Heather’s Bookshelf: Falling Stars
Author: Julie Rogers
Released: 04/30/23
Genre: Urban Fantasy
“Some ancient cultures believed falling stars were falling souls—special ones spewed from purgatory, finally freed to ascend. Others claimed falling stars were consciences of new babies catapulting toward Earth at 45,000 miles per hour, ready to be born. And it just so happened that the stardust component was one of those level balances on my seesaw of knowledge, lore that retained an essentially magical element while successfully buoying all the data-to-date I’d acquired regarding goings-on in outer space. Magic—and truth.”
“Falling Stars” introduces June and Tommy Lucas, mother and nine-year-old son, as they struggle with Tommy’s cancer diagnosis. June’s an oncologist struggling to find the best treatment for her son. Tommy’s just struggling to survive until he happens upon an urban legend…
June’s decided to move them back to Eureka Springs, her hometown and where her parents still live. On the long drive, Tommy reads an online series about Viscount Claudius Fallon, a young man who was sent to Eureka Springs during WWI to seek treatment for his leukemia and something else… Tommy can’t help but see similarities between himself and Claudius’ story.
Convinced he’s a vampire and his leukemia is a curse on his bloodline, Tommy throws himself into the theory, eating only red foods, wearing a cape, and even sleeping in a high-tech and custom coffin. His obsession with his theory and the online series leads him to a local artist who is closer to the tale than anyone could imagine.
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It is told through multiple POVs including the main characters of June and Tommy as well as through the online story as they each read it. The pacing of the present POVs was really good and with enough suspense to keep me flipping pages. However, the past timeline through the telling of the online story was a little back and forth. Some portions were really drawn out and while clearly researched, seemed to focus more on what was going on historically than on any meaningful plot. Other portions were the most interesting and suspenseful in the whole book. But it’s the relationships in this story really make it. The love between June and Tommy, the budding romance between June and Callen, and the complex mother-daughter relationship between June and her mother were especially meaningful. The character development of all of the above characters and several other ancillary characters was also clear and distinctive between each individual. Even characters that were barely incorporated (like the nosy neighbor) had a distinctive voice and clear motives. I also really enjoyed what vampire lore was included- mostly pretty classic ones with an interesting transformative element (the author clearly either knows anatomy/medicine or did some major homework). The ending was a bit of a mix for me. I liked how it ended as well as the epilogue. However, there was something about the way this book was written (the style of the verbiage and prose) that had the ending feel a little anti-climatic. Ultimately I enjoyed this mix of historical, modern, scifi, and character building.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An urban fantasy with an interesting mix of genres and highlighted by well-developed characters. Inconsistencies in pacing and a different writing style drag down an otherwise promising ending.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Julie Rogers
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
