. The author has twisted the concept of some of the Christian beliefs as well as others but you need to bare in mind that this is just a book and it's not to be taken seriously ... there might be those of you out there that would be offended by this but I think if your strong in your faith it really isn't a problem ... just don't read it if that is the case. I think people get offended over the silliest things, everyone has a right to an opinion, and again it is just a story written in a book. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next installment ... 'Dark Goddess'.

I rate this book 4 stars.