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Sparrow Falls #2
Falls the Shadow
Sparrow Falls, Louisiana is a dangerous place to live.
Tobias Dunwalton has lived in Sparrow Falls his entire life and is used to the bizarre happenings in the area. At least until strange things start happening to him, too. Tobias is an outcast and a misfit, which in Sparrow Falls means he should fit right in. Yet even among all the other freaks and weirdos, he stands out. He always has. There's something about Tobias most people don't like though he's never been able to figure out what that is. Now, however, someone has taken a very dangerous interest in him. One that could prove fatal if he doesn't figure out the mystery of what is going on in time.
Jeremy Harris has lived many different lives and died many violent deaths, always alone. In this life, Jeremy is the original serial killer of Sparrow Falls. He doesn't think of them as murders though. He thinks of them as necessary sacrifices. They are the only way he has to call out to a god he is beginning to think has forgotten him. Driven mad by the constant cycle of rebirth he's been damned to, Jeremy is determined to have the one thing he truly desires: a life lived in full with his beloved god beside him at long last.
Set on a collision course toward each other, Tobias and Jeremy will learn something they've always suspected: maybe salvation and oblivion are one and the same for some people.
The second installment of Justine Sebastian's nail-biting suspense thriller series is guaranteed to keep you up well past your bedtime and haunt your dreams.
Tobias Dunwalton has lived in Sparrow Falls his entire life and is used to the bizarre happenings in the area. At least until strange things start happening to him, too. Tobias is an outcast and a misfit, which in Sparrow Falls means he should fit right in. Yet even among all the other freaks and weirdos, he stands out. He always has. There's something about Tobias most people don't like though he's never been able to figure out what that is. Now, however, someone has taken a very dangerous interest in him. One that could prove fatal if he doesn't figure out the mystery of what is going on in time.
Jeremy Harris has lived many different lives and died many violent deaths, always alone. In this life, Jeremy is the original serial killer of Sparrow Falls. He doesn't think of them as murders though. He thinks of them as necessary sacrifices. They are the only way he has to call out to a god he is beginning to think has forgotten him. Driven mad by the constant cycle of rebirth he's been damned to, Jeremy is determined to have the one thing he truly desires: a life lived in full with his beloved god beside him at long last.
Set on a collision course toward each other, Tobias and Jeremy will learn something they've always suspected: maybe salvation and oblivion are one and the same for some people.
The second installment of Justine Sebastian's nail-biting suspense thriller series is guaranteed to keep you up well past your bedtime and haunt your dreams.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2016
6 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Justine Sebastian
9 books56 followersJustine Sebastian began writing at the age of four. It took her quite a few years longer to realize she might actually be able to make a living doing so. She was born and raised in the south and does indeed have an accent. She does NOT write romance novels.
Readers can contact her via email at: just_sebastian@outlook.com. She promises not to bite unless you ask her to.
Readers can contact her via email at: just_sebastian@outlook.com. She promises not to bite unless you ask her to.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 3, 2017
It is very rare for me to read a non-romance book, let alone jump into the second book in the series ASAP. Falls the Shadows continues with the story of a small town in Louisiana that is home to a serial killer, ghosts and other scary things that go bump in the night. If you read book 1, I am sure you had questions like I did. Who was the serial killer? What the heck is Tobias Dunwalton, a vampire? A werewolf, or something else?
Tobias is used to people crossing the street to avoid him. With his extremely pale skin and black eyes, the townspeople think he is a freak. Life get even more complicated when the crows start to follow him around. He has a few friends, one of which is a ghost, and his twin brother, but Tobias is comfortable in his own skin. When freaky things start to happen to him personally, we find out that Tobias is a bad ass.
Jeremy Harris is the serial killer that has been hunting in Sparrow Falls. He is also involved in witchcraft has been reincarnated so many times in search of a god, who is also his one true love. With only his memories of Thanatos, Jeremy sacrifices innocent people in hopes of reuniting with him. He is one scary dude and I really despised him, which made me nervous because I couldn’t understand where is story was going. Needless to say, I was a little anxious about the ending, which only shows how superb the writing is.
Even though this is tagged as M/M Romance, there is no romance and no sex on page. If you are looking to switch it up a bit, I highly recommend this series.
Tobias is used to people crossing the street to avoid him. With his extremely pale skin and black eyes, the townspeople think he is a freak. Life get even more complicated when the crows start to follow him around. He has a few friends, one of which is a ghost, and his twin brother, but Tobias is comfortable in his own skin. When freaky things start to happen to him personally, we find out that Tobias is a bad ass.
Jeremy Harris is the serial killer that has been hunting in Sparrow Falls. He is also involved in witchcraft has been reincarnated so many times in search of a god, who is also his one true love. With only his memories of Thanatos, Jeremy sacrifices innocent people in hopes of reuniting with him. He is one scary dude and I really despised him, which made me nervous because I couldn’t understand where is story was going. Needless to say, I was a little anxious about the ending, which only shows how superb the writing is.
Even though this is tagged as M/M Romance, there is no romance and no sex on page. If you are looking to switch it up a bit, I highly recommend this series.
June 2, 2017
How to describe this book , other than rather excellent !
Full of well realised , quirky characters and a tricksy plot . You will be rooting for Tobias !!
If Sparrow Falls didn't sound like a slightly/really dangerous place to live , I'd totally go there to have a drink with Dawn Marie , and to visit Gary the music loving ghost living in the funeral parlour .
Full of well realised , quirky characters and a tricksy plot . You will be rooting for Tobias !!
If Sparrow Falls didn't sound like a slightly/really dangerous place to live , I'd totally go there to have a drink with Dawn Marie , and to visit Gary the music loving ghost living in the funeral parlour .
June 17, 2020
The premise is really great, and like the first book, the (especially the main) characters are fun to read, and fit perfectly in to the wonderfully weird, trashy, self-destructive town that is Sparrow Falls, Louisiana.
Again like the first book, the build up is slow, which works for the first (roughly) 2/3s of the book, but once the direction towards the climax becomes all too clear, the story suffers from the slow pace--there are characters and scenes that don't add much, that don't propel the story forward, in fact, the closer to the ending, long dialogues and unnecessary details destroy the suspense. The reader knows what is going on long before the characters do, and this makes for frustrating reading. After this long build-up, when the final confrontation happens, it lacks a certain 'grandness', a certain 'oomph', because it is resolved very quickly. There is some pathos, but there should have been more, given the nature of the characters and the central dilemma.
That being said, I enjoyed the story, the idea is really great, and the way Jeremy's character develops is original and effective, it is hard to tease out sympathy for a truly unlikeable character, but Justine Sebastian managed to do this really well; and Tobias is a great foil to Jeremy.
Again like the first book, the build up is slow, which works for the first (roughly) 2/3s of the book, but once the direction towards the climax becomes all too clear, the story suffers from the slow pace--there are characters and scenes that don't add much, that don't propel the story forward, in fact, the closer to the ending, long dialogues and unnecessary details destroy the suspense. The reader knows what is going on long before the characters do, and this makes for frustrating reading. After this long build-up, when the final confrontation happens, it lacks a certain 'grandness', a certain 'oomph', because it is resolved very quickly. There is some pathos, but there should have been more, given the nature of the characters and the central dilemma.
That being said, I enjoyed the story, the idea is really great, and the way Jeremy's character develops is original and effective, it is hard to tease out sympathy for a truly unlikeable character, but Justine Sebastian managed to do this really well; and Tobias is a great foil to Jeremy.
June 2, 2017
Great series with a lot of awesome characters! Strange ones, creepy ones and funny ones. I loved them all, even the evil ones!
And then there's also a bit of Greek mythology, which made the book perfect.
4,5 stars
And then there's also a bit of Greek mythology, which made the book perfect.
4,5 stars
June 4, 2017
I'm a girl who likes some romance when I read. Not only was there no real romance, this book - like the first - was downright creepy. I hate creepy. Seriously, I hate creepy! But I loved this book! I loved everything about it. It captured me from the beginning and held me in its grasp until the very end.
Justine Sebastian continues to impress with solid writing, creative storylines and incredible characters that are well rounded and interesting.
I'm in book heaven! Bring on book 3!
Highly recommended.
Justine Sebastian continues to impress with solid writing, creative storylines and incredible characters that are well rounded and interesting.
I'm in book heaven! Bring on book 3!
Highly recommended.
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August 5, 2017
No star rating because I just don't know what to rate it.
Well... This book left me in a state. I just don't know how I feel about it. I don't know if I loved it or hated it. I'm definitely not indifferent. And I didn't really hate it at all.
What I loved was Tobias. The very reason I read this book was because I was so curious about what Tobias was after reading book one. Tobias is the only stable person in this book and he didn't disappoint. Of course I also loved Hylas. Because everyone loves Hylas. Also, without a doubt the book is so very well written. This author knows how to get your attention and not let it go. She makes you care and become vested in every single character. Every scene becomes significant in some way.
What I didn't like was almost everyone's behavior except Tobias. I liked most of the people themselves, but they were so self destructive with all the drug and alcohol abuse. It made me so very sad. Especially Mooncricket and Dawn Marie. I want them both to go to rehab and get sober. They keep endangering their lives. There are enough risked just living in this crazy town!
Jeremy. Wow...He was so freaking scary. And crazy. And did I say scary!?? This book was extremely graphically violent in a way that was disturbing to me. Also, there were some how's and why's about Jeremy's rituals that were left unanswered for me.
I really don't even know how to summarize this story. I think I probably should have stopped after a certain very graphically violent scene. But I didn't because I had to know what Tobias was!!! So let me just summarize like this: The writing is captivating. The story is violent. There is a lot of drug and alcohol abuse. It made me sad. At one point I was bawling. I was continuously anxious. But it also made me laugh out loud at times. The ending was only simi-satisfying for me, but very appropriate. I'm not sure it could have gone any other way and made sense for the rest of the book. I can't say I enjoyed this, but it wasn't awful. I'm just happy to be leaving Sparrow Falls. I'm not interested in Aaron, so I'm out on this series.
Happy reading. 😕
Well... This book left me in a state. I just don't know how I feel about it. I don't know if I loved it or hated it. I'm definitely not indifferent. And I didn't really hate it at all.
What I loved was Tobias. The very reason I read this book was because I was so curious about what Tobias was after reading book one. Tobias is the only stable person in this book and he didn't disappoint. Of course I also loved Hylas. Because everyone loves Hylas. Also, without a doubt the book is so very well written. This author knows how to get your attention and not let it go. She makes you care and become vested in every single character. Every scene becomes significant in some way.
What I didn't like was almost everyone's behavior except Tobias. I liked most of the people themselves, but they were so self destructive with all the drug and alcohol abuse. It made me so very sad. Especially Mooncricket and Dawn Marie. I want them both to go to rehab and get sober. They keep endangering their lives. There are enough risked just living in this crazy town!
Jeremy. Wow...He was so freaking scary. And crazy. And did I say scary!?? This book was extremely graphically violent in a way that was disturbing to me. Also, there were some how's and why's about Jeremy's rituals that were left unanswered for me.
I really don't even know how to summarize this story. I think I probably should have stopped after a certain very graphically violent scene. But I didn't because I had to know what Tobias was!!! So let me just summarize like this: The writing is captivating. The story is violent. There is a lot of drug and alcohol abuse. It made me sad. At one point I was bawling. I was continuously anxious. But it also made me laugh out loud at times. The ending was only simi-satisfying for me, but very appropriate. I'm not sure it could have gone any other way and made sense for the rest of the book. I can't say I enjoyed this, but it wasn't awful. I'm just happy to be leaving Sparrow Falls. I'm not interested in Aaron, so I'm out on this series.
Happy reading. 😕
October 21, 2018
Not at all what I was expecting but brilliant all the same.
I greatly enjoyed Shade’s of Night (Sparrow Falls Book 1). Sorry, the link function doesn’t seem to be working BUT go get the book!
That story was suspenseful and scary, this story is heartbreaking and intense.
Jeremy wants his God’s love back and has been driven insane by the man lives he has lived trying to find his Love again. Mooncricket just wants to be loved and uses heroin to hide that.
I was at times in tears for each character as I was in turns heartbroken or raging over their choices.
This is beautifully written, their pain, confusion and joy is felt. It may not be what I was expecting but is very much loved.
I greatly enjoyed Shade’s of Night (Sparrow Falls Book 1). Sorry, the link function doesn’t seem to be working BUT go get the book!
That story was suspenseful and scary, this story is heartbreaking and intense.
Jeremy wants his God’s love back and has been driven insane by the man lives he has lived trying to find his Love again. Mooncricket just wants to be loved and uses heroin to hide that.
I was at times in tears for each character as I was in turns heartbroken or raging over their choices.
This is beautifully written, their pain, confusion and joy is felt. It may not be what I was expecting but is very much loved.
November 17, 2018
I really love this series and how Justine Sebastian is doing it by telling the stories of different characters that we've been introduced to from one book to the next rather than telling the story of one set main character throughout. It's really clever and ends up being not just books about the characters, but also about the town. She uses the different strange characters to better give you a picture of this bizarre place.
Tobias is a boring guy. Just going to get that out of the way. Which is weird considering who/what he actually is (not going to spoil it). But the story around him and that he's involved in here isn't and gradually you come to realize that the boring existence he's got going for him is a disguise, albeit a disguise he doesn't really know he's wearing. He's an outcast even in Sparrow Falls, which is full of the strange and the weird, and his backstory is one of being bullied and ostracized, which makes him incredibly sad to me.
Hylas, his brother, is my favorite character in the series so far. He is hilarious and made me laugh in his brief appearance in the first book of the series as well as in this one, where he is a more central character. Then he broke my heart (again, won't spoil it). I am looking forward to a book in the series about Hylas.
Mooncricket is an idiot (with a stupid name), but he's a sweet idiot and the relationship he has with Jeremy is unhealthy as hell and really disturbing. Especially since, I think by the end of things, Jeremy really does love him. It's not easy to empathize with or relate to an abusive character, so I have to give the author major kudos for accomplishing just that. Jeremy is a bad guy, he does bad things, he beats his boyfriend and ritualistically murders people, but I still felt bad for him and that is a hard sell with a character like that. He's supposed to be the villain here, and I guess he is, but the guy got screwed and it's hard to blame him for the way he ended up being, which I'm sure is exactly what the author was going for.
There are a lot of other characters in the book that drive the story forward, but I'm not going to go through a list of every one of them. There's Dawn Marie, who I liked most of the time, but sometimes wanted to slap. Aaron, who is both funny and sad (angry and unstable). Then there are characters from the first book who come back for a little while and you learn more about them.
There are some creepy and disturbing moments as well as just strange ones--like hanging out in the morgue getting drunk with a talking crow and a schizophrenic ghost. It's stuff like that that makes me pick up a book sometimes and I love when the story pulls me in and doesn't disappoint.
So far, this series has not disappointed me. I'm really enjoying it.
One thing though, it's NOT a romance novel. I really don't understand why people are putting it on romance novel lists. Just saying, if you're looking for a romance novel, this isn't one. It's a really good book though.
Tobias is a boring guy. Just going to get that out of the way. Which is weird considering who/what he actually is (not going to spoil it). But the story around him and that he's involved in here isn't and gradually you come to realize that the boring existence he's got going for him is a disguise, albeit a disguise he doesn't really know he's wearing. He's an outcast even in Sparrow Falls, which is full of the strange and the weird, and his backstory is one of being bullied and ostracized, which makes him incredibly sad to me.
Hylas, his brother, is my favorite character in the series so far. He is hilarious and made me laugh in his brief appearance in the first book of the series as well as in this one, where he is a more central character. Then he broke my heart (again, won't spoil it). I am looking forward to a book in the series about Hylas.
Mooncricket is an idiot (with a stupid name), but he's a sweet idiot and the relationship he has with Jeremy is unhealthy as hell and really disturbing. Especially since, I think by the end of things, Jeremy really does love him. It's not easy to empathize with or relate to an abusive character, so I have to give the author major kudos for accomplishing just that. Jeremy is a bad guy, he does bad things, he beats his boyfriend and ritualistically murders people, but I still felt bad for him and that is a hard sell with a character like that. He's supposed to be the villain here, and I guess he is, but the guy got screwed and it's hard to blame him for the way he ended up being, which I'm sure is exactly what the author was going for.
There are a lot of other characters in the book that drive the story forward, but I'm not going to go through a list of every one of them. There's Dawn Marie, who I liked most of the time, but sometimes wanted to slap. Aaron, who is both funny and sad (angry and unstable). Then there are characters from the first book who come back for a little while and you learn more about them.
There are some creepy and disturbing moments as well as just strange ones--like hanging out in the morgue getting drunk with a talking crow and a schizophrenic ghost. It's stuff like that that makes me pick up a book sometimes and I love when the story pulls me in and doesn't disappoint.
So far, this series has not disappointed me. I'm really enjoying it.
One thing though, it's NOT a romance novel. I really don't understand why people are putting it on romance novel lists. Just saying, if you're looking for a romance novel, this isn't one. It's a really good book though.
October 25, 2018
Twisty, dark, brutal. Very readable.
November 28, 2016
Justine has the perfect aesthetic for me. The emotional flow, mythos, and Louisiana setting all work. Eagerly awaiting the next book from her.
June 25, 2017
😔
I was really excited about Tobias story and nothing really made sense or captured my attention until I got to about the 80% of the story.
My heart did break with that absolutely heart aching scene with Tobias and Hylas near the beginning of the story but didn't love this story as much as the first story in this series.
Still, a very unique tale and it was great finally knowing what Tobias was.
I was really excited about Tobias story and nothing really made sense or captured my attention until I got to about the 80% of the story.
My heart did break with that absolutely heart aching scene with Tobias and Hylas near the beginning of the story but didn't love this story as much as the first story in this series.
Still, a very unique tale and it was great finally knowing what Tobias was.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews