"Falling Under"by Gwen Hayes
Publisher: New American Library
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
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.
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.
My Review:
I really couldn't help but compare this one to some other really popular teen paranormals, especially "Twilight", "Fallen", and "Hush Hush." I mostly saw the similarities in how the lead characters were portrayed. Haden really wasn't nice to Theia in that he always tired to keep her off-balance. Theia never knew if Haden hated her or loved her. Theia came across as weak a lot of the time, unfortunately.
I have to mention that I loved Theia's friend, Ame. She's a bubbly, smiling girl who likes goth styles but hates black so she wears her goth gear in bright colors. What's not to love about a character like that? I also really liked Theia's friend Donny's boyfriend, Gabe. He was a total sweetheart and Theia even admitted once that she should be into a guy like Gabe instead of one who makes her cry all the time. At least she's aware of it.
The underworld was written really well and I liked the dream scenes early in the book. I really enjoyed the gothic feel of the book. This book is dark, but not in a depressing way, in a creepy, spooky way. I kind of liked the creepy, ghoulish element of the book. It has a much more sinister tone than other YA.
This book was a little more mature than a lot of YA titles. I'm not saying it should be toned down or anything, but I personally wouldn't loan this one to my 15 year old cousin like I do with a lot of my YA books.
Main Characters: 3/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: I recommend this book to fans of "Twilight", "Fallen", and "Hush Hush", I think those readers will love this book.
Sounds great. Thanks for the honest review :)
ReplyDeleteSo which of all the ones it reminded you of, did you like best?
ReplyDeleteSince I am not a big fan of those books I think I might just pass on this one ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I cannot wait to read this story. I loved Twilight, but Hush Hush is like a big no no! ;) LOL. I think I will love this one.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Twilight, and I really didn't like Fallen, so I'm not sure I can read this. Awesome honest review though, Carrie :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I am a bit bummed that this book is mature, b/c that means I DEFINITELY can't put it on my classroom library shelf; however, I might check this one out for me. I enjoy gothic/dark reads!
ReplyDeleteWill note this one down for a read. I always enjoy some YA Paranormal to get my week going.
ReplyDeleteA plus review girl :)
Well, now, I did find both Twilight and Hush Hush a nice diversion on a lazy afternoon. When I have another one of those days, I'll consider this. :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm.. I'm a huge Twilight fan, but not so much of Hush, hush. The more sinister tone does sounds appealing to me, so I'm looking forward to checking it out. Thanks for the review Carrie. :D
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I enjoyed Twilight so this might work.
ReplyDeleteHa! I like that this book is a little more mature.I'll be reading it soon. I have heard it's a little samey and Twilight-alike etc, but that's OK because I am a Twi-hard! ha!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the characters are well written here. I like how you mention the secondary characters too. :)
I really want to read this one! Especially as it's like Twilight. And Ame sounds just like my kind of character: a little mad!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant review, and I can't wait for this one!
Sounds like this might be a hit or miss with me. I think I'll push it just a bit farther down on the TBR pile :) Although it sounds like I would love Ame!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a good YA book now and then. Thank you for the honest review.
ReplyDeleteForgot my email, sorry!
ReplyDeletelvsgund at gmail.com
Happy Easter. This looks like a great book. Thanks for the great giveaway.
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rjofus AT gmail DOT com
Loved the review!
ReplyDeleteGFC: LadyVampire2u
LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com