Revelation

A stubborn heroine nearly ruins the launch of this violent dark fantasy romance series. In an anarchical, near-future Babylon (formerly Manhattan), demonic forces have spilled two of the seven vials of God%E2%80%99s holy wrath, creating a plague of zombies and turning the sea to blood. Dr. Morgan Sterling, a pathologist and religious skeptic, believes the zombies must have an origin that can be explained by science, and even a visitation from Luniel, one of the Tainted fallen angels, fails to convince her otherwise. He joins her search for Patient Zero, hoping to find the Prince of Poison while his fellow Tainted seek out the Prince of Blood, and they battle demons and their mutual attraction. While Morgan%E2%80%99s refusal to accept a new paradigm and trust Luniel grows wearisome, Luniel%E2%80%99s internal struggle is more engaging. Hayes (Blood Cursed) encourages empathy with the Tainted, but her depiction of the Archangel Michael as a sadist may raise eyebrows, as will angels who use Christ%E2%80%99s name as an epithet. Agent: Marlene Stringer, the Stringer Literary Agency. (Oct.)