All Fall Down

Tales of the Latter Kingdoms #2

by Christine Pope

Healer Merys Thranion has been trained to fight disease and wage war against ignorance. Her training comes to the ultimate test when she is captured by slave traders in a neighboring country and brought to the estate of Lord Shaine. Her task is to heal the brooding lord's injured daughter...but that is only the first of her trials. As the deadly plague raises its head again and threatens to wipe out everyone on Lord Shaine's estate, Merys must summon all her skills to protect those she has come to care for...including the man who has become much more to her than simply her master.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Historical, Retellings, Historical Fiction

356 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2012

About the author

A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Many reams of dead trees later, she’s happy to announce that her debut novel, Fringe Benefits,was published by Pink Petal Books on April 8, 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the new journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010.

While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.

After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so different from the first book in the series. It was like a different author wrote it. You get this whole story from Merys eyes. She has trained to be a physician and she travels helping people trying never to stay in one place for long. She is taught in the Order to remain distant from people as a way to be professional. So the whole book is told through her eyes in this detached way but there is so much heart underneath it all that I think a lot might miss if you read this just as a romance novel. It does not feel like a romance novel at all. Merys is taken as a slave but never feels a slave and doesn't get treated as one. She knows her worth and so does the man who buys her to be his slave. The story is of her work as she lives among a people for the first time and tries to stay detached and apart from them but of course fails. The love story is very subtle and left me a bit frustrated and I did at one point yell at the book to hurry up already!! But it was written so well that I kept reading and was pulled in. I think I would give this 3 and a half stars because there was just too much doctoring and not enough personal story.
This is an adult book in the way of adult themes. The plague is described in detail. The boils of the plague where in glands many located in the groin, she treats many of these in a detached way. There is nudity that is not sexual. There is talk of rape. This book has slaves and some of them are not treated well.

[Kyra Halland · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Fall Down is the tale of Merys, a physician who is captured by slavers and ends up being bought by Lord Shaine, whose desperately ill daughter needs Merys's help. Though Merys chafes at the loss of her freedom, she soon finds that her heart belongs to the people at Donnishold, and especially Lord Shaine. When the plague hits her new home, she must use all her strength and ingenuity and resources to try to save the people she has come to love.

Romantic fantasy is my favorite thing to read, so that automatically gave this book a boost. I found the style clear and easy to read, and I enjoyed the world and the characters. I did feel that the book was kind of light on both the fantasy and the romance aspects. Other than being set in another world, there really isn't any fantastical element other than near the end, during the plague, when the goddess appears to Merys in her dreams to reveal the cure for the plague. This appearance seemed poorly timed - there didn't seem to be any reason why the goddess should appear then and not sooner; if she had shown up sooner, a number of characters I wanted to live wouldn't have died. Or, for that matter, why she should have shown up at all.

As for the romance, of course it's clear that Merys and Shaine will end up together, but I had a hard time believing in their attraction to each other. The Merys-Shaine relationship doesn't really develop, it just happens. We know that Merys falls in love with Shaine because the book is written in first person so we see her thoughts and feelings, but there doesn't seem to be a process of growing attraction and affection; she just realizes one day that she's in love with him. As for Lord Shaine, he doesn't get a lot of attention in the book. We know that he loves his daughter and treats his slaves and servants well, has a tragic past, and seems like an overall good guy in spite of his brooding, but we never really get to know him on a deeper level or get to see his (presumably) growing attraction towards Merys. Part of this could be because of the limitations of writing in first person, but this can be overcome by a more observant first person protagonist and creating scenes with more varied interactions between the characters. Still, I could see that Merys and Shaine would suit each other; it wasn't hard for me to imagine them together, I just would have liked to see the feelings and the relationship develop instead of just suddenly being there.

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't have a problem with the kind of iffy biological and medical science in the book, because Fantasy. This isn't our world, it doesn't work the same. Though I would have liked to see the author make freer use of the possibilities inherent in writing in a fantasy world other than the aforementioned divine intervention.

All Fall Down is sweet romance, with a few sexual references but no actual sex.

From reading other reviews, I understand All Fall Down is not the author's strongest work. I feel it could have been much stronger if the author had dug deeper into the characters' emotions and relationships and the freedom of writing in a fantasy world. Still, it's an enjoyable, quick read, and I will definitely try more of Ms. Pope's work.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Recieved from goodreads firstreads***

I really enjoyed this book and know just who I'll recommend it too!

The plot was fast paced from start to finish. Merys, a member of the Order of the Golden Palm, is a trained healer who is captured by slave traders while tending to the sick in the village of Aunde. She is sold to Lord Shaine of Donnishold, where she quickly demonstrates her skill when she saves his daughter Auren. Life here isn't so bad, as Merys tends too the sick and eventually regains her freedom after saving Lord Shaine's life. Feelings start to emerge as Merys contemplates leaving but before she can decide the plague has reared its ugly face and noone is safe. Merys has to use all her knowledge to try to save as many lives at Donnishold as possible. There are deaths and there are miracles.....who lives, who dies? You'll have to read to find out. And what happens between Merys and Shaine...again you'll have to read!

The author did a wonderful job with the subtle romance throughout the book. The characters were all well developed and I felt a sense of belonging to the Donnishold household, partly due to the fact that Pope's writing is so crisp and clear that the image painted is hard to ignore. The only part that I was a little disappointed in was Chapter 16. Just a little too far fetched for my liking. I would have liked Merys to come to these conclusions using her high intellegence and experience instead. This is a book that would make a great made-for-tv movie...a hallmark presentation perhaps??? I would certainly watch!!

http://lostinmyyouth.blogspot.ca/2013...

[Talltree]

DNF

Too depressing

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won a copy of All Fall Down on Goodreads. When I got the book I found the cover a little garish but never being one to judge a book by it's cover I dug in. The is the story of a physician Merys who is kidnapped and sold on the slave market of a far off and fictional world. It appears to be based somewhat in medieval times however the author takes liberties in mixing and matching historical themes (which I don't mind in a piece in this style).

My biggest problems with the book are all writing related - I was a little surprised find that the author has written an number of books since it feels very much like a first stab at things. The entire book felt as though she was talking down to her audience, joining together dots that really didn't need to be joined for us. Then she would drop a phrase or term which would be familiar to a historical reader but probably not non-history buffs, while explaining out others which are more common place.

The characters were flat with limited development and their actions were odd and not natural, often with little or no clear motivation (other than it fit with the story). From looking up the author she apparently classes herself as an romance writer which may explain my lack of affection for this book since I am no fan of that genre. I found the casual obsession the main Meyers has for her 'owner' misplaced and not built up - there was no real reason she fell in love with him, no build up and no tension.

The story had potential I was disappointed by the execution. This book may appeal to a romance reader, definitely not recommended for historical fiction readers (trust me, it will drive you bonkers).

[Rauli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit slow overall, but worth the read. The romance aspects of the story we're quite subtle and few but very sweet. This was actually quite refreshing as the story centred more on Merys's work. Although the book was set in a world not our own it was masterfully built and charmingly realistic, in some aspects it was quite similar to post-middle ages Europe (in the way of life, dress and customs). Yet in others, namely the medical knowledge, it seams to be quite a bit more advanced. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the medical "advances" that the order of the sun palm implemented, and seeing how alien some of what we now consider basic health measures (covering mouth and nose, sterilising medical instruments and hands) were to earlier people.

I cried out when Merys unintentionally brought the Plague home on the horses, and found it vaguely amusing when the goddess showed the plague carrier fleas to Merys. The use of the mouldy bread as cure for the plague was also quite uplifting and much more astonishing than Sir Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin in mould cultures in the early 20th century. Merys aside to the possible allergic reactions some people might experience from the remedy and certain foods just clinched the deal for me.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the entire book, but it seemed incredibly thin on actual plot, and instead mostly focused on medical descriptions which were not terribly engaging.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plague romance

Ironic timing to start reading a book about a plague. It was a bit sad. It was also interesting, though I might have wished there had been fewer details about the illnesses and procedures the doctor main character dealt with. But the details meant it was well-researched, I think.The romance was cute, but I wished there had been more development of their relationship.

[Verity Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 stars. The story was interesting and the romance was nicely understated (if you like that kind of thing, which I do). But...

But, but, but...

There were too many small details that seemed contradictory or didn't make sense in the context of the story's universe. The "physicians" look down on the religious healers, and claim their own work is based on "science," but there's no evidence of anything resembling a scientific background in their work--they understand contagion and hygiene, and their efforts are based on physical observations of what works in healing, but how they actually learned any of their relatively modern medical practices is left unanswered, since the overall culture is not particularly scientifically advanced. The female protagonist, Merys, is an atheist (in a Goddess-worshiping culture, which is something of a novelty), and supposedly most physicians are atheists, although there's nothing about the "science" of this world that would put it inherently in conflict with their religious beliefs. But despite Merys's supposed atheism, we see her randomly praying to "the gods" (in a Goddess-worshiping culture?). In many ways, Merys and her profession seem to have been simply plopped down into a medieval fantasy setting.

A similar lack of background-planning is evident in the history of the plague. Supposedly the plague hasn't been seen in 500 years (and only once then), and yet the physicians know all about it? This seems to loosely mirror our world...except for the fact that while there hasn't been a significant epidemic of bubonic plague for hundreds of years, there have been limited epidemics and cases of it ever since the Middle Ages, which is why modern doctors know about it. Merys's knowing so many details about the plague is like expecting a modern doctor to know all about sweating sickness. Again, ideas without the necessary details surrounding them have been taken and plopped them down in the story.

But...but...but... I did like the characters. They were engaging. I was sad when some of them died. I think that if I were a younger and less demanding reader, I would have liked this book a lot more.

[Jack Vasen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished it, but it was a struggle. The book is extremely depressing. And much of it is boring. A large part of the second half is devoted to Merys efforts to fight a plague and for much of it, she made absolutely no progress. I don't think telling the story in first person helped. She comes off as very aloof and rigid. Her thinking is also annoyingly repetitive.

I think this book is supposed to be a Romance, but it fails totally in that regard. Early on, but after Merys realizes her love she thinks "I could only hope that in the coming weeks there would be nothing else to mar the fragile understanding which had come to grow between us." That is a very faint hope for a romance.

And Shaine is even more aloof. He is a relatively good master, but he still holds himself above common labor as he does nothing physical to aid in fighting their crisis.

Several things take place where I kept asking myself "why?" The most obvious is Merys love for Shaine, and likewise his for her even though he never displays it openly. The other is a spoiler. Why would the Goddess interfere. She says they don't interfere and yet she does. And OK, even given that, why Merys?

Mature themes: There is no description of sex. There is a character who abuses a slave and it is strongly implied that it includes sexual abuse, but it is never stated outright. There are many obvious opportunities for nefarious acts against Merys' person, but the author avoids these situations.

[Graylark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so much potential.

The healer aspect was very interesting, and the world-building was well done. I liked reading about the day to day aspect of her life as a healer, and the details that fleshed it out. It might have been a 5 star if it were purely just that.

However, it also attempted to be a romance novel. Sadly, the romance wasn't very good. The heroine realized she was in love with the hero after a grand total of two conversations (at least that we saw), there was really not very much interaction between her and the hero throughout the book (maybe about 10% actual face time, and 30% spent mooning after him), and the payoff at the end was disappointingly weak.

The characterization also wasn't very good. The only person who had a clear sense of personality was the main character and the hero's daughter. Everyone else, including the hero, seemed to be cardboard characters that weren't fleshed out very well.

[Monica Hills · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started really well. Meyrs is a female doctor who travels trying to heal people. She is taken captive and brought to Lord Shaine's castle. There she heals his daughter and quickly becomes an integral part of the household. She develops feelings for Lord Shaine. He seems to have them for her as well and even frees her. Then however the plague hits and everything falls apart. This was the second book I read by Christine Pope. I read them out of order. I really enjoyed the other book much more than this one. The plot became a little too predictable. The book became very verbose. Not all of the descriptions were needed. I will read more of her books. This one was just not my favorite.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the concept was good, and I seem to be fascinated in reading about the plague (as in Connie Willis' Doomsday Book). Unlike other reviewers, I felt that the medical science of how it was spread made sense. I found the slavery aspect to be difficult, and could not see where the romance element made sense at all.

[Coyora Dokusho · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all so. very. restrained. that I want to throw a fit. It was okay, just extremely mild in all emotions.

[Vellvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of stories. Rather a bit depressing.

[Stacia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
I was trying to give the book a chance, but 27% through and I could no longer stomach it.

Often writers are told 'show, don't tell'. Reading this book, I could only feel a lack of showing. The main character is bland in her first person narrative. She seems like the typical heroine, blunt, pretty, smart, selfless - someone who will not experience hardships unless to simply move the plot along (she even seems to be a healer which seems to be a common occurrence in fantasy heroines - which don't get me wrong, I have read a handful of good books with the typical healer heroine as well as ones with the same traits yet thete seems to be more development, a sense of struggle rather than 'polished perfection'). You even find yourself suddenly learning something new about her past that happens to all the more make her more attractive or help her 'shine'. It really seems like there is no end to the complimenting of her virtues (majority being from the narrator, Merys herself).

The romance feels quite forced, sudden, with little development. An example being Lord Shaine saying he trusts Merys without knowing why after she had healed his daughter,denied that she was not his slave (despite having gone through the typical slave procurement route), and basically had one interaction with him (if you can call it so - when he was watching her take care of his daughter).

[Racheal · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book was well written and had a historical fiction feel to it, I thought it fell a little short where the romance was concerned. Merys is a doctor that's captured as a slave to serve Lord Shaine. While Shaine is kind enough in a lot of aspects, I just didn't see where romance was even a thing for him. I mean, I don't doubt that he likes her or cared, but for him to have romantic feelings for Merys just felt very forced or unbelievable. I was really disappointed that there wasn't more here in that.
But that's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. Merys was a strong and likeable character. The author did a great book at once again, making it feel as though you're stepping into another time frame. This book was more centered around Merys, her ability to heal/help people and her infatuation/love for Shaine. The author did do a fantastic job with making the plauge feel believeable and even though this book came out nearly 10 years ago, parts of it (like wearing a mask) almost remind you of covid.
Overall this book was just okay for me.

[J.c. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine Pope bats another one out of the park

I’m a huge fan of all of Pope’s work I stumbled across her books with one of her first in the series free books and I was instantly hooked. Her dedication to research is apparent in everything she rights and she uses that to throw a bit of reality into all of her books. All Fall Down is in a class of its own. She crafts an entertaining story at all times, but this one affected me the most. The characters in her books are always well thought out and stories are always worth reading. This one touched my heart in a way that I’m not sure I understand. I really loved the lead, Merys, who is a doctor in a world more like feudal periods of our history and women do not have much opportunity to delve into male predominant careers. I found myself weeping as Merys encountered things she struggled with and losses that all of us must face from time to time. But of course there is a HEA. Well worth the read.

[maura g brady]

While it was a very good story I feel ambivalent about it. There would have been more pure enjoyment in following Merys' story pre-pandemic. She is captured, sold into slavery but maintains her inner core of self worth. She doesn't allow circumstances to make her less. She achieves her freedom and makes a "house call" at a neighboring estate in her role as a physician and that's where the story takes a turn - the plague. So much of the action and characters' reactions had an eerie resemblance to what we have just experienced with Covid-19.
This is no reflection on the author or the quality of the story, just a reflection of the timing of reading it. Please give the other books in the series a chance, they are very good; it was just the timing for this particular book.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

A bit light on the fairy-tale aspects and as some other readers commented, scientific background (although a lot of it was passed off as Merys's lack of vocabulary in the local language). I think I filled in quite a bit of the science automatically, having Mr Lister's exploits as the father of antiseptic surgery really be the only thing that I retained from History lessons at school! :) the slavery aspects were a kind of surface dealt with only, no deep philosophical musings here.

To sum up: a sweet, slow burn fantasy-romance with loads of medicine.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is apparently a rewrite of the song Ring Around the Rosie into a fairy tale world, and I can sort of see it. Just to warn you, this isn't the happiest of stories so if you're feeling blue maybe try this one on a different day. But that isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable and captivating! There is some really cool world building here, and the ensemble of characters draw you in and make you want to invest (despite the fact that the history major in me was sounding haz mat siren warning bells because I knew the plague was coming)! If you have ever read Hush by Donna Jo Napoli, this reminded me of that somewhat. A really lovely story!

[Cat Scapps · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling historical fiction about a woman who is trained as a doctor and gets kidnapped and sold as a slave to a wealthy lord. The novel follows the doctor through treating diseases and other ailments on the grounds of the stronghold while trying to earn her freedom and the love of the lord.
It felt particularly relevant to the current world situation with covid and definitely had a different feel now than if I had read it five years ago.
I wish it had ended differently. The ending felt rushed after such detailed accounts of the rest of her time at the stronghold.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather flimsy romance tale, this. Thin characters who just decide they are in love (though of course neither of them tells the other until the end) and who never engage (at least in the pages of the novel) with what should be some significant barriers to a relationship between them.
Also, there's a major plot point that as presented is a literal Deus ex Machina (and which doesn't make much sense, given what the Deus says about the Machina, so to speak).

[Sarah Musser mcalister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty good. I didn't like it as much as Dragon Rose, but it is still good. The thing that I didn't really like about this book was the details about the surgeries. Merys is a physician. I also didn't really like Shaine. This book is very well written, and the story is really good. Very entertaining.

[Chatharina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the many books that I have forced myself to finish reading because I am lawful-good and feel committed to finishing a book if I start it.
I had many issues with this book, ranging all over from the cover art, character development, plot progression etc.
It wasn't for me and I don't plan on reading the rest of the series.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is too predictable. Of course she falls in love with the guy who buys her out of slavery - but there is NO transition to this! Just suddenly she loves him, and there are hints he has feelings back, but there is nothing in the story that really makes this believable. I had to stop about halfway through, this was too hard to keep reading...

[Ianthe Silverfire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I try not to hate read books, so many other books to read. But I happened to read Dragon Rose first and it was so good! I gave it 5 stars! I'm so confused. This was not just bad, but detestable. I have never met a couple with less chemistry. Never! I bought the 3 book boxset on amazon and what a freaking waste. Reading the description of book 3 I have zero desire to read it.

[Tanja Glavnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only qualm is that Shaine took FOREVER.

Other than that, though, it was nicely paced, didn't have too many complications, and certainly none of that will she-won't she, which I definitely appreciated!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our horrific traditional nursery rhyme comes to life in a fantasy world in this story! Great combination of old healing practices with the rise of what we call modern medicine. I read Dragon Rose first and loved it - now to read more retellings in a unique world!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Depressing, gruesome, the second half was hard to push through. Dragged in a lot of places. Lots of strange deity ideas. I don’t know how I managed to finish it because there wasn’t much I actually did like about it.