Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

In Battle Beyond the Veil by Cassie Sanchez, when Boston museum curator Zahra Jenkins prepares a Babylonian exhibition, she expects professional scrutiny, not a call reporting that her estranged father, archaeologist Dr. Hugh Neeman, has vanished after discovering a relic known as the Atar’zul. The artifact, tied to an ancient celestial war, draws the attention of Mammon, a prince of hell operating behind a billionaire façade. Kyden, an angelic Slayer reassigned as Zahra’s Protector, discovers that Zahra is descended from the Vaelatori, guardians sworn to shield the halo from demonic control. As murders mount and Zahra’s apartment is attacked, she finds a prophecy hidden in her father’s journal describing the relic’s altered power. Pursued from Boston to Las Vegas, Zahra must confront the truth about her lineage while Kyden faces the corruption spreading through his own ranks.

Battle Beyond the Veil by Cassie Sanchez offers a brutal celestial war, with a title that signals the fragile boundary between mortal life and angelic conflict. As someone who lived in Las Vegas for over a decade, being able to return under circumstances far more interesting than what's there in real life is absolutely brilliant. From the sulfur-tinged corridors beneath Imperial Noire to the wind-lashed upper floors of Hotel Decadence, Sanchez depicts each scene beautifully. I like Zahra the most because I adore a smart, strong female lead. She is not about to play second fiddle, advancing toward armed adversaries with her own weapon raised, with or without those angelic shields. The world-building is extensive, and the archangel command structures are balanced with mortal institutions. Angels navigate burner phones and battlefield strategies in equal measure, which is a unique angle. Well written and with a genuinely satisfying ending that leaves the door open for more, I look forward to a potential book two.