I've been hearing good things about this book and new author for awhile now, so decided to give them a try.
The novel Scar Night, while technically the first book in a series called The Deepgate Codex, is a complete story on its own (or at least I think it is), and could be read as a stand alone novel.
So that is good news right there if you want to try this author.
Campbell got me right from the prologue, where he has a psychotic angel battling against what sounds like a small army of assassins sent by the church.
And he kept my attention throughout the rest of the book.
Deepgate is a major city suspended over an abyss by massive chains. Yes, that makes it a unique and dangerous setting.
Deepgate is built there because a god lives down in that abyss - the city is dominated by the church belonging to that god. The church has angel warriors, a cadre of assassins, air ships (which sound like zeppelins), an army, and a huge poison department that cooks up nasty bio weapons. There is periodic warfare with the barbarians who live out in the world, and worship a goddess who is an enemy of the god of Deepgate.
The three main characters are a 16 year old male angel named Dill, a female church assassin named Rachel Hael (who is a true badass), and Mr. Nettle, the father of a murdered girl named Abigail.
Together they face terrible challenges that will threaten the city, and perhaps the entire world.