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The Black Year Series #1
Black Fall
Jonas Black is a typical 16 year old, except for his lucid dreams, reclusive mother, and the two hulking bodyguards who walk him to school. When his father disappears, he's forced to enter a dangerous, supernatural world hidden in modern day Manhattan, all while trying to come to grips with his unique heritage and keeping his battered MP3 player working. In the process, he'll beat down a long-dead Frenchman, talk to a woman who has no tongue, find out what human ash tastes like, and learn to make friends who don't want to kill him. The odds are against him, but he has a plan; if he's lucky, he might even survive.
A high-paced supernatural thriller with strong male and female characters, century-old feuds, and dark humor, Black Fall is the first of four books in the Black Year saga by D.J. Bodden.
A high-paced supernatural thriller with strong male and female characters, century-old feuds, and dark humor, Black Fall is the first of four books in the Black Year saga by D.J. Bodden.
Paperback
First published April 10, 2015
13 people are currently reading
575 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Bodden
32 books153 followersD.J. Bodden is a tech-startup COO who writes books because words are magic. He's an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy, a gamer, a former pilot and coffee trader who's been to every continent but Antarctica. He's been woken up by gunfire, jumped out of helicopters, and climbed medium-sized hills in scorching weather; He likes to make people laugh for the wrong reasons; He tries to sell people grimoires disguised as fiction; He is scared of spiders, and only recently learned to ride a bike.
D.J. lives in Switzerland with his wife and thinks it's important that they should someday be adopted by a fox.
D.J. lives in Switzerland with his wife and thinks it's important that they should someday be adopted by a fox.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 12, 2015
If you’re saying “oh no, not another vampire story,” you would be right! This is not just another vampire story. Black Fall is the well-written epic journey of protagonist, Jonas Black who just happens to be a vampire. Part of the fun is discovering that fact with Jonas and his gradual turn into that world. D.J. Bodden is the master of point of view (POV) as we follow Jonas and his colorful recruits on a mission to get his people back and restore some semblance of order to his world. Bodden sets the tone with the words, “’I’m not afraid,” he [Jonas] told himself. ‘No one is stronger than me in my dreams.’ It was something his dad had taught him as a kid.” From that point on it’s off to the races with perfect pacing as Bodden gradually brings this story to a fever pitch.
What’s extremely unique and intelligent about this story is how Bodden not only brings us into the mind of Jonas but creates fascinating worlds where well-developed characters interact in dynamic ways, and he does this with unparalleled literary precision. Check this out. “Jonas stood on the battlements of the castle that guarded his thoughts, gazing at the horizon. It was choked with smoke –a swirling pattern of orange, red, and black, crisscrossed with lightning. Hot wind howled over the walls, from the direction he knew the demon would come.”
Bodden also wields the weapon of description and imagery with a cinematic flare that translates the symbols on the page and ignites the readers imagination. These three examples transport the reader directly inside the story. “Her pale, white skin was flawless, every single one of her jet-black hairs stood perfectly in place, and she moved with the eerie, almost mechanical precision of a ballerina, ” and “Like Jonas and his father, she had eyes so black they seemed to drink in the light,” and finally. “Jonas looked away, out toward Central Park. The sun was sinking below the skyline, painting the rooftops red and orange, turning skyscraper windows into liquid gold.”
Black Fall has a lot to offer in this spirited tale with snappy, authentic dialogue and a lot to look forward to as the story is a series: sweet! if you’re looking for a bar-raising story with a twist about vampires and other supernaturals, your search has ended. If you like well-written stories with characters that literally jump off the page, you’ll love D.J. Bodden’s Black Fall. Highly recommended.
What’s extremely unique and intelligent about this story is how Bodden not only brings us into the mind of Jonas but creates fascinating worlds where well-developed characters interact in dynamic ways, and he does this with unparalleled literary precision. Check this out. “Jonas stood on the battlements of the castle that guarded his thoughts, gazing at the horizon. It was choked with smoke –a swirling pattern of orange, red, and black, crisscrossed with lightning. Hot wind howled over the walls, from the direction he knew the demon would come.”
Bodden also wields the weapon of description and imagery with a cinematic flare that translates the symbols on the page and ignites the readers imagination. These three examples transport the reader directly inside the story. “Her pale, white skin was flawless, every single one of her jet-black hairs stood perfectly in place, and she moved with the eerie, almost mechanical precision of a ballerina, ” and “Like Jonas and his father, she had eyes so black they seemed to drink in the light,” and finally. “Jonas looked away, out toward Central Park. The sun was sinking below the skyline, painting the rooftops red and orange, turning skyscraper windows into liquid gold.”
Black Fall has a lot to offer in this spirited tale with snappy, authentic dialogue and a lot to look forward to as the story is a series: sweet! if you’re looking for a bar-raising story with a twist about vampires and other supernaturals, your search has ended. If you like well-written stories with characters that literally jump off the page, you’ll love D.J. Bodden’s Black Fall. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2016
What about this teenage vampire book sets it apart from the rest? An intricate world, sharp writing, and a streak of genuine sincerity.
Black Fall starts out at a fairly leisurely pace and builds to some kind of rocket speed by the end. Our main character, Jonas, teases out the details of his world piece by piece, with the reader learning along with him. The tangle of characters and organizations grows more and more complex as the story unfolds, the world filling out with rich detail along the way. Still, there's a sense of wonder in the early going that reminded me a bit of Harry Potter -- indeed, like Harry, Jonas figures things out and forges bonds with new friends in ways that are fairly light early on. And then the forementioned rocket fueled action sequences hurtle him down the stretch.
Potter may be the best comparison I can make for Jonas and Black Fall as a whole. There's a sincerity to the main character that strikes me as rare. A thoughtfulness. He doesn't seem like a hero constructed solely for us to like but an earnest kid, somehow more real than most I've come across.
The writing is clear and sharp. Uncluttered. It serves this tightly plotted story well. I'm off to read the sequel now.
Black Fall starts out at a fairly leisurely pace and builds to some kind of rocket speed by the end. Our main character, Jonas, teases out the details of his world piece by piece, with the reader learning along with him. The tangle of characters and organizations grows more and more complex as the story unfolds, the world filling out with rich detail along the way. Still, there's a sense of wonder in the early going that reminded me a bit of Harry Potter -- indeed, like Harry, Jonas figures things out and forges bonds with new friends in ways that are fairly light early on. And then the forementioned rocket fueled action sequences hurtle him down the stretch.
Potter may be the best comparison I can make for Jonas and Black Fall as a whole. There's a sincerity to the main character that strikes me as rare. A thoughtfulness. He doesn't seem like a hero constructed solely for us to like but an earnest kid, somehow more real than most I've come across.
The writing is clear and sharp. Uncluttered. It serves this tightly plotted story well. I'm off to read the sequel now.
August 15, 2015
I started listening to Dead Can Dance because of this book, and you should, too.
In Black Fall, sixteen-year-old Jonas is launched into a world of supernatural politics, old feuds, and deadly new alliances looking to turn the streets of Manhattan into a battleground and the human race into casualties of war.
This book is so awesome! Bodden makes it look easy juggling real-life teenage concerns like the awkwardness of relationships, trying not flunk out of school, and stepping up to become the man of the house, with supernatural battles of epic proportions—and I mean EPIC—both in the physical world and on the mental plane. The writing is transparent in the best way—there's nothing between you and the story, no fumbling attempts at style to distract you from the wreckage of Jonas's old life and the pain of growing into his new one. This isn't one of those books where the protagonist finds out he's "special" and suddenly he's magically the best at everything. Nope, Jonas spends most of Black Fall learning by being humiliated, getting his butt kicked, and losing the things he cares about.
I've been trying to decide who my favorite secondary character is, but I can't. Every character in this book is so complex, and their dynamics are fascinating. It feels like Black Fall barely scratches the surface of their world. I want to know more about...well, about all of it. When I finished reading, I was buzzing with adrenaline. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I turned around and read it again just so I could spend some more time in Jonas's world. White Winter can't come out soon enough!
In Black Fall, sixteen-year-old Jonas is launched into a world of supernatural politics, old feuds, and deadly new alliances looking to turn the streets of Manhattan into a battleground and the human race into casualties of war.
This book is so awesome! Bodden makes it look easy juggling real-life teenage concerns like the awkwardness of relationships, trying not flunk out of school, and stepping up to become the man of the house, with supernatural battles of epic proportions—and I mean EPIC—both in the physical world and on the mental plane. The writing is transparent in the best way—there's nothing between you and the story, no fumbling attempts at style to distract you from the wreckage of Jonas's old life and the pain of growing into his new one. This isn't one of those books where the protagonist finds out he's "special" and suddenly he's magically the best at everything. Nope, Jonas spends most of Black Fall learning by being humiliated, getting his butt kicked, and losing the things he cares about.
I've been trying to decide who my favorite secondary character is, but I can't. Every character in this book is so complex, and their dynamics are fascinating. It feels like Black Fall barely scratches the surface of their world. I want to know more about...well, about all of it. When I finished reading, I was buzzing with adrenaline. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I turned around and read it again just so I could spend some more time in Jonas's world. White Winter can't come out soon enough!
November 5, 2015
This is an outstanding book, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. The story reminded me a little bit of Correia's "Monster Hunter International" series, mixed up with Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series, and a dash of the latter Harry Potter books.
This is a very well written story about a teenager who has to accept the fact that he is not exactly human. The main character, Jonas Black, is very believable and well developed, and I enjoyed reading how he learns to cope with his new supernatural life from a teenage perspective. Although this may be considered "young adult" fiction, I found it a very fun and entertaining book to read.
This is definitely a book to put on your "Want to read" list, and Mr. Bodden is definitely an author to follow!
This is a very well written story about a teenager who has to accept the fact that he is not exactly human. The main character, Jonas Black, is very believable and well developed, and I enjoyed reading how he learns to cope with his new supernatural life from a teenage perspective. Although this may be considered "young adult" fiction, I found it a very fun and entertaining book to read.
This is definitely a book to put on your "Want to read" list, and Mr. Bodden is definitely an author to follow!
February 19, 2017
This was an enjoyable read.
D.J. Boden's urban fantasy book is definitely not just another vampire story.
Jonas is our normal ordinary teen he likes music, has a girlfriend etc. But after his dad dies things change, people break into his house and he learns he's a vampire.
The book was packed with different creatures each with their own attributions.
The Bad: There were moments when i thought i skipped a para or so but i didn't so i don't know it was kind of jumpy. There were events that should've had so much emotion but were emotionless. And though i liked the idea of the world in the character's minds; sometimes I thought it was just too much to imagine.
I got a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
D.J. Boden's urban fantasy book is definitely not just another vampire story.
Jonas is our normal ordinary teen he likes music, has a girlfriend etc. But after his dad dies things change, people break into his house and he learns he's a vampire.
The book was packed with different creatures each with their own attributions.
The Bad: There were moments when i thought i skipped a para or so but i didn't so i don't know it was kind of jumpy. There were events that should've had so much emotion but were emotionless. And though i liked the idea of the world in the character's minds; sometimes I thought it was just too much to imagine.
I got a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
April 18, 2017
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Jonas Black is a typical sixteen year-old, with a very driven girlfriend (who's pretty much mapped out the next few years of their lives), a decent home life, a couple of invested parents, and so on in NYC. Which makes him not that typical, I guess -- but he's the kind of kid people think of as "typical." When we meet him, however, he's reeling from the unexpected death of his father, and his mother doesn't seem to be acting all that normal at the funeral.
Not long after that, strange things start happening to Jonas -- he blacks out unexpectedly, his mother's behavior gets even stranger, lastly he and his mother are attacked at home, and rescued by someone unlikely (leading to 2 very large men escorting him to school). He's able to pin his mother down and she explains to him that she's a vampire, as was his father -- and he is, too. There was a problem with my download and so the conversation where his mother describes the experiment that made him into the vampire he is (born, not made) and whatnot. Thankfully, I don't want to get into details anyway, because I'd probably get it wrong. I really appreciate that Jonas isn't a Chosen One kind of character -- more of an Engineered One. But even at that, I don't think anyone planned on him tackling things that he did at this stage of his life (I'm semi-prepared to be proven wrong in future books).
So, while juggling school and his girlfriend, Jonas is basically enrolled in a self-defense course for vampires (there's more to it than that, but . . . ) where he meets some other vampires and a reticent werewolf. He befriends/is befriended by a vampire, Eve, about the same age -- but who knows what she's doing -- and wants to get to know the werewolf, Kieran. While I'm largely on the fence about the older vampires Jonas meets -- I really like Eve. Kieran and the other werewolves are cool -- and not just because I prefer lycanthropes to vamps. Before long the three of them -- and a small army of others -- find themselves in the middle of an effort to put a stop to a demon's schemes.
Bodden's vampires are pretty interesting -- I like some of the tweaks he makes to the standard profile. Ditto for his werewolves. His entire supernatural taxonomy and how it relates to the world is pretty well-realized and elaborate. I was pretty impressed by it, and am curious about it as well. I'm not saying they're drastically different (vampires don't glow or anything), but Bodden's vamps aren't the same as Hunters's, Butcher's, Briggs', etc.
A word of warning: There's. Just. So. Much. Exposition. I get it, really -- Jonas needed to be introduced to this world, and acclimatized really soon for his own safety. Which was mighty convenient, because it helped the reader learn about The Black Year's take on vampires, werewolves, lichs (is that the proper plural form? lichen doesn't seem right), specters, hunters, etc. On the whole, Bodden did a decent job blending character moments and infodumps, merging what we need to learn with keeping things moving. Still, it frequently felt like this was a guide to the supernatural world more than a novel -- he might as well have named a couple of characters Ryan and Esposito.
I was engaged enough to keep going, but at a certain point, I'd just about given up hope of really enjoying the book, and just put my head down to plow though and get it over with so I could move on. I was surprised a little later to find out that I was invested in the fate of these characters, and was really getting a kick out of Bodden's work. I can't point to what it was that got me there, but it probably had something to do with Kieran. I do want to stress that it was after the 50% mark, so stick with it if your experience is like mine. By the time I was finished, I was ready for book #2 (...and probably 3....and most likely 4).
I will not say that this is the best thing since sliced bread, but it's a fresh take on many UF staples from a YA point-of-view, with compelling characters, a well-built world, and a solid plot (especially when it gets around to moving).
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- I appreciate the read.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Jonas Black is a typical sixteen year-old, with a very driven girlfriend (who's pretty much mapped out the next few years of their lives), a decent home life, a couple of invested parents, and so on in NYC. Which makes him not that typical, I guess -- but he's the kind of kid people think of as "typical." When we meet him, however, he's reeling from the unexpected death of his father, and his mother doesn't seem to be acting all that normal at the funeral.
Not long after that, strange things start happening to Jonas -- he blacks out unexpectedly, his mother's behavior gets even stranger, lastly he and his mother are attacked at home, and rescued by someone unlikely (leading to 2 very large men escorting him to school). He's able to pin his mother down and she explains to him that she's a vampire, as was his father -- and he is, too. There was a problem with my download and so the conversation where his mother describes the experiment that made him into the vampire he is (born, not made) and whatnot. Thankfully, I don't want to get into details anyway, because I'd probably get it wrong. I really appreciate that Jonas isn't a Chosen One kind of character -- more of an Engineered One. But even at that, I don't think anyone planned on him tackling things that he did at this stage of his life (I'm semi-prepared to be proven wrong in future books).
So, while juggling school and his girlfriend, Jonas is basically enrolled in a self-defense course for vampires (there's more to it than that, but . . . ) where he meets some other vampires and a reticent werewolf. He befriends/is befriended by a vampire, Eve, about the same age -- but who knows what she's doing -- and wants to get to know the werewolf, Kieran. While I'm largely on the fence about the older vampires Jonas meets -- I really like Eve. Kieran and the other werewolves are cool -- and not just because I prefer lycanthropes to vamps. Before long the three of them -- and a small army of others -- find themselves in the middle of an effort to put a stop to a demon's schemes.
Bodden's vampires are pretty interesting -- I like some of the tweaks he makes to the standard profile. Ditto for his werewolves. His entire supernatural taxonomy and how it relates to the world is pretty well-realized and elaborate. I was pretty impressed by it, and am curious about it as well. I'm not saying they're drastically different (vampires don't glow or anything), but Bodden's vamps aren't the same as Hunters's, Butcher's, Briggs', etc.
A word of warning: There's. Just. So. Much. Exposition. I get it, really -- Jonas needed to be introduced to this world, and acclimatized really soon for his own safety. Which was mighty convenient, because it helped the reader learn about The Black Year's take on vampires, werewolves, lichs (is that the proper plural form? lichen doesn't seem right), specters, hunters, etc. On the whole, Bodden did a decent job blending character moments and infodumps, merging what we need to learn with keeping things moving. Still, it frequently felt like this was a guide to the supernatural world more than a novel -- he might as well have named a couple of characters Ryan and Esposito.
I was engaged enough to keep going, but at a certain point, I'd just about given up hope of really enjoying the book, and just put my head down to plow though and get it over with so I could move on. I was surprised a little later to find out that I was invested in the fate of these characters, and was really getting a kick out of Bodden's work. I can't point to what it was that got me there, but it probably had something to do with Kieran. I do want to stress that it was after the 50% mark, so stick with it if your experience is like mine. By the time I was finished, I was ready for book #2 (...and probably 3....and most likely 4).
I will not say that this is the best thing since sliced bread, but it's a fresh take on many UF staples from a YA point-of-view, with compelling characters, a well-built world, and a solid plot (especially when it gets around to moving).
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- I appreciate the read.
March 15, 2017
When is a vampire not a vampire? When is a werewolf not a werewolf? Or a zombie not a zombie? D. J. Bodden’s Black Fall is a fast paced read where nothing is what it seems and sometimes that is really bad. Jonas Black is a 16 yr old whose life begins to unravel when his father dies. The funeral is at night. His mother breaks open the urn and claims it is not her husband because she can tell “human” ashes. Poor Jonas is about to spend the next few months constantly thinking, “Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.”
Black Fall is a supernatural mystery built around a teenager, who used to have normal teenage problems until he found out the truth about his parents, himself and the world. The beings that populate the book were fascinating. Different than the normal run of the mill supernaturals. I did have some confusion about the power structures in the different species as well as Jonas’s existence. I am not sure if more of this will be dealt with in the next three books (Black Fall is the first of a projected four book series). It was an enjoyable read that I obtained from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I would love to hear it as an audiobook read by someone like James Foster (hint, hint author). I would have no problems recommending it to anyone over eighteen and probably any mature high schoolers. I would have to reread it again with my “mother” senses engaged before I would go any younger. I will be looking forward to picking up the sequel when my library gets it. And seriously Mr. Bodden - Audiobook - James Foster.
Black Fall is a supernatural mystery built around a teenager, who used to have normal teenage problems until he found out the truth about his parents, himself and the world. The beings that populate the book were fascinating. Different than the normal run of the mill supernaturals. I did have some confusion about the power structures in the different species as well as Jonas’s existence. I am not sure if more of this will be dealt with in the next three books (Black Fall is the first of a projected four book series). It was an enjoyable read that I obtained from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I would love to hear it as an audiobook read by someone like James Foster (hint, hint author). I would have no problems recommending it to anyone over eighteen and probably any mature high schoolers. I would have to reread it again with my “mother” senses engaged before I would go any younger. I will be looking forward to picking up the sequel when my library gets it. And seriously Mr. Bodden - Audiobook - James Foster.
May 3, 2017
Finally picked up Black Fall. I have to say first, I enjoyed it. It's a bit YA for me stylistically, but I'm definitely grabbing White Winter and diving in today. To my mind, it was an entertaining romp. I found myself really wanting it to be 600-700 pages so you could flesh out some things: Alice/Victor so it solidifies who/what Jonas really is... explore Jonas/Amelia's relationship so when Eve was introduced, and later Kieran, there is some real friction or emotion generated... explore the Hunters and who they are - why should I care that they are hunters and Jonas is working with them... explore Kieran/his family so there is weight behind his being a winter wolf... explore the Order and what makes them important. It needed more world building for my taste. As a YA novel, it's a well struck chord when I want to hear the whole song. I enjoyed the gallows humor/banter found in multiple areas and found I enjoyed the character's created, even if they came across thin in that YA style. It came across as a fun blend of modern YA Urban Fantasy and military action novel. Sort of a David Baldacci short story meets Kat Richardson... but with more clever one liners. Even though the story is narrow in the hips for me, I'm interested to see where it goes in White Winter and Red Spring. Keep 'em coming!
July 6, 2017
This book started out as a typical "young man discovers he has special powers and learns to use them" story. But, unlike most books in that genre, he isn't instantly amazing at everything. In fact, he's kind of terrible at using his new abilities until someone actually teaches him how to control them. While the idea behind this story is strong, the main character isn't really that interesting. I would much rather read a book about his mother's origin story (or almost any of the secondary characters actually), as most of the background characters were way cooler than the main kid. I'll probably read the next book in the series, just to see where it goes.
May 21, 2017
I do enjoy a good read, and this one was that for me. It's hard to have good stories in certain genres of late. This one filled the bill. This one covers all the teen-age stuff, as well as all the fun things too! I might even read the rest of this series. It was a very strong first book in a series.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
March 6, 2017
My name is Jonas, and until last week, I thought I was human. My parents are vampires and were enforcers for the Agency; my mom is one of the most feared vampires in centuries, but she's been kidnapped. The Agency controls all of the supernaturals in the world, but there is unrest. My vampire abilities are slowly developing, so I've started training at the Agency. My new training partners consist of a young vampire and werewolf. The werewolf is learning to control his anger, but I can sense there is something special about him. The Agency Director is friends with my parents, but he's struggling to control the demon trapped inside his body. It will be disastrous if the demon takes over the Director's thoughts, since supernaturals will be unleashed on humanity. My family name is usually enough to keep the peace, but my abilities will be challenged by werewolves, vampires, and other creatures.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley, and it quickly captured my interest. It will probably be more appealing to tween-age readers. I don't read many vampire books, but the author added creative twists to the plot. Many of the confrontations were set inside Jonas's mind. I don't mean they were imagined; I mean there were actual battles being fought in his mind. He spent much of his time building a fortress to defend his thoughts against the mental attacks of other vampires, and it became a major factor in the climax of the story. He even had a mental character named Sam who was left in charge of Jonas's defenses when the setting moved to the "real" world. The plot's movement between these two settings was sometimes tricky to follow, but it's what made the book great. So many vampire books have been written that it's hard to find ones with fresh ideas. The author indicated this book is supposed to be the first in a four-part series, and I can't wait for the second one to be published. Check it out if you're looking for some imaginative reading!
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley, and it quickly captured my interest. It will probably be more appealing to tween-age readers. I don't read many vampire books, but the author added creative twists to the plot. Many of the confrontations were set inside Jonas's mind. I don't mean they were imagined; I mean there were actual battles being fought in his mind. He spent much of his time building a fortress to defend his thoughts against the mental attacks of other vampires, and it became a major factor in the climax of the story. He even had a mental character named Sam who was left in charge of Jonas's defenses when the setting moved to the "real" world. The plot's movement between these two settings was sometimes tricky to follow, but it's what made the book great. So many vampire books have been written that it's hard to find ones with fresh ideas. The author indicated this book is supposed to be the first in a four-part series, and I can't wait for the second one to be published. Check it out if you're looking for some imaginative reading!
February 23, 2017
If you're looking for another YA para-romance featuring vampires and werewolves.... this is not it.
Black Fall is an exceptionally well written and well-crafted storyline that I can only describe as the 'coming of age' journey of 16-year-old Jonas Black. As Jonas ventures deeper into the dark, mysterious and magical world he was born into but didn't discover until his sixteenth year, he realises that he must build unlikely alliances and fight for the survival of his world, or face losing the people that he truly loves.
The story starts off at a nice, easy pace and introduces Jonas as a normal (if not slightly weird) teenager. He has a girlfriend, does well at school, lives in an apartment with a mother who works nights, and is mourning the loss of his father. Following a break-in at his apartment, we discover that his mother is actually a 500-year-old extremely powerful vampire, two hulking werewolves have been assigned to him as bodyguards, and Jonas is about to be thrown into a world of magic, mind-games, a secret supernatural agency, and a fight that he's not sure he can win.
D.J Bodden is a clever writer. He develops believable characters, intricate plot lines, descriptive scenes that give you a front-row seat to the action, and doesn't bore with unnecessary pandering to a YA audience. It is escapism at it's best, and I would happily buy this book for my 14-year-old daughter who enjoys a gritty read.
The ONLY reason this book didn't elicit five stars from me, was that I found a few of the action scenes a little confusing and disjointed, especially towards the end of the book. I had to re-read a couple of paragraphs to understand what was going on and I found one scene in particular just too confusing, so I skipped it.... I hate to do that. Other than that, Black Fall is an exceptional book. Well worth a read and I'd absolutely consider reading the rest of this series.
Black Fall is an exceptionally well written and well-crafted storyline that I can only describe as the 'coming of age' journey of 16-year-old Jonas Black. As Jonas ventures deeper into the dark, mysterious and magical world he was born into but didn't discover until his sixteenth year, he realises that he must build unlikely alliances and fight for the survival of his world, or face losing the people that he truly loves.
The story starts off at a nice, easy pace and introduces Jonas as a normal (if not slightly weird) teenager. He has a girlfriend, does well at school, lives in an apartment with a mother who works nights, and is mourning the loss of his father. Following a break-in at his apartment, we discover that his mother is actually a 500-year-old extremely powerful vampire, two hulking werewolves have been assigned to him as bodyguards, and Jonas is about to be thrown into a world of magic, mind-games, a secret supernatural agency, and a fight that he's not sure he can win.
D.J Bodden is a clever writer. He develops believable characters, intricate plot lines, descriptive scenes that give you a front-row seat to the action, and doesn't bore with unnecessary pandering to a YA audience. It is escapism at it's best, and I would happily buy this book for my 14-year-old daughter who enjoys a gritty read.
The ONLY reason this book didn't elicit five stars from me, was that I found a few of the action scenes a little confusing and disjointed, especially towards the end of the book. I had to re-read a couple of paragraphs to understand what was going on and I found one scene in particular just too confusing, so I skipped it.... I hate to do that. Other than that, Black Fall is an exceptional book. Well worth a read and I'd absolutely consider reading the rest of this series.
March 3, 2017
Brilliant from start to finish! This book packs a punch and keeps you wanting more. Move over Cullen there's a new vampire in town! I will be honest and say I am not really a supernatural fan but this book has made me want to go and read the next one as soon as I finish typing this review. Bodden writes his characters brilliantly introducing them in a way that makes you drawn to them. Jonas Black thinks he's just an ordinary kid who loses his dad, an incident at his own home brings out that truth that he is a vampire and there are people set out to kill him. With his parents gone he allies with those who want to kill him and fights his own kind. The ending is an action packed dual on various planes! leaving Jonas fighting both head vampire and demon! This book left me wanting more and I cannot recommend it enough! now onto the next in the series.
June 29, 2016
4.5 out of 5
Black Fall has just about everything you could want in a paranormal/urban fantasy novel—badass monsters, unique spins on classic fantasy tropes, action that will keep you on the edge of your seat, clever (and sometimes dark) humor, and a whole cast of distinct and intriguing characters. The story follows teenager Jonas Black following the death of his father, but we quickly learn that his father may not actually be dead after all, and that Jonas’ parents—and Jonas himself—are not exactly your average human beings. As he comes to terms with his new identity and all that entails, he must defend himself from unseen enemies and try to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance, all while trying to keep his grades up and his very-human girlfriend happy.
I loved this book; it was such a fun read. The characters were fantastic, and despite there being so many of them, they were all distinct from one another with their own motivations, so I never really had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I loved them all. Jonas, who is completely believable and relatable as the book’s protagonist. The formidable Alice Black, who seems to be slowly falling apart since her husband’s disappearance. Bert and Phillip, Jonas’ father-and-son werewolf bodyguards who are constantly bantering (or bickering). Eve, a recently-turned young vampire who, despite having a good heart, seems to harbor a lot of anger and resentment. Cook/hunter Jim, who only appears for a short time but has a tragically horrific backstory. Zombie receptionist Doris, who is never, ever to leave the lobby—and for good reason. I could go on; they’re all fantastic.
I think my favorite part of the book was the whole concept of mind-control and mind-defense. Vampires having the ability to read minds is something I’ve seen in a few stories before, but never quite like this, and never developed so extensively. Watching Jonas build and refine his mental defenses was so interesting and so much fun, and the final battle was impressive and exciting to read. More importantly, it felt like an appropriate culmination of everything Jonas had learned and made for a fantastic climax.
The main plot is interesting. It shifts around a bit as new information is revealed, but that seemed appropriate for the story. The ending (or the epilogue) felt just a little abrupt for me. Although I realize there is more to come as this is a series, I kind of wished there had been just a little more resolution at the end, or at least a little more reflection from the characters, particularly in regards to the whole issue with Jonas’ father. I also thought the book could have used another round of editing. There weren’t any major issues, but I did encounter several extra commas, missing words, and other minor punctuation errors that could have been easily cleaned up. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic story with a compelling setting and characters, and I look forward to seeing what comes next in White Winter.
Black Fall has just about everything you could want in a paranormal/urban fantasy novel—badass monsters, unique spins on classic fantasy tropes, action that will keep you on the edge of your seat, clever (and sometimes dark) humor, and a whole cast of distinct and intriguing characters. The story follows teenager Jonas Black following the death of his father, but we quickly learn that his father may not actually be dead after all, and that Jonas’ parents—and Jonas himself—are not exactly your average human beings. As he comes to terms with his new identity and all that entails, he must defend himself from unseen enemies and try to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance, all while trying to keep his grades up and his very-human girlfriend happy.
I loved this book; it was such a fun read. The characters were fantastic, and despite there being so many of them, they were all distinct from one another with their own motivations, so I never really had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I loved them all. Jonas, who is completely believable and relatable as the book’s protagonist. The formidable Alice Black, who seems to be slowly falling apart since her husband’s disappearance. Bert and Phillip, Jonas’ father-and-son werewolf bodyguards who are constantly bantering (or bickering). Eve, a recently-turned young vampire who, despite having a good heart, seems to harbor a lot of anger and resentment. Cook/hunter Jim, who only appears for a short time but has a tragically horrific backstory. Zombie receptionist Doris, who is never, ever to leave the lobby—and for good reason. I could go on; they’re all fantastic.
I think my favorite part of the book was the whole concept of mind-control and mind-defense. Vampires having the ability to read minds is something I’ve seen in a few stories before, but never quite like this, and never developed so extensively. Watching Jonas build and refine his mental defenses was so interesting and so much fun, and the final battle was impressive and exciting to read. More importantly, it felt like an appropriate culmination of everything Jonas had learned and made for a fantastic climax.
The main plot is interesting. It shifts around a bit as new information is revealed, but that seemed appropriate for the story. The ending (or the epilogue) felt just a little abrupt for me. Although I realize there is more to come as this is a series, I kind of wished there had been just a little more resolution at the end, or at least a little more reflection from the characters, particularly in regards to the whole issue with Jonas’ father. I also thought the book could have used another round of editing. There weren’t any major issues, but I did encounter several extra commas, missing words, and other minor punctuation errors that could have been easily cleaned up. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic story with a compelling setting and characters, and I look forward to seeing what comes next in White Winter.
September 30, 2022
Book Review
Title: Black Fall (The Black Year Series #1)
Author: D.J. Bodden
Genre: YA/Supernatural/Thriller
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Black Fall was interesting as we are introduced to Jonas Black at his father’s funeral. Jonas immediately realises something is wrong as his father is being treated like royalty not the salesman he was in life, and this feeling is made worse when we learn that both of his parent’s suffered from a condition making it impossible for them to go in the daylight and with the supernatural tag it makes me think they are vampires or something similar but Jonas isn’t like them. As people leave the funeral his mother collects the ashes only to freak out saying that these aren’t her husband’s ashes and smashing the urn and she does make reference to knowing what human ash smells like. We then jump forward a year, and Jonas hasn’t seen much improvement in his mother’s behaviour but he does find some comfort with his girlfriend, Amelia but he is beginning to feel like someone is watching him and he is having strange dreams and decides to confront his mother about it. That night they are attacked by some men but his father’s friends come around and save the day but Marcus mentions an agency and Jonas begins putting the pieces together in his mind and when his mother says she and his father are vampires, at first he doesn’t believe her but he can’t erase the events of the past couple of days.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas’ mother explains her vampire abilities and other abilities that some vampires have and despite his initial reaction Jonas is taking this surprisingly well. She also leaves him Marcus’ card although there is no address on it, he ponders this card for the next day when his two werewolf bodyguards take him to school. I believe the card reacted to Jonas’ need for answers and he visits Marcus after school, Marcus is also the director of the Agency which police and controls the supernatural population including vampire, werewolves, zombies, demons and more. Through Marcus, Jonas learns of his parents history as enforcers and that due to their immortality vampires need grounding, his father had a special coin and his mother’s grounder was his father and with him gone her mind is spilling away from her. It turns out Jonas was born due to a side effect of an experiment to give vampires the ability to walk in daylight which explains why he doesn’t have key vampire traits like his parents despite being one. Marcus also informs Jonas that someone has weakened his mind probably when he was hit on the head during the attack and begins to teach him how to defend himself from supernatural attacks.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training learning how to defend his mind from attack, especially Madoc who is the creature that both Jonas and Marcus believe killed his father. He also learns through his mother that his training is so hard because they are trying to awaken the vampire part of him and they are succeeding as he drinks blood for the first time and he even creates Sam, a guardian for his mind. For a time, things are okay but I am getting weird vibes from Marcus especially when he shows Jonas a box containing his father’s special effects and that the secret compartment which contain something valuable can only be opened with his father’s coin but Jonas thinks it was just an illusion. One day Madoc does invade his mind but Jonas isn’t prepared for it since he is with Amelia as well and he suddenly realises that she can’t be part of his life as he would never forgive himself if she got hurt or worse turned because of him.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training and strengthens his mental defences but he learns a lot more from the people around him. From Phillip, he learns more about the werewolves and werewolf culture including the fact that Bert has gone missing just days before the full moon and his control isn’t the best. He also learns the Kieran is the White Wolf, almost god-like among the werewolves and Phillip encourages Jonas to befriend his son. Through Eve he learns more about vampires and even uncovers the fact that his history teacher is a hunter, although they come to an arrangement as Jonas isn’t like his mother and father as he can walk in the daylight but we see him becoming colder and slightly more callous than he was in the beginning. The last discovery Jonas makes is twofold, he learns that his father’s coin wasn’t real but he can recreate it as he saw it so often as a child but most others can’t and it is this coin that opens the box Marcus has and inside is a journal. Before Marcus arrives Jonas hides the journal and the secrets it contains as he also realises that Marcus is the demon that has been bothering the agency.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Marcus pushes himself inside Jonas’ mind and tells him he has been trying to contain the demon within his mind but he is getting closer to taking over his body. The demon has had his mother kidnapped by Bert who has betrayed the werewolves and his father might still be alive. In his father’s journal he finds a letter from his father telling him how to get in contact with Madoc who will help him the best he can in the trying times to come. Madoc explains that everything he wants and everything he fears is inside in the Agency but he can’t enter there because it is warded and an army is waiting behind the doors. The only one that offers him any help is Eve as it seems like Jonas has almost completed his transformation into a full vampire but he can still go outside during the day giving him an advantage over most of the supernatural creatures but the demon will not stop until he gets the journal.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Jonas begins gathering some friends starting with the hunters including his history teacher when he learns that Bert has abandoned Kieran in a public place on the night of the full moon. Jonas immediately rushes to help and somehow becomes pack leader due to Kieran’s position as the White Wolf meaning none of the other werewolves can go against Kieran’s decision, which means he now also has most of the werewolves on his side. The demon is slowly working towards its goal of creating mayhem by setting Doris loose and she ends up killing one of the hunters and Jonas knows he needs to go to the Agency soon before more people die. The plan is for Eve, Jonas, and Kieran to go into the Agency as many won’t suspect them because they are kids but they are more powerful that people think they are. Inside the Agency they get side-tracked by a vampire who prompts Jonas to feed from a thrall which upsets Eve but they don’t have time to argue as they are about to come face to face with the demon, although this is delayed as they run into Bert.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get to see the battle between the Agency and Jonas’ army and while they win the battle they haven’t won the war yet as the demon will most likely return and they have to deal with all the mayhem it has caused. His mother has been found and been made the new director of the Agency but his father is still out there somewhere but some good people are lost in the battle including Phillip who was killed by the demon but Jonas promised Marcus he wouldn’t kill him unless it was necessary and there was no other way which Kieran might never forgive him. In the aftermath, Jonas meets with priest as he prepares to leave the country who shows him a vision of some of his closest friends dying in the summer, less than six months from now and the priest believes there is no way to prevent it from happened but Jonas won’t allow it to happen. Overall, Black Fall took a while to get into but once it got going it was quite enjoyable to read and I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.
Title: Black Fall (The Black Year Series #1)
Author: D.J. Bodden
Genre: YA/Supernatural/Thriller
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Black Fall was interesting as we are introduced to Jonas Black at his father’s funeral. Jonas immediately realises something is wrong as his father is being treated like royalty not the salesman he was in life, and this feeling is made worse when we learn that both of his parent’s suffered from a condition making it impossible for them to go in the daylight and with the supernatural tag it makes me think they are vampires or something similar but Jonas isn’t like them. As people leave the funeral his mother collects the ashes only to freak out saying that these aren’t her husband’s ashes and smashing the urn and she does make reference to knowing what human ash smells like. We then jump forward a year, and Jonas hasn’t seen much improvement in his mother’s behaviour but he does find some comfort with his girlfriend, Amelia but he is beginning to feel like someone is watching him and he is having strange dreams and decides to confront his mother about it. That night they are attacked by some men but his father’s friends come around and save the day but Marcus mentions an agency and Jonas begins putting the pieces together in his mind and when his mother says she and his father are vampires, at first he doesn’t believe her but he can’t erase the events of the past couple of days.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas’ mother explains her vampire abilities and other abilities that some vampires have and despite his initial reaction Jonas is taking this surprisingly well. She also leaves him Marcus’ card although there is no address on it, he ponders this card for the next day when his two werewolf bodyguards take him to school. I believe the card reacted to Jonas’ need for answers and he visits Marcus after school, Marcus is also the director of the Agency which police and controls the supernatural population including vampire, werewolves, zombies, demons and more. Through Marcus, Jonas learns of his parents history as enforcers and that due to their immortality vampires need grounding, his father had a special coin and his mother’s grounder was his father and with him gone her mind is spilling away from her. It turns out Jonas was born due to a side effect of an experiment to give vampires the ability to walk in daylight which explains why he doesn’t have key vampire traits like his parents despite being one. Marcus also informs Jonas that someone has weakened his mind probably when he was hit on the head during the attack and begins to teach him how to defend himself from supernatural attacks.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training learning how to defend his mind from attack, especially Madoc who is the creature that both Jonas and Marcus believe killed his father. He also learns through his mother that his training is so hard because they are trying to awaken the vampire part of him and they are succeeding as he drinks blood for the first time and he even creates Sam, a guardian for his mind. For a time, things are okay but I am getting weird vibes from Marcus especially when he shows Jonas a box containing his father’s special effects and that the secret compartment which contain something valuable can only be opened with his father’s coin but Jonas thinks it was just an illusion. One day Madoc does invade his mind but Jonas isn’t prepared for it since he is with Amelia as well and he suddenly realises that she can’t be part of his life as he would never forgive himself if she got hurt or worse turned because of him.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training and strengthens his mental defences but he learns a lot more from the people around him. From Phillip, he learns more about the werewolves and werewolf culture including the fact that Bert has gone missing just days before the full moon and his control isn’t the best. He also learns the Kieran is the White Wolf, almost god-like among the werewolves and Phillip encourages Jonas to befriend his son. Through Eve he learns more about vampires and even uncovers the fact that his history teacher is a hunter, although they come to an arrangement as Jonas isn’t like his mother and father as he can walk in the daylight but we see him becoming colder and slightly more callous than he was in the beginning. The last discovery Jonas makes is twofold, he learns that his father’s coin wasn’t real but he can recreate it as he saw it so often as a child but most others can’t and it is this coin that opens the box Marcus has and inside is a journal. Before Marcus arrives Jonas hides the journal and the secrets it contains as he also realises that Marcus is the demon that has been bothering the agency.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Marcus pushes himself inside Jonas’ mind and tells him he has been trying to contain the demon within his mind but he is getting closer to taking over his body. The demon has had his mother kidnapped by Bert who has betrayed the werewolves and his father might still be alive. In his father’s journal he finds a letter from his father telling him how to get in contact with Madoc who will help him the best he can in the trying times to come. Madoc explains that everything he wants and everything he fears is inside in the Agency but he can’t enter there because it is warded and an army is waiting behind the doors. The only one that offers him any help is Eve as it seems like Jonas has almost completed his transformation into a full vampire but he can still go outside during the day giving him an advantage over most of the supernatural creatures but the demon will not stop until he gets the journal.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Jonas begins gathering some friends starting with the hunters including his history teacher when he learns that Bert has abandoned Kieran in a public place on the night of the full moon. Jonas immediately rushes to help and somehow becomes pack leader due to Kieran’s position as the White Wolf meaning none of the other werewolves can go against Kieran’s decision, which means he now also has most of the werewolves on his side. The demon is slowly working towards its goal of creating mayhem by setting Doris loose and she ends up killing one of the hunters and Jonas knows he needs to go to the Agency soon before more people die. The plan is for Eve, Jonas, and Kieran to go into the Agency as many won’t suspect them because they are kids but they are more powerful that people think they are. Inside the Agency they get side-tracked by a vampire who prompts Jonas to feed from a thrall which upsets Eve but they don’t have time to argue as they are about to come face to face with the demon, although this is delayed as they run into Bert.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get to see the battle between the Agency and Jonas’ army and while they win the battle they haven’t won the war yet as the demon will most likely return and they have to deal with all the mayhem it has caused. His mother has been found and been made the new director of the Agency but his father is still out there somewhere but some good people are lost in the battle including Phillip who was killed by the demon but Jonas promised Marcus he wouldn’t kill him unless it was necessary and there was no other way which Kieran might never forgive him. In the aftermath, Jonas meets with priest as he prepares to leave the country who shows him a vision of some of his closest friends dying in the summer, less than six months from now and the priest believes there is no way to prevent it from happened but Jonas won’t allow it to happen. Overall, Black Fall took a while to get into but once it got going it was quite enjoyable to read and I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.
May 10, 2016
Kat Mandu says…
This is an exciting read that I put off for far too long. Jonas’s story begins with his father’s death, continues to lead him into a dangerous new world where he craves blood, people can read minds (and do so much more), and his mother is slowly going crazy.
What I loved: I really, really enjoyed the mental magic. The author is great at setting up these inner mind-worlds that are like fortresses. Jonas chooses a castle to barricade himself from enemies who want inside his head, and as he grows, so does his barrier. Not only does it grow, but it evolves with the help of sometimes enemy/sometimes ally Edwards. Not to mention the help of his inner voice, Sam, who represents a big part of his subconscious. I was a bit thrown off at the end when it went from Medieval warfare to a Halo kind of battleground. But I like Halo a lot, so, bring on the drop-pods and fancy schmancy sci-fi weapons. I also liked how Madoc was kind of like an AI.
I also enjoyed the characters. Kieran, and his modest ways; Eve with her dark secrets and anger; his mother, slowly going crazy from grief and secrets; and Fangston, the big baddie vamp who thinks he’s got the guts to harbor a demon in his head but discovers he’s very wrong. I also liked quite of few of the human Hunters, who are crazy in their own rights.
What I think could improve: Some of it didn’t flow well for me and I often got confused. I like books with sub-plots within the big plot, but I think the big plot gets lost sometimes among all those side-missions. It took me a long time to realize that the Fangston battle was the main plot, not figuring out where his father was. There were scenes that felt like they were thrown in to add something, but only added more confusion. And then there were scenes where I’m still left wondering what really happened. And overall, I liked the personal development of the character but I feel like I could have used more transformation. Sure, he becomes a badass when it comes to mind magic, but did he really mature from when we first met him in chapter one? I didn’t really think so.
Maybe I’ll find out in the next one! This is a great YA novel to start off a rocking series featuring vampires, werewolves, spirits, and other supernatural baddies. I give it a four for action, mayhem, and great characters I’m eager to read more about.
This is an exciting read that I put off for far too long. Jonas’s story begins with his father’s death, continues to lead him into a dangerous new world where he craves blood, people can read minds (and do so much more), and his mother is slowly going crazy.
What I loved: I really, really enjoyed the mental magic. The author is great at setting up these inner mind-worlds that are like fortresses. Jonas chooses a castle to barricade himself from enemies who want inside his head, and as he grows, so does his barrier. Not only does it grow, but it evolves with the help of sometimes enemy/sometimes ally Edwards. Not to mention the help of his inner voice, Sam, who represents a big part of his subconscious. I was a bit thrown off at the end when it went from Medieval warfare to a Halo kind of battleground. But I like Halo a lot, so, bring on the drop-pods and fancy schmancy sci-fi weapons. I also liked how Madoc was kind of like an AI.
I also enjoyed the characters. Kieran, and his modest ways; Eve with her dark secrets and anger; his mother, slowly going crazy from grief and secrets; and Fangston, the big baddie vamp who thinks he’s got the guts to harbor a demon in his head but discovers he’s very wrong. I also liked quite of few of the human Hunters, who are crazy in their own rights.
What I think could improve: Some of it didn’t flow well for me and I often got confused. I like books with sub-plots within the big plot, but I think the big plot gets lost sometimes among all those side-missions. It took me a long time to realize that the Fangston battle was the main plot, not figuring out where his father was. There were scenes that felt like they were thrown in to add something, but only added more confusion. And then there were scenes where I’m still left wondering what really happened. And overall, I liked the personal development of the character but I feel like I could have used more transformation. Sure, he becomes a badass when it comes to mind magic, but did he really mature from when we first met him in chapter one? I didn’t really think so.
Maybe I’ll find out in the next one! This is a great YA novel to start off a rocking series featuring vampires, werewolves, spirits, and other supernatural baddies. I give it a four for action, mayhem, and great characters I’m eager to read more about.
November 29, 2015
I absolutely love this book! There is nothing old and stale about this vampire story. I didn't want it to end, and find myself wondering about the characters and what they might want to do next.
The writing is excellent, and it is obvious Mr. Bodden has a talent for detailed descriptions that do not bore, but add much more to the story. Something that stood out to me is the amazing writing of the fight scenes. They are so awesome that I could actually see the fights in my mind as I read. I am quite impressed; it's difficult to write fight scenes that don't become either confusing or boring.
Finally, I want to take a moment to mention how I appreciate Mr. Bodden's use of the supernatural in this book. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that this is so much more than a vampire book. So. Much. More.
The writing is excellent, and it is obvious Mr. Bodden has a talent for detailed descriptions that do not bore, but add much more to the story. Something that stood out to me is the amazing writing of the fight scenes. They are so awesome that I could actually see the fights in my mind as I read. I am quite impressed; it's difficult to write fight scenes that don't become either confusing or boring.
Finally, I want to take a moment to mention how I appreciate Mr. Bodden's use of the supernatural in this book. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that this is so much more than a vampire book. So. Much. More.
October 18, 2015
I like this story a lot better than Twilight. I didn't know it was a story about Vampires at first and that's what surprised me. I really love all the characters especially Jonas, but my favorite is Kieran. I imagine both of them to be really hot. And there were more than just vampires and werewolves. There was zombies and this thing called a Specter that was really cool and could be anywhere. If there's a part 2 I would definitely read it. I recommend the book to anyone who likes fantasy and Vampires.
October 2, 2015
I devoured this book. Engaging, likeable, well-rounded characters that illicit empathy and a great story that has me anxiously awaiting the next in the series.
February 1, 2020
Teenaged vampire stories aren’t my thing. Fortunately, Black Fall isn’t really a teenaged vampire story. Oh sure, you have awkward high school romance and family drama, but you also have world-weary vigilantes, self-deprecating werewolves, and literal information gathering spooks.
While in general I try to avoid anything labeled urban fantasy, and vampires in particular, this marks the second time I’ve been pleasantly surprised by such a book. I just might have to update my priors.
One of the reasons I avoid vampire books is that they make me uncomfortable. Going back to adventure fiction’s Gothic roots, vampire stories are often metaphors for the perils of unbridled lust. Tim Powers’ Stress of Her Regard [Amazon link] is a hell of a book, but I find it harrowing precisely because it accurately represents moral dissolution from the inside. Anne Rice’s vampire novels were [are?] immensely popular because they offer sexual thrills. And this is why I avoid them.
While there is a sexual element to vampirism in Jonas Black’s world, Jonas himself is far too busy trying to grow up and find his place in the mad mad world he finds himself thrust into to explore it much. In tone, this book very much seems to be in the older Heinlein juvenile mode: some romance, no sex, a lot of growing up, and a crazy adventure. I approve.
There is also a bit of overlap with Tom Clancy style thrillers, and military scifi, particularly in the fairly dark, self-deprecating sense of humor the book as a whole displays. Especially the hunters, otherwise normal humans [well, they aren’t vampires or werewolves] who seem largely drawn from the ranks of veterans, who find out the hard way that PTSD and TBI aren’t the worst experiences of their lives.
It would be expected that nothing in Jonas’ world is what it seems, but everyone is running a plot of their own, so you really can’t trust anyone or anything. However, Jonas needs to find friends and allies that he can trust. I liked how all this played out, so I won’t say much more here. Go see for yourself.
Religion isn’t a major part of the book, but when a character shows up who is a priest, he absolutely feels like a priest should. I always appreciate authors who can convincingly write a character with faith, especially so when it isn’t a big part of the story. Bodden just wrote this priest the way a priest would be who provides spiritual comfort to the rough men who move in the supernatural underworld.
In a nice touch for the digital age, Bodden has provided a Youtube playlist of the songs that his main character Jonas listens to over the course of the book. I feel like you can a whole different sense of someone by what they choose to listen to that is hard to put into words, and I appreciate that Bodden gave us this window into his character.
As you can see from the review, what really makes this book is a lot of little details done just right. You can read dozens, or maybe hundreds of books like this one. So why choose Black Fall? Because it is fun, fast-paced, and funny. And because despite his legacy, Jonas really is just an ordinary kid who’s trying to figure what the right thing to do is.
I was provided a copy of this book by the author’s publicist.
While in general I try to avoid anything labeled urban fantasy, and vampires in particular, this marks the second time I’ve been pleasantly surprised by such a book. I just might have to update my priors.
One of the reasons I avoid vampire books is that they make me uncomfortable. Going back to adventure fiction’s Gothic roots, vampire stories are often metaphors for the perils of unbridled lust. Tim Powers’ Stress of Her Regard [Amazon link] is a hell of a book, but I find it harrowing precisely because it accurately represents moral dissolution from the inside. Anne Rice’s vampire novels were [are?] immensely popular because they offer sexual thrills. And this is why I avoid them.
While there is a sexual element to vampirism in Jonas Black’s world, Jonas himself is far too busy trying to grow up and find his place in the mad mad world he finds himself thrust into to explore it much. In tone, this book very much seems to be in the older Heinlein juvenile mode: some romance, no sex, a lot of growing up, and a crazy adventure. I approve.
There is also a bit of overlap with Tom Clancy style thrillers, and military scifi, particularly in the fairly dark, self-deprecating sense of humor the book as a whole displays. Especially the hunters, otherwise normal humans [well, they aren’t vampires or werewolves] who seem largely drawn from the ranks of veterans, who find out the hard way that PTSD and TBI aren’t the worst experiences of their lives.
It would be expected that nothing in Jonas’ world is what it seems, but everyone is running a plot of their own, so you really can’t trust anyone or anything. However, Jonas needs to find friends and allies that he can trust. I liked how all this played out, so I won’t say much more here. Go see for yourself.
Religion isn’t a major part of the book, but when a character shows up who is a priest, he absolutely feels like a priest should. I always appreciate authors who can convincingly write a character with faith, especially so when it isn’t a big part of the story. Bodden just wrote this priest the way a priest would be who provides spiritual comfort to the rough men who move in the supernatural underworld.
In a nice touch for the digital age, Bodden has provided a Youtube playlist of the songs that his main character Jonas listens to over the course of the book. I feel like you can a whole different sense of someone by what they choose to listen to that is hard to put into words, and I appreciate that Bodden gave us this window into his character.
As you can see from the review, what really makes this book is a lot of little details done just right. You can read dozens, or maybe hundreds of books like this one. So why choose Black Fall? Because it is fun, fast-paced, and funny. And because despite his legacy, Jonas really is just an ordinary kid who’s trying to figure what the right thing to do is.
I was provided a copy of this book by the author’s publicist.
July 19, 2017
There’s something about getting review copies from publishers that sings to the inner nerd in me. Thanks to Netgalley, I’ve had the opportunity to review plenty of such books. Some of them were good, others were better.
‘Black Fall’ is a book I received from Netgalley.
Written by DJ Bodden, ‘Black Fall’ has restive vampires, honourable werewolves and a murderous lich.
I know. When I first realise this was a story about vampires, I blanched. But, I owed it to the publisher to finish the book, and boy! Am I glad I did.
This is a coming of age story with Jonas Black, the son of Victor and Alice Black, takes his first steps into the shadowy (not) world of vampires.
A year after his father mysteriously died, Jonas discovers he is a rather unconventional vampire, the rare vampire offspring who also happens to be the result of an experiment to enhance the vampires’ resistance to deadly sunlight.
As a result, Jonas can go out in the Sun and not get burnt to a crisp.
But that’s where the story just begins.
The easiest parallel I can draw to this book is ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’. Think Harry and his initiation into the parallel wizarding world.
It is much the same for Jonas, the only difference(s) being that he is not being hunted by a dark lord, and the world of vampires, werewolves and “supernaturals” is prone to violence.
Jonas, who spent all his life oblivious to his heritage (at one point, a character refers to him as vampire royalty), assumed he was an ordinary human child with a regular girlfriend.
But then his genes (?) kick in and he is yanked navel first into the world.
But he adapts admirably, and even leads the charge to cleanse the governing ‘Agency’.
In a nutshell, Jonas Black and his allies, Eve the vampire, Kieran the unusual werewolf, Madoc the spectre and many others, must take on the bad guys, in this case the ‘Order of Shadows’, and win the battle for a journal that could very well change the lives of vampires forever.
It is a testament to the author’s skill that I was easily drawn into the world. There is not a single word or phrase or even a sentence that feels out-of-place. The style of writing is very economical and, by that virtue, very effective. There is no unnecessary flair; Bodden wants to tell a story and tell it in the simplest way possible.
For that reason, there is very little exposition in the book. The few instances when the characters must expound, they do it so in a matter-of-fact manner, making it easy for the reader to flow along.
The characters too are very well fleshed out. They fall into three broad categories — the good, the bad and the ambiguous, and it makes for a thrilling read to see the characters develop.
I cannot wait to lay my hands on the next book in the series, ‘White Winter’.
‘Black Fall’ is a book I received from Netgalley.
Written by DJ Bodden, ‘Black Fall’ has restive vampires, honourable werewolves and a murderous lich.
I know. When I first realise this was a story about vampires, I blanched. But, I owed it to the publisher to finish the book, and boy! Am I glad I did.
This is a coming of age story with Jonas Black, the son of Victor and Alice Black, takes his first steps into the shadowy (not) world of vampires.
A year after his father mysteriously died, Jonas discovers he is a rather unconventional vampire, the rare vampire offspring who also happens to be the result of an experiment to enhance the vampires’ resistance to deadly sunlight.
As a result, Jonas can go out in the Sun and not get burnt to a crisp.
But that’s where the story just begins.
The easiest parallel I can draw to this book is ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’. Think Harry and his initiation into the parallel wizarding world.
It is much the same for Jonas, the only difference(s) being that he is not being hunted by a dark lord, and the world of vampires, werewolves and “supernaturals” is prone to violence.
Jonas, who spent all his life oblivious to his heritage (at one point, a character refers to him as vampire royalty), assumed he was an ordinary human child with a regular girlfriend.
But then his genes (?) kick in and he is yanked navel first into the world.
But he adapts admirably, and even leads the charge to cleanse the governing ‘Agency’.
In a nutshell, Jonas Black and his allies, Eve the vampire, Kieran the unusual werewolf, Madoc the spectre and many others, must take on the bad guys, in this case the ‘Order of Shadows’, and win the battle for a journal that could very well change the lives of vampires forever.
It is a testament to the author’s skill that I was easily drawn into the world. There is not a single word or phrase or even a sentence that feels out-of-place. The style of writing is very economical and, by that virtue, very effective. There is no unnecessary flair; Bodden wants to tell a story and tell it in the simplest way possible.
For that reason, there is very little exposition in the book. The few instances when the characters must expound, they do it so in a matter-of-fact manner, making it easy for the reader to flow along.
The characters too are very well fleshed out. They fall into three broad categories — the good, the bad and the ambiguous, and it makes for a thrilling read to see the characters develop.
I cannot wait to lay my hands on the next book in the series, ‘White Winter’.
May 9, 2020
Jonas Black, teenager. Ordinary teenager. Except, he's not.
He's actually a rarity of all rarities: A _Born_ vampire to two vampire parents under the influence of a Daywalker serum.
Jonas never knew vampires were real. Crazy talk! And now, he finds out the vampires are reading his mind, including his mom and this visitor, and ... Wait a minute. He's a vampire. His parents are vampires. Are you kidding?
If that's not enough of a shock, his father might not be dead after all. And his mom is acting mental and he just can't stay in the dark... even if that leads him to even darker places. And a world with rules very, very strange indeed.
A vampire in this world has to design defenses to their inner world. Only it's not just metaphoric, it's just as real to other vampires trying to break in. This meant there was more to the usual vamp-attacks-another-vamp. This meant our protagonist had learning experiences that did not all happen in front of ordinary humans....and if they did, were completely unseen by mortal eyes.
It also means that "What is REAL and not real?" is a central theme in the story, as much as "Who can you really trust?"
Everyone refers to him as Alice Black's son. Maybe that's because his dad was thought dead. But something tells me we all might be in for a lot more stories of the life of "Aliz" Black as we follow the life of her son, Jonas. Trust and betrayal in those stories is very likely to be a keystone in how the players advance the current day story, as well.
DJ Bodden has written a very unique introductory story and the hardest part is: will the next book stay fresh and keep me interested without returning me to my ennui with the usual patterns? I sure hope so. I was impressed with book one and desperately hope for a continued 5-star level crafting of the ongoing saga.
I got this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) for review from BookSirens.
He's actually a rarity of all rarities: A _Born_ vampire to two vampire parents under the influence of a Daywalker serum.
Jonas never knew vampires were real. Crazy talk! And now, he finds out the vampires are reading his mind, including his mom and this visitor, and ... Wait a minute. He's a vampire. His parents are vampires. Are you kidding?
If that's not enough of a shock, his father might not be dead after all. And his mom is acting mental and he just can't stay in the dark... even if that leads him to even darker places. And a world with rules very, very strange indeed.
A vampire in this world has to design defenses to their inner world. Only it's not just metaphoric, it's just as real to other vampires trying to break in. This meant there was more to the usual vamp-attacks-another-vamp. This meant our protagonist had learning experiences that did not all happen in front of ordinary humans....and if they did, were completely unseen by mortal eyes.
It also means that "What is REAL and not real?" is a central theme in the story, as much as "Who can you really trust?"
Everyone refers to him as Alice Black's son. Maybe that's because his dad was thought dead. But something tells me we all might be in for a lot more stories of the life of "Aliz" Black as we follow the life of her son, Jonas. Trust and betrayal in those stories is very likely to be a keystone in how the players advance the current day story, as well.
DJ Bodden has written a very unique introductory story and the hardest part is: will the next book stay fresh and keep me interested without returning me to my ennui with the usual patterns? I sure hope so. I was impressed with book one and desperately hope for a continued 5-star level crafting of the ongoing saga.
I got this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) for review from BookSirens.
December 2, 2019
An original premise, interesting characters, a different look at an old story... I had such high hopes for this book. Its a good book, I think I just got my hopes up too high. I still plan on reading the rest of the four book series (three books released so far).
One small, should-be-meaningless-but-bothers-me-anyway thing, just get it out of the way so I can move on emotionally: the publisher's summary mentions one of the main character's problems is "keeping his battered MP3 player working"... keep in mind, this problem is introduced at the same level as murders and a missing parent, so I would think this is a big deal. But no, its not. The player is mentioned a few times, that's it. A few (I think four) songs are mentioned by name, so I streamed them and got even more disappointment... the songs aren't my cup of tea, or coffee, or whiskey. I don't see them adding to the story, like listening while reading didn't change anything for me.
Ok, the actual book. I loved the characters. They're well-written, multi-layered, they move around the plot while changing things, good job Bodden.
The plot starts out great, then good, then lazy (?), then good again. The deus ex machina is so strong its distracting. Don't get me wrong, there are twists and surprises, but the right person being in the right place doing the right thing, repeatedly, made me ask too many questions to enjoy the last few chapters. The ending set the tone for the next book in the series, so at least I'm looking forward to the next one.
Overall, I liked it. Like a retelling of a classic story, a unique plot and good characters made the book work for me.
**I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.
One small, should-be-meaningless-but-bothers-me-anyway thing, just get it out of the way so I can move on emotionally: the publisher's summary mentions one of the main character's problems is "keeping his battered MP3 player working"... keep in mind, this problem is introduced at the same level as murders and a missing parent, so I would think this is a big deal. But no, its not. The player is mentioned a few times, that's it. A few (I think four) songs are mentioned by name, so I streamed them and got even more disappointment... the songs aren't my cup of tea, or coffee, or whiskey. I don't see them adding to the story, like listening while reading didn't change anything for me.
Ok, the actual book. I loved the characters. They're well-written, multi-layered, they move around the plot while changing things, good job Bodden.
The plot starts out great, then good, then lazy (?), then good again. The deus ex machina is so strong its distracting. Don't get me wrong, there are twists and surprises, but the right person being in the right place doing the right thing, repeatedly, made me ask too many questions to enjoy the last few chapters. The ending set the tone for the next book in the series, so at least I'm looking forward to the next one.
Overall, I liked it. Like a retelling of a classic story, a unique plot and good characters made the book work for me.
**I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2019
I LOVED this one! I enjoy supernatural tales and have read a lot of them. It's getting tough to for me to find original plots and characterizations of different creature types as a result. I don't usually mind - there's a comfort level in reading things that feel familiar - but it's always a delight when I find something that feels fresh and engages me from the get-go. Black Fall did just that.
From the opening pages, I was drawn into this world. It's a YA, but primarily due to character-age rather than to the scenarios and situations confronting the protagonist. Jonas is a great character, full of the amalgamation of bluster and self-doubt that epitomizes (in my opinion) the best teen characters (and actual teens). He starts out a fairly sheltered kid (albeit one with an odd life) but grows into a commanding presence throughout the course of his discovery of the world that exists behind the world he thought he lived in. It's a journey full of secrets, lies, deception, and realizations that things are nearly always more complicated than they seem. It played out beautifully because it was overlaid with action, adventure, and humor - all blended together with self-realization in a way that felt natural and unfolded in a furious turning of pages.
I see there are two more books - I cannot WAIT to dig into them. This one ends with dangling bits and possibility, both of which would spur my curiosity even without the endearing connection I felt to all of the characters (particularly the triumvirate of Jonas, Eve, and Kieran). This was a great find!
I received an advanced review copy for free through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
From the opening pages, I was drawn into this world. It's a YA, but primarily due to character-age rather than to the scenarios and situations confronting the protagonist. Jonas is a great character, full of the amalgamation of bluster and self-doubt that epitomizes (in my opinion) the best teen characters (and actual teens). He starts out a fairly sheltered kid (albeit one with an odd life) but grows into a commanding presence throughout the course of his discovery of the world that exists behind the world he thought he lived in. It's a journey full of secrets, lies, deception, and realizations that things are nearly always more complicated than they seem. It played out beautifully because it was overlaid with action, adventure, and humor - all blended together with self-realization in a way that felt natural and unfolded in a furious turning of pages.
I see there are two more books - I cannot WAIT to dig into them. This one ends with dangling bits and possibility, both of which would spur my curiosity even without the endearing connection I felt to all of the characters (particularly the triumvirate of Jonas, Eve, and Kieran). This was a great find!
I received an advanced review copy for free through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 23, 2017
*WHOLE SERIES REVIEW*
Every once in a while, a book I loaned from the library would have some of its pages ripped off. Usually, I wouldn't notice it until I was so engrossed in the story and the most interesting part/explanation/important subplot happened to be on the page that was missing.
This is how I felt reading this series.
The world is so interesting, unconventional and the writing is solid. It's basically a coming of age story, but meant for adults. I particularly loved the unique take the author had on familiar fantasy tropes (SPOILER ALERT: vampires suffer from erectile dysfunction, which is hilarious when you think how they're usually portrayed). BUT (and it's a big but) it was so hard to keep up with everything that's happening. I literally had to go back a few pages to see if I missed some crucial info- and I had to do that like every 30 pages, at least. What's the most interesting thing, the writing is clear and concise, not confusing at all, but I still wasn't able to follow the story with ease. Which is a shame- with such interesting characters, unique ideas/mythology and a plot with great potential, this book (and the whole series) could have been one of the best I read this year. However, I feel compelled to keep it at 3* because of the fact that so much was glossed over and it made the impression that the story is missing something vital. I'll definitely keep my eye out for the next book in the series, because I did notice a slight improvement in the last installment of The Black Year Series.
Every once in a while, a book I loaned from the library would have some of its pages ripped off. Usually, I wouldn't notice it until I was so engrossed in the story and the most interesting part/explanation/important subplot happened to be on the page that was missing.
This is how I felt reading this series.
The world is so interesting, unconventional and the writing is solid. It's basically a coming of age story, but meant for adults. I particularly loved the unique take the author had on familiar fantasy tropes (SPOILER ALERT: vampires suffer from erectile dysfunction, which is hilarious when you think how they're usually portrayed). BUT (and it's a big but) it was so hard to keep up with everything that's happening. I literally had to go back a few pages to see if I missed some crucial info- and I had to do that like every 30 pages, at least. What's the most interesting thing, the writing is clear and concise, not confusing at all, but I still wasn't able to follow the story with ease. Which is a shame- with such interesting characters, unique ideas/mythology and a plot with great potential, this book (and the whole series) could have been one of the best I read this year. However, I feel compelled to keep it at 3* because of the fact that so much was glossed over and it made the impression that the story is missing something vital. I'll definitely keep my eye out for the next book in the series, because I did notice a slight improvement in the last installment of The Black Year Series.
August 30, 2017
Urban fantasy world with a 17 year old chosen one who's somehow different than everyone before him who comes of age in a world much bigger and more magical than he ever imagined it could be. We've all read that story. If you love that story, you'll enjoy this book. But about 3/4 of the way through, I realized the story had changed. Not a dramatic change, but things weren't happening that I've grown to expect in stories like these.
Jonas isn't a nice guy who wants everyone to like him. He isn't the hero because he takes responsibility for everyone around him. He's also not a self-centered anti-hero.
At the core, Jonas is a person who wants to wake up tomorrow and respect the person he sees in his mirror. And when secondary characters demand the same right, Jonas gives them that chance. That bumps this book from a three to a four from me. I respect who Jonas is trying to be, and I hope he gets the chance to grow into that potential as the series continues. I respect Jonas' allies, and look forward to seeing more of the world.
There are a lot of characters in fiction I enjoy. It's nice to have a protagonist I can respect.
Jonas isn't a nice guy who wants everyone to like him. He isn't the hero because he takes responsibility for everyone around him. He's also not a self-centered anti-hero.
At the core, Jonas is a person who wants to wake up tomorrow and respect the person he sees in his mirror. And when secondary characters demand the same right, Jonas gives them that chance. That bumps this book from a three to a four from me. I respect who Jonas is trying to be, and I hope he gets the chance to grow into that potential as the series continues. I respect Jonas' allies, and look forward to seeing more of the world.
There are a lot of characters in fiction I enjoy. It's nice to have a protagonist I can respect.
November 9, 2019
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I liked Black Fall. I didn't expect to, although it's mostly because I'd gotten bored with vampire books, but this has so many different characters that were so well fleshed out that it didn't matter that it was vampires.
The story is the coming of age of a young vampire and the trials he goes through to reach maturity. He battles a demon, he befriends werewolves, and there's even a zombie or two in the mix. Very entertaining and flowed seamlessly in its storyline. Thank you, Book Sirens!
Can't wait to read White Winter!
Truly well done, Darby Bodden! Truly well done indeed!
I received an advance review copy free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and in my own words. As always
The story is the coming of age of a young vampire and the trials he goes through to reach maturity. He battles a demon, he befriends werewolves, and there's even a zombie or two in the mix. Very entertaining and flowed seamlessly in its storyline. Thank you, Book Sirens!
Can't wait to read White Winter!
Truly well done, Darby Bodden! Truly well done indeed!
I received an advance review copy free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and in my own words. As always
June 6, 2017
Thank you to Netgalley and D.J Bodden for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
I loved this book!!
I loved the fact that the main character was male, there are far too many YA females at the moment, who all struggle with the same predictable love triangle, in this book there was no love triangle and that made me immensely happy :)
I loved the fact that this was not yet another vampire novel, there was werewolves, zombies and whole host of other paranormal entities.
The book is well written and the fight scenes were brilliantly crafted and fantastic to read.
I will be going to get the next two books in the series right now.
I loved this book!!
I loved the fact that the main character was male, there are far too many YA females at the moment, who all struggle with the same predictable love triangle, in this book there was no love triangle and that made me immensely happy :)
I loved the fact that this was not yet another vampire novel, there was werewolves, zombies and whole host of other paranormal entities.
The book is well written and the fight scenes were brilliantly crafted and fantastic to read.
I will be going to get the next two books in the series right now.
June 21, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable. Jonas is a very likeable guy, and I liked watching him awaken to his new world and come to grips with his potential power as the son of one the oldest vampires in the Agency. While also having a go at saving the world - no pressure!
I appreciate this fresh angle on the vampire/werewolf/hunter trope. It's as if too much in the vampire/supernatural genre is written for hormone-drenched teenage girls and the adventure and action has taken a back seat (pun intended) to romantic supernatural/human entanglements. So over it!!!
Well done and thank you for bringing back the adventure!!!
ARC received via Netgalley. This is an honest review.
I appreciate this fresh angle on the vampire/werewolf/hunter trope. It's as if too much in the vampire/supernatural genre is written for hormone-drenched teenage girls and the adventure and action has taken a back seat (pun intended) to romantic supernatural/human entanglements. So over it!!!
Well done and thank you for bringing back the adventure!!!
ARC received via Netgalley. This is an honest review.
October 18, 2019
Sixteen year old Jonas learns about his supernatural heritage and gets caught up in a web of deceit and intrigue.
I was glad the book lacked a plethora of teenage angst. No agonizing internal monologues. Yes Jonas is young but he spends his time learning about his new world rather than agonizing about his psyche.
That said, Jonas is less interesting than some of the secondary characters. For example, I'd be interested in the backstory of his parents and of Eve.
It was enjoyable and I look forward to the next in what is sure to be a series.
I was given a free copy and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
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