Book Review: Fallen (After Trilogy #1) by Traci L. Slatton

Summary: 
When the world ends, all that is left is love....

As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. Will Emma stay with him?

The first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.

Release Date: July 12, 2011
Age Group: Adult
Source: Review copy from publisher

Review:

Fallen was such a unique book!  I loved that it's part dystopia, part romance (without being too heavy on the bedroom scenes).  I wasn't sure what to think of Fallen at first, because of the way Emma acts in the beginning.  Her hasty decision to join Arthur's camp was shocking in the way she went about things.  But, I soon began to admire and like her character.  Emma was certainly full of surprises, both about her history, and her actions.  I never knew what to expect from her, and I love that!

Traci Slatton's writing style was very erudite without being too academic.  I liked that I had to look up several words while reading: I enjoy being challenged when I read.  Fallen had an insightful, deep feel to it, considering the focus on the biomind and the connectivity of humans and nature.   The concept of the biomind was intoxicating in its plausibility.  I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.  

Fallen is set during the end times, so much of the book focuses on survival, but at its heart it is a book about love.  Emma struggles with an impossible decision, and I was just as torn as she was considering what she should do.  Emma is a strong character, and her constant growth was enjoyable to read about.

The premise of the psychic gifts brought about by the lethal mists was really clever.  The different characters' gifts made the story very interesting.  Speaking of characters, Slatton did a great job with her character development.  I enjoyed the varied personalities and how each character contributed to the story.  

I have to say that I suspected the truth about Arthur long before it was revealed and it broke my heart right along with Emma's.  I was so caught up in the romance, and the ending just left me dying to jump into book two, Cold Sight.  

Fallen is a very smart, insightful read.  There's something to be said about breaking up my usual YA reading routine with a great adult fiction novel.  I liked that the story was more substantial than my usual reads.  It left me feeling very satisfied and even a little educated; much different from my usual YA escapism reads.  

Fallen was a great change of pace for me and I plan to read more from Traci Slatton.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian novels, and also fans of science fiction.    

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