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drridareads's review
3.0
This was an enjoyable read.
D.J. Boden's urban fantasy book is definitely not just another vampire story.
Jonas is our normal ordinary teen he likes music, has a girlfriend etc. But after his dad dies things change, people break into his house and he learns he's a vampire.
The book was packed with different creatures each with their own attributions.
The Bad: There were moments when i thought i skipped a para or so but i didn't so i don't know it was kind of jumpy. There were events that should've had so much emotion but were emotionless. And though i liked the idea of the world in the character's minds; sometimes I thought it was just too much to imagine.
I got a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
D.J. Boden's urban fantasy book is definitely not just another vampire story.
Jonas is our normal ordinary teen he likes music, has a girlfriend etc. But after his dad dies things change, people break into his house and he learns he's a vampire.
The book was packed with different creatures each with their own attributions.
The Bad: There were moments when i thought i skipped a para or so but i didn't so i don't know it was kind of jumpy. There were events that should've had so much emotion but were emotionless. And though i liked the idea of the world in the character's minds; sometimes I thought it was just too much to imagine.
I got a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
nelljustice's review
4.0
For full review go to www.onebooktwo.com
First things first: this is an urban fantasy taking place in Manhattan, New York. No cliffhanger, does involve a 16 year old but isn’t exactly YA. I’m not keen on YA and this book is something to be keen over.
This story is told from a 16 year old’s perspective in an adventure of his life. He’s fairly mature for his age, I think, since he’s had to function on his own quite often. Jonas is thrust into a world that he knows nothing about and seems to take everything in stride. I’d be freaking out, if it were me.
I like this book because the main protagonist doesn’t feel all whiny and entitled like privileged kids often act. The story is an adventure and it has vampires and werewolves starring as supporting characters. Jonas has to deal with his grief and emotions throughout the book. It’s not a grief that made me into an emotional mess, so don’t pass on this book because of that. It is an adventure, not an emo sad story. The characters are plenty, but they are easy to follow. Each are somewhat developed and do not have a distracting back story to take away from the experience that Jonas is living.
I didn’t like every aspect of this book, though. I had a hard time with determining when I was in mindscape and when I was in reality. There are mind barrier building exercises that Jonas experiences that are incredibly detailed. I did get lost a couple of times, but I think it was more me than the story telling of the author. I also take a stutter step when I think of a 16 year old planning and taking chances like Jonas did. I felt it was a lot to ask of a kid of his age. With all that being said, I’m looking forward to Book 2 to see where this story leads me.
First things first: this is an urban fantasy taking place in Manhattan, New York. No cliffhanger, does involve a 16 year old but isn’t exactly YA. I’m not keen on YA and this book is something to be keen over.
This story is told from a 16 year old’s perspective in an adventure of his life. He’s fairly mature for his age, I think, since he’s had to function on his own quite often. Jonas is thrust into a world that he knows nothing about and seems to take everything in stride. I’d be freaking out, if it were me.
I like this book because the main protagonist doesn’t feel all whiny and entitled like privileged kids often act. The story is an adventure and it has vampires and werewolves starring as supporting characters. Jonas has to deal with his grief and emotions throughout the book. It’s not a grief that made me into an emotional mess, so don’t pass on this book because of that. It is an adventure, not an emo sad story. The characters are plenty, but they are easy to follow. Each are somewhat developed and do not have a distracting back story to take away from the experience that Jonas is living.
I didn’t like every aspect of this book, though. I had a hard time with determining when I was in mindscape and when I was in reality. There are mind barrier building exercises that Jonas experiences that are incredibly detailed. I did get lost a couple of times, but I think it was more me than the story telling of the author. I also take a stutter step when I think of a 16 year old planning and taking chances like Jonas did. I felt it was a lot to ask of a kid of his age. With all that being said, I’m looking forward to Book 2 to see where this story leads me.
gatun's review
4.0
When is a vampire not a vampire? When is a werewolf not a werewolf? Or a zombie not a zombie? D. J. Bodden’s Black Fall is a fast paced read where nothing is what it seems and sometimes that is really bad. Jonas Black is a 16 yr old whose life begins to unravel when his father dies. The funeral is at night. His mother breaks open the urn and claims it is not her husband because she can tell “human” ashes. Poor Jonas is about to spend the next few months constantly thinking, “Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.”
Black Fall is a supernatural mystery built around a teenager, who used to have normal teenage problems until he found out the truth about his parents, himself and the world. The beings that populate the book were fascinating. Different than the normal run of the mill supernaturals. I did have some confusion about the power structures in the different species as well as Jonas’s existence. I am not sure if more of this will be dealt with in the next three books (Black Fall is the first of a projected four book series). It was an enjoyable read that I obtained from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I would love to hear it as an audiobook read by someone like James Foster (hint, hint author). I would have no problems recommending it to anyone over eighteen and probably any mature high schoolers. I would have to reread it again with my “mother” senses engaged before I would go any younger. I will be looking forward to picking up the sequel when my library gets it. And seriously Mr. Bodden - Audiobook - James Foster.
Black Fall is a supernatural mystery built around a teenager, who used to have normal teenage problems until he found out the truth about his parents, himself and the world. The beings that populate the book were fascinating. Different than the normal run of the mill supernaturals. I did have some confusion about the power structures in the different species as well as Jonas’s existence. I am not sure if more of this will be dealt with in the next three books (Black Fall is the first of a projected four book series). It was an enjoyable read that I obtained from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I would love to hear it as an audiobook read by someone like James Foster (hint, hint author). I would have no problems recommending it to anyone over eighteen and probably any mature high schoolers. I would have to reread it again with my “mother” senses engaged before I would go any younger. I will be looking forward to picking up the sequel when my library gets it. And seriously Mr. Bodden - Audiobook - James Foster.
longtimereader's review
4.0
I do enjoy a good read, and this one was that for me. It's hard to have good stories in certain genres of late. This one filled the bill. This one covers all the teen-age stuff, as well as all the fun things too! I might even read the rest of this series. It was a very strong first book in a series.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
novelbloglover's review
4.0
Book Review
Title: Black Fall (The Black Year Series #1)
Author: D.J. Bodden
Genre: YA/Supernatural/Thriller
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Black Fall was interesting as we are introduced to Jonas Black at his father’s funeral. Jonas immediately realises something is wrong as his father is being treated like royalty not the salesman he was in life, and this feeling is made worse when we learn that both of his parent’s suffered from a condition making it impossible for them to go in the daylight and with the supernatural tag it makes me think they are vampires or something similar but Jonas isn’t like them. As people leave the funeral his mother collects the ashes only to freak out saying that these aren’t her husband’s ashes and smashing the urn and she does make reference to knowing what human ash smells like. We then jump forward a year, and Jonas hasn’t seen much improvement in his mother’s behaviour but he does find some comfort with his girlfriend, Amelia but he is beginning to feel like someone is watching him and he is having strange dreams and decides to confront his mother about it. That night they are attacked by some men but his father’s friends come around and save the day but Marcus mentions an agency and Jonas begins putting the pieces together in his mind and when his mother says she and his father are vampires, at first he doesn’t believe her but he can’t erase the events of the past couple of days.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas’ mother explains her vampire abilities and other abilities that some vampires have and despite his initial reaction Jonas is taking this surprisingly well. She also leaves him Marcus’ card although there is no address on it, he ponders this card for the next day when his two werewolf bodyguards take him to school. I believe the card reacted to Jonas’ need for answers and he visits Marcus after school, Marcus is also the director of the Agency which police and controls the supernatural population including vampire, werewolves, zombies, demons and more. Through Marcus, Jonas learns of his parents history as enforcers and that due to their immortality vampires need grounding, his father had a special coin and his mother’s grounder was his father and with him gone her mind is spilling away from her. It turns out Jonas was born due to a side effect of an experiment to give vampires the ability to walk in daylight which explains why he doesn’t have key vampire traits like his parents despite being one. Marcus also informs Jonas that someone has weakened his mind probably when he was hit on the head during the attack and begins to teach him how to defend himself from supernatural attacks.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training learning how to defend his mind from attack, especially Madoc who is the creature that both Jonas and Marcus believe killed his father. He also learns through his mother that his training is so hard because they are trying to awaken the vampire part of him and they are succeeding as he drinks blood for the first time and he even creates Sam, a guardian for his mind. For a time, things are okay but I am getting weird vibes from Marcus especially when he shows Jonas a box containing his father’s special effects and that the secret compartment which contain something valuable can only be opened with his father’s coin but Jonas thinks it was just an illusion. One day Madoc does invade his mind but Jonas isn’t prepared for it since he is with Amelia as well and he suddenly realises that she can’t be part of his life as he would never forgive himself if she got hurt or worse turned because of him.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training and strengthens his mental defences but he learns a lot more from the people around him. From Phillip, he learns more about the werewolves and werewolf culture including the fact that Bert has gone missing just days before the full moon and his control isn’t the best. He also learns the Kieran is the White Wolf, almost god-like among the werewolves and Phillip encourages Jonas to befriend his son. Through Eve he learns more about vampires and even uncovers the fact that his history teacher is a hunter, although they come to an arrangement as Jonas isn’t like his mother and father as he can walk in the daylight but we see him becoming colder and slightly more callous than he was in the beginning. The last discovery Jonas makes is twofold, he learns that his father’s coin wasn’t real but he can recreate it as he saw it so often as a child but most others can’t and it is this coin that opens the box Marcus has and inside is a journal. Before Marcus arrives Jonas hides the journal and the secrets it contains as he also realises that Marcus is the demon that has been bothering the agency.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Marcus pushes himself inside Jonas’ mind and tells him he has been trying to contain the demon within his mind but he is getting closer to taking over his body. The demon has had his mother kidnapped by Bert who has betrayed the werewolves and his father might still be alive. In his father’s journal he finds a letter from his father telling him how to get in contact with Madoc who will help him the best he can in the trying times to come. Madoc explains that everything he wants and everything he fears is inside in the Agency but he can’t enter there because it is warded and an army is waiting behind the doors. The only one that offers him any help is Eve as it seems like Jonas has almost completed his transformation into a full vampire but he can still go outside during the day giving him an advantage over most of the supernatural creatures but the demon will not stop until he gets the journal.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Jonas begins gathering some friends starting with the hunters including his history teacher when he learns that Bert has abandoned Kieran in a public place on the night of the full moon. Jonas immediately rushes to help and somehow becomes pack leader due to Kieran’s position as the White Wolf meaning none of the other werewolves can go against Kieran’s decision, which means he now also has most of the werewolves on his side. The demon is slowly working towards its goal of creating mayhem by setting Doris loose and she ends up killing one of the hunters and Jonas knows he needs to go to the Agency soon before more people die. The plan is for Eve, Jonas, and Kieran to go into the Agency as many won’t suspect them because they are kids but they are more powerful that people think they are. Inside the Agency they get side-tracked by a vampire who prompts Jonas to feed from a thrall which upsets Eve but they don’t have time to argue as they are about to come face to face with the demon, although this is delayed as they run into Bert.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get to see the battle between the Agency and Jonas’ army and while they win the battle they haven’t won the war yet as the demon will most likely return and they have to deal with all the mayhem it has caused. His mother has been found and been made the new director of the Agency but his father is still out there somewhere but some good people are lost in the battle including Phillip who was killed by the demon but Jonas promised Marcus he wouldn’t kill him unless it was necessary and there was no other way which Kieran might never forgive him. In the aftermath, Jonas meets with priest as he prepares to leave the country who shows him a vision of some of his closest friends dying in the summer, less than six months from now and the priest believes there is no way to prevent it from happened but Jonas won’t allow it to happen. Overall, Black Fall took a while to get into but once it got going it was quite enjoyable to read and I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.
Title: Black Fall (The Black Year Series #1)
Author: D.J. Bodden
Genre: YA/Supernatural/Thriller
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Black Fall was interesting as we are introduced to Jonas Black at his father’s funeral. Jonas immediately realises something is wrong as his father is being treated like royalty not the salesman he was in life, and this feeling is made worse when we learn that both of his parent’s suffered from a condition making it impossible for them to go in the daylight and with the supernatural tag it makes me think they are vampires or something similar but Jonas isn’t like them. As people leave the funeral his mother collects the ashes only to freak out saying that these aren’t her husband’s ashes and smashing the urn and she does make reference to knowing what human ash smells like. We then jump forward a year, and Jonas hasn’t seen much improvement in his mother’s behaviour but he does find some comfort with his girlfriend, Amelia but he is beginning to feel like someone is watching him and he is having strange dreams and decides to confront his mother about it. That night they are attacked by some men but his father’s friends come around and save the day but Marcus mentions an agency and Jonas begins putting the pieces together in his mind and when his mother says she and his father are vampires, at first he doesn’t believe her but he can’t erase the events of the past couple of days.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas’ mother explains her vampire abilities and other abilities that some vampires have and despite his initial reaction Jonas is taking this surprisingly well. She also leaves him Marcus’ card although there is no address on it, he ponders this card for the next day when his two werewolf bodyguards take him to school. I believe the card reacted to Jonas’ need for answers and he visits Marcus after school, Marcus is also the director of the Agency which police and controls the supernatural population including vampire, werewolves, zombies, demons and more. Through Marcus, Jonas learns of his parents history as enforcers and that due to their immortality vampires need grounding, his father had a special coin and his mother’s grounder was his father and with him gone her mind is spilling away from her. It turns out Jonas was born due to a side effect of an experiment to give vampires the ability to walk in daylight which explains why he doesn’t have key vampire traits like his parents despite being one. Marcus also informs Jonas that someone has weakened his mind probably when he was hit on the head during the attack and begins to teach him how to defend himself from supernatural attacks.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training learning how to defend his mind from attack, especially Madoc who is the creature that both Jonas and Marcus believe killed his father. He also learns through his mother that his training is so hard because they are trying to awaken the vampire part of him and they are succeeding as he drinks blood for the first time and he even creates Sam, a guardian for his mind. For a time, things are okay but I am getting weird vibes from Marcus especially when he shows Jonas a box containing his father’s special effects and that the secret compartment which contain something valuable can only be opened with his father’s coin but Jonas thinks it was just an illusion. One day Madoc does invade his mind but Jonas isn’t prepared for it since he is with Amelia as well and he suddenly realises that she can’t be part of his life as he would never forgive himself if she got hurt or worse turned because of him.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Jonas continues his training and strengthens his mental defences but he learns a lot more from the people around him. From Phillip, he learns more about the werewolves and werewolf culture including the fact that Bert has gone missing just days before the full moon and his control isn’t the best. He also learns the Kieran is the White Wolf, almost god-like among the werewolves and Phillip encourages Jonas to befriend his son. Through Eve he learns more about vampires and even uncovers the fact that his history teacher is a hunter, although they come to an arrangement as Jonas isn’t like his mother and father as he can walk in the daylight but we see him becoming colder and slightly more callous than he was in the beginning. The last discovery Jonas makes is twofold, he learns that his father’s coin wasn’t real but he can recreate it as he saw it so often as a child but most others can’t and it is this coin that opens the box Marcus has and inside is a journal. Before Marcus arrives Jonas hides the journal and the secrets it contains as he also realises that Marcus is the demon that has been bothering the agency.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Marcus pushes himself inside Jonas’ mind and tells him he has been trying to contain the demon within his mind but he is getting closer to taking over his body. The demon has had his mother kidnapped by Bert who has betrayed the werewolves and his father might still be alive. In his father’s journal he finds a letter from his father telling him how to get in contact with Madoc who will help him the best he can in the trying times to come. Madoc explains that everything he wants and everything he fears is inside in the Agency but he can’t enter there because it is warded and an army is waiting behind the doors. The only one that offers him any help is Eve as it seems like Jonas has almost completed his transformation into a full vampire but he can still go outside during the day giving him an advantage over most of the supernatural creatures but the demon will not stop until he gets the journal.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Jonas begins gathering some friends starting with the hunters including his history teacher when he learns that Bert has abandoned Kieran in a public place on the night of the full moon. Jonas immediately rushes to help and somehow becomes pack leader due to Kieran’s position as the White Wolf meaning none of the other werewolves can go against Kieran’s decision, which means he now also has most of the werewolves on his side. The demon is slowly working towards its goal of creating mayhem by setting Doris loose and she ends up killing one of the hunters and Jonas knows he needs to go to the Agency soon before more people die. The plan is for Eve, Jonas, and Kieran to go into the Agency as many won’t suspect them because they are kids but they are more powerful that people think they are. Inside the Agency they get side-tracked by a vampire who prompts Jonas to feed from a thrall which upsets Eve but they don’t have time to argue as they are about to come face to face with the demon, although this is delayed as they run into Bert.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get to see the battle between the Agency and Jonas’ army and while they win the battle they haven’t won the war yet as the demon will most likely return and they have to deal with all the mayhem it has caused. His mother has been found and been made the new director of the Agency but his father is still out there somewhere but some good people are lost in the battle including Phillip who was killed by the demon but Jonas promised Marcus he wouldn’t kill him unless it was necessary and there was no other way which Kieran might never forgive him. In the aftermath, Jonas meets with priest as he prepares to leave the country who shows him a vision of some of his closest friends dying in the summer, less than six months from now and the priest believes there is no way to prevent it from happened but Jonas won’t allow it to happen. Overall, Black Fall took a while to get into but once it got going it was quite enjoyable to read and I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.
jennyninnymuggins's review
5.0
I devoured this book. Engaging, likeable, well-rounded characters that illicit empathy and a great story that has me anxiously awaiting the next in the series.
nbspacegay's review
3.0
3.5
I found this to be an interesting take on supernatural stuff. The plot was pretty engaging, but I felt pretty meh about most of the characters.
I found this to be an interesting take on supernatural stuff. The plot was pretty engaging, but I felt pretty meh about most of the characters.
tahernandez's review
5.0
4.5 out of 5
Black Fall has just about everything you could want in a paranormal/urban fantasy novel—badass monsters, unique spins on classic fantasy tropes, action that will keep you on the edge of your seat, clever (and sometimes dark) humor, and a whole cast of distinct and intriguing characters. The story follows teenager Jonas Black following the death of his father, but we quickly learn that his father may not actually be dead after all, and that Jonas’ parents—and Jonas himself—are not exactly your average human beings. As he comes to terms with his new identity and all that entails, he must defend himself from unseen enemies and try to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance, all while trying to keep his grades up and his very-human girlfriend happy.
I loved this book; it was such a fun read. The characters were fantastic, and despite there being so many of them, they were all distinct from one another with their own motivations, so I never really had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I loved them all. Jonas, who is completely believable and relatable as the book’s protagonist. The formidable Alice Black, who seems to be slowly falling apart since her husband’s disappearance. Bert and Phillip, Jonas’ father-and-son werewolf bodyguards who are constantly bantering (or bickering). Eve, a recently-turned young vampire who, despite having a good heart, seems to harbor a lot of anger and resentment. Cook/hunter Jim, who only appears for a short time but has a tragically horrific backstory. Zombie receptionist Doris, who is never, ever to leave the lobby—and for good reason. I could go on; they’re all fantastic.
I think my favorite part of the book was the whole concept of mind-control and mind-defense. Vampires having the ability to read minds is something I’ve seen in a few stories before, but never quite like this, and never developed so extensively. Watching Jonas build and refine his mental defenses was so interesting and so much fun, and the final battle was impressive and exciting to read. More importantly, it felt like an appropriate culmination of everything Jonas had learned and made for a fantastic climax.
The main plot is interesting. It shifts around a bit as new information is revealed, but that seemed appropriate for the story. The ending (or the epilogue) felt just a little abrupt for me. Although I realize there is more to come as this is a series, I kind of wished there had been just a little more resolution at the end, or at least a little more reflection from the characters, particularly in regards to the whole issue with Jonas’ father. I also thought the book could have used another round of editing. There weren’t any major issues, but I did encounter several extra commas, missing words, and other minor punctuation errors that could have been easily cleaned up. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic story with a compelling setting and characters, and I look forward to seeing what comes next in White Winter.
Black Fall has just about everything you could want in a paranormal/urban fantasy novel—badass monsters, unique spins on classic fantasy tropes, action that will keep you on the edge of your seat, clever (and sometimes dark) humor, and a whole cast of distinct and intriguing characters. The story follows teenager Jonas Black following the death of his father, but we quickly learn that his father may not actually be dead after all, and that Jonas’ parents—and Jonas himself—are not exactly your average human beings. As he comes to terms with his new identity and all that entails, he must defend himself from unseen enemies and try to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance, all while trying to keep his grades up and his very-human girlfriend happy.
I loved this book; it was such a fun read. The characters were fantastic, and despite there being so many of them, they were all distinct from one another with their own motivations, so I never really had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I loved them all. Jonas, who is completely believable and relatable as the book’s protagonist. The formidable Alice Black, who seems to be slowly falling apart since her husband’s disappearance. Bert and Phillip, Jonas’ father-and-son werewolf bodyguards who are constantly bantering (or bickering). Eve, a recently-turned young vampire who, despite having a good heart, seems to harbor a lot of anger and resentment. Cook/hunter Jim, who only appears for a short time but has a tragically horrific backstory. Zombie receptionist Doris, who is never, ever to leave the lobby—and for good reason. I could go on; they’re all fantastic.
I think my favorite part of the book was the whole concept of mind-control and mind-defense. Vampires having the ability to read minds is something I’ve seen in a few stories before, but never quite like this, and never developed so extensively. Watching Jonas build and refine his mental defenses was so interesting and so much fun, and the final battle was impressive and exciting to read. More importantly, it felt like an appropriate culmination of everything Jonas had learned and made for a fantastic climax.
The main plot is interesting. It shifts around a bit as new information is revealed, but that seemed appropriate for the story. The ending (or the epilogue) felt just a little abrupt for me. Although I realize there is more to come as this is a series, I kind of wished there had been just a little more resolution at the end, or at least a little more reflection from the characters, particularly in regards to the whole issue with Jonas’ father. I also thought the book could have used another round of editing. There weren’t any major issues, but I did encounter several extra commas, missing words, and other minor punctuation errors that could have been easily cleaned up. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic story with a compelling setting and characters, and I look forward to seeing what comes next in White Winter.
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