Series: Falling Under
Author: Gwen Hayes
Publication: March 1st, 2011
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.
Ashley's Review:
From one chapter to the next I really was unsure as to what my final thoughts would be on Falling Under. The first 100 pages I was doing a lot of questioning and it reminded me of a cross between Twilight and Fallen. I then began to worry because Twilight is very high on my list and Fallen is at the very bottom. There were a couple of times when Gwen Hayes made a reference to Twilight and even in my opinion to a classic-Little Red Riding Hood and very strong similarities to Alice and Wonderland. I have to say I was very worried it was a knock off per say of several titles and smashed together. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes there were the references, but I think they were more used in a joking manner than what I initially thought when the worry set it. They really set the mood for the book and made the setting of the book feel more in the present time than a lot of books that are supposedly set in the present day. I believe the main character Theia speaking about her iPhone really makes the reader relate to the story given that everyone has some sort of smart phone.
I really enjoyed the characters and the strong personalities each possessed. Each character seemed to really stand out on their own. The personalities were very realistic in the aspect of how teenagers really are….flawed, worried, excited, happy, sad, hopelessly in love…obviously a range of emotion with a front on the outside for the most part trying to not show anyone for who they really are. Anyone who has been a teenager can relate to all emotions these kids were having, especially being dramatically in love and feeling like nothing else matters. I love the way the more popular football/cheerleader types were called sneetches, very funny description. I hope in the next book we will get to know the subtle characters better and they will be more concrete throughout the story.
Having preconceived notions during the first 150 pages that it would be a total train wreck like Fallen may have twisted my initial take on the book. Luckily the second third of the book resolved several of my concerns so I was able to get past my initial regret. Although I did struggle through a lot of it, I still found the concept interesting and certain changes in the narration towards the end recaptured my attention. If only the entire book held my attention as well as the last 100ish pages. The ending really made me interested in the sequel and hopefully the up and down lulls will be mostly eliminated in the next addition.
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