Falling

Girl with Broken Wings #1

by J. Bennett

Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ASIN B006SNSHBM.

FALLING is a gripping paranormal adventure with a quirky, resilient heroine!

Maya knew something was wrong... The stranger’s glowing hands were a big tipoff.

When the stranger murders Maya’s boyfriend with a single touch and injects the college sophomore with a DNA-altering serum, Maya prays for a savior. Instead, she gets a double helping of knight-in-not-so-shining-armor when two young men claiming to be her half-brothers pull off a belated rescue.

Now Maya is swiftly transforming into an “angel”, one of the scientifically enhanced, energy-sucking creatures her brothers have spent their whole lives trying to destroy. Maya’s senses sharpen, her body becomes strong and agile, and she develops the ability to visually see the emotions of those around her as colorful auras…beautiful auras…tempting auras.

Struggling to control the murderous appetite that fuels her new abilities, this reluctant protagonist must find a way to accept her new condition and learn to trust her angel-hunting brothers as she joins them in their fight against the powerful and destructive creatures.

On the up side, at least Maya’s eldest brother has stopped trying to kill her!

FALLING takes all the foul-mouthed, attitude-driven humor of the BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD series and combines it with the action-packed, love/hate family dynamics of the CW show SUPERNATURAL.
Get ready to fall hard for FALLING, the first novel in J Bennett’s new adult paranormal series, GIRL WITH BROKEN WINGS.

Warning: This book contains violence, sexual content, and strong language.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Ebooks, Urban Fantasy, Angels, Romance, Fiction

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

J Bennett lives and writes in San Diego. Her writing partner is a bunny named Avalon who contributes to each manuscript by trying to eat it. His adorableness is his primary strength as a writer.

J Bennett is a professional copywriter and an author who loves asking that oh-so-dangerous question – “What if?” She currently writes a paranormal adventure series, Girl With Broken Wings, and a tongue-in-cheek short story series, The Vampire’s Housekeeper Chronicles, featuring a very old, very grouchy, very non-sparkly vampire and his patient housekeeper.

She also writes the blog www.ShyWriter.com
 
Find J Bennett online at www.jbennettwrites.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jbennettwrites.

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING 4.5 STARS

Falling is book one in the series, Girl With Broken Wings by J. Bennett. It is also a part of the anthology, Powers, Spice, and Not So Nice. This is my first book by J. Bennett. This book will change how you feel about angels. Angels are not always the winged saviors we envision. They can be evil and deadly.

Maya is going through life seemingly normally, going to college, living with her boyfriend, with no knowledge at all of a history of both good and evil, just waiting to draw her in and change her future. That is until the night when her boyfriend is attacked and killed and she is kidnapped. Her kidnapper calls her his daughter and tells her he is going to change her, make her better, stronger. After two injections, she is changing. The pain is horrible. He claims he isn’t done yet. She needs one more to make the process complete. But before he can finish what he started, two young men storm in and save her.



Gabe and Tarren are Maya’s half-brothers and have been searching for her for so long. They didn’t want her drawn in to this nightmare but when she was taken, they had to save her. Now she is partly into the transition. Is she an angel or just a hybrid? These two brothers are both complex and amazing. I am in love with them both. Gabe and his smile and his jokes make my heart flutter. And Tarren and his wounded soul. Even with all the anger he carries around with him, you can’t help but love him.



“Wings would be nice, but there are other ways to fly.”

Angels are not a good thing in this book. They are not guardians or saviors. They are evil. Through biology, they have been engineered to be faster and stronger, all their senses heightened. They do not eat regular food but feed off the sunlight. But they also feed off of the energy or auras of both humans and animals. The more they feed, the stronger they get. To feed is a constant need, impossible to suppress. Maya wasn’t completely changed so can she control her desire to feed? Are Gabe and Tarren safe around her?

“Bad things will always happen to good people, angels or not.”



Gabe and Tarren are sort of a two man army trying to eradicate the angels. Maya is their sister and the only family they have left. Gabe wants to trust her but Tarren, not so much. He is convinced she will feed off of them the first chance she has.



I don’t think I would have found this book if I hadn’t been reading the Powers and Spice anthology. But I’m so glad I did. Maya is thrown into this world she knew nothing about. She’s terrified. And to have two brothers she also knew nothing about, one of which wants her dead. But Maya continually surprised me with her strength. This girl was just amazing with all she was dealing with. She finds a way to channel her grief and she has one motivation that will keep her going, to kill the man that called himself her father, the man that kidnapped her and made her what she was. I do plan to eventually continue on with this series. I need to know what Maya’s future holds.



“I need someone to believe in me. I need to know that someone thinks I’m strong enough to save myself, even if I don’t.”

[Hollow Well · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a difficult time settling into this book. I think that I was angry with the marketing strategy. You know the one where the first "book" is free and then equally spaced chunks of story get wrapped in further bookends that come at a cost with a degree of uncertainty as to how many tomes must be purchased to complete the story. On the other hand, I also noted that this author can write really, really well. She has an awesome command of language and, at the start, it felt that it was employed to the point that it felt like the author was just showing off. (OK, that was probably just me in one of my moods.) But, really though, I enjoyed the book.

So, Maya gets one shot less than is required to transform her from human to "angel". These "angels" require no food to eat to maintain their superhuman bodies, rather they must feed off energy sources like the sun, or the spark of life which must be stolen from animals and such... Apparently the tastiest sources of energy are other humans and now Maya craves for the opportunity to lay her hands on some unwitting victim and suck out their life force. Luckily, for humans, the incompleteness of her transformation leaves enough rationality to keep her from doing the deed (we all must hope). Well, she gets nabbed by two angel hunters who are her half brothers and they are off on a great adventure to seek revenge upon the ass who forced this transformation upon her - each character hoping that she is able to resist going on a murderous killing spree along the way.

She's kind of like the hybrid between a werewolf and a vampire, I feel.

This chunk of book provides a healthy amount of exposition which, of course, is necessary when you are going to introduce your own new monsters. Let me tell you though, the back stories of each of these characters is somewhat depressing. Add up all these bits of depressing into a couple of hours of reading and you'll find yourself pouring in the Fun-Dip without using the edible lick stick just to pull yourself back into a framework suitable to climbing from bed on a rainy morning without biting anyone.

In the end though (or the middle, I suppose. See the first paragraph above.) I really enjoyed the story, the idea of this monster, and how this monster's cravings were portrayed. I want to read the next chunk, but the fun-dip ran out before I was able to reach for my wallet. I'm sure I'll reach for it eventually. And, if you think about it, I probably would not have read this author without a free chunk. I believe now that if she wrote an entire story in a single book, I'd pay for it. So, you know, conflicted.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brought to you by Annabell

Note: Spoilers ahead!

The past three years have been filled with such vampire craze it seems everyone has forgotten there are other types of mythological creatures. As a reviewer, this has been as bad as having a tooth pulled out! Thankfully, there are authors with refreshing ideas and new stories to dive into. Author J. Bennett is such an author. She offers a unique take on what has now become the new trend of angel-character driven stories.

But that does not mean the book is not without its flaws. Let me begin with what worked for the book. Two of the main characters, Tarren and Gabe who are brothers, were a perfect balance for each other. Gabe is funny, hopeful and has a good heart despite the tragedy he has endured. Tarren is tougher than steel, mysterious and can seem rather cold but readers discover there’s more to him. I like the dynamic between the brothers and how close the two are. The author did a good job of showing how truly alone Tarren and Gabe have been in their battle and how that has shaped the way they interact with the world—or well, lack of interaction with the world.

I also love the unique take on angels. Maya is not exactly an angel; she is a genetically enhanced human. Basically, she goes from being a shy down to earth normal girl, to a hybrid who can’t help but want to suck out people’s lives by touch-literally. Based on the title of the book, I had expected for Maya to in fact have wings or encounter someone with wings at some point. I had expected a big war of angels over some kind of forbidden love but I was surprised to read a book about a girl who developed special gifts (against her will) instead. I like that the author used the take of angels as inspiration but threw in her own original twist.

Here is where the coin flips and the flaws begin to rear their ugly faces. As much as I wanted to like Maya, especially since she is the reason for the story and the one who narrates the entire book, I found myself skipping whole pages to get to Gabe and Tarren. As much as I can understand why the author felt the necessity to dive into Maya’s emotional and mental turmoil due to the hardships she faces, there was too much of it. Maya became redundant after a while which dragged out the chapters.

The story felt more told to the reader than shown because Maya talked about her past constantly but the reader never had a chance to really know who she was before the big change she undergoes. After a certain point, as a reader, I just couldn’t sum up the sympathy anymore for her and needed her to gather herself up, figure out a plan and fight for herself! There were just too many parts where Maya was so stuck inside her circumstance that she came off more as whinnying than contemplating. Yes, I understand she is going through a lot but I wanted to see her grow as a character, I wanted to see some maturity, some strength. Even in the end, when she finally finds her inner strength, she still feels distant from the reader.

Perhaps my distance to Maya’s character was due to the fact that I had to skip pages but the narration just felt too stifling.

I can also understand how shy Maya is because I share that in common with both the author the character. But I also know being shy does not make a person weak and Maya comes off that way which is a disappointment since the author herself is a woman. I expected Maya to be a stronger female lead. She has her moments but sometimes they come off more as her having no common sense or sense of preservation than being strong.

The pacing is haphazard because Maya’s narration becomes long winded. The suspense is done fairly well, especially when Gabe and Tarren are in the picture. Gabe and Tarren are written quite well and their relationship is shown in detail. The dialogue is pretty good. I did like the dark content and was grateful the author didn’t follow the usual route of graphically describing every detail.

I really like the author and I really like the concept behind her plot but as a reader, I just wanted to flip things around and liven up Maya’s character a bit to connect with her better. I can see what the author was attempting to accomplish with the story and Maya’s character, I just wish it was more polished.

Falling, the first book in the Girl With Broken Wing Series is a book that holds a lot of potential as does the author. I look forward to seeing how the author grows in her writing style and voice.

http://openbooksociety.com/article/fa...

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

See the book tour, click the button to go to my blog, you can read an excerpt there too.



I have some issues with this book, there is some good, and some not so good that I found. Overall it’s not a bad read at all, just maybe not for me I guess.

The Paranormal beings in this book, are actually scientifically altered to become vampire-like creatures. These creatures do not drink blood to survive, but they suck the life energy of humans and animals. (I would have called them psychic vampires, which I had read about in another book, and they also lived off the energy, not blood, so that is not a new concept at all) They are called Angels in this book, which I have a problem with, it’s very misleading as I stated these creatures are more like psychic vampires than angelic, and are not “good” either. The extra human strength and powers that these creatures have make them believe they are better than humans and call themselves angels, no wings either, again, it’s all misleading as is the cover of the book. I was expecting a fallen angel’s book, it’s NOT, just fyi. More sci-fi really.

This story really felt like it was told to the reader, rather than shown, I was not able to connect with Maya at all. There were just so many parts where Maya was so stuck inside her own circumstances that she came off very whinny, and I know she has good reasons for it, but I just would have liked to see more growing up as a character than I did. I wanted to see some maturity and strength.

I really lost any connection I may have had and totally just shut down and hated her after she killed the border collie puppy, that was a deal breaker to me, I almost stopped reading right there. I just can’t handle that. In that scene, any animal could have been used, ANY, so I just started to shutdown towards this book at that point. If this book was not for a book tour, I would have stopped there.
(don’t worry, no blood and torture, she just sucks it life energy, but still, she killed it, just not cool)

There was this thing she called the song that I was confused by. It took me awhile to figure out what was meant by this. I guess it when
Maya feels the pull to take people’s lives by absorbing their auras (life energy) It was just really odd how that was described as a song, and wasn't really explained.

The language was off putting at times, some obscure words would pop up, and if not for having the kindle to look them up, would not know what the meanings were, and even then, some didn’t really fit the story.
Overall it was still interesting for sure, there is nothing like this out there for sure. It worth giving it a try, I am more sensitive to some things than most people, (animals) and overall the writing was pretty good. A good start to an interesting series.

I would also categorize this book more as a YA Paranormal/Urban Fantasy novel. Most people who enjoy paranormal books will most likely enjoy this one.

4 out of 5 stars for me, as it’s not my favorite, bit still good and interesting overall.

I was provided a copy of this book by the author for my honest review.

[DebbieReadsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
4.5 fangs (really, really liked it)


I was given this book by PRATR for a fair and honest review.


what the blur says....The intellectual challenge of college and the warm embrace of a serious boyfriend have given Maya the wings she needs to break away from her bookish and shy reserve. Her ideal life comes crashing down when she and her boyfriend are accosted by a stranger. A stranger with glowing hands. Maya's boyfriend is killed. She is kidnapped. Changed. A rescue comes, but not soon enough. Maya’s senses sharpen, her body becomes strong and agile, and she develops the ability to visually see the emotions of those around her as colourful auras…beautiful auras…tempting auras. And then there’s the song… Now, Maya must struggle to control the murderous appetite that fuels her new abilities, accept her altered condition and learn to trust two vigilante half-brothers she never knew she had. As she joins the battle against a secret network of powerful and destructive beings that call themselves "Angels", Maya vows to find and destroy the one who changed her. On the bright side, at least Maya's oldest half-brother has stopped trying to kill her.


what I say......its hard to come up with something in the paranormal genre, but by Jove, I think she's got it! Angels, but no wings. Feeding, but no teeth involved. Creations, but no evolution involved. this book tells of Maya, how she becomes changed, her life before she was changed, and the one after. it deals with Maya's half brothers and their fight against the Angels, and WHY they are fighting. told almost entirely from Maya's point of view, except one little bit at the beginning. that bit tells the same scene from each of the brother, Gabe's and Tarren's point of view, and I would have liked to have heard more from them as the book went on. Maya struggles with her new life, and fights the need to feed all the time, but the song she keeps hearing is getting louder, more detailed. some animals help, so if you don't like to deal with dead bunnies, maybe not your book! not really an over 18, no sex and some violence to humans, but a little too much to be a young adult, because of the poor bunnies (and fish, but fish aint so cuddly!) I'd say over 16.


grabbing you, right at the start, it does not let up. it also does not finish, and there are more books in this series, and I should like to read them, to see what happens to Maya, Gabe and Tarren, and hope that whoever changed Maya gets their comeuppance!


I really struggle with first person, present tense, I really do. its not my favourite, at all, and that's the only reason I couldn't give it 5 fangs. maybe not right for some, but that's just my opinion.

[Ramona Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling is an interesting book written by J Bennett. This book has a very interesting concept which is the reason why I picked it up in the first place. It started off very promising and through you right in the midst of the action. Sadly that is kind of where it stopped. Once Maya was with her brothers the plot for the most part stagnated. There was a lot of talk about hunting more "angels" and how to cure them, but no work for the cure was done, just some tests, and how they got some of the machines they had is beyond me but anyways, and the book kind of ended with her going on her first hunt and realizing who or more what she is! The ending for the first part was somewhat a cliff hanger but actually a good one since it was closure and left in my eyes the book on a good note that it needed.
But inbetween her arriving and her hunt, there was a whole lot of "not much" going on. Some character development, but some just page filling and it felt like the story was being dragged out.

Maya was an interesting character. I liked that she tried to control her "hunger" and that she didn't seem to loose herself. What I didn't like was that she just wouldn't listen. I also didn't care for the puppies images in my head, that one was rough. Rabbits and such I could deal with but the puppies was difficult I admit. The two brothers made sense as characters and complemented each other well I thought.

All in all this book had a lot of promised and some really good parts! I think it needs a little more tweaking though. It did have a bit of the "Supernatural" vibe because of the 2 brothers hunting those "angels".

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maya is on campus when her boyfriend is murdered, she is abducted, and a stranger swaps bone marrow with her. Now two men claiming to be her brothers flip rapidly between wanting to kill her or take care of her. They say she is an angel. All she knows for sure is that she is hungry.

The beginning pacing of Falling is off. Maya suffers through a lot of trauma in a short period. She doesn't get used to the pain of her new body, but she manages to function quite well and quite quickly. Where I would anticipate a person being unconscious, Maya is up and awake, retains her memories, and the ability to not to kill. It ends up being unbelievable. Why are others, who are more prepared for the change, succumbing to the madness, but Maya doesnt? What makes her so special?

Falling is one of the few series that would benefit from either multiple povs or an entirely different main pov. Instead of repetitive descriptions of the endless pain she is in, Maya could have been unconscious while we are filled in by Gabe. Tarren could have been just as mysterious by refusing to think of things while we are in his pov. Gabe's guilt could have colored all those times he had to chain up his long lost sister.

Tarren and Gabe were both the delights of Fallen and the only reason I kept reading. Gabe is a sweetheart. Tarren's story is intriguing. They were both fully fleshed out characters and I was pleasantly surprised by that. Dimensional characters are hard to craft and hard to find in a ebook freebie.

The plot doesn't really go anywhere. This is more of a character study than a plot driven story. Family history and emotions are the focus, here. I skimmed through Maya's alone time at times because Maya's pain, while reasonable, is redundant. I can't decide if I'm going to continue.

[Amanda Marsico · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept, world-building, and characters have so much potential, but I was looking for more. The portions that are described in depth are so richly crafted, and I loved those moments. There weren't enough. The first few chapters are extremely rushed and short. The initial action happens so quickly that I was left with lots of questions. Most were eventually answered, but again, I thought there were a lot of missed opportunities for more lore. It all comes down to pacing. The things that were deeply descriptive weren't really the things I needed to know more about, leaving the narration off balance or oddly priotritized. But, what I look for may not be what others look for. I'm not a visual person, so those rich visual descriptions mean less to me. Overall, the story has the necessary momentum to make for a compelling adventure, but it had too much momentum for my tastes. I like to linger on scenes, not with visuals and other sensory info, but with background, inner monologue, and emotion. Errors with grammar/mechanics were also distracting (things like mixed up spelling, for example saying "deep seeded" vs. "Deep-seated," improper semi-colon use, and others. There were too many to call them typos and turn off my inner critic. I won't be continuing the series. Errors aside, it's just not my style preference of narration, despite how much I enjoyed the concept of the story. A very original take on an angel tale.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flew through Book 1! I immediately signed up for the author's mailing list and received a free novella. Barely into the novella, I bought the box set of all 5 plus 2 novellas. I love the twist with the angels - twists everything around in your mind and brings to the forefront "what would you do in this situation?" (Trying REALLY hard not to spoil anything here!)

The strategic plot-point reveal timeline captivated me. I was losing sleep at night because I was reading until well after midnight, not wanting to put away the book until the next day. While Falling can standalone, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't continue through the entire series (come on folks, it's already written...you won't be left hanging) to wrap up various threads that were teased out in Book 1.

The realistic nature (in hopefully an alternative sci-fi universe, but these days with science - who knows) of the struggles and life altering events draws the reader into the saga of these siblings trying to fight evil...or is it evil? ... I quickly found myself identifying with all of the 3 main characters but especially with one character in particular. The differences in the main characters allow the reader to see qualities and behaviors of themselves exhibited in response to the chase, the adjustment to new lifestyles, new relationships, and overall family dynamics.

[♥♥Mari♥♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: (I would like to thank Ms. Bennett for providing me with a print copy of her book. This has in no way affected my opinion of this novel; I must give praise when it's really due.)


There are so many positive adjectives I can apply to this novel, I scarcely know where to begin. It's totally exciting. Dramatic. Vividly intense. Poignant. There are humorous passages, as well. Need I add that it's an utterly riveting, page-turning read?

The cover perfectly illustrates the drama and darkness of this fascinating novel. I love the picture of the girl desperately clutching her temples, as she gazes at her winged reflection on the ground, with the two mysterious figures in the background. As for the title, the heavily stylized letter "F", in the word, "Falling" is amazingly done, and very effective.

With this book, Bennett takes on a very serious, vitally important theme -- the dangers inherent in the attempt to create 'super humans'. I see her novel as an implied criticism of the modern movement known as transhumanism. According to Wikipedia, this is "an international cultural and intellectual movement with an eventual goal of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities." Critics of this movement cite such possible negative outcomes as dehumanization, the threat of coercive eugenics procedures, threats to morality and democracy, and other grave existential risks.

In this novel, the super humans are also monsters. For some reason, these frightening creatures have given themselves the name of "angels". They are more accurately described as energy vampires. They must survive on the energy they suck from other beings, especially humans, killing them in the process. Although they can also absorb energy directly from the sun, it's never quite enough, and 'the hunger' is terrifyingly intense.... They are also supremely arrogant, contemptuous of those whom they consider beneath them: normal, average humans. All this is in stark contrast to the nature of real angels, so it strikes me as very ironic, as well as presumptuous, that these beings would dare to give themselves such a name.

In spite of the book's dark theme, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole plot, from beginning to end. That was largely due to Bennett's deft characterizations and brilliant prose. I was even willing to overlook the unfortunate appearance of "the F bomb" every few pages. Believe me, it's not every day I find myself doing such a thing!

The following paragraph is a sample of Bennett's powerful, vivid prose:

"Mostly, the hunger is a song with a secret melody only I can hear. The music clings to each breath of wind and the calm in between. It hums along the spongy corridors of my brain, each note jumping from one stalled synapse to the next. At night, when the sun cannot feed me its thin soup, the song grows loud as thunder captured in my bones. Destruction concealed beneath the beauty. Such craven release. I'm not thinking clearly at all." (From the Prologue, pg. 3)

Maya, the main protagonist, vividly comes to life, with her passionate, loving nature, as well as her insecurities. In spite of these, she puts up a valiant fight to overcome the horrible hunger that now consumes her. Her attempts to fit in and bond with her newly-discovered brothers are very touching and poignant, revealing the fact that she's still human to some extent, in spite of her transformation.

Gabe and Tarren, Maya's brothers and the novel's two other protagonists, are perfectly drawn, as well. Gabe is the easy-going, fun-loving one, and he immediately accepts his sister in spite of her new nature. I loved his silly Chuck Norris jokes, his witty one-liners, and the way he felt protective of Maya, in spite of her insistence that she had no need of protection. If I could have had a brother, I would have picked someone like Gabe.

Tarren is the suspicious, tough-skinned brother. He's always on his guard, expecting Maya to turn on either him, Gabe, or both, at any moment. He and Gabe are always at odds wherever their sister is concerned. Their arguments create much of the tension in the plot, since the reader never knows whether Tarren will end up eliminating Maya, in spite of Gabe's insistence that she will not end up killing them. It was so heartrending to see Maya constantly striving to connect with Tarren emotionally, without much success.

I was somewhat uncomfortable with the brothers' self-appointed mission to hunt down and kill as many angels as possible. But then, these angels were killing innocent human beings, and they had to be stopped somehow. This is where the cruel realities of life can render a potentially evil situation as a morally ambiguous one. If the brothers were to stop their activities, more innocent people would die....

The ending is open-ended, because there are, of course, more installments to follow. I am very happy about this, since I want to read as many of these books as Ms. Bennett is willing to write! I love her gritty characters and the way they manage to pull together, in spite of their interpersonal difficulties. I also love the oppressively grim plot that, paradoxically, contains a ray of hope. This is dystopian fiction at its best!

To sum up, I have discovered a bold new talent to follow! I'm also hoping the books will make it to the silver screen in the foreseeable future; the action-filled plots, as well as the interpersonal dynamics among the three main characters, would translate well to that medium. Fans of dystopian fiction, thrillers, and science fiction, take note!




For more of my reviews, please visit my blog, A NIGHT’S DREAM OF BOOKS.

http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com

[Livia Sbarbaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya is falling...as the dark angel comes calling..

Maya and Ryan her boyfriend are walking through Avelon...A strange man appears killing Ryan ,swooping up Maya taking her away..This man is Grand...an evil dark angel who wreaks havoc and wants revenge..Maya now injected with a serum is a changelling an angel...but Tarren and Gabe rescue her..These changellings were made by Doctor Cook a man who so wanted to do good...yet darkness is within the hearts of some...and change can come at a price...Maya must leave her old life behind...Tarren and Gabe are the hunters...for Maya must learn to live new life....Everything is changing all around there are orbs of light...darkness and a whole new way...Will Maya stay forever a good angel...A story of darkness with rays of light...evil versus good....

[John C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long Winded

Brothers, Tarran and Gabe, meet up with their half sister, Maya, who is transitioning to be a vampire. Sorry, I mean 'angel'. Their mission is to destroy all such angels and the people who help them.

There is actually very little in this book, except for Maya's constant outpourings of poor lil ol me. She describes her hunger, her battle to control it, and all the friends and family that she has to leave behind.

A great book if you are into all these emotional diatribes. Don't read if you care about fluffy bunnies, puppies and goldfish! Not much humour to be found there. The insufficiently few action scenes came as a great relief.

Promisingly, there is a sense of momentum but it is not developed in this first book of the series. The writing style manages to generate a clarity to the characters' motivations on top of an intriguing storyline.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice surprise, this fantasy mystery paranormal thriller is about angel killers. Yup, that’s right, someone is killing angels!

But these angels are lab-created monsters injected with a serum that makes them hungry for energy in all life forms. It also makes them super human.

When Maya is infected, she also is rescued by two brothers Gabe and Tarren who claim to be her half brothers.

As they search for Maya’s father, the original monster angel, and others like him the three siblings are forced to face their fears and nightmares while trying to save the world from the lab created angels intent on killing humans.

Kinda weird yet kinda cool! And, oh yah, it’s a series!

[Bun Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting...The storyline was different...Angels that aren't angels and more like vampires. This book is about a college student named Maya who is abducted and turned into an angel. She is rescued by Gabe and Tarren who turn out to be her brothers. The brothers have made it their life's work to kill the angels and now they must figure out what to do with Maya. I enjoyed this book. Towards the middle I felt like the book began to drag but it picked back up. I will be following the series.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great concept I am sure but I just didn't like the way it was written. The whole book is written in the style of s prologue. The tense was all wrong and the sentences didn't flow. Just not in the moment. It was like a very long list of Text messages. I just can't put my finger on how the method of writing is so annoying. It's like there was no effort taken or the author is writing as if telling a story to someone else that's just not me. Maybe it's a translation problem - may not have been originally in English. May be its just me.

[ELIZABETH SPELLIOUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling

A very strong story.I don't like these kind of books too dark for my taste but once I started reading I couldn't get it out of my head so I kept coming back reading some more each time. Finally I just gave in, and read it too the end !! But it isn't over. Leaving you wondering what happens next. You will want to keep reading but this is a continuing serial No ending!! I really hate books that leave you in the lurch. NO I won't be buying the next installment. And WON'T be recommending to anyone !

[Terri Weitze · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book of a series, and unfortunately, it is basically a book of exposition. Yes, stuff happens, but not much that moves the actual story line forward. Just a lot of introducing characters and explaining situations and looking back. So this book is only useful if you intend to read more of the series (which I do not). The characters are probably the best thing about this book; and even so, I really was not enamored with any of them. The writing is fine. It just doesn't go anywhere, and I was counting the pages until I could be done with this one.

[Dana Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl gets infected by her own father with an ability to be super powerful and super fast but he fails to administer the last dose before she is rescued by her half brothers. Why was she rescued? Because this super ability makes her want to absorb human energy which kills said human. So the book is mainly about her internal war of not killing her brothers. This book never really makes much dent into anything else.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a just another vampire book. Oh, it puts a little different spin on the cliche, but it's not an original one by any means. This is a reluctant vampire who does not drink blood, but instead sucks the energy out of living things. She's what they call 'angels', a man made group of super humans who are now being hunted before they take over the earth and feed off of the rest of us. Meh. Sounds more exciting than it was. On to the next book. They can't all be this bad.

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure, when I started this if I was going to like it, as a fairly bog standard vampire themed hunt-'em-down story in the same vein as del Toro's Strain trilogy. However, I gradually warmed to the characters, even though they started off as somewhat 2 dimensional. I have now acquired the rest of the series, and hope they live up to my expectations. Good old Kindle, at least they come cheap!

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written paranormal story about Maya and her abrupt change in circumstances. There are two brothers, an evil father and an emotional abyss that tests the limits of all concerned.

It is told from the first-person perspective, which gives an in-depth look into Maya's character, thoughts, feelings and struggles.

Very well done. I will have to wait for the rest of the story when I can afford it.

Recommended.

[Paul Cobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sucked me in!

I love the premise of this book and the story just kept making me want to read more. It is a real page turner, but manages to make you have feelings for the main characters, as well! It is the first book in the series, but it thankfully does not end on a cliffhanger. There is definitely more to the series that you will want to read after you read this one, but it doesn’t end in the middle of a sentence or anything horrible like that some books do.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little out there

I finished the book, not so much because it intrigued me but because I’m stubborn and want to finish what I start. The theme was a bit different than some others, although the similarities to vampires was fairly strong. If you like near vampire genre’s then this would probably be a good book for you.

[Emily E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely fell in love with this series. I read every single book and was in freaking tears at the end of it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Gabe!! He is such a well written character and I love him. He is quite possibly one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I'm sad this series is over but it ended in such a great way I'm satisfied!

[Lucy Roderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful

Five star read!!! I love all genres of literature. I haven't read anything as captivating as Fallen for a while. Great story line. My heart has been hammering from the beginning. You'll fall in love with Tarren and Gabe, our heroes. And Maya, Fallen Angel heroine.

[Veronica Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me hooked from the first page. A new and evocatively gruesome twist on angels. Great characters, plot twists, action and interaction. Looking for the next book in the series. Stayed up late with this one.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow

Very confusing at first. Liked the characters and storyline. Wish it didn't end so soon. The book was all about her struggles and then it just ends. Needed more story was lacking. It started good and just ended leaving me confused.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really does challenge your perception of Angels.
It is downright absorbing and very hard to put down.
A broken girl and her 2 lost brothers are challenging the world of divisive and twisted greedy monsters.
So loved it.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual. It's not a vampire story.

The "angels" put their hands on someone/something and absorb the life energy. The victim is deemed to have died of a heart attack rather than any supernatural creature.

The lead characters are hunting the angels to kill them.

Absorbing

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Supernatural, this will be fun for you. It's easy to imagine Tarren and Gabe as Dean and Sam, with a few personality tweaks. Falling was a quick read (I couldn't put it down at some points), and it was endearing.