and Falling, Fly by Skyler White
and Falling, Fly by Skyler White. © 2010 Berkley. ISBN 978-0-425-23234-7. Paperback. Dark Fantasy. 335 pages. $15.00 US. [ Purchase ] Source: review copy from author
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’Otel Mathillide—a subterranean hell of beauty, demons, and dreams—rationalist and angel unite in a clash of desire and damnation that threatens to destroy them both.
In this underground world, vampires are not the nocturnal blood suckers we are used to, nor do they sparkle. They are fallen angels, cursed forever by their angelic parents—who were banished from the Garden of Eden—to feed on the blood of Eve’s children as vengeance. However, that sustenance can only be harvested if the donor (willing or unwilling, doesn’t matter) either fears or desires the vampire.
From page one and Falling, Fly is a trip down the rabbit hole. A dark, psychological rabbit hole which will leave you wondering what exactly is the reality of this phenomenal and original novel. I don’t want to spoil the mind-blowing twist at the end of the book, but even now I’m struggling to figure out which world actually happened— what was real and what was actually the projections of the characters. Speaking of the characters, Olivia and Dominic are insanely multi-faceted and their characterization is amazingly deep.
and Falling, Fly is a sensual, thought-provoking, speculative piece of prose—with delightful soupçons of steampunk—that is definitely not to be missed!
