Angels After Man

Angels #3

by Rafael Nicolás

A Queer Retelling of God's Apocalypse

The angel Dina is both young and ancient, every human epoch breezing past his home in Heaven as he waits for the end times. When the archangel Uriel reveals the truth about God’s first creations, however — Dina ventures out to find a beautiful, seductive star who urges him to bring about the apocalypse for the sake of destroying evil once and for all. Lovesick, Dina agrees.

Bordering a nation like Babylon, the human Tadeo has suffered and died to uniquely human horrors. But resurrection bestows newfound powers onto him that he’s convinced derive from God. While on a saintly path to free his town from war, Tadeo meets the angel Dina, who appears with a dark omen.

The end of the world will come soon — but who really is it that wants the apocalypse?

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Angels, Retellings, Fiction, Adult, Queer

518 pages, Paperback

Published December 23, 2025

Reviews

[lauren :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

hooooooly shit ohhhh god oh god oh God. rafael i’m in love with you. let’s kiss. you make me nauseous.

okay Real review:
how do i even start to describe this book? how do i sum up my feelings into a teeny tiny goodreads review? what can i say that will be sufficient enough to describe this beautifully intricate work of art? i always adore rafa’s writing, but i find myself especially in love with this work. it is astoundingly moving and stunningly written, and i was positively addicted from the first page. rafa has such a way of creating a love for all of his characters, and i feel privileged to have gone on this adventure with his cast. i was genuinely physically nauseous half the time, but i could not for the life of me stop reading. i pulled over to the side of the road to read it when i got the notification rafa had sent it to me. i don’t think i’ve ever fallen so totally in love with a set of characters before. rafa’s writing is magnificent. i can feel the love and care he poured into this work, and im certain you will too. i don’t think i’ll come across anything like this again in my lifetime, or any lifetime after. this book is a treasure. i’m so grateful i got to read it. god. i’m going to think about this book forever.

[ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

rafael nicolas, you have done it again. i cannot even begin to describe how thoughtful, stunning, and heartbreaking this book is. i feel so incredibly grateful and lucky to have been given the opportunity to read this before it's official release. i've lost track of the amount of times i had to step away while reading this just to process everything that happens and how intensely i feel for these characters he's created. the way raf writes is so raw and unapologetic — i think i will forever be floored by his work ethic and the care that goes into his writing. throughout this series he has made me cry, laugh, and want to run around in hysterics over these angels of his. this final book solidifies the respect and awe i have for him as a writer — its beautiful and devastating and my new favorite. im speechless. everyone say thank you, rafael. how special this all has been.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

rafa why

[Faye 🫀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Why does god divine punish? Divine hurt? Divine ache”

RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I do fear this is my least favourite of the Angels universe, but it is okay because it was still beautiful and I still loved a lot about it.

Positives:
- Just Rafael’s brain my dude….. oh to have a solid yap sesh and absolutely pick it apart
- so many quotes in here that actually stopped time for a second as I read them & made me gasp or release a breath I didn’t know I was holding etc etc
- the best part of this book was Lucifer, Michael, & Baal in my opinion. Whenever these characters were on page the vibes were 5⭐️’s
- same with the other angels in general, I was just so invested in all of their journeys across this series and it was such a beautiful and also devastating thing to look at where they all started vs what they all became & see how each of them views religion & life & love & sin and and and and……
- this whole series is an absolutely epic character/religion study utilized through a queer & trans lens & it just has so much to say about the real world & how it uses religion to oppress so many….
- a book/series that positively blares the fact that if God is in fact real, he is fucking EVIL & the real god & worship that humans lost along the way, is love. Also, a beautiful message of embracing freedom from rigid oppressive constraints that bind, manipulate, control, assault, and traumatize.

Negatives:
- I do think in comparison to Rafael’s other instalments, this one felt significantly more disorganized & not that this really matters, but there were lots of punctuation/capitalization/spelling errors that I simply couldn’t shut my English degree brain off too?? This almost just felt rushed and a bit forced even & could have truly benefited from some more time & editing perhaps
- I’m so sorry because I do think this portion of the plot had so much to say, but I reaaaaaaalllllyyyyyyy did not care about the humans like at all…… & their POV’s took up soooooooo muchhhhhhh of the booooookkkkkk


The first half of this I was in between 2-3⭐️’s & feeling scared, the second half I was in between 3-4⭐️’s & was a lot more invested for sure.

Though I do have some thoughts and critiques, I still think this was a beautiful ending to what has been an absolute triumph for Rafael Nicolas…. Thank you for giving us these beautiful and twisted little rageful reclamations of a religion that has traumatized so many of us

[Krys (spicy.spine.breaker) · Rating 5 out of 5]

They’ll ask if this is what it means to be God. I won’t answer. And they’ll ask if I still worship. I’ll tell them I do. I do worship myself; I worship my love. The only God is love.

Sobbing so hard I might actually puke, which is pretty on par with this trilogy. The only words for this is ‘religious experience’

’Make me your God, make me create for you, for us.’ Create what? Satan didn’t know anymore. New sins. The end of all things.

FRTC.

[dănuț · Rating 5 out of 5]

having the privilege to read this early means I can't post quotes just yet, so I'll keep my mouth shut a little longer. but know I am actively losing my mind, this was amazing he has done it again people!!!

Dina I love you so much you are so special to me you weird little freak that you are

PLEASE READ THE ANGELS TRILOGY PLEASE

[Cyrielle Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am NOT okay
this book was a wild ride

i'm going to scream for a thousand years now thank you good night

[Sierra Cottrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

changing my name to azazel cause this book ripped my heart out 😭 can't wait to re-read the series and do it all again

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

how am i supposed to read another book after this

[sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

man fuck u what the hell

[Revy · Rating 4 out of 5]

did i finish the book or did it finish me

ill leave this unstarred for now because i have too many confusing feelings and the book is very, very, very depressing and i might not have been in the best headspace to read it rn, like i knew there was no way everyone was gonna make it but damn

at least Michael finally got that devilussy, right? Lmao


edit. gonna put this one at four stars, but def the messiest out of the three, maybe mostly because of the sheer number of characters and things happening and how we barely got any moment to breathe. (angels before man is still my fave one out of the three, it wasn't as overwhelming as the others since we mostly followed sweet baby Lucifer..)

Michael and Baal fighting over Lucifer every moment was fucking hilarious though, they become a pair of little boys 🤣 like i know he is the most beautiful sluttiest creature in the universe but oh my god the world is ending can yall FOCUS

fourth star mostly thanks to the fact that now we know Lucifer fucked Emperor Nero, that Asmo and Rosier got married multiple times, that the only true god of the universe is love and that Michael and Lucifer finally went all the way sockpsnxöslxps the sexual tension for millions of years was gonna kill both Michael and me

[lua ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i adore this series, though this might be my least favorite installment -- it's hard to finish a series like that, so comparing with the previous books, this one didn't hit as hard as the others.

the first half of the book was slow, dragging, and i was honestly bored: maybe it's my fault, i don't know, because even though i like the human characters, i find myself waiting for the moment the focus will be on the angels and demons. by the later half, i couldn't put the book down, waiting to see what was finally going to happen with all these characters we've followed for the past 2 books and the decisions they'd have to finally make.

i like this trilogy (and the novellas) a lot! i feel like i'll definitely revisit it in the future -- i mean, i DID buy all the physical copies and annotated them, that's how much i enjoyed it 😅 --, but this last book was the weakest one for me

[Vrednik · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have to say ive love this series since the first book came out and ive been waiting for the finish for a while. each book increases in size and scope with this book being the biggest. the prose is beautiful but its a bit hard to understand. i feel like i might end up having to re read this book so i could fully understand whats going on and who is feeling/doing what. but overall wow what a finish for the series.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a real review, I'm just taking the opportunity to praise the author. I will read everything that Rafael Nicolás writes. Anything he puts on paper or types out I will read it. Novella, short story, or full length novel I'm here for it. The angels series is poetic, heart-wrenching, and beautiful all at once. I will shout from the rooftops that everyone needs to read these books. Also shout out to the outstanding artist who creates these covers, I wish I could frame them. I can't wait for a physical version so I can add it to my bookshelf.

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

”sometimes I wonder if the apocalypse is not one moment, one day, but it's all of them put together. the world ending, over and over"

I think everything about this book is incredibly niche, in its plot, its themes, the way it's written, etc. and it is absolutely not for everyone. however! for the people that get it, you really get it. this is for the people who are turning up songs like tempest and family tree by ethel cain on a daily basis (me) and I love it

[lyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i honestly feel sorry for the books i'll read after this one cause i know they won't be this good

[remi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"how much i have grown to hate, but i know still to love. it lingers the greatest in my memory."

first proper read of 2026 and, i think, nothing will top it. what a wonderful, painful, beautiful, hopeful book.

i want to say things about it. i want to express what i felt reading it, but it feels impossible to do so. the words escape me!!

there is a quote, towards the end of the book, that says "at the end of the world, hate was all they had.", which ive been thinking about non-stop. the nihilistic part of me latched onto it. the sentence is placed perfectly, right in the middle of all the evil and unfairness the book tells about. even at the end of the world, people cared more about killing each other than the death of the earth. but! that is not the point!! the point is later, in the aftermath. the point is people still celebrating in the ruins of hate. the point is "i love you! i'll find you! stay there!"

i truly wish i had more to say than that. i loved the book so much. i was so scared i wouldnt. im always scared of the things i like. but i truly have no words to express how good it was... i think the greatest thing about it is that it tells about humanity. it tells about humanity, and it tells about struggle, and war, pain and imperfection but it also tells about love, about grief and nostalgia and regret. if i had to say one thing about this book is that it is human.

so, at the end of everything, i can only say i love you. if the greatest sin is love im glad i get to experience the pain of it

[katze · Rating 4 out of 5]

y finalmente, la serie “angels” termina con el lanzamiento de este libro…
QUÉ FINAL. definitivamente voy a releer la trilogía completa, de corrido, en el futuro.

con este último libro, angels ha logrado convertirse en una de mis series favoritas. rafael nicolás tiene una manera de escribir que hace que la lectura se sienta como un viaje poético alrededor de la trama, y una forma de tratar temas a gran profundidad que leer se convierte, en cierta forma, en un aprendizaje.
la conclusión es amarga y perfecta a la vez.

hablando de este libro en particular, me encuentro sin embargo con algunas cosas que no me gustaron tanto en relación a los libros anteriores que son (por no decir perfectos) fascinantes. en general, no conecté tanto con los personajes, más concretamente con los personajes humanos (descartando a tadeo), y en ciertas ocasiones sentí que los eventos ocurridos no eran presentados con “coherencia”, si es que eso tiene sentido…

más allá de eso, la trilogía es increíble y definitivamente se la recomendaría a alguien mínimamente interesado en leer una historia queer, cruda, con un profundo desarrollo sobre la religión y narración de acontecimientos bíblicos.

mi ranking final de la serie es la siguiente:
1. angels before man
2. angels and man
3. angels after man


gracias rafa por esta obra tan hermosa.
me encantaría seguir leyendo sus obras en el futuro.

[the.aquarius.booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a full review- FRTC
Ive been crying and feel broken. I'm fully, completely in my feelings right now and I will be for awhile. Some books do that to you. You feel them in your soul and they change you. AAM is one of them. The writing is next level exquisite, otherworldly. Everything Raphael Nicolas writes is a work of art; a masterpiece. This is everything I never saw coming and never could have imagined. Read it. Read the whole series.
To read this book, you need to start with Angels Before Man. The series needs to be read in order; otherwise AAM will not make any sense.
I cant recommend this series, this book enough. I LOVED IT, LOVED IT..the writing, characters, the storyline. Nothing Ive ever read comes close to it. if I could give this more than 5 stars I would. I would give it all the stars across the universe.
** Before reading make sure you check your cw to make sure that this book is right for you.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I’d have to say this final installment is my least favorite of the three, I loved the ending. Angels before man is one of my favorite books, bar none. I’ll say the last third of this final book was a very satisfying conclusion, as much as I struggled a bit with it throughout, largely for pacing reasons. This is not to knock Rafael’s writing, or his ideas, which I admire very much.
I’m so very thankful to have found this series. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to describe just how cathartic the entire thing has been, and I’m not going to be able to do justice to it. Seeing Lucifer/Satan’s story told with empathy, and asking every question of god that I’ve ever asked of him myself. It just has meant very much to me. I don’t think there will ever be anything else like it. Rafael, you are incredible.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the conclusion of this trilogy. However I do think that this third book is the weakest of the three. I wasn’t as connected to the human characters as I would have liked and Dina annoyed me more than anything, but I think that was kind of the point so it’s not a huge detriment to the book. This book solidified that Samyaza and Azazel are the best couple in the whole trilogy. I am very satisfied and look forward to see what the author writes next.

Angels and Man Trilogy Ranking

1. Angels and Man
2. Angels Before Man
3. Angels After Man

[Holley House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rafael Nicolás, please never stop writing. 💕 this book put me in a coma. Infinity stars. I think it somehow managed to be my new favorite in the series, despite the fact that it made me feel like I was burning up in a hellish lake of fire. The characters, old and new, were stunning and flawed and perfect. The plot was insane and masterful. The writing was cinematic, as always with Nicolás. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this story.

[ays · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - overall, this was the weakest in the trilogy in my opinion. i didn't connect with the human characters as much as i wanted to. but i still need to die. this was still insane. i don't know what to do with myself now.

[korinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

can everyone log off i need a moment alone.

[Allison Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. 10/10 no notes. A perfect conclusion to the trilogy. Even if I cried no less than 4 times. It’ll rip your heart out. Read it.

[Fabrizio Binaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gut wrenchingly beautiful, I'm grieving, bawling my eyes out and I love it.

[Dante:) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg….. if I could give this book 6 stars I would…. But now I’m sad it’s over

[Sarah Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

We can kill abusers, and we can change the narrative. Healing me from Christian hate one book at a time, Rafael 🤞🏻

[em :p · Rating 5 out of 5]

finishing this series took a part of my soul with it, im afraid ill never be whole again