Book #44 - Falling Under (Falling Under #1)

Falling Under (Falling Under #1), Gwen Hayes
324 pages
paranormal romance, urban fantasy
Started 4/12/12
Finished 4/15/12
2.5 STARS

I was given this book by a friend who warned me. She didn't like it. I thought, "It can't be that bad, can it?" Well...

I didn't find any of the characters likable. And, really, how can I like a book when I the characters annoy the crap out of me. Haden is a whiny, grump. Theia is wishy-washy and blah. Donny is a stone cold bitch. Ame is flighty and air headed. And Gabe seriously needs to grow a pair. I found the character development to be weak (obviously, since I couldn't endear myself to any of them). The plot development was very disjointed. I was confused half the time and bored the other half. I was constantly reminded of Theia's sheltered British life - and, by the way, I totally didn't buy the British bit. It felt like a gimmick thrust in the story with a crowbar.

Somewhere in the middle, though, the story started getting more interesting. I believe it was around the time when Theia found out what Haden really was and what was going on with him. That revelation helped a lot. On the other hand, it was also the last third of the book's downfall. It felt like there was a lot of anticipation and wonder around what Haden was and why he was there. Why could he do what he did? Why didn't he want to touch Theia? What would happen if he did? In the end, nothing happened. And, it became so easy for them to shift between their worlds that the excitement and wonder of it all quickly wears away. What's the big deal? Once the cats were let out of the bag, my reaction was like, "Ohhhh! Cool. So... is that it then?" Not the hallmark of a stellar story.