Experience power and suspense like never before. “Falling Sky” offers a fantasy romance where a human is pulled into a magical elf kingdom and is told she’s the chosen one.
Join Lavonna on a journey of coming into her power while uncovering secrets and discover how far she’ll go to protect her friends and fight for her fated mate.
She has a BA from Indiana University and is currently working in corporate America. She is thrilled to finally be using her degree in Creative Writing to write books about alien mates and their exciting sci-fi adventures.
She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, kiddo, and two cats.
Yes… horror is my #1, but romance? That’s a very close #2—and I’m so damn glad I read this.
We follow Lavonna, who gets pulled through a portal (did I mention I love Outlander?) and finds herself in a kingdom filled with elves and other magical creatures. This is romance fantasy, sure—but what really sold it for me was how human everyone felt. The dialogue, the problems, and the tensions—they were rooted in real-life issues: racism, gender roles, power dynamics, abuse, and the complexities of friendship. All of it handled with care, nuance, and heart.
But let’s talk about the real reason I was glued to the page: THE ROMANCE. Without spoiling too much, let me just say this—every romantic and emotional choice made in this book? Honestly, I think I’d have done the same (if I were dropped into an enchanted land filled with beautiful elves, of course). The pacing, the tension, the connection—it all felt real. I was hooked. I was blushing. I was giddy. But more importantly, Lavonna grows as an individual and is not only stuck to the romance.
The ending doesn’t hit like a cliffhanger exactly… maybe... technically? But it definitely leaves you needing more. So yeah, I’m off to start book two immediately after posting this.
Falling Sky is a captivating blend of fantasy elements reminiscent of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Eragon, delivering an immersive adventure that transports readers to a rich, magical world. From the very first page, the vivid descriptions of the landscapes pull you in, making it easy to lose yourself in this new realm alongside the protagonist. The world-building is both detailed and enchanting, yet accessible, allowing readers to quickly dive into the story without feeling overwhelmed.
The main character, an ordinary human girl, is thrust into a world of elves, magic, and fated mates, with the weight of saving the entire world on her shoulders. The plot is filled with twists that keep the stakes high and the surprises coming, making for an unpredictable and thrilling ride. The dynamic between the FMC and the world around her is both relatable and awe-inspiring as she navigates her unexpected role.
The books prose is not overly complicated, which allows for a quick and engaging read, perfect for readers who want to devour a book in a single sitting. The elements of romance, magic, and adventure mesh seamlessly, and the introduction of fated mates adds a layer of tension and excitement that keeps you turning the pages. The romance is also given a nice balance, with a medium level of spice that adds to the chemistry between the characters without overpowering the plot.
Overall, Falling Sky is a must-read for fans of high fantasy, with just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The cliffhanger ending has left me eager for the next installment. If you enjoy stories filled with magic, destiny, and a bit of romance, this one is definitely worth picking.
Disclaimer: I received an electronic advanced reader copy (eARC) of this book for free, but all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The suspense in this book, the emotions it evoked, the world building! Superb! The story sucked me right in and I didn't want to put the book down. I was transported to a fantasy world of magic, power crystals, danger, intrigue, and secrets, with twists and turns that had me thinking about the story when I wasn't reading. The book ends on a cliffhanger, as it is the first in a series, so the next one can't come soon enough!
I was able to read an early electronic copy of Falling Sky as an ARC reader! I love fantasy/romantasy and was instantly drawn in when I started reading this book! A human girl is transported into a magical elf realm and is told she is their chosen one, destined to save them all. What unfolds is a story of fated mates, found family, finding your own strength, and so much more. I can’t wait to see what happens next and I can’t recommend this book enough!
Please see that this is an ARC review and the author so kindly gave me the book in exchange for my honest review.
This book ARC was recommended to me by my best friend to read and the emotions I am feeling are unreal. The way I screamed at this book. Cheered at this book. It gave me that same sense of excitement that reading ACOTAR for the first time did.
I can't say I'm an avid fantasy reader (obliviously I mostly go for alien or monster romance) but I do love a touch of fantasy now and again and this book absolutely did not disappoint.
It is so hard to say too much without giving anything away. And this book is far better experienced for yourself instead of ruined by a review. But just know it is gripping and is an emotional rollercoaster.
What I will say is the FMC Lavonna definitely infuriated me at times. I wanted to help her. I wanted to grab her and shake her. I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to cheer for her. I can't say I would have made all the same choices she made in the book, but I was rooting for her just the same. I am absolutely smitten with this book and will be patiently waiting for the next installment because after that ending? I NEED IT SO BADLY.
I was so excited to start this book. The synopsis has a lot of elements that i like and i was so hopeful to love this book. Unfortunately, the execution really let me down. Especially the writing and the characters weren't working for me. I tried to push through, but the more i read, the more frustrated i got, so i decided not to finish this book. I don't want to leave a bad rating as to not negatively impact the author, but i did want to share my thoughts.
My first problem is the writing itself. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, some of the wordings are absolutely stunning. It sounds good and the sentences flow very well. However, the writing felt very bare bones. We had the skeleton of a story, but there was no meat to it. It felt like i was reading a summary of a book rather than the book itself. I wish everything was fleshed out and expanded upon a little more. The first chapter easily could have been 4-5 chapters. And if this was just the setup, i could get past that, but it stayed that way.
My other problem was with the characters. They don't talk and react the way real people would. Especially the inner monologue of the main character felt very weird to me. She accepted everything that happens far too easily in my opinion. If i was being pulled into a fantasy world with a man who says that we have a magical connection and that he has been waiting for me and that we're about to meet his mother, i would resist at least a little. Instead, when the main character arrives in the city, one of her first thoughts is that she's glad that there taking a more covert route as she's not ready yet to speak in front of a big crowd????? She just has such weird reactions to everything which made it very hard for me to relate to her.
Overall, i see elements for a great book here, but the execution super didn't work for me. If this were a debut, i would be willing to read more by the author, but since she already has quite some experience writing books, i think that Crystal M. Rose won't be the author for me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout. I try not to let this impact me and review the book as honestly as possible.
Lavonna loved the Fall season and the orange and red leaves still on the trees. Her walks along the path cleared her head. She walked this path when her parents had died in a car crash two years ago. And she had thought about ending her own life. Luckily she didn’t. Now she sees something odd at the end of the path. A tree with bright green leaves was in front of her, although all the others had red, yellow, and orange leaves. Even the bark was different. A black vine covered the base of the trunk and seemed to be pulling life from the roots. She reached out to pull off the vines, but they burned her fingers! Even the birds were avoiding the tree and she felt the urge to leave and return home, locking the door behind her. She did some cleaning, then went to bed. Bad dreams of the black vine kept her restless. And in the morning, her bandage had fallen off and she had a nasty scar in the shape of an ‘X’. Had she been marked for something? She ate outside on the patio. Something twisting up her leg got her attention -- the black vine was creeping across the patio and climbing her! Her socks protected her from the burn, She ran back inside and locked the door. But her patio was covered with a black vine carpet!
When Lavonna went to a coffee shop to search for solutions on her laptop for the black vine, she saw a man staring at him. His ears looked pointed! When she looked up at him again, he was gone. She went home and found the creeping tendrils in her living room and a glass window broken. Thinking she would die here, she saw a purple thread of light come down and the weeds turned to ash. She ran after the retreating light until a male voice told her to run for her life! But then she saw the green tree and felt compelled to run to it, finding the man from the coffee shop. His white wings fluttered and he swore he would protect her as he took her through a portal into Luminaria, a magical Elf kingdom, where she is identified as the chosen one who will save them. The reader is introduced to fated mates, courage, love, and so many more discoveries… and their story isn’t over yet!
Falling Sky is a captivating blend of fantasy elements reminiscent of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Eragon, delivering an immersive adventure that transports readers to a rich, magical world. From the very first page, the vivid descriptions of the landscapes pull you in, making it easy to lose yourself in this new realm alongside the protagonist. The world-building is both detailed and enchanting, yet accessible, allowing readers to quickly dive into the story without feeling overwhelmed.
The main character, an ordinary human girl, is thrust into a world of elves, magic, and fated mates, with the weight of saving the entire world on her shoulders. The plot is filled with twists that keep the stakes high and the surprises coming, making for an unpredictable and thrilling ride. The dynamic between the FMC and the world around her is both relatable and awe-inspiring as she navigates her unexpected role.
The books prose is not overly complicated, which allows for a quick and engaging read, perfect for readers who want to devour a book in a single sitting. The elements of romance, magic, and adventure mesh seamlessly, and the introduction of fated mates adds a layer of tension and excitement that keeps you turning the pages. The romance is also given a nice balance, with a medium level of spice that adds to the chemistry between the characters without overpowering the plot.
Overall, Falling Sky is a must-read for fans of high fantasy, with just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The cliffhanger ending has left me eager for the next installment. If you enjoy stories filled with magic, destiny, and a bit of romance, this one is definitely worth picking.
Disclaimer: I received an electronic advanced reader copy (eARC) of this book for free, but all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
What a wonderful first book to an incredible series. Falling Sky, book one of the Light and Dark Series, is a high fantasy with fated mates, guardian angels, found family, crystal magic, betrayal, and racial/political intrigue.
We follow our FMC Lavonna, a human who was thrown into this fantasy world full of elves and magic! She is strong willed and works for what she wants, but is somewhat naive and blinded by what she mistakes as kindness.
When Lavonna ends up in this new world she has a lot pushed at her and she takes it with stride! A fated mate, being the chosen one, training to acquire a crystal, and voices in her head!?
She is naturally curious and that makes for the best books, as she takes it upon herself to venture off and find answers! As she tries her best navigate the ways of this new world and fall in line with what is needed of her in this court. She does find help along with way with a few friends she has found she can trust, and of course from her guardian angel!
While the ending left on a painful cliffhanger (I love a good cliffhanger) it just leaves us begging for more and I know I will be thinking about this book for a while and wondering about all the possibilities to come!
Falling Sky is a fantastic fantasy book - I highly Recommend it! If you liked The Kingdom of lies, Plated Prisoner, or even the ACOTAR series then you will be right at home with this book! I will now be eagerly waiting for book 2:).
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Okay, first off - while it doesn’t affect my review, can I just say this is one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve ever seen? Wow. Anyway - this is definitely classic romantasy novel vibes! Very ACOTAR/ Bonded By Thorns. At first I wasn’t sure where it was going, but once the suspicions started settling in, I was hooked. Lavonna had great growth throughout the story and I can’t wait to see what is next for her.
I'm not a big fantasy reader other than Monster and alien romance but I had to read this because it's Crystal Rose! I won't go in to much detail because I feel this needs to be experienced first hand but damn I was on the edge of my seat at some parts! I know who my favourite is! The world building was so good and wasn't at all hard to follow. And that ending! I need more ASAP!
I dub this a new genre: Cozy Romantasy. This was a quick and fun read in an original fantasy world, with easy world/culture-building and a simple magic system. I LOVED the male love interest. And as someone who got a peek at the next book, let me tell you: the world, the characters the writing and development all just keep getting better.
I enjoyed this story with its fun characters and their chance to do good and save everyone. Some drama, intrigue and surprises kept it fun and interesting. Plus a cute fated mate story as a human learns there is more then she thought hidden.
I had the absolute joy of Alpha reading this book and loved every second of it. I got to be involved a bit more as far as the overall book itself and helped check for flow and grammar corrections.
But for the actual book, I loved it.
This book is definitely for my high fantasy, more plot based girlies. As this one isn't super spicy.
HOWEVER. THE TENSION IN THIS ONE??? SO GOOD. THE PLOT TWISTS? CRAZY. AND DONT TRUST ANYTHING. BECAUSE NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS IN THIS ONE AT ALL.
My brain was going in a million directions, trying to figure out what the actual plot twist was, and it blew me away!
This book definitely gives "Stay with the High Lord" Energy and I was sooooo here for it. I am already dying for the next book!!!