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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Luckily it was for free! I really didn't enjoy this. Could not even get through the first couple of pages. I had no motivation to read it and was expecting so much more. The only good thing about it was that it was for free - and I can uderstand why!
All these years and I still love the story. Gemma and Alex’s story is frustrating and filled with so much sexual tension. I loved all of it! Rereading this as an adult, I feel like I have a better understanding of his story that I probably did not understand as a kid. I cannot wait to finally finish this series and see how it ends.
I enjoyed this book! It was strange in places, but still very good.
I'm not sure how to rate this....so I started this once, months ago, and stopped because I just couldn't get into it. It felt detached and confusing - like I was missing huge chunks of the story.
So, I started it again. I'm glad I gave it a 2nd chance. The story was interesting but I think I would have liked this better as YA. It just seemed like everyone was just so sex crazy! Every boy within Gemma's path or sight wanted her. And they weren't worried about suddenly becoming rapists just to get her. So confusing, perhaps this is a part of her....uh, gifts?
anyway, Alex was interesting. He seemed hot and cold but his cold was explained so I forgave him.
but the storyline seemed a little silly for New Adult. Faeries, Death Walkers, vampires...and her big secret. It just all seemed great for YA, a little inmature for college age.
but it was an interesting story and I am glad I did finish it!
So, I started it again. I'm glad I gave it a 2nd chance. The story was interesting but I think I would have liked this better as YA. It just seemed like everyone was just so sex crazy! Every boy within Gemma's path or sight wanted her. And they weren't worried about suddenly becoming rapists just to get her. So confusing, perhaps this is a part of her....uh, gifts?
anyway, Alex was interesting. He seemed hot and cold but his cold was explained so I forgave him.
but the storyline seemed a little silly for New Adult. Faeries, Death Walkers, vampires...and her big secret. It just all seemed great for YA, a little inmature for college age.
but it was an interesting story and I am glad I did finish it!
Sooooooo. I skimmed the last 40% of this book because wow. A long time ago I read the YA version of this story, so when I scooped up a version with older, reimagined, potentially sexy characters, I expected good things. Not great things, but entertaining ones. And let me say for the record that I don't love giving bad reviews, because I know authors work hard. But I also have so many problems with this book that I have to share. It was too complicated, tried to introduced too many fantasy elements that didn't seem to fit together at all, and I disliked both of the main characters: Gemma and Alex.
So, let's start with the complications. Gemma has inside of her the power of a fallen star. She's been being kept hidden because no one knows what to do with the power, and she's finally finding out the truth. Fine. Great, even. Not so great? The thing about her emotions getting turned back on for no apparent reason out of the blue. The part where other dimensions seem to exist, and magic and witches are real, and there are vampires and Immortals and Death Walkers (ice zombies?) and werewolves and faeries and the Underworld and castles and Forseers and tattoos that magically appear, as well as a sword that supposedly kills immortal things but which no one ever uses. This is way too much stuff to be a coherent book!
The only worthwhile thing about vampires being in this book (for no reason) was that it gave us Laylen, the only character I could stand, and even he didn't do much. He just didn't take people's shit and was literally the only person in the story to stand up for himself.
And on that note, let's move on to the characters:
Let's go minor character first. Aislin. Alex's sister, whose only worthwhile quality was that she was a witch, and that was just for plot purposes, not character development. (Although let's not forget she helps Gemma find a tight, black, leather outfit to wear to Las Vegas, because what would a story be without our main female character dressing outside her comfort zone so that everyone has a chance to gape at her beauty, which she doesn't know she possesses?) Otherwise, Aislin hangs around, used to date Laylen, doesn't contribute much help, and honest to God says like three words to Gemma the whole book even though they are frequently in the same car/room.
And then, of course, we have Gemma. Our main character. Queen of repetition and moody outbursts and innocence who, again, contributes very little to the plot despite being its focal point.
SHE LITERALLY DOES NOTHING. Her main emotion is instant attraction to both Alex and Laylen, guilt when she feels attraction to Laylen over Alex, and anger at Alex because he is also moody. She gets pulled around and occasionally sees something weird, and otherwise she makes out with Alex. She's erratic and irritating, frustrated and frustrating, and she brings nothing to the table despite having not one but two magicky things about her. She honestly just seems to exist to be the person asking questions so that the readers get an explanation of the world.
And then? ALEX.
If there was a gold standard for douchey, bordering-on-rapey, alpha male, this man would be it. He is the moodiest person in the entire universe, treats Gemma like trash unless he's turned on (sometimes because he's turned on), is domineering and rude to absolutely everyone, lies to Gemma on the regular, but it's okay, because he feels the same electricity as Gemma when they touch, which means they're in love. Also they were friends when they were kids, so nothing creepy here, folks!
"If it wasn't for the flow of electricity, I'd think he's the mirage because Alex is not affectionate. Hot, intense, irrational, maybe even a little bipolar—yes. Loving and caring—no.
THESE ARE THE THOUGHTS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER 75% OF THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK? What? That is not attractive, that does not make me like Alex! That is terrible!
And the worst part is that every time Gemma wants to get away from him instead of hearing him out, he literally and physically forces her into a position where she can't leave. That is not hot, that is rapey and abusive. There are multiple instances where he literally will not let her leave until he's said what he wants to, and this always either involves putting her in his lap or forcing her down and staying on top of her. And she's always like, "I guess I'll listen, sigh."
"...fury flashes in his eyes. Before I can react, he picks me up, lays me on the couch and encloses his body over mine. He situates his elbows next to my head and presses his chest close to mine so my hands are caged."
(This is his reaction to Gemma telling him she knows he lied, which he did.)
STRUGGLE, GIRL, GET OUT OF THERE.
He's honestly terrible, and at no point was I attracted to him. It was awful.
I know alpha males are very in when it comes to NA books. And sometimes it works. But only when the girl also has a chance to tell him off, to stand up for herself, and when he learns a little respect, NONE of which happens in this book.
Authors who think this is an okay portrayal of a relationship?
And don't worry, everyone! It also ends in a cliffhanger! So your dissatisfaction can be never-ending.
So, let's start with the complications. Gemma has inside of her the power of a fallen star. She's been being kept hidden because no one knows what to do with the power, and she's finally finding out the truth. Fine. Great, even. Not so great? The thing about her emotions getting turned back on for no apparent reason out of the blue. The part where other dimensions seem to exist, and magic and witches are real, and there are vampires and Immortals and Death Walkers (ice zombies?) and werewolves and faeries and the Underworld and castles and Forseers and tattoos that magically appear, as well as a sword that supposedly kills immortal things but which no one ever uses. This is way too much stuff to be a coherent book!
The only worthwhile thing about vampires being in this book (for no reason) was that it gave us Laylen, the only character I could stand, and even he didn't do much. He just didn't take people's shit and was literally the only person in the story to stand up for himself.
And on that note, let's move on to the characters:
Let's go minor character first. Aislin. Alex's sister, whose only worthwhile quality was that she was a witch, and that was just for plot purposes, not character development. (Although let's not forget she helps Gemma find a tight, black, leather outfit to wear to Las Vegas, because what would a story be without our main female character dressing outside her comfort zone so that everyone has a chance to gape at her beauty, which she doesn't know she possesses?) Otherwise, Aislin hangs around, used to date Laylen, doesn't contribute much help, and honest to God says like three words to Gemma the whole book even though they are frequently in the same car/room.
And then, of course, we have Gemma. Our main character. Queen of repetition and moody outbursts and innocence who, again, contributes very little to the plot despite being its focal point.
SHE LITERALLY DOES NOTHING. Her main emotion is instant attraction to both Alex and Laylen, guilt when she feels attraction to Laylen over Alex, and anger at Alex because he is also moody. She gets pulled around and occasionally sees something weird, and otherwise she makes out with Alex. She's erratic and irritating, frustrated and frustrating, and she brings nothing to the table despite having not one but two magicky things about her. She honestly just seems to exist to be the person asking questions so that the readers get an explanation of the world.
And then? ALEX.
If there was a gold standard for douchey, bordering-on-rapey, alpha male, this man would be it. He is the moodiest person in the entire universe, treats Gemma like trash unless he's turned on (sometimes because he's turned on), is domineering and rude to absolutely everyone, lies to Gemma on the regular, but it's okay, because he feels the same electricity as Gemma when they touch, which means they're in love. Also they were friends when they were kids, so nothing creepy here, folks!
"If it wasn't for the flow of electricity, I'd think he's the mirage because Alex is not affectionate. Hot, intense, irrational, maybe even a little bipolar—yes. Loving and caring—no.
THESE ARE THE THOUGHTS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER 75% OF THE WAY THROUGH THE BOOK? What? That is not attractive, that does not make me like Alex! That is terrible!
And the worst part is that every time Gemma wants to get away from him instead of hearing him out, he literally and physically forces her into a position where she can't leave. That is not hot, that is rapey and abusive. There are multiple instances where he literally will not let her leave until he's said what he wants to, and this always either involves putting her in his lap or forcing her down and staying on top of her. And she's always like, "I guess I'll listen, sigh."
"...fury flashes in his eyes. Before I can react, he picks me up, lays me on the couch and encloses his body over mine. He situates his elbows next to my head and presses his chest close to mine so my hands are caged."
(This is his reaction to Gemma telling him she knows he lied, which he did.)
STRUGGLE, GIRL, GET OUT OF THERE.
He's honestly terrible, and at no point was I attracted to him. It was awful.
I know alpha males are very in when it comes to NA books. And sometimes it works. But only when the girl also has a chance to tell him off, to stand up for herself, and when he learns a little respect, NONE of which happens in this book.
Authors who think this is an okay portrayal of a relationship?
And don't worry, everyone! It also ends in a cliffhanger! So your dissatisfaction can be never-ending.
This book had a really strong start. It had me hooked... until the reader got to know the characters really well and it started to go downhill.
The MC - Gemma - is the shy, responsible college student. And I liked how she started off been emotionless - due to her past which was slowly revealed throughout the book. Then she started to get her "feelings/emotions" back and it came across as feeling every emotion all at once. It got really annoying. Fast.
There were unnecessary reactions that didn't need to be expressed and things that didn't need to be said as the book progressed.
The story itself was interesting but for me it was like too much going on.
The reader learns of what type of supernatural being the character is and then in the next chapter we have a character who is a vampire. Then another character who is a witch.
Another chapter and character a Fairy.
Another chapter and character a Wolf.
Another chapter and character an Angel.
Another chapter and character the underworld.
Another chapter and char - you get the point.
Personally I'm not a fan of too many supernatural beings in one. My limit is two. So for me this had too much going on at different turns and I saw it as random placement in the story just... because.
Less is more in this case...
The romance was weird for me. It started off with the MC making the reader believe that Alex was one and nothing could change that and then half way through the book we hear of another character and she makes it look like Alex who...?. Totally forgets Alex and all the sudden it's only and all about this Laylen guy (vampire btw). He was probably the only character that didn't frustrate me as much as all the others. I would read his backstory.
I could see the author's potential in trying to tell this story with the characters she created and I won't hold this book against her. I will definitely try her other 'non-supernatural' series though and see how they are.
Happy reading! :)
The MC - Gemma - is the shy, responsible college student. And I liked how she started off been emotionless - due to her past which was slowly revealed throughout the book. Then she started to get her "feelings/emotions" back and it came across as feeling every emotion all at once. It got really annoying. Fast.
There were unnecessary reactions that didn't need to be expressed and things that didn't need to be said as the book progressed.
The story itself was interesting but for me it was like too much going on.
The reader learns of what type of supernatural being the character is and then in the next chapter we have a character who is a vampire. Then another character who is a witch.
Another chapter and character a Fairy.
Another chapter and character a Wolf.
Another chapter and character an Angel.
Another chapter and character the underworld.
Another chapter and char - you get the point.
Personally I'm not a fan of too many supernatural beings in one. My limit is two. So for me this had too much going on at different turns and I saw it as random placement in the story just... because.
Less is more in this case...
The romance was weird for me. It started off with the MC making the reader believe that Alex was one and nothing could change that and then half way through the book we hear of another character and she makes it look like Alex who...?. Totally forgets Alex and all the sudden it's only and all about this Laylen guy (vampire btw). He was probably the only character that didn't frustrate me as much as all the others. I would read his backstory.
I could see the author's potential in trying to tell this story with the characters she created and I won't hold this book against her. I will definitely try her other 'non-supernatural' series though and see how they are.
Happy reading! :)
I admit, when I saw that the author had redone her Fallen Star series at a "new adult level," I was intrigued. Confused, kind of disgusted, but also intrigued. And you know, it was free on Amazon. So.
I think the Fallen Star could have been a lot better with a more mature tone, so I had to give this a try. But it really isn't very different? I mean, everyone says "Goddamn" about every paragraph, and Alex and Gemma can't keep their pants on. But other than that, same old weirdness.
I think the Fallen Star could have been a lot better with a more mature tone, so I had to give this a try. But it really isn't very different? I mean, everyone says "Goddamn" about every paragraph, and Alex and Gemma can't keep their pants on. But other than that, same old weirdness.
