[Death and the Maiden 01] • Ange Du Mal

A budding biologist, Shannon O’Connor knows that nature is often dangerous. However, she never imagined that the woods at Hortense Univesity harbored the snarky Grim Reaper Samael, who, despite being deathly attractive, is also terminally annoying. Heaven’s perpetual thorn-in-the-side, Samael has a bad boy streak whose charm mainly consists of gallows humor and ghostly, chiseled abs. He is bitter as the black coffee he drinks, and despite her attraction to him, Samael rubs Shannon all the wrong ways.

But all that changes when he begins to train Shannon, who, as an ascendant, can restore the celestial balance in a gamble to end Heaven’s reign. Shannon, though stubborn, is a breath of fresh air in the underworld who infuses new life into Samael, the down-on-his-luck Grim Reaper. The series follows their journey as Shannon, supported by a diverse cast of friends and family, comes into her own powers, learning that war often mirrors conflicts of the heart. She and Samael grow together, relying on each other to overcome impossible odds.

In the first volume of the Death and the Maiden trilogy, Fleur du Mal, Shannon becomes immersed in chthonic politics and assumes her role as the Magdalene, the otherworld’s savior. Meanwhile in college, she struggles to balance her fascination with ecology while deepening her friendships with Rosanna and Divya, who help her overcome daunting challenges. Even more insurmountable is her rocky relationship with Samael, which the two negotiate as things heat up in the underworld and, inevitably, between the sheets.

With the escape of the Watchers, lawless angels that caused the Biblical flood, Shannon realizes that Heaven is not as corrupt as she thinks, and comes to a new understanding of the archangels. She deepens her connections with the archdemons, mastering a sacred weapon that will help her fulfill the Magdalene prophecy, and Heaven and Hell team up to prevent the Watcher-instigated Apocalypse.