Customer Reviews

and Falling, Fly

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

AND FALLING, FLY is not an easy read. Its a twisted, layered plot that has you continually questioning the sanity of its characters. Are they really fallen angels turned vampires? Does the hero truly recall dozens of lost lifetimes and lost loves? Or are they all as delusional as they claim to be? Am I delusional for believing them? Am I being tricked? All these are questions I asked myself repeatedly from page one to the very last sentence. And one question still lingers: Was any of it even real?

Also, this book takes commitment with a capital C. On numerous occasions I dropped the book, willing to give up and walk away from this supposed "novel". I couldn't connect to the characters. I couldn't even figure out what the hell was going on! But I stuck with it, determined to figure out the confusing mystery laid out in this complex pattern of words and phrases. The author wanted to convey something to me. And while I don't claim to be smart enough to know for a fact that I took away from AND FALLING, FLY exactly what the Ms. White intended, I do believe that I took at least one thing from her incredible imagination and that is that love can, and does set us free.

Olivia Wright is a vampire, cast from heaven to be the angel of desire - desire in corporeal form for others to covet but never desire for herself. Molded and shaped into a being to satisfy other's appetites, Olivia is sickened by their lust-fulled gaze that forever keeps her from seeing her true native face. All she sees it what they want and while their cravings allow her to momentarily fill the void of her everlasting numbness with their blood, it does not provide for her the love that she seeks and that of which would ultimately set her free. Now, filled with self-loathing and damned for eternity, Olivia has given up on her one and only hope: The loophole that would return her wings so that she may be able to once again fly. That dream is now lost and all that remains is Hell. But Hell is home - an inverted hotel deep beneath the mystery-seeped soil of Ireland. There her sisters reside. There she can wallow in her numbness and escape the cloying eyes of the surface and the mortals that inhabit it.

However, Hell is the last place Dominic O'Shaughnessy ever hoped to see again. A neuroscientist searching for for the means to block memories from the remembrance capabilities of the human mind, Dominic's struggle has him checking back into the dreaded L'Otel Matillide - Hell and the hotel of the damned. There he hopes to acquire research subjects that are consumed by delusion for that's what he believes the guests of Hell to be - delusional. With combined brain scans and an experimental drug, Dominic hopes to cure them of their illnesses while simultaneously curing his own.

Dominic, a man of strict science-based logic, is plagued by memories - memories that he's rationally convinced himself to believe as simply being an illness that needs a cure. Since he turned eighteen he's had these strange memories that weren't made in his lifetime. He's loved, lost, had children, been white and black, has died and been reborn time and again. Nine years ago he came to Hell to understand his infliction and was told by the owner that he's cursed - cursed as the Reborn: a mortal forever to be reincarnated. But Dominic cannot - will not - believe that he's cursed. He doesn't believe in curses, he believes in science and science is telling him that he has a disease, one that needs to be cured so that he can finally be sane. Hopefully the inhabitants of Hell can give him the data he needs to find his desperately needed cure.

Within minutes of Dominic's arrival in Hell, his entire being lights up when one particularly beautiful woman arrives soon after. Ushered immediately from the lobby by the irritatingly enlightened owner, the beauty first makes eye contact with Dominic and little does he know that this moment starts him on a irreversible path towards a surprising outcome. One that the present Dominic would never believe.

Olivia is just as intrigued by the man in the lobby as he is with her. She's even more intrigued when he visibly restrains his desire for her. No human, male of female, has been desirous of Olivia and not acted upon it in some way. Even more intriguing is that his desire does not change her body to conform to his appetites. He finds her natural form beautiful and that in and of itself deserves her attention. But there's a distinctly different situation in Dominic's case that impacts his reaction to Olivia and that is that he knows she's a vampire, an angel of desire, and he's not afraid of a woman that to him is clearly delusional. He simply can't fear what he doesn't believe for his scientific mind will rationalize the anomalies as just that, anomalies. But Dominic can't rationalize his feelings for Olivia.

Woman have always been a mystery to Dominic and one better left unsolved. But a part of Dominic also fears falling in love because his disease, his delusions, have shown him the pain of heartache and he does not wish to live it again in this reality. Olivia, however, is not easily avoided and while Dominic has distinctly told her that he can't use her in his research because of her emotional affect on him, she's quite persistent. And really, Dominic can't stay away from her either. She fascinates him on a level beyond even his beloved research and against his better judgement, Dominic falls in love with Olivia.

In the moment that Olivia is given up all hope that she'll find salvation, Dominic gifts her with his. For the first time Olivia feels sensation, emotionally and especially physically. Dominic's kiss, his touch is felt by her and Olivia finds herself consumed by her own desire. She desires Dominic. But this desire eclipses the physical and while that is surely a part of it, beyond that they each desire the hearts of the other, their passion, their souls. But it all comes at a price and that price is sacrifice. Will it be too much? Now that they've each finally unburdened themselves with their delusions and embraced each other in love, can they let go?

This is a difficult review and I just know I'm not doing the book justice. There is so much going on, so many concepts tested and destroyed that its almost impossible to describe it sufficiently. Instead, I've focused on the romance which is what I loved most the about the novel. The romance is passionate and while its not one's typical romance by any means, in fact its the most different of any I've previously read, its still the romance that's the pulsing heart of the novel.

Again, AND FALLING, FLY is not an easy read but if you can commit yourself to the novel and push through the initial confusion, the end is worth it. The novel makes you question who we are, what we're capable of and that delusional or not, we're all deserving of love and the strength to fall with the hope of flying.

I was excited to read And Falling Fly by Skyler White, the cover was completely gorgeous, the blurb was interesting, the book was surrounded by a huge amount of hype... I REALLY didn't like it.
**** Contains spoilers ****
My main grievance is the fact that And Falling Fly is just flippin weird. I'm not really sure what it was trying to achieve. Olivia, the main protagonist is a fallen angel of desire who is also a vampire and feeds through quills, which are like sharp hollow spines on her teeth and nails, people can't even tell when they have been fed on. Well, that was a bit weird but I was willing to roll with it. Then I find out that Olivia is kind of like a succubus, her appearance morphing into whatever it is that her observer desires, kinda like Richelle Mead's succubus books only Olivia and all her fellow fallen angels of desire/vampires can't actually have sex. Why? Because of some rather bizarre physical abnormalities.
Okay, I'll be honest, that really wierded me out.
Olivia and her brethren refer to the humans they intend to hunt and drink from as 'Figs'. Why? Not really sure. The vampires sharpen one another's quills, called keening so as not to hurt their figs too much in the feeding.
Dominic, the male protag and love interest for Olivia is a scientist, working with the brain specifically, who is also a reborn. He has thousands of memories from all of his past lives that haunt him. Dominic refuses to believe he is a reborn, instead claims to be the victim of detailed hallucinations and seizures.
On the request - and dime - of a wealthy woman who's child thinks they are a vampire, Dominic travels to Ireland and the L'Otel Matillide (Hotel of the Damned) The proprietor is some weird old guy who provides for the damned on earth to congregate in his subterranean hotel. There is even a washed up rocker who believes he is damned and can't enjoy life. Everyone refers to the hotel as Hell and Gahod (Runs the hotel) as some kind of devil figure. The hotel is run on weird recycling energy, the furniture moves and absorbs energy and crap that to be honest, lost me. Dominic even runs into the snake that tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. I won't go into what the snake has to say for itself but needless to say, that particular scene could have been written by an acid tripping psych student who had read WAY too much Freud.

Dominic goes to Gahod's hotel with the intent of researching some of these 'damned' people who think they are vampires. Enter Olivia, who, for reasons that escape me, instantly attracts Dominic who within about 8 pages declares himself in love with her. Olivia is likewise attracted even though she can feel nothing.

And Falling Fly is quite well written, the prose is beautiful and you can tell it was painstakingly penned, but it is almost too much. I got over the similes and purple prose and dense lyrical descriptions. I just wanted some interesting action. But no... I was to be disappointed. In truth I think the writing in this novel is completely self indulgent. I get that our world is many faceted and intriguing and that there are layers and layers of self introspection that can be done and existential curiosity can span pages and pages but, I mean, enough already. Yawn.
This book is heavily heavily loaded with angst. Olivia goes on and on and ON about all her woes and desires and the many torturous aspects of her life. It's boring. After just a few paragraphs of (admittedly beautifully written) narcissistic winging, I'm just over it.
Every character in And Falling Fly waxes poetic about EVERYTHING, there is so much philosophising and scientific jargon that most of the time I had no flippin clue what the hell they were talking about. Maybe I am just too dumb to get this book. But seriously, it's just weird and boring and wordy and pretentious and self indulgent and just plain annoying.

Quick & Dirty: A complex, intriguing and atmospheric read that will have you thinking.

Opening Sentence: The angel of desire is damned.

The Review:

Olivia is a vampire and fallen angel of desire. She goes through the motions, but in reality she's dead inside. Olivia feeds off the fears and desires of others while she herself derives no pleasure. Trapped in hopelessness, despair, and unable to feel pleasure or pain, Olivia is on the hunt for love. She wants to get her wings back so that she can return to Heaven. Dominic O'Shaughnessy is a neuroscientist battling his own demons. He's haunted by memories of suffering and loss and struggles to separate reality from delusion. They both end up at the Hotel of the Damned in search for answers.

"and Falling, Fly" is a philosophical journey that delves into desire, life and death. Ms. White certainly did an excellent job of setting the mood of the novel, making it very atmospheric. In addition, The Hotel of the Damned especially is a fascinating concept/place. Olivia has pretty unique abilities that intrigued me, but I don't want to give too much away.

I had a hard time writing this review. This dark tale of despair, desire, damnation left me a little frustrated as a reader. Ms. White switches between narrative POVs, which at times pulled me out of the story. I was never able to really establish a connection with Olivia, and as a result I didn't like her character. She never felt sympathetic to me. I also found the pace of the novel to be a bit off at times, and certain elements of the story confusing. I did enjoy many elements of the worldbuilding, but sometimes I thought that the mythology was a bit dense.

Overall, lovers of dark fantasy should read this book. I love dark fantasy but found this debut novel to be a tough and complex read. The book has a great premise, but falls a little short in the execution. Ms. White does skillfully blend some creepy and chilling elements in this twisted world to give the book a unique appeal.

Notable Scene:

In the moon's naked light, all the places where his face wears rage are stripped to an ancient, bare pain. His eyes pierce me. "Thank you," he says again. "I needed to get away." His beautiful lips curl into a soft smile before he presses them against the knuckle of my thumb. A hard, motionless shiver radiates from that point through the deep bones in me. My nails quill against my crushed fingers, but he's looking right into me, warmth and memory in his night-blue eyes.

FTC Advisory: Berkley provided me with a copy of and Falling, Fly. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.

To say this book will keep you thinking is an understatement. It will have you spinning like a splinter of sense in a tornado of confusion. The unnecessary dialog of mindless ramblings questioning whether the characters are sane, damned, cursed or even exist is detrimental to the story of love. Not only is it virtually impossible to connect with the characters, but the story itself is broken and hard to follow. The ending is as unsatisfying as having the lead character waking up from a dream.

This is really a 2-star and 4-star book by turns. There was some really nice prose, mixed with some really amateurish prose -- White has a lush writing style that needs tighter editing. The first part of the book dragged, and then became interesting for a while, and then started to drag again. Like the characters, the tone was sometimes schizophrenic -- is it an urban fantasy, a paranormal romance, a gothic tale, or a vampire thriller? I think the blurbs and the marketing are misleading. There's really nothing "steampunkish" about this story, other than L'Hotel where the "Damned" stay, with its wooden replica computers and ball bearings beneath the furniture to capture kinetic energy. I also was expecting more angels and demons, and the story is really, in fact, a steamy paranormal romance, which is not usually my thing. If you really like this genre, the book may be worth reading, but don't be misled into thinking you're going to get steampunk or any kind of fantasy world-building.

3.5 Stars
The most striking aspect of "and Falling Fly" is Skyler White's language, which is simply put...artful and graceful. It highlights the rift between the mythical and the contemporary realms, it gives succor to the ethereal mood that is ever present from start to finish, and it poignantly illuminates the heartrending relationship between its two main characters as they journey the corridors of Hell. But in many instances this same beautiful language works against the fragile foundation of the plot and tears it apart like tissue paper.

As other reviewers have mentioned, "and Falling, Fly" is a challenging read, mainly because of its presentation, and what White is actually presenting to her readers...some very thought provoking ideas about reality, continuity, sacrifice, science, love, and the existence of God and Hell. These philosophical battles slow the pace down considerably while wondering is the real quest for truth the only tangible issue pushing the plot...or has it been character angst all along?

In a world where the masses have mostly forsaken God and forgotten the Devil, what are the Damned, the Cursed, and the Reborn to do? Are they still Damned? Are they Damned because they choose to be that way? Do their immortal lives have any meaning anymore? Has Hell lost its meaning?

This cultural sea change has led some of Hell's ilk to believe that they were never damned or cursed to begin with or at least question the roots of their damned nature. In this, White has managed to recombine the eternal debate between age-old mysticism warring with science and reason. And she has drawn her readers into the battle. At the end of book, you will definitely question over and over again whether the characters were really damned begin with. And wonder if you had imagined it at all. Have we been tricked? Maybe.

Her debate rages between two very distinct characters: Dr. Dominic O'Shaughnessy, a neurosurgeon and a scientist as well as being one of Hell's ilk: a Reborn. Cursed to live, die, and remember his past lives and loves, Dominic is plagued by incessant memories. He would do anything to "forget" and his scientific research is solely targeted towards that goal. He believes that his "recollections" are nothing more than chemical conjurations of his brain. He refutes and questions his life. He does not believe he is a "Reborn" and does not believe in vampires, or any of Hell's dominion.

Olivia White is a Damned, a vampire, a fallen who has waited her entire mortal life for the fulfillment of a loophole that will enable her to ascend back to Heaven. Until then she is cursed to live a life without feeling, with physical and emotional sensation, and to gain sustenance through the feelings, mainly fear and desire of others. She is convinced she is Damned-until meeting Dominic. Will he be the one to free her? Is he her loophole? What is her sacrifice in return? The interplay between Dominic and Olivia is haunting and pricks at you in subtle ways.

I cannot express that though extremely challenging to get through, these ideas...the characters have stayed with me, have been looping in my mind for days after turning its last page. I was left with more questions than answers. What exactly is Skyler White trying to impart? That life is mere savagery without love, sacrifice and salvation? That love can set a soul free? Whatever you take away from this novel, know that it is not a novel you are likely to ever forget for its unsurpassed uniqueness, and its affecting presence.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review

I'm going to go contrarian here. By the time you've waded through the earlier reviews, you'll have enough of an idea of the story that you don't need me beating the horse (bloated, fly-blown and rotting as it may be) over plot details.

What I will say is that while it is a well-written story from a grammatical standpoint, "And Falling, Fly" is torturous, ponderous and so overwrought as to cause the average reader to completely forget the point to the story - and repeat that condition every few pages.

Don't get me wrong, it is clear that Skyler White can write, just that THIS story is one that suffers from cardboard cutout characters, melodrama levels of protagonist self-angst and self-examination (with no real revelations that anyone can believe in), and a degree of ponderous inevitability that bores the reader even as it tortures.

Do not waste your time and money on this book. Wait for Ms. White to write her next opus.

I wanted to love this book. I really really did. I love the cover (tho there is no sword that I can remember in the story) and I love the idea behind it, unfortunately I found the plot to be a hot mess of confusion.

Olivia is a vampire and in the world of and FALLING, fly vampires are also fallen angels. They feed on blood, but only when a person fears or desires them. I am at a loss at how to truly describe her because I never felt like I knew who her character was, but maybe she didn't either. She has spent her whole life searching for love, hoping for a loophole that will release her from her fate.

Dominic is a doctor, or rather a researcher. He suffers from memories of his past lives, tho he attributes them to a mental disorder and has worked continuously to find a solution. He goes to Ireland on a paid research trip, looking for a cure. He has spent this life alone, avoiding love and the painful memories it brings up within him. Somehow Olivia makes him question all that he has believed and all that is a part of him.

Let's start with the good stuff, shall we? Skyler White writes beautiful prose. Her sentences flow on the tongue and make you feel like you are reading something truly beautiful. Additionally, the ideas behind the book are good ones! Are these supernatural abilities real or are they caused by some biophysical problem? Is it love that set's us free?

Unfortunately the beautifully written words were not enough to keep me interested in this story. I wanted to set this book down and give up several times over, even as far as 100 pages away from the end. The paragraphs may be beautiful, but they were also wordy and often lacking in clarity. Many times I felt like I was shoved into a scene, given only an vague outline and expected to make up what actually happened on my own. Far too often I read a paragraph or section two to three times only to still have no idea what just happened. The lack of clarity and wordiness provided me with no imagery and kept the characters and their story from becoming something I could connect to.

I had hope that the plot line would be able to pull me in if the characters could not....and at around 100 pages thought maybe I had finally found something to grab ahold of. Yet I was thrown off the bus with seemingly unnecessary sexual activity between the vampire "sisters" and memories involving stone dildos. I am certainly no prude, but the scenes didn't make sense to the story and only caused to push me further away. I was further disappointed by the ending, but will leave the details of why and how out as to not spoil anyone... just to say that I predicted it around page 75 but hoped I was wrong.

and FALLING, fly was a difficult and disappointing read. I am a big fan of dark fantasy, but this just didn't connect with me, tho many other book bloggers have really enjoyed it. You can always try downloading a free sample from Amazon.com and decide for yourself!

I had a really rough time with this one. It has interesting characters. And an interesting plot. But when reading it, I found it to be uneven and disjointed. There would be sections that were great, but then the next would be confusing and out of place. I really think I could have enjoyed it more if it was smoother. There was also a weird mix of philosophy and theology that was mixed in. Could have had good effects on the story but they werent incorporated as well as I would have liked. At some points they just served to make the story more confusing.

Let me begin this by saying upfront that Skyler White is a skilled writer. I have encountered many books that have a decent story, but am instantly turned off by the authors inability to carry a sentence without stumbling on their own prose. Sadly, White has the opposite affliction.

I was intrigued by the combination of mythological, paranormal and neuroscience and hoped this would novel would deliver a new and exciting take on angels and vampires. It did not. Once you wade into the inviting waters of foreshadowing that the author creates, you are then drowning in the nonsensical dialog and the turmoil of the main characters. The "will I, won't I" between myth and science is interesting at first, but after chapter over chapter over chapter... and another chapter, you stop caring. I actually found myself wanting to skip entire sections just to get back to the story.

When finally handed the resolution to the problems faced by the protagonists, the ending wraps up anti-climatically. It also leaves the reader with a "was it all a dream" feeling as White opens up smalls holes in her story with the intention to leave the reader in wonder (I assume). I for one found it somewhat sloppy and a bit like loose ends were being forced together rather than expertly tied.