THE FALLEN Review - Liz Braswell

THE FALLEN by Liz Braswell
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: May 25, 2004
Other work: The Stolen, The Chosen
Our Rating:


From Goodreads:

She did her homework and got good grades, but she wasn't afraid to ditch class sometimes to hang out with her best friends. She slept at home, but otherwise avoided all human contact with her mom. The usual stuff.

Then she fell from San Francisco's highest tower, and her life changed. For starters, she died. And then, she woke up.

Now Chloe's life is anything but normal: Suddenly guys are prowling around her, she's growing claws, and someone's trying to kill her.

Luckily for Chloe, she still has eight lives to go.

My thoughts:

I recently discovered that ABC Family is going to be doing a new show based on the book series, The Nine Lives of Chloe King.  The previews caught me by surprise and looked so interesting that I had to, of course, immediately go out and find the first book in the series.  I'm one of those people who, if I can, enjoy reading the book before watching the movie or show and since I knew I'd be watching the show, I just had to read the book.

Ooooo - it's a good book!

For those interested on June 7, 2011, the three books in the series, THE FALLEN, The Stolen, and The Chosen will be released as a single edition.  Should save readers a couple of bucks.  I, however, did not feel like waiting until June 7th, especially because the show starts on June 14th.  Instead, I shelled out my money and bought the first book, THE FALLEN, all by its lonesome and sat down to see what all the fuss was about.  Three hours later I finished it and went in search of book 2.

Three hours?  Now I read fast, but typically not that fast!  The only times I finish a book in three hours is when it's so good that I forgo snacking and potty breaks.  Well, let me tell you, after finishing THE FALLEN, I was famished and had to make a run for it.

Anyone that follows my reviews should know that I have a thing for cats.  Well, cats and girls.  Okay, in all honesty, animals and people along with any combination of the two.  I love shapeshifters of any sort whether the shifting is subtle or all out.  Rachel Vincent's Shifters series is one that I can think of in particular that hooked me on cats and now Liz Braswell's Nine Lives of Chloe King Series is continuing the kick.  Both authors have a fantastic way of turning an fairly ordinary character into a smart, and powerful feline girl that the reader just can't help but to fall in love with.

Obviously Chloe King is our main heroine in the series.  She was a fairly normal teenager until she decided to take a plunge off a tall tower.  The fall should have killed anyone else, but something is different about Chloe and it's only after her near-death experience that she begins to learn what.  With claws and a desire to run, leap, and balance from impossible heights, Chloe begins to exhibit more and more characteristics of our beloved felines.  Life would be great for the girl with her new found powers if it weren't for the crazy psycho that keeps showing up with sharp knives.  Seriously - lay off dude!

My favorite aspect of THE FALLEN was Chloe.  Braswell did an excellent job of making her feline without making it corny.  I've ready corny shapeshifter books and although they can still be good, the awesome factor of the story is diluted slightly by the feelings of, "Uhh...really?  I'm not believing it."  Braswell makes Chloe a truly believable character both in the form of her physical nature and her personality.  She's a teenager.  She's rebellious.  Aside from the dangerously sharp claws, I can see a lot of myself in her.  That's what makes her so easy to relate to.

If a great character doesn't do it for you, perhaps some nice action will.  Packed from the first page to the last, THE FALLEN leaves the reader guessing and wondering throughout the book.  The action of fighting for her life and discovering her ability to break the boundaries of a normal human's balancing skills combined with the suspense of learning that not everything is as it seems makes for a story that's addictive and very difficult to put down.

My suggestion - if you haven't already read the book, give it a try.  With the story being so good, I'm excited to see where the show is going to take us.  If it's anywhere near as good as Braswell's writing, it should be a wild ride!

As an interesting side note - if you are looking to borrow or purchase the book now, you may not be able to find it under the name, Liz Braswell.  The earlier printings of the book were put out under the pen-name, Celia Thomson.