The Devil's Kiss

Billi SanGreal is the only girl in the Knights Templar. At fifteen, she doesn't have time for a social life - or for homework. Her life is a rigorous and brutal round of weapons practice, demon killing, and occult lore – and a whole lot of bruises. It doesn't matter that Billi doesn’t want to be a Templar. She doesn't have a choice. Her father is the Grandmaster of the Order and when she was ten, he forced her to take this path. There is no sacrifice he will not make in his war against the Unholy. And Billi hates him for it. Originally an official Church-sanctioned crusading order, The Knights Templar were officially disbanded and declared heretical in the thirteenth century. Now they exist in secret, based in London and charged with protecting humans from the Unholy: vampires, werewolves, and demons possessing dead bodies.

Billi's already fed up with her life when it takes a turn for the worse: her childhood friend, Kay, who is also a part of the Knights Templar returns home from Jerusalem. He plays a different role in the Templar - he's an Oracle, a psychic, and he's gone from a skinny and timid kid to a gorgeous and confident guy with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's can't get over the bitterness she feels about the fact that he left her with no word for over a year. And she's met someone new: Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else.

But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies, the Angel of Death, has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years - a cursed mirror powerful enough to bring down the Tenth Plague on humanity and kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.

First check out the two covers. Which do you like better?

This one?

Or this one?

The Devil's Kiss opens with a bang and the first chapter is excellent. Billi SanGreal is facing The Ordeal, her last test before she can be initiated into the Order of the Knights Templar and all she has to do is kill a six year-old boy, who despite his angelic innocent appearance is demon-possessed. Sarwat Chadda opens with this tense and hauntingly written passage and marks a dazzling beginning to what proves to be an enjoyable read.

After the great opening, the pace slows down for the next hundred pages or so, weaving the interesting backstory of the Knights Templar and Billi's character and her history with Kay into the present day drama. The lead characters are strong and memorable, and they come alive. At times, Billi's thoughtfulness turns to angst, but she's still a feisty heroine, her father is stern and demanding, and the mysterious Michael is larger than life. On character that annoys me is Kay. At times, he's too bitter and too arrogant and even too whiny.

The narrative is compelling and Sarwat Chadda makes modern day London seem mysterious and otherworldly, bringing a unique and superb atmosphere to life. I did find myself mystified as to why all the Knights except Billi were named after Arthurian figures (Arthur, Percival, Gwaine, Bors, Balin, Pelleas, Kay, Elaine)? I know there are, apparently, some modern conspiracy theories connecting the Templars to Arthur, but neither these theories nor King Arthur are mentioned in The Devil's Kiss, so it became a curious mystery to me.

I saw Sarwat Chadda speak at BookExpo America in New York this summer before The Devil's Kiss came out, and he mentioned his life-long love of the Crusades gave birth to this book and his two daughters inspired the character of Billi. What he came up with is a cross between Buffy, The Bible and The Da Vinci Code - a fast-paced, action-packed and thought-provoking novel with clever, subtle and balanced use of religion.