The Fallen (The Fallen Series Book 1)
Author: Megan D. Harding
Published: November 30th, 2016
Genre: Supernatural Romance, Young Adult
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ (3.5)
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
This is a forbidden love story between a Nephilim (Half angel-half human Liam) and the human (Alana) he is trying to protect. Liam grew up in a Guardian sanctuary raised by Idris (their leader) because his father betrayed the Guardians and was stripped of his wings, sending him on the path to the Fallen Ones (angels who have been stripped of their wings, but still had power–dark power). Liam has always fallen shy of perfection, and one of his mistakes brings him to Alana. While spending time guarding Alana from those trying to harm her, Liam finds himself growing closer to his human side–and to Alana. He is torn between following in his father’s footsteps and fulfilling a powerful prophecy. Time is running out, and a decision has to be made. Will he choose love or destiny?
Let’s begin with the cover…shirtless guy on romance novel cover…check! I love the feathers floating around. Liam is who I assume is depicted here on this cover…walking among the clouds. I think this cover gets the point across. I do apologize for the poor graphics in the cover image, Goodreads does not have a clear cover picture available. Now, on to the review!
Alana is a young College student known for her grades. One night she reluctantly agrees to go to a college party with her best friend. What she does not know is that this one event will change her life. That night she meets Liam…a Nephilim who protects her from that day forward. She shows him many joys of a once mysterious human world. Alana and Liam find they not only have shared similar past experiences but are growing to care for each other.
The characters in this story are well developed. The reader is given sufficient information about each character’s background and history. I do wish the reader was given more information about Alana, but it is not needed to understand who she is. I loved Liam though! He was given a great backstory. He was different from his peers, being half human and half guardian. The author remained accurate to the details in her account of the creation of the Nephilim. This shows she took the book seriously and performed the necessary research. The twist on the creation of Werewolves was unique, something I have never read before. This tied in nicely with why Caleb was uneasy about Liam initially. It provides another conflict between the characters.
In the end, Liam is left battling an important figure from his past. The final choice he is given is a troubling one. He wants what is forbidden and has to make a difficult decision. His choice was such a romantic one…allowing him to forever watch over what he desired most, yet never being able to have it. I could only imagine how painful that was to make, but he knew he made the right one.
With some editing to fix the errors found within, this would make a very fun read. This story is fast paced and pulls you in right away. I enjoyed this tale very much. However, the switching between point of views became redundant. There was a lot of repetition between them and it became tiring quickly. It was very clear whose POV you were reading from though. That was nice, as many often fail to make that clear. Personally, I feel that if the story were written in third-person with more dialogue between characters it would have been better. Even written in first-person, if they offered more information, the POVs would have been fine. I enjoyed reading what each character was thinking, but the repetition of each event became too much. The storyline had great potential. A young college student, Nephilim, and forbidden love. The romance in this tale is clean, which can be refreshing for someone who is not comfortable with the more intimate type. If you are looking for a clean, fast-paced, and enjoyable read…pick this book up and try it.
Have you read this novel? Does it sound like something you would enjoy? Let me know what you think below.