Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes


Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
"Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul."- summary from Amazon

I enjoyed this book- it was something different from the usual paranormal fare, which I liked. The prose and atmosphere seemed very Gothic to me and it set such a great tone. I loved being with these characters a lot of the time, which really kept the story going for me.

The romance is front and center in this book with everything else kinda falling to the wayside. In a way, it was kinda nice to read a paranormal romance that wasn't also about this huge battle going on. Theia and Haden were fun to read about, though when they were apart, Theia got on my nerves sometimes because she was moping around and angsting about losing Haden. I can see though why she feels that way in a sense, but at the same time, I was like "Just get over it already." It bothers me to see the female characters act this way whenever their supernatural boyfriends get taken away.

Most of the time though, I did enjoy Theia and she's a brave character. I liked her interactions with her friends, which felt very realistic to me. I loved reading scenes with the three of them. There were some great twists and turns throughout the book, though another thing that bothered me a bit was the open ending. There's questions left unanswered and it really seems like this could've been a standalone with a few extra scenes added on.

Overall though, a very enjoyable read that's creepy, dark and romantic.

FTC: Received ARC from Around the World Tours. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

5 comments:

  1. I looovvvveeedd this book. I do understand that whining from Theia could be a little much at times, but I am still in love with this book. I liked how it had a Gothic feel to it too. I have discovered that darker, paranormal romance really is my thing. I do agree with you on the ending though, wish it was not as open-ended as it was, so I can only hope there is another one coming out!

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  2. Thanks for the review! I've been trying to decide whether or not to read this one (love the premise), but now I probably will. It sounds like the good outweighs the not-so-good.
    Glad to hear you enjoyed it! :)

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  3. I ordered this straight after reading your review, it sounds right up my street!

    Its the second time recently one of your reviews has had me headed straight to Amazon to order the book! (The other was Rosebush which I pre-ordered and is out here in the uk in a week or so!)

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  4. I just saw another review for this, so I now must add it to my ever grow TBR stack.

    BTW, I love the cover. Her hair is just gorgeous. and I like the black rose.

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