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dembury's review against another edition
4.0
Now THAT'S a good vampire book. Roehrig writes a great blend of shadowy forces, humor, and lovable characters, all set in a magically charged town reminiscent of Scooby-Doo's Coolsville. The last book I read of Roehrig's was "White Rabbit" and his writing growth is clear: the prose is much more mature and fully realized, and totally enjoyable to read. My only big complaint is that there are a LOT of scenes where characters just sit down and have info-dump-y conversations, which drags the pace of the book down. Even though what is being said is well-said, there is still a lot of room for trimming this down and providing more dynamic moments instead of just chit chat. But all in all, lots of fun to read- I would definitely recommend "The Fell of Dark" if you want a solid YA vampire adventure!
renee_c's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
The Fell of Dark is one of those vampire novels that doesn't take itself too seriously. I've always found the humorous undead novels that treat everything like a joke to be fun, which is why I picked this novel up.
Delightfully gay, the book is led by August Pfeiffer, whose sarcastic and exasperated voice I enjoyed very much. Unfortunately there is a bit of love triangle, but the triangle takes on more of a threesome vibe than a one-or-the-other vibe. Although pleasantly progressive, I must admit this was a little disappointing for me because the blurb had led me to believe we were gonna get some hot action between poor, semi-closeted August and hot, brooding vampire. August is literally always thinking about how horny he is-- and that never built up to anything. Unfortunate indeed.
The next defining trait of this novel would be the sheer amount of players introduced. You've got the vampire syndicate (basically their government), the league of the dark star (small vampire group led by a witch vamp?), vampire Rasputin and his psychos (literally), and some old cronies (the witches you read about in hamlet?). It's a lot, and they're all after August. At first it's exciting to learn about each group's role, but towards the end it gets hard to keep track of. It felt like August was just being pushed around between these groups for the entire novel. I also didn't like how August didn't have a single "normal" friend; every character eventually revealed him/herself to be related to one of the groups somehow.
Caleb Roehrig did a good job of giving his vampires emotionally-complex backgrounds. I could see how a character's past experiences and emotions drove their actions, especially in Gunnar, August, and Viviane. The best character by far is August's math tutor. I might recommend The Fell of Dark for her alone. Jk. I'll recommend The Fell of Dark for those who like light vampire reads and funny narrators.
The Fell of Dark is one of those vampire novels that doesn't take itself too seriously. I've always found the humorous undead novels that treat everything like a joke to be fun, which is why I picked this novel up.
Delightfully gay, the book is led by August Pfeiffer, whose sarcastic and exasperated voice I enjoyed very much. Unfortunately there is a bit of love triangle, but the triangle takes on more of a threesome vibe than a one-or-the-other vibe. Although pleasantly progressive, I must admit this was a little disappointing for me because the blurb had led me to believe we were gonna get some hot action between poor, semi-closeted August and hot, brooding vampire. August is literally always thinking about how horny he is-- and that never built up to anything. Unfortunate indeed.
The next defining trait of this novel would be the sheer amount of players introduced. You've got the vampire syndicate (basically their government), the league of the dark star (small vampire group led by a witch vamp?), vampire Rasputin and his psychos (literally), and some old cronies (the witches you read about in hamlet?). It's a lot, and they're all after August. At first it's exciting to learn about each group's role, but towards the end it gets hard to keep track of. It felt like August was just being pushed around between these groups for the entire novel. I also didn't like how August didn't have a single "normal" friend; every character eventually revealed him/herself to be related to one of the groups somehow.
Caleb Roehrig did a good job of giving his vampires emotionally-complex backgrounds. I could see how a character's past experiences and emotions drove their actions, especially in Gunnar, August, and Viviane. The best character by far is August's math tutor. I might recommend The Fell of Dark for her alone. Jk. I'll recommend The Fell of Dark for those who like light vampire reads and funny narrators.
chthonicgod's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hidingzeus's review against another edition
4.0
I am really enjoying Caleb Roehrig's writing. This book was quite fun while also getting a little dark in spots.
giraffenmeister319's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
just_a_city_gorl's review against another edition
3.5
- Okay, I have mixed feelings on this. I originally loved the first half and thought this was going to be one of my favourite books this month but now I’m not so sure.
- I don’t know what it was about the second half that put me off but it just did.
The relationship between Auggie, Jude, and Gunnar was just a disappointment. It hinted at more happening and all but the chemistry was fun at first but then just lacklustre. And they way they interacted with each other, all the lies, was just not fun to read. I also started to not care for any of the side characters. They all just became either bland or unlikable and the story progressed which upset me. I ended up with hardly any attachments to any of them so reading the book felt a bit more like a chore. - Overall, this was a good book and it was well written but it just became not my thing towards the end which was disappointing.
kaykayreads4life's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
itslucyamber's review against another edition
4.5
Oh I loved this book! But it is not the book I thought I was getting. I was expecting queer vampires (which there are), but romance is one of the most minor subplots in this story.
It's a true supernatural story with false identities, the chosen one, secret societies, demons, witches, angels, vampires and knights. Unexpected, but appreciated.
The first-person narration worked perfectly and I'm genuinely shocked at how good this was - I've not read many books of this genre before. I purchased Caleb Roehrig's next book immediately.
*Possible spoilers*
I also love the ending. Everything is complete and yet still an air of 'what comes next' and hope that lets you decide for yourself!
It's a true supernatural story with false identities, the chosen one, secret societies, demons, witches, angels, vampires and knights. Unexpected, but appreciated.
The first-person narration worked perfectly and I'm genuinely shocked at how good this was - I've not read many books of this genre before. I purchased Caleb Roehrig's next book immediately.
*Possible spoilers*
I also love the ending. Everything is complete and yet still an air of 'what comes next' and hope that lets you decide for yourself!
achilleanshelves's review against another edition
4.0
I want to make it very, very clear that if this book had ended with the main character in a polyamorous relationship, this would have been 5 stars. This would have been the perfect book.
Because, in all other regards, this book is spectacular. I loved the pacing, the themes and the tone which felt very authentic to what the book was trying to emulate. The characters were great and very compelling with Auggie being a wonderful perspective to follow. As I touched on, I adored the love triangle and loved how there was no animosity between the three parties (other than the betrayals that occurred continuously throughout this twisty-turny book) which makes me wish all the more that it had ended with Auggie, Jude and Gunnar in a poly relationship.
Because, in all other regards, this book is spectacular. I loved the pacing, the themes and the tone which felt very authentic to what the book was trying to emulate. The characters were great and very compelling with Auggie being a wonderful perspective to follow. As I touched on, I adored the love triangle and loved how there was no animosity between the three parties (other than the betrayals that occurred continuously throughout this twisty-turny book) which makes me wish all the more that it had ended with Auggie, Jude and Gunnar in a poly relationship.