!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!
Atlas Fallen
by Jessica Pierce
I really don’t think this book was my cup of tea.
I found the whole thing predictable, annoying and unrealistic.
I quite liked the premise of the story, basically a peasant girl meets the prince and they fall in love—but set on a space station. It’s a fun little idea that could have been a nice romantic read. Instead, this fell far short of the mark.
I would number the stars if it meant that I could be with you.
First, I want to talk about the speed with which everyone in this book makes critical decisions. The prince, Daxton, and our plucky heroine, Tesla, basically fall in love at first sight. There’s no getting to know each other period. No dates, no quirky awkward conversations, no chance meetings in the night. At one particular scene nearing the end of the book, one of the characters tells Tesla that Daxton is falling in love with her, and she has the audacity to get all blushy and cute about it, despite the fact that her and the prince had been necking in the cockpit of a spaceship about a chapter beforehand. Geez, I sure hope he likes you after that little display…
It’s not just that, though. There are numerous instances in the book where allegiances change on a whim. Nobody trusts Tesla at first, then Dax says he likes her and suddenly she’s part of the inner circle of his confidants, then we find out something suspicious about her past and immediately nobody trusts her again. Even Dax has her arrested when she shows up at his party. Where’s the trust, people? Then, of course, all is forgiven when the true evil genius steps up to the reigns. Nobody is upset, that’s just the way it is. Instant dislike and like on command.
Sometimes the hardest thing is finding your place among the stars.
There’s no chemistry with any of the characters. I didn’t care who lived or died. With one exception, Blitz, and he ended up being pretty much the only one to die!
I didn’t get a rapport with Tesla, at all. In fact, I think she was kind of a bitch. The initial argument with Kiyo was totally her fault, but whatever, I’m over it. That’s another thing I didn’t like—Kiyo has been Tesla’s childhood friend forever, but they have a brief fall out and the next thing we know he practically rapes her! Then at the end of the book we’re supposed to think he’s some hero for staying behind and redeeming himself so Tesla can escape. Uh, how about no?
The story itself was obvious. I was reading along, minding my own business, and I said to myself—I bet my bottom dollar this guy turns out to be evil—and TA DAAAA! Guess who turned out to be evil?
It’s pretty basic and there’s not even a really good romance to redeem it. I suppose I just didn’t like it. It’s a shame because I’ve really been enjoying my scifi reads lately, and I’ve always enjoyed a princessy sort of book, it’s a secret guilty pleasure. Don’t tell, okay?
Seriously, though? I think I’d probably skip this one if I were you. If you’re looking for an amazing book set on a space station with an fantastic, strong heroine, try Illuminae. If you’re looking for a book in which a poor girl lives the life of a princess and falls for the prince, try The Selection. Both are excellent books!
Villain Rating
Okay, so surprise surprise! It turns out Prince Daxton’s loving uncle is the true evil of this whole book! The incredibly difficult to pronounce Kyrartine was the perpetrator all along! What a surprise! I didn’t see that coming, what with being the only adult who was ever actually nice to Daxton. Oh, wait. Turns out I did see it coming. A mile away. Oh. At least he was clever enough to fool his nephew, right? Only his nephew turned out not to be too bright really…
The motive, of course, was to take the throne. Kyrartine decided that the current royal family were doing a terrible job. Which they kind of were. Still, he offered Daxton the chance to join him, so there’s that. He also killed his brother and his wife without batting an eyelid and then shot Daxton, too. Then he made a perfectly clean escape and was never mentioned again. I’m assuming he’ll make an appearance in the sequel. 3/10
Happy Reading,
Claire
Love the Villain 