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The Fallen Star
The Fallen Star
The Fallen Star
Audiobook9 hours

The Fallen Star

Written by Jessica Sorensen

Narrated by Shannon McManus

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

For eighteen-year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life.

But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 29, 2015
ISBN9781515970750
The Fallen Star
Author

Jessica Sorensen

Jessica Sorensen lives with her husband and three kids in the snowy mountains of Wyoming, where she spends most of her time reading, writing, and hanging out with her family.

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Reviews for The Fallen Star

Rating: 3.5702479752066116 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

121 ratings10 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After not having any emotions for a as long she can remember, Gemma Lucas can suddenly feel a myriad of emotions. She had a hard time dealing with them at first. But when Alex appears at her school she starts to feel an unexplained electricity all over her. Alex is basically a jerk, or moody as he might describe himself but Gemma can't seem to stop swooning over him even though he snubs her. The romance part of the story is not all consuming as most paranormal books, he didn't seem ready to give up everything for his love for Gemma immediately like some PNR. Although, you can see that Alex has feelings for Gemma. Because of Alex's moods swings and troublemaker flirting, Gemma has a hard time deciphering if he's messing with her or not; his interactions with Gemma were sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

    Gemma finds out that a huge piece of her memory is missing and that she is important to survival of the world. She is suddenly on the run for her life and learn who she can trust or not if she wants to survive.

    Being in Gemma's head was kind of funny at times, her narration was more conversational and she has the craziest thoughts and wit going on in her head and it's funny when she not trying to be. She was a loner and very reserved at first but when Alex enters her her life she suddenly finds her voice and her sarcasm and it's was good to see her character develop.

    The book was pretty good, little slow to start and more action and mystery driven and a little lacking in the romance department. However, the concept was interesting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After not having any emotions for a as long she can remember, Gemma Lucas can suddenly feel a myriad of emotions. She had a hard time dealing with them at first. But when Alex appears at her school she starts to feel an unexplained electricity all over her. Alex is basically a jerk, or moody as he might describe himself but Gemma can't seem to stop swooning over him even though he snubs her. The romance part of the story is not all consuming as most paranormal books, he didn't seem ready to give up everything for his love for Gemma immediately like some PNR. Although, you can see that Alex has feelings for Gemma. Because of Alex's moods swings and troublemaker flirting, Gemma has a hard time deciphering if he's messing with her or not; his interactions with Gemma were sometimes hot and sometimes cold.

    Gemma finds out that a huge piece of her memory is missing and that she is important to survival of the world. She is suddenly on the run for her life and learn who she can trust or not if she wants to survive.

    Being in Gemma's head was kind of funny at times, her narration was more conversational and she has the craziest thoughts and wit going on in her head and it's funny when she not trying to be. She was a loner and very reserved at first but when Alex enters her her life she suddenly finds her voice and her sarcasm and it's was good to see her character develop.

    The book was pretty good, little slow to start and more action and mystery driven and a little lacking in the romance department. However, the concept was interesting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I wasn't really sure I'd like this series. I'd just finished reading her Darkness Falls which is absolutely amazing and I had the first book of the Fallen Stars Series already downloaded since it was free. So I began reading and wasn't really sure I liked it alot. Honestly it wasn't until the end when I purchased the second book just to see what happened that I really starting enjoying it. Jessica Sorensen seems to get better and better which each book she writes. I've read all the books in this series and liked each one twice as much as the previous one. These are just fun books with some interesting chracters and ideas. Nothing too heavy to read which is maybe why I enjoyed it so much. Anyway, if you're not sure if this is your cup of tea or not then just give it a chance. The first one's free and they just get better and better as they go. I'm probably going to buy her new series which is a spin off of this one today. They're just too fun.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Read the full review at Witchmag's BoekenplankWell… At times it was difficult to continue reading this book. I put it down repeatedly, because someone irritated me to no end: Gemma. She’s not the kind of protagonist I like to read about. It’s easy to sum up what she went through in the story: being terrified of monsters and other stuff, swooning about Alex (which got really boring after a while), freak out when she discovers another secret and last but not least: doing some of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard off. She even admitted afterwards it wasn’t the smartest move to make. But why did you still do them? Yup, as you can see I wasn’t exactly thrilled about her…And the big mystery surrounding her? I had most of it figured out minutes after I started reading. At least that’s how it felt. The story wasn’t captivating anymore. That’s also a reason why I had to put it away so often. My motivation to finish it had dropped tremendously. Besides, the mystery turned out to be less exciting than I first thought. I’ve read too much paranormal books by now to find it thrilling enough.Oh and I mustn’t forget Alex. Somehow he just seemed a bit weird to me. He can’t make up his mind about the mess he’s in with Gemma. He has worse mood swings than a girl with PMS and I just couldn’t find out if he was lying or speaking the truth. The most baffling were his actions at the end of the book. I really had a WTF-you-gotta-be-serious moment. His actions were totally mismatched with his character during the rest of the story. Did he suddenly develop a second personality?Okay, so no gripping story or captivating characters. Maybe this book has some interesting bad guys? Nope, also not the case. The Death Walkers are monsters with yellow eyes and bony fingers. They make the temperature drop with a couple of degrees when they are near and they always wear a cloak. Doesn’t this ring a bell? Ever heard of Dementors? Except for the fact that they didn’t let people experience their worst memories, they felt exactly the same.So what was it that kept me reading? What was so good that it kept me interested in the story? To be honest, it wasn’t that much. But there’s Laylen. His character lighted up the story. He’s mysterious, funny and honest. Finely someone who looks normal, for a Vampire at least ;) . His introduction made the story a bit entertaining and aroused my curiosity. How would the story end for him?Furthermore the world seemed to be divided into fractions. It was really interesting to find out about each one and what kind of job they have. Although I still haven’t got the faintest idea what a Keeper is. The other were a lot easier, since their names kinda explained everything. But since Keepers play a huge roll in this story, I’d love to get my hands on some more information about them.The last chapter also helped in raising my opinion of this story. Because there’s this beautiful cliffhanger. And since a lot of characters acted very unpredictable, I haven’t got a single clue how everything will end. Which kinda makes me want to read the next book, even after this one gave me a hard time. Maybe there will be some improvement…Conclusion2 HEARTS. It’s difficult to grade this book. Some parts are worth 3 hearts, while others barely deserve one. Therefore I strike the golden mean: 2 hearts. This book has potential, but that doesn’t come forward while reading it. I was unable to understand the main characters and that made it difficult to love them and the story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Pros:
    * Interesting idea
    * Though there were vampires, it was not ZOMG vampires
    * Fast-paced, fun read

    Cons:
    * Whinging main character, who is disagreeable enough to make snide comments but goes along on a cross-country journey.
    * I love you - I hate you - I love you, I'm a prick because I love you too much, male lead.
    * Too much is hidden from the narrator and reader, I think the novel would have been more suspenseful if every time a character started to discuss the past, they actually did, forcing Genma to confront her own story.

    But yeah, I've already bought book 2.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have mixed feelings for this book. I liked the concept. However, it's parallels to Twilight were a little too obvious. For instance, uncoordinated young girl falls for dark and mysterious boy who seems to hate her on sight...you get my drift. There were a few characters in the book which I was actually more interested in than the main characters. Hopefully they are more involved in the rest of the series. Unfortunately, this book doesn't have a complete ending. In order to find out what happens the reader will need to move on to the next book. Although I have no problem with certain storylines continuing throughout a series, I believe that each book should give the reader a sense of closure. It's the author's job to make us want to continue reading....and not just because we need to know what happened.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    After reading the first couple pages, I thought I might actually enjoy this book. It seemed well written and interesting; unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same way past Chapter 2. When the main character, Gemma, first meets Alex, he glares at her and acts like she has the plague. Sound familiar? Ok, what about about if I told you the main character is klutzy and entirely incapable of showing emotion in the beginning. Ringing any bells? Alright, so maybe that last part relates more to the movies than the books, but there are obviously some similarities to Twilight in The Fallen Star. Also, I’m pretty sure Gemma has hearing problems. There are so many instances where she says, “Huh?” or “Wha?”, or even repeats what the person talking to her just said. This is the heroine of the novel? I think the people in this fictional world are doomed.To be fair, Gemma isn’t the only character that repeats things. I noticed several of the secondary characters doing it as well. At first I seriously wondered if it was filler to make the book longer. I don’t think the author did it intentionally though; it just happened to be a recurring thing that drove me insane. It made some of the paragraphs feel like they were going in circles and the dialogue wasn’t going anywhere.Some of the descriptions of the characters actions made me literally laugh out loud. Here’s one straight from the book:“…watching him unwind the string like a cat.” (pg. 157 of eBook)I don’t know about you, but when I read that all I could picture was Alex on the floor, batting around a spool of thread. I couldn’t stop laughing and after that it was hard to concentrate without that image popping back up. Maybe I’m being petty, but this was supposed to be sort of a serious conversation, with Alex finally answering some of her burning questions. It definitely took me out of the moment.Speaking of Alex, sometimes I liked him and other times I didn’t. He was crappy to Gemma pretty often, which confused me because that was counterproductive to his mission. He also acted like a huge baby when Gemma gave attention to anyone else. For example, when Laylen is introduced (who just so happens to be a vampire, yeah, kinda random), Alex gets all moody and pissy every time Gemma talks to him. Dude, get a grip. I know you guys have some sort of special connection, but since you are ready to rip each others’ heads off every other page and you haven’t known her that long, I don’t understand what the big deal is. If I was Alex I would say, “She’s all yours. She’s a little slow to catch on, so you might have to speak slowly and snap your fingers in her face every once in a while to get her attention.”Remember when I mentioned that Laylen is a vampire? Here’s my thoughts: the plot could have done without it. There are also witches, which seemed a little random as well. Do they have to be witches to have special powers? I remember thinking at the time, it’s like the SNL cowbell sketch, but in this case it’s more like, “It needs more paranormal characters.” The plot was strong enough without it, in my opinion. Sidenote: I just have to share this little bit of awful foreshadowing. It happens when Alex and Gemma are talking, before she even meets Laylen. She thinks to herself:“All saving the world from evil and demons and vampires. Yeah, I know, he hadn’t actually mentioned vampires but…God what if there were actual vampires?” (pg. 161 of eBook)Gee, I wonder if there will be vampires later on in this book? Cue Laylen!Which brings me to the main plot. This I actually liked. I thought it was an interesting premise, and one I hadn’t read before so it got brownie points from me there. Unfortunately the twists were pretty predictable. The only one who didn’t know what the heck was going on was Gemma, even when the pieces were right in front of her and all she had to do was put two and two together. I suspect when she puts two and two together she gets five.Because of the irritating main character and what I feel is unnecessary, excess dialogue, I declare that I was “duped” by The Fallen Star. This basically means if I had paid for this book, I would have been extremely disappointed. I could definitely see some people enjoying it though. It reminded me of some other books I didn’t care for at all, but other people loved, such as Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and The Selection by Kiera Cass.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    For the first few chapters of this book, I was definitely hooked. I loved the characters, I loved the setup, all of it. Then as the story progressed I grew less and less enamored. The characters became tedious, the plot less exciting. I can't pinpoint exactly when or why I decided I wasn't enjoying the story anymore, but I put it down without finishing and didn't look back.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My Thoughts: HOLY WOW!!!! I loved this story! "In the midst of a dark forest, haunted by the winters chill, I ran for my life." (quoted from page 1 of The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen) That is the first sentence - gripping!!! I was "in" from that very sentence. What struck me first is the fantastically visual language. The writing is so vivid that I was able to actually FEEL Gemma's panic. The characters are mysteriously created with vague descriptions that are intriguing and led me to turn the pages and read on to learn more. By chapter six I was still in the grip of Gemma's emotions and could feel my heart pounding as I continued to read. The story is wonderfully written. The characters are fascinating and I couldn’t wait to find out all the answers to the questions I had compiled. The story finished as strong as it started. The characters and the plot developed before my eyes! I found myself unwilling to put the book down, always needing to read just one more page; one more chapter. The story tells of secrets both kept and told, friendship, duty, and betrayal. I love the characters, they drive the story. This is a new theme; the fallen star with the power to save or condemn the world. There are mysteries left unsolved and the story finishes in a heart wrenching cliffhanger. Well worth the read!!!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First of all, I love beautiful covers… Who doesn't, right? So, when I saw for first time this one, I just fell in love with it. This violet eye caught my attention immediately…. so that's the reason I wanted to read it so bad… But sometimes we think a book is going to be awesome, but at the end, It isn't… and we are disappointed… thinking that the only nice thing about the book was its cover…. BUT I'm glad to say, this wasn't the case… This book was a completely surprise. I wasn't expecting what I found in that pages…. and I'm still in shock. (I'm not kidding!)The story is about Gemma… Oh, man, I loved her character… even though the story sometimes was sad and dark, I couldn't stop laughing with her. She said a lot of funny things, and she behaved in a completely different way to all the heroines from others YA books. In other stories, you can see a girl who is really mature, even she has 15 years old, and she decides to sacrifice herself for the good of humanity and all the world. But in Gemma's case, the only thing that she can think is… Run for your life!!!! I mean… she was real… she didn't want to suffer anymore, she wanted a normal life… Of course, there are other characters; Aislin, Laylen (I loved that guy), and Alex, of course. If you ask me, I would tell you I thought I was in front of another version of Edward Cullen (Twilight). He was the new handsome guy at school, and our Gemma was kind of crazy with him… But as the story progresses we find out that he's not so perfect at all, and their relationship (Gemma-Alex) is not perfect, either. They have a lot of misunderstandings that made it realistic, and kind of sweet and lovely. The plot is awesome. Is different. Completely different. When I started reading I thought I was reading another YA novel like any other, but the story started to change, and I was amazed. I don't want to spoil anything, because I think this book is really great, and you need to read it. I almost cry once. The only thing I found, was that sometimes was a little bit predictable… But not so much. What I mean is that sometimes I knew what was happening and Gemma didn't. Maybe she is a little slow….But well, like I said before, you should read it… It's a really nice book! Now I want to read the second one so bad!!! It's going to be called "The Underworld". Interesting… Pretty Interesting… hmmmmm!!!5/5 I love it!