Fall of Falco (Vermilion – 1) by S. Raquel Jimenez
3 stars
(Excerpt from Amazon) Isabel Falco has a long list of titles—a milliners dream—most of which earned by way of surviving what no one else could. Being the last of her people she is Elder of the Falco clan. By surviving the most sadistic of medical and ritual magic experiments she is bound body and—most significantly—soul to the last Phoenix on earth, a god. The binding provided the strength of Phoenix fire and its ability to heal. Having escaped her captors, Isabel fashioned her favorite hat of all, that of a vengeful liberator. With the support of individuals likewise altered—healers, fighters, psychically gifted, and other uniquely talented companions—Isabel dedicates her life to freeing the captives left behind and ending the man that caused the fall of Falco.
Elle Falco is the last of her family. She grew up at Vermilion Cay, a bird sanctuary that has all kinds of bird from common to exotic like the phoenix. Elle’s family was the protectors of the island but when she was young someone killed all of them except her. From there she was kidnapped by Dr. Oswyn. Oswyn has an obsession with people with exotic genes and has created several prisons and laboratories to exploit those traits through genetic manipulation, experimentation, and torture. Elle was experimented on but managed to escape. She then healed and trained to help others escape.
Elle has her own little family of other people that they have rescued. They all find Vermilion Cay home and all have horrible pasts that bring them together to hunt down those that abused them. But while they hunt, Elle and the rest try to live like “normal” people would. But their ultimate goal is to completely shut down Oswyn’s laboratories and prisons.
When I started reading this story, it felt kind of like the X-Men. Everyone has some kind of ability and they use them to torture and kill those that had some hand in the Oswyn operations. Elle seems to be the leader of her little family although she really doesn’t want the role. Along with hunting down leads, you see the little escapes where everyone is trying to be “normal.”
We also meet Xander. He was captured a year after Elle in the same hub and they became pen pals of a sort. Elle helped him to escape and years later we learn that he has loved her forever but Elle doesn’t realize this. Sadly after she learns about Xander’s love the book starts focusing on that and everything else seems to go out the door.
I think this was a really good concept for a story. Unfortunately when Elle and Xander start focusing on their love for each I started loosing interest in the book. All of a sudden it’s about how Elle has fallen completely for Xander in a short time, them sleeping together all the time, and rushing into getting married.
This is not that bad of a book. I think it could have been refined and not so much focus on Elle and Xander’s sudden romance but more focus on destroying Oswyn and recuing others that were tortured and experimented on.
I received this book for free from the Library Thing Early Reader program in exchange for an honest review.
For more information on Fall of Falco or S. Raquel Jimenez be sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads.
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