The Fallen Star Review

Monday, August 15, 2011

Title: The Fallen Star
Author: Jessica Sorenson
Publisher: Self-published
Publish Date: April 7, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 449
Source: Author

For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life.

But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.
Gemma's life has always been strange, but lately things are changing from strange to just plain alarming. She's used to feeling nothing, and yet now her emotions begin to creep up on her with a tickling, unsettling sensation every time Alex is around. But her nightmares are beginning to haunt her in daylight and her emotions are overwhelming her everywhere she turns. A part of her wants to figure things out, but the rest of her longs for the simplicity of her former invisibility. Can she figure out what's happening her before these transformations and uncovered secrets become deadly?

Let me preface my review by saying that I'm a true fan of indie authors. I love the idea that true genius doesn't have to be represented by some huge name to be amazing. The Fallen Star is a book brimming with creativity and promise, creating a intriguing and fresh world. Author Jessica Sorenson clearly did her due diligence when planning out The Fallen Star. It's a world that's interesting and accessible and will definitely find a niche for paranormal readers everywhere. Balancing a tricky plot with a host of intricate characters, The Fallen Star offers a thrill ride for those seeking a twist on the old paranormal with hints of the new.

It's tricky to review a book like The Fallen Star because I truly mean it when I say that the author and the book have potential. I really enjoyed the creativity involved in the actual premise and setup of the book, but I will say that my main issue with The Fallen Star was the execution of the novel, unfortunately. The fact of the matter is that this is a book that makes the reader work to find the action and then, ultimately, fails to give some sort of adequate resolution. While I understand it's a part of a series, I like books to stand on their own, and the ending of The Fallen Star sounded more like a chapter than that of a novel. In a novel that's precariously close to 500 pages, I would like to get into the thick of the action before nearly a third of the book is done. My other major issue with the book was the editing or lack thereof. I can overlook some spelling errors, and heck, I can overlook some grammar, but the pages were, unfortunately, littered with errors that were actually detrimental to my ability to follow the plot. My last real issue was, simply, that I often felt Gemma was talking more to the reader than to the other characters in the book, and it felt jarring.

Now, I'm by no means saying that The Fallen Star is a bad book. It shows promise for the author, and I'm sure it will find its niche and home on many a reader's shelf. However, it just didn't work as well as I'd hoped for me. I give it a 2.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal trilogies.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

20 comments:

  1. I always find reviewing self-published novels tricky as well. Like you, I can almost always see some promise there of something great, but I feel like they really need some major feedback from someone acting as an editor. I appreciated reading your thoughts in this review, Melissa!

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  2. 500 page O.o! I think if a book has that many pages tham it needs to be fast paced and flow seamlessly too. It is a shame this book didn't meet up to it's potential. Great review Melissa :)

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  3. Despite the low rating I might try this one. The synopsis sounds promising.

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  4. I would agree that Sorensen showed originality and promise but Fallen Star fell short for me too. I also had a difficult time staying with the book because it took so long to get to the crux of the action. I did however really love Laylen and wish there had been more of him in the book.

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  5. Wow, that's an impressively large book. Too bad it takes so long to really get into the action and the errors are so numerous you can't help but notice them and get ejected from the story because of it. Glad to see that even through all that you can see the potential though, that's always encouraging. Grammar and those types of errors can be fixed:) Awesome review Melissa!

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  6. I just can't wait to "get" into a book... Kelli's calls ma a book snob :) but I do like knowing theses kinds of details before I begin a book.

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  7. Thanks for the review! I love how well you describe the book. It gives me an better idea of what to expect. It interests me.

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  8. Hmm, yeah, I don't like to have to work to get into the book either. It's a bummer that The Fallen Star wasn't executed as well as it could be! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  9. Aww, I'm sorry this one turned out not-so-great for you. I totally understand where you're coming from regarding grammar and talking to the reader. But I like that you say the author has potential! Thanks for the honest review, Melissa, these are always hard to write.

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  10. I used to like Indie Authors but I think the truly good ones and the ones with potential, like this Author, tend to have a bad rep due to the truly bad ones. I really want to like Indies but I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to. :/

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  11. Doesn't sound like I'd really love this book either, but still sounds like an author to look out for in future works. Great review!

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  12. ooh, no, I don't think I will get this book. With 449 pages it should be blown-up spectacular and it doesn't sound like that. ;) Great review!

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  13. It's a shame it wasn't as executed as well as it could have been - I find that a lot of books have great premises, but fail to keep me entertained. I think I'll have to skip this one - thanks for the review :).

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  14. Eh, perhaps not. First I am not a big YA pnr fan and secondly, yes not for me ;)

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  15. While I like how this book sounds different from the usual paranormal romance that's out right now, I think the editing problems would really bug me especially with it being 500 pgs or so. Thanks for a great, honest review, Melissa!

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  16. I've been really picky about editing lately, I think it's just because we read SO much that we notice those things more then people who may only read a few books a year. But I think it's definitely important to have a book edited well. Self pubbed authors can do well, they just need a good editor. That's good you could see a good story there, it's just too bad it didn't shine through a bit more.

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  17. Good for you for reviewing this one fairly and honestly. I read a very similar self-pub book awhile ago. Great concept and plot but horrible grammar issues, plot holes etc. I chickened out and decided not to review it b/c I didn't want to hurt feelings :-(

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  18. That's a shame that it didn't deliver in the end (and multiple errors are always a bit frustrating to read). Nice honest review, :)

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  19. Writing with style and getting good compliments on the article is quite hard, to be honest.But you've done it so calmly and with so cool feeling and you've nailed the job. This article is possessed with style and I am giving good compliment. Best! origami star

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