Fallen by Traci L. Slatton

Fallen:
As chaos descends on a crippled Earth, survivors are tormented by strange psychic gifts. In this time of apocalyptic despair, love is put to the test. One woman with mysterious healing power guides seven children to safety. Charismatic Arthur offers her a haven. Slowly Emma falls for him. But at the moment of their sweetest love, his devastating secret is revealed, and they are lost to each other. Will Emma stay with him?

Fallen by Traci L. Slatton was an interesting post-apocalyptic novel with a gripping beginning, and an action packed story to follow. Ever read one of those books where the characters start off really interesting, and then they do something or behave in a really dumb way and you just can’t like them anymore? Yeah, that happened to me with this book. I loved the heroine, Emma stayed pretty consistent throughout the story it was the hero, Arthur, which I had problems with. Oh, he was dreamy, and had swoon worthy moments, but there were also a lot of control issues with this man and when he discovers that Emma has a whole life waiting for her, including another child—despite how she has fallen in love with Arthur—he has a tangent and decrees foolishly that she is now his, and she is now divorced. To me, that is not romantic it’s childish.

The premise behind the story was really intriguing: man-made biological mists that have nearly destroyed the entire earth. They were initially created to stop war, but the people who developed them lost control and now the mists rule, eating everything they touch. The few survivors have been changed by more than their search for survival, the mists have given them psychic powers, and to some they are coveted and sought out for their abilities. Not all groups are like the one Emma now lives with; some are cruel and inhumane, so surviving the mists might not always the best thing.

Emma, her daughter and a small group of children are foraging for supplies when they come across Arthur and his band of survivors. She makes a deal with Arthur to contribute to the camp (and for her that includes his bed as well) in return for safety. Their relationship quickly grows into something more, but Emma knows that it cannot last because back in Canada she has a second daughter and husband waiting. But as she begins to fall for Arthur, she is captured by a rogue band of survivors and learns that his ability to control the mists is more than just a coincidence. The leader of the rogue camp was once a colleague of Arthurs and knows the truth about the mists. And when Emma is given the chance to reunite with her family her decision to leave Arthur, while difficult, is made easier due to her anger. The last we see of Emma and her daughter they are on a plane flying over the ocean on the way to returning to her family. In Cold Light we continue on Emma’s journey, and I’m looking forward to more of her adventures.