Severed Wings

March 2, 2020
Altman (Deprivers) combines the divine and the profane in this erotically charged urban fantasy. Brandon Jones is a rising Hollywood star until a car crash paralyzes him from the waist down. He severs ties with everyone who knew him before the accident, resigning himself to a hermetic life in his Los Angeles apartment and burning through his days with alcohol and TV. Then an attractive couple moves in next door and he witnesses a strange assortment of injured people visiting them. When he sees a blind woman come to their apartment, hears the sound of sex through the walls, and then watches her leave with her sight restored, Brandon’s obsession with the couple grows and he becomes determined to learn their identities and the nature of their healing miracles. But learning the truth puts him in the sights of a wrathful enemy. Altman’s plot offers few surprises, but the themes of determination and hope are powerful enough to carry readers through. This dark, alluring story will appeal to urban fantasy fans.

May 15, 2020
Altman's(The Deprivers, 2003) latest begins with the tragic story of Brandon Jones, a handsome, talented young actor on the cusp of stardom. One night, after a Hollywood party, Brandon is the victim of a drunk driving accident that severs his spine and his will. His spiral into self-destruction and loathing leads him to break ties with his girlfriend, his family, and his friends as he takes up residence in the eerie Villa Rosa apartments. Brandon builds distant, tenuous relationships with several of his neighbors and drugs himself to sleep to cope with his circumstances. His life is utterly changed when neighbors move into the vacant apartment across from his studio. The couple is stunningly beautiful, and Brandon is drawn to Desmond and, especially, Kyra. After a grisly discovery in their home, Brandon is pulled into the couple's dark secret. They are Nepha ?angels?and they are on the run from Azreal. Their lives become intertwined in this ethereal story about the damage of the past and the hope for a better personal future.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)