javamama38's review
The Fallen Stars, the second book in The Star Child series releases April 23rd, 2021. This time Kellen and Cali are on the run in the mortal world. Joined by Kellen's best friend Gabe, they go into hiding only to discover that there are Faeries in Maine, too...
The driverless car came to an abrupt, shuddering halt on the circular drive in the barren courtyard at Leeds. Three buildings stood on the tiny island that was Leeds, and a well-manicured lawn stretched out before us. I opened the car door and stepped outside.
It was after six p.m., and though it was the perfect time for a wedding—a Saturday in October—the place was deserted. But something I’d learned from my time in Faerie? Looks were deceiving.
The silence suffocated me. No sounds pierced the night, not even the call of the occasional bird or cricket. The quiet gave the dramatic setting an even more eerie quality. It reminded me too much of Faerie itself. Goosebumps ran across my skin. My suit hadn’t been made with the changeable British weather in mind, and the October chill seeped through my clothes.
“Are there guards? What about a security system?”
I offered Calienta my hand, which she took as she climbed from the car.
Calienta took two steps ahead of me, seeming to scan the perimeter. “No one can see us. For the time being we are safe, but we can’t stay here.”
Gabe hopped out of the car and bounced up and down in place, reminding me of a fighter before a match. “Okay, wait. This is not Star Wars, it’s Mission Impossible!” Excitement lit his eyes as he helped my grandfather from the vehicle before I had the chance.
“Except we’re not in bodysuits and suspended by a cable fifty feet in the air.” I grinned, almost forgetting Gabe was angry with me.
Gabe apparently didn’t have the same problem. His forehead creased in a way that made me think I’d taken all the fun out of it for him. He glanced away.
“We should get inside.” Calienta took my hand in hers, leading me from the taxi.
“What about the car?”
“Leave it to me.” Calienta waved her free hand, and the cab vanished before my eyes. Probably returned to Mark’s driveway, wherever that was.
Alistair swallowed as though trying to digest dinner in a place that served up insects as its main course.
Gabe, on the other hand, seemed energized, as though he’d been waiting for this moment his entire life. He stalked toward a nearly darkened area of the courtyard. “Let’s try and access the building this way.” He stopped before a plain door. “I’m betting this door isn’t secure. The outside is fortified. Why bother setting an alarm on the interior buildings?”
Alistair raised his eyebrows. Though Gabe so often sounded like a stoner, he’d been hailed as a legal mastermind by his Yale profs and had begun his first term at Harvard Law last month. Not too many people got to see that side of him. I, on the other hand, was all too aware of the power of Gabe’s mind. I once thought I could argue my way into getting the last slice of pizza. Not only did I not win, but I also ended up cleaning the bathroom for a month. I still had no idea how that happened.
“Good idea.” I patted him on the back as I reached for the Swiss Army knife. When I was a kid, I’d gotten good at picking locks. It was more out of boredom than anything else. But before I could unsheathe the knife, the door swung open.
“Coming boys?” Calienta breezed past us and moved into the building.
Gabe smirked, but kept his thoughts to himself. “Whatever you say, C.” Without a backward glance, he followed her inside, dipping his head to avoid smacking it on the doorframe.
Alistair was about to follow when he turned back to me. “So this is what’s been going on with you?”
“Some of it,” I admitted. He needed to hurry up and get inside. The moat should protect us, but I wasn’t sure for how long. This wasn’t the time for a tell-all.
He nodded. “That explains why you didn’t return my calls for so long. Tell me something . . . Calienta . . . do you trust her?”
I remembered Gran holding my hand and urging me to believe in the girl I’d once thought existed only in dreams. “With my life.”
Again, he gave me a curt nod. “Then I shall too.” He turned and walked through the door and I followed, taking care to lock up behind me.
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Don't forget to add The Fallen Stars to your TBR today!
The driverless car came to an abrupt, shuddering halt on the circular drive in the barren courtyard at Leeds. Three buildings stood on the tiny island that was Leeds, and a well-manicured lawn stretched out before us. I opened the car door and stepped outside.
It was after six p.m., and though it was the perfect time for a wedding—a Saturday in October—the place was deserted. But something I’d learned from my time in Faerie? Looks were deceiving.
The silence suffocated me. No sounds pierced the night, not even the call of the occasional bird or cricket. The quiet gave the dramatic setting an even more eerie quality. It reminded me too much of Faerie itself. Goosebumps ran across my skin. My suit hadn’t been made with the changeable British weather in mind, and the October chill seeped through my clothes.
“Are there guards? What about a security system?”
I offered Calienta my hand, which she took as she climbed from the car.
Calienta took two steps ahead of me, seeming to scan the perimeter. “No one can see us. For the time being we are safe, but we can’t stay here.”
Gabe hopped out of the car and bounced up and down in place, reminding me of a fighter before a match. “Okay, wait. This is not Star Wars, it’s Mission Impossible!” Excitement lit his eyes as he helped my grandfather from the vehicle before I had the chance.
“Except we’re not in bodysuits and suspended by a cable fifty feet in the air.” I grinned, almost forgetting Gabe was angry with me.
Gabe apparently didn’t have the same problem. His forehead creased in a way that made me think I’d taken all the fun out of it for him. He glanced away.
“We should get inside.” Calienta took my hand in hers, leading me from the taxi.
“What about the car?”
“Leave it to me.” Calienta waved her free hand, and the cab vanished before my eyes. Probably returned to Mark’s driveway, wherever that was.
Alistair swallowed as though trying to digest dinner in a place that served up insects as its main course.
Gabe, on the other hand, seemed energized, as though he’d been waiting for this moment his entire life. He stalked toward a nearly darkened area of the courtyard. “Let’s try and access the building this way.” He stopped before a plain door. “I’m betting this door isn’t secure. The outside is fortified. Why bother setting an alarm on the interior buildings?”
Alistair raised his eyebrows. Though Gabe so often sounded like a stoner, he’d been hailed as a legal mastermind by his Yale profs and had begun his first term at Harvard Law last month. Not too many people got to see that side of him. I, on the other hand, was all too aware of the power of Gabe’s mind. I once thought I could argue my way into getting the last slice of pizza. Not only did I not win, but I also ended up cleaning the bathroom for a month. I still had no idea how that happened.
“Good idea.” I patted him on the back as I reached for the Swiss Army knife. When I was a kid, I’d gotten good at picking locks. It was more out of boredom than anything else. But before I could unsheathe the knife, the door swung open.
“Coming boys?” Calienta breezed past us and moved into the building.
Gabe smirked, but kept his thoughts to himself. “Whatever you say, C.” Without a backward glance, he followed her inside, dipping his head to avoid smacking it on the doorframe.
Alistair was about to follow when he turned back to me. “So this is what’s been going on with you?”
“Some of it,” I admitted. He needed to hurry up and get inside. The moat should protect us, but I wasn’t sure for how long. This wasn’t the time for a tell-all.
He nodded. “That explains why you didn’t return my calls for so long. Tell me something . . . Calienta . . . do you trust her?”
I remembered Gran holding my hand and urging me to believe in the girl I’d once thought existed only in dreams. “With my life.”
Again, he gave me a curt nod. “Then I shall too.” He turned and walked through the door and I followed, taking care to lock up behind me.
I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Don't forget to add The Fallen Stars to your TBR today!
whisperingchapters's review
4.0
First published at GenGen's Book Blog
I expected a little more from this book but I found it to be slow the majority of it. While it is still a great story and it is portrayed wonderfully, I had a problem with the pacing and romance. The Star Child had a pacing that I loved because a lot of stuff kept happening, one after the other, and the romance between Calienta and Kellen was so beautiful. In The Fallen Stars, Cali and Kellen’s journey continues when they are about to get married but Cali’s aunt stops their wedding, wanting Kellen and his “amulet” so the Children of Danu can be free. The Children of Danu were captured by Arawn , who has control of them all. Everyone thinks he was destroyed, but he is very much alive.
Cali, Kellen and Gabe escape to America, trying to stay hidden from Arawn and the Children of Danu but they are found and Kellen is taken away, Gabe gets into a terrible car accident and Cali is mortal, with no powers at all, only with the promise that one power will return when she needs it most.
In this second installment of The Star Child series, the second part of the prophecy is revealed and some very important information of Kellen’s family is revealed that had me aching for a bit.
As mentioned, the first 40% of the book is very slow and dragging but after that 40%, things start escalating and the pace gets picked up, which is when I started reading as fast as I could to know what the ending would bring (another cliff-hanger). Even though, at first not much was happening, I loved how everything came together—the new characters fitting so well in the story—and the new evil forced upon Kellen and Cali was proving to be quite a scare.
If you are looking for a not-so-fast paced book but with a great story, keep reading this series.
I expected a little more from this book but I found it to be slow the majority of it. While it is still a great story and it is portrayed wonderfully, I had a problem with the pacing and romance. The Star Child had a pacing that I loved because a lot of stuff kept happening, one after the other, and the romance between Calienta and Kellen was so beautiful. In The Fallen Stars, Cali and Kellen’s journey continues when they are about to get married but Cali’s aunt stops their wedding, wanting Kellen and his “amulet” so the Children of Danu can be free. The Children of Danu were captured by Arawn , who has control of them all. Everyone thinks he was destroyed, but he is very much alive.
Cali, Kellen and Gabe escape to America, trying to stay hidden from Arawn and the Children of Danu but they are found and Kellen is taken away, Gabe gets into a terrible car accident and Cali is mortal, with no powers at all, only with the promise that one power will return when she needs it most.
In this second installment of The Star Child series, the second part of the prophecy is revealed and some very important information of Kellen’s family is revealed that had me aching for a bit.
As mentioned, the first 40% of the book is very slow and dragging but after that 40%, things start escalating and the pace gets picked up, which is when I started reading as fast as I could to know what the ending would bring (another cliff-hanger). Even though, at first not much was happening, I loved how everything came together—the new characters fitting so well in the story—and the new evil forced upon Kellen and Cali was proving to be quite a scare.
If you are looking for a not-so-fast paced book but with a great story, keep reading this series.
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