Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.
As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.
And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul. (From GoodReads)
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So...I've been waffling a little because I wasn't sure I was going to write a post for this book. Falling Under is a book I bought for myself, purely based on the cover. I think this quite possibly may be the most gorgeous cover, EVER. I like to have a few books I read just for myself, no note-taking, just reading. But I just can not help myself. Here's the deal. I LOVE this book. Major love. I can't-freaking-wait-for-the-sequel kind of love. You may be asking yourself: "Has she completely gone off her rocker?" And, maybe I have. My kids have been away for two weeks. I've been staying up until 2am every night reading. Reading all day. Reading, reading, reading. So you don't think I'm just babbling, let me tell you why I loved Falling Under.
The Characters.
Haden and Theia. He's a dark, mysterious stranger with hidden, dangerous secrets. She's a reserved good girl, always forced to push her true self down to please a demanding father. When their worlds collide, the love they share could possibly destroy everyone around them. And sure, sometimes they acted in ways that infuriated and exasperated me. I literally wanted to shake Theia at a few different points. Real characters, just like real people, do that to us. Theia and Haden weren't kept apart by little misunderstandings or jealousies or any other minor obstacles. They were given horrible, disastrous obstacles. The kind of obstacles that are life-threatening and earth-shattering.
The Villain.
Well...to avoid spoilers, I can't say who is the villain in Falling Under. But I will say this. This villain is literally what nightmares are made of. He/She and the world they live in scared the crap-ola outta me. I'm still kinda creeped out.
The Story.
Like I said before, I bought this book based on the cover. I barely skimmed the synopsis. So, I didn't even really know what it was about before I started reading. For the first bit, I thought it was a tortured by differences love story, a la Twilight. There were a few similarities. The dangerous boy falling in love with the innocent girl. Will he kill her; will he overcome his nature to be with the girl he loves? I would have been completely fine with that. But this book took me to so many different places, a whole other world. At certain points, it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. I really could go on and on. I was left swooning one moment and creeped-the-hell-out the next. I loved that this book continually surprised me and kept me on my toes.
Gwen Hayes' Writing.
This is the first book of Hayes' that I've read. She roped me in from the first line: "Everything changed the night I saw the burning man fall from the sky." She wrote real, heart-breaking, evil, fear-inducing characters. Hayes gave a beautiful depiction of this world and a spectacular, horrific other-world. She managed to keep my head spinning and inspire a few nightmares. Gwen Hayes also earned herself an enthusiastic (in case you didn't notice) new fan, probably for life.
The sequel to Falling Under, Dreaming Awake, is set to release January 2012. I'm dying to get my hands on that book. But until then, I'll longingly look at my precious, Falling Under, and stalk Dreaming Awake of GoodReads. Take a look.
You can take a look at GoodReads:
Falling Under: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7948945-falling-under
Dreaming Awake: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10640020-dreaming-awake
Gwen Hayes' Blog: http://gwenhayes.blogspot.com/2011/06/cover-for-dreaming-awake.html
Wow, this one sounds amazing! I've heard of it before, but never actually read the synopsis. It sounds like it kept you guessing, and I like when a book doesn't make all of it's secrets obvious from the beginning. Great review and you didn't give away any crucial plot points or anything so thank you! Gotta go add this to my list; plus, I have a $35 gift card sitting in my hot little hands and I can't decide what to buy with it. This book is looking pretty good though...
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