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Darkness Falls: An Immortal Beloved Novel
Unavailable
Darkness Falls: An Immortal Beloved Novel
Unavailable
Darkness Falls: An Immortal Beloved Novel
Audiobook8 hours

Darkness Falls: An Immortal Beloved Novel

Written by Cate Tiernan

Narrated by Kelly Lintz

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?

A Hachette Audio production.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 2, 2012
ISBN9781611139600
Unavailable
Darkness Falls: An Immortal Beloved Novel
Author

Cate Tiernan

Cate Tiernan is the author of the Sweep, Balefire, Immortal Beloved, and Birthright series. She lives with her family in North Carolina.

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Reviews for Darkness Falls

Rating: 4.108108043243243 out of 5 stars
4/5

111 ratings13 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5


    So good.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I didn't like this book as much as the first. It was bland and lacking a plot. Story had started only somewhere in the middle and it just seemed like a dull repetition of the first book for most parts.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm confused by the fact that I didn't pick this up right when it came out, as I loved IMMORTAL BELOVED, but now there's only a few months left before the third third and final installment in the trilogy comes out, so I guess it all worked out.

    I have to admit my favorite parts of DARKNESS FALLS were the chapters back at River's farm, following Nastasya as she works in the kitchen or at the local drugstore. These might feel a little like treading water if you're reading the books back to back, but I loved being able to reacquaint myself with all the characters and especially Nastasya's voice.

    Though her time at the farm is not what you would really call pleasant. All the self-improvement she's been doing has begun to bear fruit, and one nasty side effect of learning the difference between right and wrong is that Nastasya sees many of her memories with new eyes. Instead of a daring escape, she sees the people she didn't help. Instead of a fun caper, she sees the people harmed by her theft. She's still struggling to fit in, still doesn't know what to do with her feelings for Reyn, still can't master simple magic...the mood, in the early sections of the book, is melancholy. Maybe even gloomy, though Nastasya is too funny and bubbly to really drag you down.

    Later on, Incy re-enters the picture and Nastasya gets to try on her old life for size. Fabulous clothes, luxury, late-night parties, fun and frivolous behavior. Tiernan does an amazing job of making the high life sound utterly revolting. Nastasya name-drops Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin, slipping her feet into shoes that sound truly, covetously adorable, and then wishes - and makes me wish - for a pair of old work boots.

    Like the first book, DARKNESS FALLS breaks many rules of commercial fiction - not much action, lots of flashbacks, plenty of inner monologue. I loved every word of it, and hugely admired Tiernan's skill, because she makes it all fun and gripping.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have to say I don't understand where the cover comes into the story, but I love it.Things start going wrong in the retreat for Nastasya, she casts out her darkness at the beginning of the year and starts to feel that there is something starting to go right and then it all starts going wrong. She runs away back to her friends and finds that she's at much out of place there as back at the retreat, and she really has to find out where she belongs in the world.Interesting bridging novel and I'm curious about what's going to happen next. Several of the issues are now resolved and I'm wondering about what the theme of the next novel is going to be about. It's an interesting cast of characters and the world-building is very strong.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nastasya's nemises was sent to a insane asylum after trying to prove that Nastasya is evil. After a while Nastasya decided to leave River's Edge after several bad things happening, worst and most recent being a car crash. Her car had been cursed and went flying into a tree. She had nowhere to go so she just ran out of the building. She just ran and ran, but it was the middle of winter and there was tons of snow every where. Soon she just gave up and layed down. No for the first time she wished she were human and could die. As she was lying in the snow lettingit cover her, she wished she could freeze to death. After a while of lying there she saw a dark figure and thought it was Reyn, but it turned out to be Innocencio, he had been her best friend for the last century, but after breaking a cabby's back she thought she needed to straighten out her life and become a better person. She had terrible visions about him going mad and looking like a crazed wolf. she had also had visions of him killing her friends. Well, he looked normal and they go to talking about the old days. Like when they first met their friend Boz and he was telling a story about a sheep and he slamed his hand down on the table and a big plater of spegetti went flying across the room. Incy, Innocencio's nickname, ended up taking her back to the hotel room he had rented. She had been in the same hotel room with him before. Everytime they went to Chicago they got the same hotel room. So she went in to find all of her old friends there, Boz, Scratton, Cicely, and Katy. she was insanely rich, they all were she and Icny become really rich together. When they first met they were both rich then, but then news about the gold ruch reached them and they got a ton of money out of that and they bought land and then sold it to oil companies for even more money. so they were really rich they had also lived in Europe for quite a while and they both spoke French and many ohter languages. So she ended up finding out that Incy was still really evil and his evil was increasing and now Scrattton and Cicely were also evil. In the end Nastasya ended up not giving her power over because she was really powerful and Incy knew, but in order to get her powers he brought her, Boz, and Katy to an abandoned storage garage. He did this horrible thing and sucked they power out of Boz and ened up killing him, then she cut off Katy's head (those are the only way to kill an immortal.) then he was about to kill Nastasya when she remembered what an old friend tolded her about immoratl magick, how it was like when ever they did magick it was like them opening there mouths and a black snake inside them came out and did the magick( I know sounds gross right?) but so she wondered if it could be something else like a white dove. So she tried to let her dove free. It hit him and she got free of his hold. He kept attacking thought she choked him and she remembered one special area that can bring a guy down on his knees she she hit him there and he sank down. She took his sword from him and got ready to chop his head off the she decided against it and droped the sword. Just then Reyn and the others from River's Edge came running in to make sure she was alright. Reyn started beating up Incy Until River ( the lady who runs River's Edge) told him to stop. They ended up sending him to they inasne asylum too. She decided to give Reyn a chance. He gave her his heart and shared his puppy with her.I Loved the book. I am very picky with books and for me to find at least one book to read i need to be in the libarary for, like, half an hour. I am good at picking out books though . The books i pick out are usally good because i spend a lot of time pickingout books. The reason i loved this book so much was there was a lot of action, suprise and a little bit of romance, but my kind of romance, such as, they guy who loved Nastasya beat the heak out of the guy who hurt and scared her. This book got the rating it did because to me it has everything it needed to have to be a five star book plus i could read it again and again. There are very few books i could do that to.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think many of the things I said in my review of Immortal Beloved apply here as well. I mean, as much as I loved Immortal Beloved, I still went into this one a little leery (she leaves Rivers Edge? WTH?), so I was prepared to face some sophomore slumpage. But again, Cate Tiernan thwarts me. There was a teeny bit of the slump, but for the most part, I loved it again. Here's the thing about the dreaded Sophomore Slump: it's nearly unavoidable. The shiny wears off. The things that made a book new and exciting aren't new any more, and so they're normally not as exciting either. The courtship phase is over. A second book in a serious really relies on growth and tone, and in the pursuit of one, authors often lose sight of the other. Fortunately, Tiernan doesn't seem to have trouble with this. There is a good deal of growth, for all that Nas takes a huge step - well, maybe not wholly backwards, but sideways at least. But the tone, Nas' fantastic voice, is still there and just as enjoyable as ever. I chose the quote at the top because to me it represents the book - and what I love about it - really well. As I've said before, Nas has the potential to be really annoying (460 yr old whiny club kid? Pass.) but she manages not to be, and part of it is that she does actually realize what a screw-up she is, and she does realize that it's time to stop being one. It gives her just enough leeway for you to go with her and give her a chance, and see that she's not as big a screw-up as she thinks she is. Just...profoundly damaged and ready to heal. There's Whiny Nas. Scared Nas. And it couldn have been much more annoying than it was, but it wasn't. Nas is still Nas, and you always know that there's something going on, that her actions are a little more excusable because of the life she's had, and because you suspect someone is pulling the strings. So even though she pushes people away, and even though you're screaming at her like a horror movie bimbo for the love of god not to leave Rivers Edge, you know that there's more to it. And you also know that it really is necessary - it reconfirms that Nas didn't just overreact when she came to Rivers Edge, or when she started to doubt Innocencio. It wasn't just melodrama, and it wasn't just a burnout. There is something insidious going on, and she sensed it, and now it's come back for her. So any steps back-and-siedways she may take are needed and not nearly as frustrating as you would think. Plus they add great tension. When I wrote my review for Immortal Beloved, I ended up tossing most of the notes I'd written in favor of a "just read it, gahhhh!" review, but a few that I didn't include I think remain true to this book. So I'm un-tossing them: ** The side stories and bits of info on the other characters really round the story out and drive home my favorite thing about the series: everyone has shit. Everyone has to deal. There is still darkness and wallowing in Darkness Falls, but more than that, Nastasya starts to really see that everyone has shit to deal with, and everyone has darkness to battle. Her understanding of this begins to pave the way for her to become a very sympathetic, more (I almost hesitate to use the word) enlightened character. I just love it when good world-building is combined with good character-building. Plus it just adds so much to the story for the reader; really enjoyable, and this coming from someone who often cringes when the word "flashback" is used... ** It's less like a concrete episodic story, and more like a journey that is just beginning. This may bother some people, loose ends and all that, a fairly minor villain and a reversal of a bigger one in book 1, then an expansion of the one we thought was the Big Bad, while the a potentially Bigger Bad is out there roaming around off stage, etc. But I liked that. It made sense, and was a bit of a coming of age story, which is funny for someone Nas' age, but also just a bit...epic feeling. ** It handles the concept of immortality better than most. I mentioned this in the other review, but it bears mentioning again. There is thought to it, what it would really be like - pieces you would carry with you from your old lives, habits and thoughts, people you'd mourn, things you'd miss and how that would all shape you. All the way down to how tall you're likely to be if you were born 500 years ago. I really liked that it was clear Tiernan thought about these things. And it's all super quick and fun to boot. So yeah. Once again, if you haven't picked up this series - what are you waiting for?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    his book picked up where the last one left off. Nas is still fighting off Reyn, ( though I have no idea why, but sheesh, I'd be all over him!). In the first book, Nas dealt with coming off of bad friends and a bad life. This time she is fighting not only her friends coming back for her, but her dealing with her bad past.I really enjoyed this plot of the book. Nas took her past painfully. She blamed herself for a lot of it. She was just carrying a lot of her shoulders. It's hard to let go of something that you have been carrying for a long time. I loved that Reyn gave her space when needed, but I felt like he should have pushed a little more. I loved that the reader gets to see Nas fall apart piece by piece. She takes blames for anything and finally flees. I felt this was necessary for her character in order for her to grow. You know what they say you must fall to the bottom in order to climb to the top? Nas falls hard. She deals with the pains of her past and at times my heart aches for her.The love interest of the book is put on hold well because of Nas. Because of her unforgiveness, Nas can't move on. I loved that Reyn gave her space. He didn't push her hard, but was there for her all the time. I felt like at times he gave her too much room. I did however, adore how much he apologized. You can tell he was truly sorry for what she went through.This is a dark and gritty book. So much death, anger, pain and betrayal of friends that it hurts at times to read it. I loved that the author created Nas's life with real pain. It's not made up junk that could never happen, but stuff that everyday people go through. For those who love a good dark book, facing a trouble past, read this.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In Immortal Beloved, Nastasya realized that something had to change. In Darkness Falls, she is tempted back to her old ways, frightened by the darkness threatening to take over her. Nastasya is a precious character with her sense of humor. If you want a book with a different kind of not-so-heroic protagonist, one with snark and her own style, Nastasya is the one to look out for. Seriously, a page doesn't go by where she doesn't keep me vested in her story. You know that feeling of reading something in a story and thinking about how whacked up it is? Nastasya is fully aware of it too and makes a snarky remark about it. When her life takes a dark turn, Nastasya's life of goodness is threatened, and she finds herself contemplating her life and that of those around her. We learn more about her past, and we learn more about her relationships with certain persons. I would love to say that there is more battle of the wits between Nastasya and Reyn, but there can never be nearly enough of them. Especially when Nastasya doesn't know what to do about the two of them, which means avoiding Reyn. If you thought someone out to kill Nastasya is bad, Cate Tiernan proves that there can be worse. And there is definitely greater evil out there. I am looking forward to seeing how Nastasya progresses and if River's Edge can't help her embrace her own heritage in the goodness of the light. And more of the Viking god, the manliest of men, the one who occupies Nastasya's thoughts almost twenty-four/seven.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was even more amazing than the first! I love it!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    At first, i had a hard time getting into this one. I sped through the first book and was so glad to have the second one on hand; but I got a little let down when I started and realized that it was literally only the next or same day from when the last book ended. I had trouble wading through all the non essential info in the book, until it started to get into the good part more than halfway through. Incy makes his appearance and while I knew something was off about him, I never thought it would turn out as bad as it was!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: The sequel wraps up loose ends from Immortal Beloved with humor, action, and more swoony romance with our favorite Viking God.Opening Sentence: ”I want you.”The Review:The novel’s first line, “I want you.” comes from Reyn, so believe me when I say he has you swooning from page one. Nastasya is still at River’s Edge, learning Tähti magic and clean living and hiding from her not-so-BFF Innocencio. She’s still a smart-a$$ immortal with huge insecurities, but we see even more growth in Darkness Falls than we did in Immortal Beloved. Tiernan thrives on character-driven novels, which means as the reader you form a close relationship with the narrator, faster than you expect to.In this novel there are a lot more flashbacks to Nasty’s past lives in Iceland and Norway and Tahiti and a million other places. They show a lot of horrible things, tell us a lot about Nas’s character and how she survived on her own, but every time we get to one the present-day the plotline stops cold. It makes for a slow read, but our sarcastic and hilarious heroine carries the story along with self-deprecating aplomb. Of course, she also has her share of embarrassing moments and unfortunately, because it’s written in first-person and you love Nasty, you get to feel her mortification close and personal.Nastasya begins to suspect Incy knows where she is. Either that, or someone at River’s Edge has it out for her. With danger coming in unexpected turns, Nas tries hard to keep the others out of it. Of course, Reyn doesn’t like being pushed to the sidelines and their relationship suffers for it. Oh beautiful angst! As per Immortal Beloved, the romance subplot is a SUBplot, with Incy’s evil machinations taking the leading role. This is both nice, because it’s good to see girls with their priorities in order, and also so so disappointing. Reyn, in all his Butcher of Winter-Viking God glory, is sweet and strong and swoon-worthy. He doesn’t coddle Nas like some of the others, and he cuts through her self-centered recriminations when she needs it.Incy has a much stronger role in Darkness Falls as more and more sinister things begin to creep into West Lowing. Finally, we get to see just how unstable Innocencio is without his BFF through Nas’s flashbacks and visions. The truth scares her and makes her feel stupid. How could she not notice what a monster her best friend was?With Immortal Beloved we saw Nas’s introduction to River’s Edge and their lifestyle, but with Darkness Falls we see her really begin to accept her place there. This installment proves that Middle Bridge Book Syndrome can be avoided, and the story takes an interesting turn in Eternally Yours. We learn more about her power, her life, and get to see her make different—better—choices. Mostly.Still, like with the first book, this sequel was a bit slow. It’s Tiernan’s writing and snarky narrator that carry the novel through the slow-bits. Nas’s story is heart-breaking and hilarious in turns (and at the same time). We wrap up most, if not all, of the loose ends from Immortal Beloved and Nas’s past opens up new questions about who and what she is. At the end of Darkness Falls, you’re left with the impression that things are only about to get more complicated for the immortals at River’s Edge.Notable Scene:“Why are you here?” I gestured largely, denoting “at River’s Edge” rather than “in the barn.” He blinked in surprise, and I could almost see him weighing the decision to tell me, what he should say, if anything.He stepped into the stall and stood by the door. I was struck by the change in his demeanor—he was usually brash, cocky, charming; self-confident in the way that an incredibly handsome man can be. He opened his mouth to say something—raised his hand, then let it fall.I polished a saddle very quietly, my eyes locked on him. This ought to be good.His fingers plucked the fabric of the Italian wool trousers he had chosen to muck out the barn in. “I…” he said, looking at the ceiling, the floor. “I have…”I held my breath. Cheerful, lovely Brynne had tried to set someone on fire, so I couldn’t imagine what had brought Lorenz here.“I have two hundred and thirty-five children,” he said, and I almost fell over.FTC Advisory: Little, Brown/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Darkness Falls. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At River’s Edge, a sort of rehabilitative haven for wayward immortals, Nastasya is struggling. She’s only just beginning to realize the full extent of the horror that she and her friends inflicted on innocent mortals over the years. There’s also the pesky problem of her continued attraction to the dangerous immortal and her fellow River’s Edge inhabitant Reyn, a former Viking “god” known as the Butcher of Winter, whose family killed hers many centuries ago.But Nastasya’s biggest challenge yet will come from her self-doubt: her fear that there is an incurable, inescapable darkness within her. When she crosses paths again with her old friends, Nastasya must figure out where she belongs, and what she is capable of.These days I usually stay away from YA paranormal romance as if they have contagious diseases. But this series snagged my cynical YA PNR affections from the first book, Immortal Beloved, and dug its hook in deeper with this worthy sequel, DARKNESS FALLS.There’s something about Nastasya’s voice. There really is. There’s probably no other explanation for why I enjoy this series so very much. Nastasya is sardonic and witty without being dramatic. Her commentary is very much 21st-century, which sometimes takes away from the authenticity of her past identities, but is nevertheless appealing to readers.Nastasya’s narration carries her past some subjectively large bumps in the story, such as the slooow plot, the sputtering romance, and the melodramatic climax. For there is not much plot: the majority of DARKNESS FALLS involves Nastasya reflecting on her previous actions and wondering whether or not she is incurably dark. The romantic development with Reyn is put to the wayside as Nastasya grows as a person, which can be frustrating for Nastasya-Reyn shippers. And the melodramatic climax is exactly that.However, there really is something special about the character of Nastasya, because I never got bored, or rolled my eyes (too much), or felt apathetic. I enjoyed snorting at Nastasya’s commentary and silently cheered her on as she learned and suffered and remembered and grew.In the end, then, I guess I can say that the Immortal Beloved series is one I would recommend to those who think they are seriously tired of YA paranormal romance, and those who love snarky protagonists. I can’t wait to read the third and final book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Originally posted at The Wandering Fangirl.I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Immortal Beloved, and was anxious to have Darkness Falls live up to it -- which it totally did.We continue with Nastasya's emotional journey as she's in immortal rehab, and while at times it felt like the first third of Darkness Falls was treading the same ground Immortal Beloved did, new ideas and revelations in Nastasya's life keep it from being the same old thing. I loved Nastasya as much as I did in the first book, and while I was so-so on Reyn at first, he skyrocketed to Book Boyfriend status in this one. His sexual tensions with Nastasya is amazing, and while there are plenty of reasons either would produce for not being together, I wanted to lock them in a room and make them have adorable Nordic immortal babies.Nastasya's regression is done pretty well, from the reason she finally falls back into her old life to the allure of Innocencio and the darkness that seems to surround her. I spent the last thirty or so pages clutching the book in anxiety on Nastasya's behalf, and I loved the ending.Here's to waiting forever for Immortal Light.