Review: Falling by J. Bennett

Title: Falling
Author: J. Bennett
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 286 (ebook)
Source: From author for review
Series: Girl With Broken Wings #1
1. Falling
1 ½. Coping (June 24, 2012)
2. Landing (expected pub January 2013)

Synopsis:
The intellectual challenge of college and the warm embrace of a serious boyfriend have given Maya the wings she needs to break away from her bookish and shy reserve. Her ideal life comes crashing down when she and her boyfriend are accosted by a stranger. A stranger with glowing hands.

Maya's boyfriend is killed. She is kidnapped. Changed.
A rescue comes, but not soon enough.

Maya’s senses sharpen, her body becomes strong and agile, and she develops the ability to visually see the emotions of those around her as colorful auras... beautiful auras... tempting auras.

And then there’s the song...

Now, Maya must struggle to control the murderous appetite that fuels her new abilities, accept her altered condition and learn to trust two vigilante half-brothers she never knew she had. As she joins the battle against a secret network of powerful and destructive beings that call themselves "Angels", Maya vows to find and destroy the one who changed her.

On the bright side, at least Maya's oldest half-brother has stopped trying to kill her.

From Goodreads

There were things I really liked about this book, and then things that I wasn’t so crazy about. I loved how fast-paced it was and really exciting as well, so I got through it pretty quickly.

The writing wasn’t my favourite though. It was lacking something at times. I was also confused a few times by the language. There were some really obscure words, and it made me feel like the author was trying too hard to seem impressive with her vocabulary. There was also this thing that she called the ‘song’. It took me a long time to figure out exactly what this meant. Basically, it’s the pull Maya feels to take people’s lives by absorbing their auras. It was just odd the way that it was described as a song and never really explained.

I loved the dynamic between the characters in this story. The individual relationships Maya had with her brothers, Gabe and Tarren, were so unique in and of themselves. Gabe was so thrilled to have a sister and was never willing to give up on her, even though she was something he’d been fighting all his life - an Angel. He accepted her for what she was, and Angel and his sister. Tarren, on the other hand, never forgot what she really was, was never willing to trust her and give her a chance. So their relationship was always stilted by this fact, and the tension between the two of them was thick.

I was disappointed that the main issue in this book wasn’t resolved. I understand that it’s a series, but the thing that was focused on in the end didn’t really seem like the thing that was focused on throughout the story. It was there and still one of the things that Maya had to overcome, but to me it seemed like an undercurrent, not the main problem to be resolved by the end.

I still enjoyed the story enough that I’m planning to read the next book when it comes out. That’s the thing about series’, you have to tune in to find out if everything works out in the end. And that’s what I’ll be doing.

Thanks to the author for the review ebook copy!

Guest Post: Author J. Bennett

We Hurt Them Because We Love Them
Why Making Characters Suffer Is A Good Thing

Thank you to Pamela for hosting me and for supporting so many talented authors.

***

I would hazard to guess that most authors love their characters, even the bad guys. And yet, we put them through hell. We kill off their parents, drop high school bullies in their path, break their hearts, betray them, occasionally even kidnap, torture and kill them.

It’s an odd way to show love, but here’s the reason why: a happy protagonist is a boring protagonist.

There are only two real places in a novel where a protagonist is allowed to be happy – in the beginning when their world has yet to rocked by the coming storm and at the end when they’ve overcome whatever it is they had to overcome. Sure, the protagonist might experience a few instances of fleeting joy throughout the story, but in most cases, that happiness is planted by the author for the express purpose of snatching it away.

There are always exceptions. I’m sure there are books where characters are happy the entire way through. Kudos to the author who can write an active, enjoyable story without a lot of suffering along the way.

For the rest of us, however, suffering not only makes our characters interesting, it’s a great motivator. In order for a story to exist, a protagonist must go on a journey. This journey often combines spiritual, physical and emotional components. The best kick start to a journey is a traumatizing event that forces the protagonist to react.

My debut novel, Falling – Girl With Broken Wings, is no exception. The beginning of the novel features Maya, a college sophomore who has finally established a comfortable routine. She has a doting boyfriend, loves her classes, and is starting to break out of her shell.

Well, well, this can’t last at all, can it?

The trauma that throws Maya into a major tailspin comes in the form of a stranger with glowing hands. He uses those hands to murder Maya’s boyfriend, kidnap her, and to begin changing her into something other than human. A timely rescue from two vigilante half-brothers she never knew she had saves Maya’s life but not her humanity.

See? Suffering. It’s interesting, and in Maya’s case, very motivating indeed. As she begins to come to terms with her new abilities and the murderous hunger that fuels them, she’s got vengeance on her mind in a big way.

I can’t speak for other authors, but for myself, I have to admit I have conflicting feelings when it comes to making my characters suffer. I feel a very close bond with Maya and her brothers. A part of me wants nothing more than to swaddle them in allergen-free, organic cotton blankets and hug them all day long. But then there’s that other part of me that takes a perverse pleasure in pushing each character to their physical and emotional limit. I like seeing how much they can take and – just as they start to crack – throwing a big monster in their path or revealing another dark secret.

Suffering isn’t only interesting; it can lead to incredible character growth. Tragedy holds many lessons, and from it characters can choose a path toward healing and redemption (though they don’t always take it).

We authors make our characters suffer, but we do it out of love, so they’ll grow, so they’ll learn to fight, so that when they finally achieve happiness, it will be a well-earned reward.

For Maya and her brothers, their journey is just beginning. Falling is book one in the Girl With Broken Wings series. My poor protagonist has many burdens yet to bear, but with each she overcomes, she grows stronger and wiser.

***

Falling is J Bennett’s debut novel and the first book in the Girl With Broken Wings series. It is currently available as an ebook for $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Learn more and read a free sample at www.GirlWithBrokenWings.com. J Bennett is a professional copywriter and copyeditor. She also writes the blog www.ShyWriter.com. Her Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/jbennettwrites.

Teaser Tuesday (62)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

Here's what you do:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two sentences from somewhere on that page
Share the title and author
Try not to include spoilers!

I'm reading a self-published book this week: Falling: Girl With Broken Wings by J Bennett. I've just started, but it's an explosive beginning. Here's a teaser:

I am crouched over Ryan, gripping his shirt. I am also watching the stranger's glowing hands, wondering if it hurts. Something is coming off him. I feel the vibrations of it hook around me and tug me upright. I cannot see what it is, but I can feel it, an invisible string that pulls me toward the stranger.

Like I said, I'm just at the beginning, so I'm still trying to get into the story. But it does start off strong.

Feel free to share your teasers with me. I'd love to see what you're reading!