What do you think?
Rate this book
Dandelion
Ezekiel knew he should've paid better attention to his mom. If he had, finding himself in the unfathomable Abaddon might have been a little easier to deal with. Zeke might have understood what he was about to face.
Instead he's faced with the angel Haziel at the end of a sword, stuck in an existence he doesn't know how to navigate, heading toward a war humanity had no knowledge of.
Haziel promises to see him safely through the battlefield. Along the way Zeke finds purpose and courage, grace and depravity. At his journey's end, will Zeke want to leave his angel behind when the time comes?
Instead he's faced with the angel Haziel at the end of a sword, stuck in an existence he doesn't know how to navigate, heading toward a war humanity had no knowledge of.
Haziel promises to see him safely through the battlefield. Along the way Zeke finds purpose and courage, grace and depravity. At his journey's end, will Zeke want to leave his angel behind when the time comes?
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2020
About the author
T.A. Creech
24 books5 followersI am a house-parent to a rambunctious small child and happily mated to an equally rambunctious military spouse. My adventures in writing began with fanfiction, and once I was hooked I never looked back.
What I enjoy most about creating original work is the ability to delve into my stranger ideas without worrying about how I might apply them to someone else's world and characters. With my own creations, I take pride in twisting familiar tropes into something new and unexpected.
When I write, it is with the intention that my stories will leave a lasting impression. I hope you enjoy the characters and the worlds I create, and that they help you to find a place to exist, for a while, outside of your own.
--T.A. Creech
What I enjoy most about creating original work is the ability to delve into my stranger ideas without worrying about how I might apply them to someone else's world and characters. With my own creations, I take pride in twisting familiar tropes into something new and unexpected.
When I write, it is with the intention that my stories will leave a lasting impression. I hope you enjoy the characters and the worlds I create, and that they help you to find a place to exist, for a while, outside of your own.
--T.A. Creech
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 13, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
I am no scholar on religion, but I can appreciate the broader strokes of the religious symbolism present in Dandelion. The best I can describe it is that Creech does not seem to be going for metaphor, but rather reimagining the lore or building an alternate universe-type situation starring angels (full disclosure: I have zero knowledge of any religious canon in any denomination of anything). That said, there is no proselytizing or even a real religious moral to the story. In fact, I dare say the luminaries and kittim represent common “good guy/bad guy” tropes in that the luminaries are ridiculously attractive and literally musical and the bad guys are apparently disgusting bug-like creatures—pretty run of the mill there. There doesn’t seem to be any real basis for the war beyond the good versus evil; there is no evidence, no anecdotes, no oral histories shared that explain either side’s good or bad deeds, though the author’s website does explain what’s actually going on via a blog post.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
I am no scholar on religion, but I can appreciate the broader strokes of the religious symbolism present in Dandelion. The best I can describe it is that Creech does not seem to be going for metaphor, but rather reimagining the lore or building an alternate universe-type situation starring angels (full disclosure: I have zero knowledge of any religious canon in any denomination of anything). That said, there is no proselytizing or even a real religious moral to the story. In fact, I dare say the luminaries and kittim represent common “good guy/bad guy” tropes in that the luminaries are ridiculously attractive and literally musical and the bad guys are apparently disgusting bug-like creatures—pretty run of the mill there. There doesn’t seem to be any real basis for the war beyond the good versus evil; there is no evidence, no anecdotes, no oral histories shared that explain either side’s good or bad deeds, though the author’s website does explain what’s actually going on via a blog post.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
November 3, 2022
Low angst
Angel/Human
Slow Burn
Low steam
Single third person POV
I'll be honest- I had no idea what was happening the first 2 chapters because the book blurb was just too vague for me. However, once it all clicked into place I couldn't stop reading (I restarted to truly appreciate the world building I'd previously misunderstood). I've included a synopsis within the review.
Zeke is a human who gets called to Abaddon by a demon but is saved by an angel, Haziel. There is a century long war happening, and in order for Zeke to get back he must go to Zion and ask the Creator to send him home. So begins the journey.
At the beginning, it is just Zeke and Haziel although we're never told why Haziel is not with the other troops at that point. It's not actually important but it did ping my radar as odd since they must then venture on together for a fortnight to reach the current army base. Anyway... The journey, and most of the plot, is more about Zeke becoming comfortable with himself and feeling at home with first Haziel then the angels as a whole. He is a nurse and uses his skills to heal Haziel at the beginning then more of the troops when he's in the camp. He finds his place as a healer and as a believer, but not in a zealous manner, while working with the angels.
The angels and demons are at war and Zeke's faith lies with the angels- meaning he has trust in them and their ability to defeat the demons, not that he suddenly has an eye opening adventure into religion. It's an interesting perspective using the angels and demons/ good versus evil perspective without bringing in the questions regarding religion and where one stands in the grand scheme of things. Zeke sometimes thinks about his mother, who is obviously a believer, but that's about as far as his consideration goes outside of his previously established beliefs. I really enjoyed the use of faith in the angels as a feeling of confidence rather than the belief in religion.
The romance is very secondary but it's there. We have the story from Zeke's perspective. There are times we see Haziel with his sunshine energy as endearing and times when we experience Zeke's exasperation - but we see it for what it is. Haziel is happy and he purposely seeks out Zeke's company almost constantly. Even though they share a tent, Haziel still wants to be near Zeke always. We see Haziel and his playful nature and think, How could anyone not fall in love with this man? And Zeke, well, he knows he shouldn't love it when he's called "Haziel's human" but the possession within that phrase is something that goes both ways, so Zeke feels lovely and bright whenever it's heard. The companionship of our heroes is solid and the attachment they achieve is believable. It doesn't involve anything obvious but the little things are there making this romance believable without any awkwardness or drama.
I absolutely love slow burns so this works very well in my opinion. The day-to-day interactions, the easy conversations, the emotional bond forming over time that makes each moment better than the last... So of course when it boils over into the climax it just makes sense that, yes, this is what love feels like. I say low relationship angst, and while that is very much true, the climax did have me in tears while I braced myself for the unknown. Don't worry, though, there is a HFN.
Note- some grammatical errors here and there but not jarring enough to detract from the story. There is a steamy scene which is not fade to black but not overly detailed either.
Angel/Human
Slow Burn
Low steam
Single third person POV
I'll be honest- I had no idea what was happening the first 2 chapters because the book blurb was just too vague for me. However, once it all clicked into place I couldn't stop reading (I restarted to truly appreciate the world building I'd previously misunderstood). I've included a synopsis within the review.
Zeke is a human who gets called to Abaddon by a demon but is saved by an angel, Haziel. There is a century long war happening, and in order for Zeke to get back he must go to Zion and ask the Creator to send him home. So begins the journey.
At the beginning, it is just Zeke and Haziel although we're never told why Haziel is not with the other troops at that point. It's not actually important but it did ping my radar as odd since they must then venture on together for a fortnight to reach the current army base. Anyway... The journey, and most of the plot, is more about Zeke becoming comfortable with himself and feeling at home with first Haziel then the angels as a whole. He is a nurse and uses his skills to heal Haziel at the beginning then more of the troops when he's in the camp. He finds his place as a healer and as a believer, but not in a zealous manner, while working with the angels.
The angels and demons are at war and Zeke's faith lies with the angels- meaning he has trust in them and their ability to defeat the demons, not that he suddenly has an eye opening adventure into religion. It's an interesting perspective using the angels and demons/ good versus evil perspective without bringing in the questions regarding religion and where one stands in the grand scheme of things. Zeke sometimes thinks about his mother, who is obviously a believer, but that's about as far as his consideration goes outside of his previously established beliefs. I really enjoyed the use of faith in the angels as a feeling of confidence rather than the belief in religion.
The romance is very secondary but it's there. We have the story from Zeke's perspective. There are times we see Haziel with his sunshine energy as endearing and times when we experience Zeke's exasperation - but we see it for what it is. Haziel is happy and he purposely seeks out Zeke's company almost constantly. Even though they share a tent, Haziel still wants to be near Zeke always. We see Haziel and his playful nature and think, How could anyone not fall in love with this man? And Zeke, well, he knows he shouldn't love it when he's called "Haziel's human" but the possession within that phrase is something that goes both ways, so Zeke feels lovely and bright whenever it's heard. The companionship of our heroes is solid and the attachment they achieve is believable. It doesn't involve anything obvious but the little things are there making this romance believable without any awkwardness or drama.
I absolutely love slow burns so this works very well in my opinion. The day-to-day interactions, the easy conversations, the emotional bond forming over time that makes each moment better than the last... So of course when it boils over into the climax it just makes sense that, yes, this is what love feels like. I say low relationship angst, and while that is very much true, the climax did have me in tears while I braced myself for the unknown. Don't worry, though, there is a HFN.
Note- some grammatical errors here and there but not jarring enough to detract from the story. There is a steamy scene which is not fade to black but not overly detailed either.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews