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You are here: Home / Berkley / Review: and Falling, Fly by Skyler White

Review: and Falling, Fly by Skyler White

March 1, 2010 by Mandi 10 Comments

and Falling, FlyIn a dark and seedy underground of burned-out rock stars and angels- turned-vampires, a revolutionary neuroscientist and a fallen angel must pit medicine against mythology in an attempt to erase their tortured pasts…but at what cost?
Olivia, vampire and fallen angel of desire, is hopeless…and damned. Since the fall from Eden, she has hungered for love, but fed only on desire. Dominic O’Shaughnessy is a neuroscientist plagued by impossible visions. When his research and her despair collide at L’OtelMathillide- a subterranean hell of beauty, demons, and dreams-rationalist and angel unite in a clash of desire and damnation that threatens to



and Falling, Fly by Skyler White
Urban Fantasy
March 2, 2010
Paperback, 352 Pages
Berkley Trade

Why I read: I asked the author for a review because the premise of the book really intrigued me.

I don’t want to say a lot about the story, because part of the fun reading this book is having no idea where Skyler White is going to take you. She gives you two characters at the end of their rope. Olivia, the immortal vampire and fallen angel is tired of being desired. Her body conforms to any mans desire, yet she has never desired herself. She can only feed when a man desires or fears her, and with her body’s betrayal, she has no problems feeding. She believes if she can find someone to love all of her, she can get her wings and go back to heaven. But time and time again, men get too close, and get scared away.

If I could turn in his arms and tell him every poisoned thing I am, and still smell desire, not rank fear – if he could see and love me – could I slip through him, out of human flesh and time, back to angelic wings and freedom? This is my threadbare hope.

Dominic is a neuroscientist and his job rules his life. He battles visions of past lives and loves, and is determined and obsessed with finding a scientific cure to his “illness.” Others in the immortal realm call him a “reborn” one that lives life after life, and is able to bring forth the memories over and over again of past loves and losts around puberty. He is embarrassed that he can not control these “delusions” as he calls them.

Dominic gets offered a hefty sum of grant money in exchange for researching a vampire coven in Ireland. Dominic goes with the expectation of using science to break the facade of those who think they are vampires. Olivia is ready to return home, sick of the real world, and ready to go back to hell, with her people. Where she is returning to is the same place Dominic is to work, a hotel they refer to as Hell. The two of them meet and go on quite an amazing journey.

and, Falling Fly is such a unique book although at times difficult to read. There were times I was totally absorbed in the story, and many times in the middle of the book where the pace became quite slow and I had to push myself to continue. Skyler White writes with amazing description as she alternates between first person Olivia and third person Dominic. At some points I couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful way Skyler White writes, and at some points I was frustrated and just wanted a more straight forward book.

Although Olivia and Dominic have two different mind sets about the world they live in, they have something in common – love and fear.

“So what exactly do you fear?” I ask him. I already know the answer.
I wait for him.
He smiles grimely. “Love, I guess.”
And it’s true. He fears it because he has already suffered it – the entire pattern of birth, and love, and death. The endless agony of losing those he has loved. The grief his deaths have caused those who loved him. A terrible and primal love drives him to protect himself, his family, and his lovers from that pain. I have never wanted anything as ferociously. And I am the angel of desire.

and Falling, Fly gives you a story of hope, love, fear and desire. It offers something different in the paranormal genre, and I look forward to more from Skyler White.

Rating: 3.5/5

Recent Reviews:
Parajunkee’s View – 3.5/5
That’s Queen Bitch to you – B
Goodreads

Skyler White’s Website.

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Filed Under: Berkley, C Review, Skyler White, Three and a Half Stars, Urban Fantasy

Comments

  1. Blodeuedd says

    March 1, 2010 at 10:11 am

    Sounds…cool, yes. So her body changes? Hm. I do like the sound of this one

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  2. Katiebabs a.k.a KB says

    March 1, 2010 at 10:45 am

    It's so funny how someone can read a book and have a total different opinion. I couldn't finish this one. Nothing happened in the first 80 pages, I couldn't connect with Olivia or Dominick and the whole dark tone was very dull and lacking.

    Glad you enjoyed it Mandi, while I was meh about it.

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  3. Leontine says

    March 1, 2010 at 11:45 am

    For some reason your description of the writingstyle of Skyler White really appeals to me. I will keep this one in mind because I love a different aproach in the PNR :) Is this a stand-alone (which I will be shocked if it is so) or a series?

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  4. VampFanGirl says

    March 1, 2010 at 12:11 pm

    Hi Mandi!

    I'm skimming your review a bit because I'm reading this one at the moment but I did read that aF,F was a difficult read for you and I gotta completely agree on that point. I've found that I've had to re-read portions of the book over and over again because I get so lost in the language. I'm holding out hope for the end though.

    HUGS, VFG

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  5. Smokinhotbooks says

    March 1, 2010 at 1:01 pm

    I love the premise of this story – haven't read a good angel book since Archangel's Kiss I'm way over due.

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  6. Mandi says

    March 1, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Blodeuedd – Yes, her body changes to whatever the man desires. It is interesting to see what Dominic desires ;)

    KB – I have heard such varying opinions on this book. I found the first 80 pages to be riveting and then to have it slow in the middle, and pick up again at the end.

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  7. Mandi says

    March 1, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    Leontine – This is a standalone – I hear she has another book coming out this December set in the same world, but is not a sequel (or so I think.)

    VFG – It took a lot of concentration – which is not really a bad thing – just a different thing. At some points I do think it took away from the story, but at some points I think it brought a lot to the story. Just a very unique book.

    Smokin' – This has some really cool twists!

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  8. Leontine says

    March 1, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    @Mandi – I'm oficially shocked LOL I don;t often come across UF that is a stand alone!

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  9. Melissa (My World...in words and pages) says

    March 1, 2010 at 10:41 pm

    I see where you came across some of the slower places. I did too, but I was curious to see where Skyler was taking the story. I did enjoy it, but there were times with Olivia I was rather confused and just not sure where it was going or why. It did play out in the end though. Great review!

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  10. Danielle87 says

    March 2, 2010 at 12:36 am

    I want to read this book based on the beautiful cover art alone – jaw droppingly gorgeous!
    Great review.

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