I’ll be honest, it took me quite some time to get into Falling Light by Thea Harrison. This is mostly my fault; because of my huge book slump of 2013, I really didn’t remember much about the first novel, Rising Darkness, other than I knew I really enjoyed it and felt it was a new and unique (to me) storyline. However, once I got my rhythm and remembered what in the world was going on, I couldn’t put Falling Light down.
Having finally reunited, and fought off The Deceiver for now, Mary and Michael race up the Michigan peninsula to meet Astra before police forces catch up with them. But the closer they get, the less Mary is willing to trust a woman who by her own admission will do anything to finish The Deceiver – even if it means killing Michael and Mary to try again in another life. As they face their final battle unsure if they can trust either side, Michael’s loyalties are tested, making him vulnerable just when Mary needs him most.
First and foremost, if you haven’t read Rising Darkness, do not attempt Falling Light. It is crucial you read Rising Darkness as Falling Light is a continuation, and actually a conclusion to the story. Also, if you’re new to this mini-series, do not expect it to be anywhere near Harrison’s Elder Races series. Falling Light is NOT a romance, though there were a couple sex scenes and there is a sub-plot of a romance. By and far, I would characterize Falling Light as more a science fiction/fantasy hybrid. What you should expect though, is Harrison’s fantastic writing. I feel that Harrison shows how diverse of a writer she is with both Rising Darkness and Falling Light. I truly love her style. She is easy to follow, knows when to slow down the pace and fill in with character development and when to speed up and give the reader some action – all while flawlessly driving the reader towards the story’s conclusion. I can’t say I was at all bored while I was reading Falling Light, which is a feat given I typically do not read sci-fi or true fantasy. I think this is because there wasn’t any “over describing” – I don’t get tons of details about surroundings or too much in-depth views of a character’s thoughts/feelings. That doesn’t mean we don’t see how characters feel about things/other characters, we do. It’s a testament to Harrison’s writing skill that she doesn’t bog the reader down with those inner monologues.
I’m still not too sure how I feel about the characters, Mary and Michael. I guess I didn’t connect with them as I would characters in other genres I read. That isn’t to say I dislike them, I just felt that they weren’t the center. It’s hard to describe what I mean. Obviously they are the main protags, but I truly feel that they are just a means to an end. You learn about them, they learn more about themselves, Mary especially, but it’s almost as if I felt I was on the outside looking in. I felt more invested in them succeeding in their mission rather than to them as “people” – I didn’t necessarily care about their dreams. I did care about their safety, though; and yes, there were several times when their lives were at risk. I guess I connected more with the action than the characters, if that makes any sense.
While I’m sad that Falling Light was the conclusion, I really did enjoy the story and it was awesome to see a skilled “romance” writer really excel at a new genre–which is why Harrison really is on my auto-buy list. I know I will never be disappointed.
Read Order
Rising Darkness
Falling Light
