While the first two parts ofPale Fallen Angel told a straightforward defeat-the-threats-along-the-journey tale, the second two parts can only fairly be described as tremendously convoluted. What remained of the original premise – that D was working for an unusual Noble to escort him on a mission to kill his father – probably was not sufficient on its own to fill out 288 pages, so writerHideyuki Kikuchi apparently took a “throw lots of weirdness out and see what sticks” approach to maintain interest. While a lot of what he came up withis interesting, that does not make for the smoothest of storytelling approaches. Too often events seem to happen just to make things exciting rather than because they are a natural outgrowth of characterizations or the progression of plot developments.

The problem is most evident in (or perhaps most results from) the characterizations, which have always been the weakest point in Kikuchi's writing. Certain aspects of Miska's behavior towards the end would be more acceptable if Kikuchi had shown more effort towards developing her in that direction, but for most of this novel she is little more than a plot tool, as is Taki. A bigger problem is de Carriole, whose depth of conflicting loyalties (especially once the story reveals what he had to do to the Baron's mother) could have been very involving if handled better, but instead he seems to change loyalties at the drop of a hat. Fisher Lagoon has a similar problem, while Vlad and the Guide who shows up late in the story have all of the personality of wet cardboard – which is only slightly less than D. The Baron, who showed potential in the first two parts, is not integrally involved in enough scenes here to realize his full potential. In fact, the only prominent characters who could be considered well-developed are the girl May, the villains Sai Fung and Chlomo, and D's snarky left hand, and they are far from enough to compensate for the rest of the cast.

Kikuchi's strength, as always, is in his application of hyper-advanced technology to create scenes and situations more appropriate in pure fantasy, although this volume strays more into actual mysticism than most. The punishment inflicted on the Baron's mother by his father is awe-inspiring in its inventive cruelty, and as silly as Chlomo the Make-Up Lover's name and ability sounds, his ability to manipulate others via his make-up has its own horrifyingly twisted potential. Kikuchi also skillfully crafts some scenes of true dread, though in other cases he ramps up his efforts to ludicrous overkill or depends too much on exaggerated reactions by his characters. Fans of gore will also find plenty to like here, and he does not spare even his youngest and most innocent characters from getting involved. And, of course, D does lots of cool stuff, as does his hand.

At times Kikuchi's writing style resembles that of a much-parodied anime narrator who tosses questions out about the hero and what he can possibly do in a situation. At other times the style comes off more like a medieval bard spinning a tale in a king's audience hall. Either way, the style may be a little too casual or informal for the tastes of some, but anyone likely to still be reading this series of novels at this point probably won't mind. He still overuses idioms, cannot have characters except D give anything but extreme reactions to any situation, and resolutely continues to include “needless to say” and “it goes without saying that. . .” far too often. The emphasis on D's incomparable beauty is not quite as tiring here as in the previous novel but is also still an irritation.

As with previous novels,Dark Horse Books has released this one complete with color cover, one color interior illustration, and mediocre black-and-white interior illustrations byYoshitaka Amano. Following the regular story are a two-page Postscript, a 20-page preview ofTwin-Shadowed Knight Part One (the next novel), and brief bios on Kikuchi and Amano.

For all its flaws, the second half ofPale Fallen Angel is still a minor improvement over the first one. The ending brings the story to a sudden and harsh, but yet also strangely satisfying, conclusion and along the way a lot of interesting things happen. The lack of a smooth and cohesive flow prevents the novel from achieving any grander level, however.