Reviews

The Fallen by Ada Hoffmann

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siavahda's review against another edition

4.0

HIGHLIGHTS
~but why do you want weapons
~hiveminds
~magic portal-doors are very convenient
~Strike Team gets shit done
~#EluStillDeservesBetter

This review contains spoilers for book one in the series, The Outside!

When I read The Outside for the first time, I believed it was a standalone – it had an ending that wrapped up the main story, but left enough room that the reader could be satisfied that Life Would Go On once the final page was turned. I adored it and was perfectly happy with that ending.

But it wasn’t a standalone, we got more story, and it is freaking awesome!

Which is maybe a weird thing to say, because The Fallen is a much grimmer book than The Outside was. The Outside was about fighting a clear enemy, more or less (although it ended up being far more complicated than that, because Hoffman is brilliant and doesn’t talk down to her readers), whereas The Fallen is…the aftermath.

And the aftermath isn’t very pretty.

Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!

pincfloit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

craftysilicate's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

msrichardsreads89's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

I jumped straight into this one after finishing The Outside, and I liked this one even better than book 1. What the characters lacked in book 1, Ada Hoffman made up for in book 2. They were more fleshed out, and we got a much more intimate perspective on the characters and their inner thoughts. The plot picks up from The Outside and ramps up even more, showing us how the world is changing and affecting the citizens of Jai as well as adding additional plot threads to the narrative. I loved the expansion of the politics, the exploration of trauma and psychological plurality, and the inclusion of more diverse, neurodivergent characters. The cliffhanger at the end made me want to immediately pick up the last book in the trilogy.