Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Title: Falling Under
Author: Gwen Hayes

Publisher: New American Library

Release Date: March 1, 2011 

Date Read: May 6 - 10, 2011

Rating: 3/5 stars

Goodreads

Summary

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.

Review

I won a copy of Falling Under from Nikki at Wicked Awesome Books. I hadn't heard much about it other than that it was a paranormal romance and with my dislike of that genre I was a bit hesitant to read it. I rated it 3 stars for an interesting spin on demons, originality, and diverse characters.

I loved the diversity of the main characters especially when most YA novels are about born-and-bred Americans. Gwen Hayes did a wonderful job of acknowledging Theia's British upbringing and Amelia's adoption without either of them being the only plot point those characters had. It was so refreshing for Amelia to be a non-book-worm/oppressive-parents Asian-American. I was disgruntled by Theia's father who appeared to be the "cookie-cutter" oppressed Dad tortured by how much his daughter resembles his dead wife, but I really liked how well-rounded he became when he revealed how much he didn't want Theia to be born. Rarely do we see such rejection from a parent in a YA novel. 

I have never read a book about demons or demonology so I was very intrigued by Haden's history and character. Unfortunately most of his background was told in bits and pieces scattered throughout the first half of the novel rather than all at once. I was very confused about the logistics of Under as there were many plot inconsistencies and things left unexplained. I appreciate that Falling Under is the first in a series and therefore more will be explored in future novels but it still left me perplexed.

Falling Under receives an entire star just for Part 2. I don't want to ruin what happens after Part 1 for those who haven't read it yet, but I was so impressed with the unexpected, original, and well-written ending. I'm excited to read the next novel and see where Gwen Hayes takes Haden and Theia next. 

Favourite Quote: "Not abducting you to the underworld as my kidnapped bride is not a rejection, though I can see you take it as one."

Recommended: The Hollow (Jessica Verday), Twilight (Stephenie Meyer), Evermore (Alyson Noel)