Review: The Fallen

Title: The Fallen - The Fallen and Leviathan

Author: Thomas E. Sniegoski

Series: The Fallen #1 & #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - October 2010 | US - March 2010

Format: Paperback - 544 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Young Adult

On his eighteenth birthday, Aaron begins to hear strange voices and is convinced he is going insane. But having moved from foster home to foster home, Aaron doesn't know whom he can trust. He wants to confide in the cute girl from class, but fears she'll confirm he's crazy.

Then a mysterious man begins following Aaron. He knows about Aaron's troubled past and his new powers. And he has a message for Aaron: As the son of a mortal and an angel, Aaron has been chosen to redeem the Fallen.

Aaron tries to dismiss the news and resists his supernatural abilities. But he must accept his newfound heritage - and quickly. For the dark powers are gaining strength, and are hell-bent on destroying him...

My thoughts:

 

I have to start off by saying that Aaron is such a sweetheart that you'd have to be mad not to love him right from the start of the book. His backstory is so sweet and his personality is so endearing that I knew I would finish the book purely for his character even if the story ends up something else entirely.

 

Aaron is an orphan being fostered by a lovely family who he considers his birth parents. Things change when he discovers he is the son of a mortal woman and an angel - he discovers new abilities and that he is the one and only Nephilim that a prophecy talks of. A prophecy that claims Aaron will be the one to grant forgiveness to the fallen angels if they truly deserve it.

 

This is one of those books that is a nice read but to me it was nothing more than that. I liked it. It was a nice plot and the story was full of great characters but the book as a whole lacked something in my opinion. 

 

What I liked most about this book was the characters. They held the book together with how many there were and their different personalities. There were a few that I felt weren't needed - some were introduced and then seemed to disappear which made me feel like I'd missed something.

 

Since this book is a bind up ( the first two books in the series in one big book ) I couldn't help but compare the two books. I felt that the first ( The Fallen ) was heaps better than the second ( Leviathan ). It had a better writing style - the second book felt incredibly rushed and slightly underwhelming. I think the only reason I liked this book as a whole was because of the first story. If The Fallen was similar to Leviathan I think I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. 

 

Having said that, the author has done a good job of keeping secrets. I really do want to carry on with the series just to find the answers to a lot of questions that I have. 

 

I think this is a perfect book to get from the library for a nice read and I'm definitely going to see if the next books in the series are any better.

 

My rating: 6/10

 

 

Thomas E. Sniegoski:

Goodreads | Website 

 

Books in the series:

1. The Fallen
2. Leviathan
3. Aerie
4. Reckoning
5. End of Days
6. Forsaken