Falling Night

Falling Night #1

by Lee Larsen

When Elizabeth Scott, a seventeen year old high school senior, first meets Leuken Bennett in the small town of Harrisburg, Oregon, she has no idea the danger she places herself in by falling for him.

Elizabeth cannot help her feelings for the mysterious boy. While she quickly discovers that he is one of the good guys after he saves her life the first time, it doesn't change the fact that his entire family is being hunted by the Verdorben. Elizabeth must decide if her budding relationship is worth the danger it places her and her family in. What she doesn't realize until after she falls for Leuken, is that by being with him she risks losing more than just her life.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2012

About the author

Lee Larsen is the author of the Falling Night Series. He currently possesses a BA from UNLV, and lives in Las Vegas with his wife and five children. Lee enjoys reading, running, swimming, basketball, and doing anything with the family. He enjoys reading most fantasy and writes primarily urban fantasy and young adult paranormal romance novels.

Reviews

[Asuka0278 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I want to say I received this book in a recent goodreads.com give-away; and I'm soooo glad I did. I absolutely LOVED it. In fact I was surprised by how much I liked it. I think the summary on the back of the book should be written differently. It makes this book sound like a "Twilight-y" type of a book if you go by the summary. And, while there might be some small elements (achingly pretty people, girl completely falls for boy against better judgement, father is a retired cop, special abilities....) Those are so minor compared to what the story is ultimately about. There has got to be a better description for this book. It's an ancient good fights against ancient evil type of story. There's definitely more to the story of the history between the two sides. The information revealed in the book is through the characters' own experiences and is limited to their knowledge of the good vs. evil story so you don't know anymore about it than they do. It creates for more mystery and questions about the history between these two sides. It leaves you wanting to know more. Obviously there is going to be at least one more book and I honestly look forward to reading the next one. Write fast Mr. Larson! :)

[Nicole Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how incredible this book was. When a friend recommended it to me, I was somewhat skeptical because I had never heard of the author. Against my better judgement I decided to give it a try... and was so glad that I did! My kids kept interrupting me while I was reading,which was annoying because it was so good, but I finally finished it at three in the morning and it was definitely worth the missed sleep.If you haven't read this one yet you are missing out.

[RK Bitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found myself staying up late to find out what happened next which is something I wasn’t expecting. 14 year old son loved the series. Pleasantly surprised with some great plot concepts to drive the story forward and ultimately making the conflict complex and somewhat heart-rending. Interesting to see where the author takes it.

Also, it is great to know the author and have that be part of the reading experience. So brave to put pen and passion to paper and publish to the world.

[Abby Bitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster. So many different emotions at different times. I would recommend this book, to everyone. I really liked this book, and I am so excited to read the next one!

[Ellen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit this book surprised me. It is rare to find original urban fantasy. I went into this one thinking that it would be another vampire book, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the author had created a new paranormal story. There were some similarities to Twilight early on, but as the story progressed it was refreshing to read something original.

Keep in mind that this is a young adult book, so if you are looking for sex, this book is not for you. If you like a good paranormal love story with some unexpected twists, then this book is definately for you. Be ready for a late night though, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. :)

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in one night. It kept me interested and wanting to know more. It was suspenseful, adventurous, and romantic. I love the characters especially the main characters Elizabeth and Luke. I can't wait to see what comes next from Lee Larson. I'm sure he will be entertaining us for years to come.

[Clay Raye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not normally a huge fan of anything with too much romance in it, and I almost gave this one four stars because of the mushyness, but in the end I had to go with five stars because of the last few chapters. They were absolutely sick! You can tell that most of the book is geared towards women, but I still thought it was a good read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echoes of Twilight but interesting enough for young teen fun read. Male author has surprising insight into the mind of the teenage girl. Am passing it on to my youngest daughter & expect she will enjoy it.

[Shambhawi P. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like rereading Twilight.

'Nuff said.

1 Star

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmmm...I am really unsure about that three stars. I think a tentative 3.5 is in need.

So the song choice is "Always" by Panic! At the Disco.

Okay so first thoughts: It was original and did some very interesting things that i enjoyed. But in reality this took me like a week to finish because i got stuck about half way through and i didn't know if i actually wanted to finish. And i will go into my detail later, but overall the second half was through sticking it through. For the most part. Again i will get to that later. But if you are looking for something new - paranormal new - here you go!

Now onto the plot: Alright, now here is where most of my problems with this book stemmed from. The pacing was meh at best. The story started off really strong, and really well paced but then about half way we hit a wall, and hit again, and again, again. Little burst of things happened but they were over as soon as they started and i got a little bored. :( sad days. But then at the end it picked up again and i was happy, but i am very angry with you Lee Larsen! I will talk about it later at the end of the review. I like to keep you all in suspense. I liked the new paranormals that were introduced in this story and if you are thinking you know what it is you are wrong. Its rare to come across something new and well developed. I really want to talk about the characters because part of the plot has to deal with them, i might do part two of plot after talking about the characters.

Characters!

Elizabeth (Liz, Izzie, and yeah): I loved her. Oh my god! I think i was ready to bat for the other team for her at one point. She is amazing, really because one of the most annoying things in the whole wides world! is the main character that thinks she is entitled to know everything about going to be love interest before they even know anything about each other. When Liz is first saved by Luke (GASP oh get over it you know that he does if you read the summary :p ) so anyways when she first gets saved by him, she tells him that she is curious but will give him time to get to know her in order to see that she is trustworthy. Talk about awesome? I think yes. She is extremely mature for her age, and rightfully so since she is almost raising her much younger brother. I liked her because she wasn't the angst-y teen that is going to bitch and moan about it, and be like, i just want to be a kid! Well i would like to fly -well thats not true i don't want to fly i haven't figured what my awesome superpower it would be but its not flying - anyways getting off topic - well i would like to do sometype of impossible thing but its not going to happen, and i accept that gratefully, sort of, and live my life as it is and make the best out of what i have for now because time will bring changes. I know i am so wise you can go ahead take that piece of advice and share with all your friends saying you made it up ;) damn i get distracted easily...okay back to Liz she was a smart girl, and loyal. She was strong but also again she was well rounded so she wasn't just this i am super kickass don't touch me kinda girl but she had moments when she was vulnerable and that is amazing in my opinion.

Luke (I cannot remember how to spell his actual name and i am feeling lazy so i am not going to look it up): He was a neato dude. He was incredibly sweet, and caring. He is strong and dangerous. Huh...well i don't know what else to say about him, we only get his POV near the end of the book and i am not talking about that because i don't do spoilers. But he is understanding and takes his time with Liz.

Kay so i liked the other characters but i want to say that i love what Lee Larsen did with the POV shifts because there was a purpose to it and i loved that, and that is why i am willing to give this a 3.5 at the moment. And now on to other reasons why this got a 3.5 from me.

Plot prt. 2: So i just talked about the characters yeah? I loved them, really i did but their relationship felt very 2D to me. It was only on the paper and near the end yeah i felt it, i did but for the most part i was like, okay relationship but i wanted more. I wanted i don't know to feel like i was falling head over heels with them. I don't mind the vague moments to help time move along but the moments they did have together that were slowed down there wasn't enough meat there for me to dig into. And the romance being lean wouldn't have bothered me if it wasn't the main basis for the middle of the book because the other action happens near the beginning and near the ending. So yeah.

The ending. Oh by the way i am glaring right now. CLIFFHANGER. grrr. Not nice. not nice at all.

So my last piece of advice is this: i think it is worth trying out, I don't know if it will be your cup of tea but give the sample on Amazon a try and see how you feel but maybe i was just being distracted and that is why i felt so strongly about the pacing being sort of meh. I also think it was because there were lots of stretches of nothing happening besides normal life and which we all know is boring ;)

Alright i am done. So if you don't totally hate me for my review, or if you enjoyed what you read and you a looking for something to read afterwards, well lucky you i know a place that has a bunch of indie authors, its my blog! yeahhh i am that asshole but you know what i didn't cram it down your throat at the beginning and i will give you cop out right now, just walk away i won't be offended too much. but if you do want to see what my friend and i have to say about books you can check out our blog and all that jazz. http://theviolethourbookreviews.wordp...

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok but the people in the book were ok too

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won the third book in the Goodreads giveaway, so I'm starting from book one. I was first put off by the reviews, but I loved this book! I had a hard time putting it down and ended up reading till well past my bedtime. I'm eager to find out what happens next! on to book two now!

[Chad in the ATL · Rating 1 out of 5]

Elizabeth Scott believes she is going to just finish off a boring senior year of high school. Little more than a year removed from the death of her mother and a move to rural Harrisburg, Oregon, her focus is on her little brother, her father and her best friend. When Leuken Bennett shows up, however, Elizabeth quickly becomes smitten with the mysterious boy. What she isn’t prepared for is the danger her and her family are suddenly thrown into by falling in love with someone who is targeted by the evil Verdorben.

I’m not even sure where to begin with the problems I faced reading Lee Larsen’s fantasy novel Falling Night. I suppose the premise of a bloodline with special powers being hunted by supernatural hunters known as the Verdorben might hold some promise. However, the execution was poor. Right from the start in the prologue, the death of Leuken’s father is written with little flow and chalked full of cliché after cliché.

Falling Night didn’t get any better from there. All of the characters are stiff as cardboard and completely predictable. They might as well have worn white hats and black hats too, because good and evil were so obvious. There was no subtlety and no surprises. The dialog was trite and boring. There wasn’t anything worth holding on to in the entire story. It frankly read like a bad video game plot. And the ending was so emotionally dead; it was hard to even comprehend.

I’m not going to spoil anything by pointing out all of the inconsistencies, but none of this book made a bit of sense. I know it is fantasy, but even fantasy has to make sense within itself. It also needs to have a point. Falling Night had neither. Someone is going to say ‘this is geared for younger readers.’ That’s no excuse for a poor story. The Hunger Games was meant for younger readers. So was Harry Potter. They were good. This was not. Time to move on.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling Night reminds me of Twilight and to be honest, not in a good way.

3.5 stars!

Similarities:
1)It starts out with a the protagonist, Elizabeth Scott, who moves into a small town. The setting is basically a small town surrounded by the woods. Falling Night also has a tiny high school.

2) The main guy, Luke Bennet, and his family all have super natural powers.

3) Single parent household although one is due to death one is from divorce

4) They seem to fall in love at first sight.

5) Gorgeous but doesn't seem to know it?

6) Elizabeth, like Bella, also obtains supernatural powers.

It was a typical YA novel until Elizabeth got her powers. That was what made this novel pretty awesome for me, too bad it happened a little more than halfway towards the end. I feel that Larsen didn't need to build up to this climax so much, instead he should've spent more time on the chase and on Elizabeth being the tainted. When Elizabeth became the tainted, that was when you see the depth in character of Leuken. His reaction was pleasantly surprising. Call me a cynic but I wish Larsen drew out the hate a little longer. It makes it more of a YA and less of a fairy tale.

*I won this book from Goodreads Giveaway*

[Alysa H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some promise - there are a few plot points ripped straight from Twilight but this heroine, Elizabeth Scott, is actually more appealing than Bella Swan by far. She seems like a real girl with a real life and real problems, and not a transparent Mary Sue figure. I was intrigued by the Bennett brothers regardless of romance, and the supernatural world here also has the potential to be fresh and interesting.

Unfortunately the execution's just not very good. The awful grammar, wooden dialogue with character voices that are inconsistent at best, and incorrect word choices (ancestor =/= descendant, perspective =/= prospective!) seemed to get worse and worse as the book wore on, almost as if the author had simply decided to give up proofreading. I got as far as the huge, awkward mid-book Info Dump about Luke's "Bloodline" backstory before I gave up. If I find out the author's done a massive reedit of the whole novel -- including lots of cuts, since the whole thing is a bit slow, repetitive, and far too long -- I'll give it another try. Otherwise, at 50% through, this is a DNF for me .

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway ARC. First off, let me say that i am pleaseantly surprised with how much i liked this book. Very well written for a first novel. I won't go into too much detail...i would hate to spoil the story for future readers. Let's just say that this is a story of boy meets girl with a new, original and slightly supernatural twist. The characters were well written. The story wrapped up well at the end, but was also left open just enough for a possible second book if the author decides to turn this into a series. Aside from a few spelling errors that could have easily been auto-correct, Mr. Larsen did a fantastic job. Keep up the good work!

[Joel Luzmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start with the disclaimer: I received this book as a bonus book along with the sequel "Chasing Daylight" as part of a goodreads First Reads giveaway. It is not one of the usual genres that read. That said, I did enjoy the book and read through it fairly quickly - a sign that it kept me engaged. I appreciated the fact that the fantasy part of the book was not over-the-top, but rather was grounded in reality and that there was action from the prologue through the last chapter. The teenage romance got a little sappy at times but not enough to bog down the story. Probably best suited for young adult readers but a good read nonetheless.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!




I absolutely loved this book! Loved all the characters. One pet peeve was Nikki's constant use of "like".
I hope the next book delves into more history of the bloodline and the verboden.
Will they get the bracelet off? Would've been more upset if Alex became tainted. What will Liz do now? I can't wait for next installment (s).

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a slow start. Alot of background to the characters. I enjoyed the story line, refreshing new concept on characters.

I recieved a copy from Goodreads, Lee Larson included this first novel with the win of Chasing Daylight. Now I will start Chasing Daylight to continue this adventure from Falling Night.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great!! I can't wait for book two!

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you so much! Good book. Can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Teri]

I'm just not feeling this...got to about page 75...I don't know...maybe I'll pick it up another time.

[Mechele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at readforyourfuture.blogspot.com

[Brishna luni · Rating 5 out of 5]

good storyline loved it. want to read it more.