If I had to describe Falling Under in one word, it would be: quirky. I found this book to be strange, frustrating, amusing, sweet, and jaw-droppingly crazy at various times. Occasionally all at the same time. I cant put my finger on exactly what it is about this book that has me so curious, but my curiosity has most definitely been piqued by this intro book into Gwen Hayes Falling Under series.
Theia is a great character. She is sweet and intuitive and very easy to like. But shes very much a trapped teenage girl, who is constantly watched (almost to an obsessive degree) by her father. I felt like his reasons for why he kept such a tight rein on Theia were tedious at best, but the parents of teenagers have done stranger things in real life so who am I to question motives in fiction?
Haden, the leading man, however was another story. I found myself strongly disliking him for a good portion of the booknot a good thing since this is the guy Theia is supposed to fall for. While Haden does get redeemed by the end (thus setting up book #2, Dreaming Awake), I find that I had a hard time forgetting his actions and the fact that he genuinely annoyed me for a good chunk of the novel. I will say that the romance between Theia and Haden sizzled and kept my attention throughout the book.
I found some parts of this book insanely absurd. So absurd that I told several friends, which made them run out and buy this book so they could read it for themselves. We all agreed, however, that there is some magic about this book that just works. Hayes has tapped into some recess of my brain that is craving to know more of this story. The end is somewhat frustrating, and theres a bit of a wait for the next book. Needless to say, I will be armed with my copy of Dreaming Awake when its released in January to see what happens next.
Theia is a great character. She is sweet and intuitive and very easy to like. But shes very much a trapped teenage girl, who is constantly watched (almost to an obsessive degree) by her father. I felt like his reasons for why he kept such a tight rein on Theia were tedious at best, but the parents of teenagers have done stranger things in real life so who am I to question motives in fiction?
Haden, the leading man, however was another story. I found myself strongly disliking him for a good portion of the booknot a good thing since this is the guy Theia is supposed to fall for. While Haden does get redeemed by the end (thus setting up book #2, Dreaming Awake), I find that I had a hard time forgetting his actions and the fact that he genuinely annoyed me for a good chunk of the novel. I will say that the romance between Theia and Haden sizzled and kept my attention throughout the book.
I found some parts of this book insanely absurd. So absurd that I told several friends, which made them run out and buy this book so they could read it for themselves. We all agreed, however, that there is some magic about this book that just works. Hayes has tapped into some recess of my brain that is craving to know more of this story. The end is somewhat frustrating, and theres a bit of a wait for the next book. Needless to say, I will be armed with my copy of Dreaming Awake when its released in January to see what happens next.
I have had this book on my to be read pile for quite a while. This book ended up being exactly what I thought it was going to be. It was a very typical YA paranormal romance. The writing was okay and so was the story; but nothing all that interesting or creative. This is the first book of a duology, the second book is called Dreaming Awake.
Theia leads a very sheltered life with a very strict father. However, things start to change when she sees a boy fall flaming from the sky. Then the burning boy Haden starts appearing in her dreams, followed by his appearance at her school. Theia finds herself drawn to Haden but she knows he's not normal...probably not even human. Haden is determined to protect Theia from the danger he represents, but is he strong enough to push her away?
Everything about this story was very typical paranormal YA. Theia is your super uptight repressed heroine that has a hidden wild side. Haden is your dark and dangerous yet sensitive bad boy. Right away you know he's not human but has something to do with demons.
The first part of the book was pretty bad; Theia is constantly making puppy dog eyes at Haden even though he is emotionally abusive and a bit of a stalker (super unhealthy relationship between these two). The second half of the book was more interesting, this is the part where they visit Haden's home...however I won't say more than that because of spoilers.
I did enjoy the irony at the end of the story (which ends on a pretty bad cliffhanger). I wish I had known that this was the first book of a duology when I started the book.
Overall this is an okay and very typical YA paranormal romance. The first half of the book is flat out bad and boring, but the second half was more interesting. I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this book, there is much much better YA PNR out there. I won't be reading the second book in this duology because I just don't care.
Theia leads a very sheltered life with a very strict father. However, things start to change when she sees a boy fall flaming from the sky. Then the burning boy Haden starts appearing in her dreams, followed by his appearance at her school. Theia finds herself drawn to Haden but she knows he's not normal...probably not even human. Haden is determined to protect Theia from the danger he represents, but is he strong enough to push her away?
Everything about this story was very typical paranormal YA. Theia is your super uptight repressed heroine that has a hidden wild side. Haden is your dark and dangerous yet sensitive bad boy. Right away you know he's not human but has something to do with demons.
The first part of the book was pretty bad; Theia is constantly making puppy dog eyes at Haden even though he is emotionally abusive and a bit of a stalker (super unhealthy relationship between these two). The second half of the book was more interesting, this is the part where they visit Haden's home...however I won't say more than that because of spoilers.
I did enjoy the irony at the end of the story (which ends on a pretty bad cliffhanger). I wish I had known that this was the first book of a duology when I started the book.
Overall this is an okay and very typical YA paranormal romance. The first half of the book is flat out bad and boring, but the second half was more interesting. I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this book, there is much much better YA PNR out there. I won't be reading the second book in this duology because I just don't care.
Ok- I guess I'm going to be in the minority here. I'm a bit stuck on how to describe this book. I liked parts of it, but almost hated others.
I spent the entire first half of the book wondering what the heck was going on. The author appears to be writing a fairly "normal" contemporary YA book one minute, then completely switches gears and writes a confusing, strange, and odd paranormal in the next. A lot of the scenery descriptions felt like the author was just trying too hard to make it creepy. The storyline was kind of all over the place.
I also had a hard time connecting with either of the main characters. The peripheral cast was more interesting than Theia, who at times was mousy, and at other times was so rash she came off as almost TSTL. She certainly doesn't think her actions through, and at several points during the book, there were some real "head-slap" moments. Haden was mostly unlikable throughout the book, only redeeming himself near the end, when I thought it was already too late.
I'm kind of torn about whether or not to continue this series- I'm just not sure I really care enough about any of the characters to bother.
I spent the entire first half of the book wondering what the heck was going on. The author appears to be writing a fairly "normal" contemporary YA book one minute, then completely switches gears and writes a confusing, strange, and odd paranormal in the next. A lot of the scenery descriptions felt like the author was just trying too hard to make it creepy. The storyline was kind of all over the place.
I also had a hard time connecting with either of the main characters. The peripheral cast was more interesting than Theia, who at times was mousy, and at other times was so rash she came off as almost TSTL. She certainly doesn't think her actions through, and at several points during the book, there were some real "head-slap" moments. Haden was mostly unlikable throughout the book, only redeeming himself near the end, when I thought it was already too late.
I'm kind of torn about whether or not to continue this series- I'm just not sure I really care enough about any of the characters to bother.
It was really similar to Twilight in lots of ways, but it was far better written. Her use of similes and metaphor's were very vivid. The heroine was again a naive high school girl and at moments I couldn't believe that she was that dumb. And it seemed to drag on in ways,but overall it was a good story and kept my interest until the end. I'll be curious to see where the next book takes me.
I am not going to lie when I tell you I strictly bought this book for its cover, so I could add it to my collection of gorgeous book covers. Lucky for me not only is the cover beautiful but Falling Under turned out to be a horrifyingly beautiful YA paranormal romance.
The book started off with a burning man falling from the sky right outside Theia's house which raised my curiosity. And after that Hayes pretty much takes you on a roller coaster ride into a terrifyingly magical world.
I loved Falling Under, I think what really made me go from like to love was the fact that there is no love triangle, no werewolves,vampires,angels,faeries or zombies. Half the fun was figuring out what Haden was.
I loved how Theia's character grew throughout the story. And how her friends Amelia and Donny were also very well developed characters not just fillers like most YA books I've been reading lately. Haden was a blast, there was actually certain parts where I was creeped out by him and other times (his human side) where I just adored him and felt sorry for the guy.
There were a lot of dream sequences in the book which were very intense and hair raising and I loved every minute of it. Hayes did a wonderful job making sure everything connected and flowed together.
Gwen Hayes has created a very dark,suspenseful,edgy and amazingly captivating world in which I can not wait to immerse myself in again when book two to the series comes out next year.
The book started off with a burning man falling from the sky right outside Theia's house which raised my curiosity. And after that Hayes pretty much takes you on a roller coaster ride into a terrifyingly magical world.
I loved Falling Under, I think what really made me go from like to love was the fact that there is no love triangle, no werewolves,vampires,angels,faeries or zombies. Half the fun was figuring out what Haden was.
I loved how Theia's character grew throughout the story. And how her friends Amelia and Donny were also very well developed characters not just fillers like most YA books I've been reading lately. Haden was a blast, there was actually certain parts where I was creeped out by him and other times (his human side) where I just adored him and felt sorry for the guy.
There were a lot of dream sequences in the book which were very intense and hair raising and I loved every minute of it. Hayes did a wonderful job making sure everything connected and flowed together.
Gwen Hayes has created a very dark,suspenseful,edgy and amazingly captivating world in which I can not wait to immerse myself in again when book two to the series comes out next year.
I don't really know why I had this on my to-read list, unless it was recommended to me. It was about a sheltered girl named Theia who saw a burning man in her "dreams" though it seemed to be real to her as well. She started to meet someone with that man's same eyes in her dreams, only to find him showing up at school. This guy however is so devious and she doesn't know why she can't stand him but is falling for him at once. There is something about him that is devlish and something amazing. I couldn't stand him most of the book and that she would give into him. I believe this book was very unoriginal or as if they plot was forced. I think some of it was good, and some of it was terrible. I am interested in learning what happens in the next book, but didn't truly enjoy the story.
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
When Theia Alderson encounters the bizarre sight of a burning man falling from the sky and dying in her yard, her whole life begins to change. Seriously, that`s how FALLING UNDER begins - and it never lets up!
Theia is a transplanted Brit in a California high school. Her mother died when she was born, and her father moved them back to England. But his job relocated the two back to the States, where Theia has always been the odd girl out with her accent and unruly curls.
After the burning man incident, things get even more bizarre. Theia has a dream that is so real she's not surprised to find that the new boy who arrives at school is the same boy she has just dreamed about. Haden keeps appearing to Theia. She's both repelled and confused by him. Just when she thinks they've formed a connection, he does something to push her away. Backed by two very different but just as interesting friends, Theia tries to discover the mystery of Haden Black.
FALLING UNDER has so many amazing characters that it's hard to pinpoint just a single one that I enjoyed. The most entertaining by far is Varnie, the cross-dressing, young surfing psychic who the girls visit for a reading. When the tarot cards turn over three death cards for Theia, Varnie gets concerned and does a runner from town. But don't fret; he's not gone for long.
The other character that caught my attention is Gabe, the popular boy who is smitten with Theia's friend, Donny (Donnatella.) Donny has no idea why someone like Gabe, who is a sneetch (aka popular boy, and you HAVE to love the Dr. Seuss reference!) would be interested in her. Gabe sticks around through all the paranormal stuff, and isn't quite as clueless as one would expect from a sneetch.
There is so much going on in FALLING UNDER that it's hard to pin down just one story line. They all blend together well, supporting the main story of Theia and Haden. FALLING UNDER is also hard to describe as any one single type of novel. There are paranormal aspects obviously, but there's romance and mystery, as well. Basically, it's just a well-written story that leaves the reader eager for more.
When Theia Alderson encounters the bizarre sight of a burning man falling from the sky and dying in her yard, her whole life begins to change. Seriously, that`s how FALLING UNDER begins - and it never lets up!
Theia is a transplanted Brit in a California high school. Her mother died when she was born, and her father moved them back to England. But his job relocated the two back to the States, where Theia has always been the odd girl out with her accent and unruly curls.
After the burning man incident, things get even more bizarre. Theia has a dream that is so real she's not surprised to find that the new boy who arrives at school is the same boy she has just dreamed about. Haden keeps appearing to Theia. She's both repelled and confused by him. Just when she thinks they've formed a connection, he does something to push her away. Backed by two very different but just as interesting friends, Theia tries to discover the mystery of Haden Black.
FALLING UNDER has so many amazing characters that it's hard to pinpoint just a single one that I enjoyed. The most entertaining by far is Varnie, the cross-dressing, young surfing psychic who the girls visit for a reading. When the tarot cards turn over three death cards for Theia, Varnie gets concerned and does a runner from town. But don't fret; he's not gone for long.
The other character that caught my attention is Gabe, the popular boy who is smitten with Theia's friend, Donny (Donnatella.) Donny has no idea why someone like Gabe, who is a sneetch (aka popular boy, and you HAVE to love the Dr. Seuss reference!) would be interested in her. Gabe sticks around through all the paranormal stuff, and isn't quite as clueless as one would expect from a sneetch.
There is so much going on in FALLING UNDER that it's hard to pin down just one story line. They all blend together well, supporting the main story of Theia and Haden. FALLING UNDER is also hard to describe as any one single type of novel. There are paranormal aspects obviously, but there's romance and mystery, as well. Basically, it's just a well-written story that leaves the reader eager for more.
