SEBASTIAN FALLS by Celeste Holloway - Review and Excerpt

Kindle version (paperback, 300 pages)

Published May 19, 2013 by World Castle Publishing

Genre: urban fantasy, young adults, paranormal fiction, angels

Rating: 4.5 stars

Amazon

"She's the reason the devil never sleeps"

SEBASTIAN FALLS by Celeste Holloway: Meyer's Twilight Saga Meets Trussoni's Angelology

I'll start this review with a short cautionary tale. I was preparing dinner while reading the closing chapters of Celeste Holloway's debut novel last night...well, those delicious spaghetti alla bolognese never made it to the table. Burned, completely forgotten on the stoves, my kitchen enveloped in a pall of smoke. I got carried away, completely distracted by the pulse-pounding action and spunky characters of this YA urban fantasy: oblivious to my kitchen chores, I was brought back to reality only by the acrid smell of my inedible dinner. Should you decide to pick up this book, make sure to get a few things out of the way before you sink your teeth in it: walk your dog, feed your children, do the dishes, turn the answering machine on.

I am not a regular consumer of paranormal fiction, or YA novels for that matter. Suspension of disbelief and a generation gap of few decades keep me from connecting with the surreal adventures of a high school student. The heroine's snappy tongue, swinging moods, conflicting emotions and hormone-driven actions/reactions aren't for me always easy to relate to, but when the romantic tension of Meyer's Twilight Saga meets the imaginative world-building of Trussoni's Angelology series, the result is a highly captivating number. With its well-paced first person narrative, lively banters and real language, Sebastian Falls takes on the epic trope of good vs. evil, merging in its apocalyptic scenario elements of biblical folklore and a teen romance reminiscent of Stephenie Meyer's popular vampire saga. 

On the surface Sebastian Falls is an inviting place: the quaint little town attracts hoards of tourists for the uniqueness of its river. The flow of its waters defies the laws of gravity, but what is regarded as a trick of Mother Nature is God's doing and now Lucifer himself has cast his shadow over it. Seventeen year old Meadow Parker knows it too well: every night since the death of her parents, she is lured toward that mystifying place by mysterious voices and every night she is tormented by demons. Unable to share with anybody the nature of her nightmares for fear of being locked down in a mental institution, she will silently live her personal hell, night after night, until the dreams (and the bruises on her body) become too real to be dismissed as the consequence of a post traumatic disorder or simply the signs of an unsettled personality. Meadow holds a key role in God's master plan and the truth about her divine mission resides in the very place  she is trying to avoid. Under the guidance of as-beautiful-as-mysterious childhood friend Casey, and protected by Banter, the hottest angel in Heaven, she will lead an heavenly host into an epic battle against Evil.



The bottom of my pan, still black after  some vigorous scrubbing  

About Celeste

I'm a dreamer who doesn't know how to quit, Mother to the best kid on the planet, and a non-recovering perfume addict. Writing is my passion, and I'm obsessed with all things old. Look me up on Facebook. I love making new friends.

TEASER

I've told Casey fragments of my night activity, but haven't shared the whole story. He doesn't know how beat up my body is under my clothes. Not even my shrinks are aware. As far as they know, I look like the walking dead due to post-traumatic stress syndrome. I'm in hell alone, but at least I'm not locked in a padded cell...yet.

He cups his hand over mine. "Facing those fears is the only way to stop your dreams. You'll thank me for this later." My stomach flutters at his touch and at his good intentions. "Right." I whip my red face away from him and stare at the window. [...] Though I haven't ventured to the river, I can describe every detail of it. I've seen it enough in my nightmares and on TV to know something evil resides there. Where others see light, I see darkness.

*Review copy graciously offered by the author in return of an unbiased opinion