Black Fallen
Dark Ink Chronicles, Book #4
By Elle Jasper
ISBN# 9780451413529
Author’s Website: http://www.ellejasper.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
*Beware of possible Spoilers*
Riley and Eli have officially joined WUP (Worldwide Unexplained Phenomenon), now that Valerian is no longer a threat. Their first mission takes them to Edinburgh, Scotland to try to defeat the Black Fallen (fallen angels) that are wrecking havoc there. They train with a couple of the best swordsmen, who actually lived by the sword in their own time, as beheading is the only way to kill a Black Fallen.
But Riley’s world is turned upside down when Eli disappears one night, taken by the fallen. She won’t believe he’s dead until she can prove it though. She must fight that much harder to defeat these evil beings and discover exactly what happened to her beloved.
Meanwhile, someone else has an eye for Riley and is invading her thoughts and dreams. Could it be the key to finding out what happened to Eli? Or could it lead to her destruction?
This is another book in this series that I found to be underwhelming. I wanted to like it, and hoped the new storyline with a new evil to fight would breathe some life into the flailing series, but unfortunately that just wasn’t to be. I struggled to continue reading this book, and had to force myself back to it over and over again. The only thing I found remotely interesting is when Riley accused Noah of invading her dreams, and that was short-lived.
I’m trying to pinpoint the reason I don’t like this book. There is lots of history, sometimes too much that it becomes confusing and bogs the story down. But I really think the lack of emotion is what bothers me the most. Riley supposedly loves Eli, and he her, but I just don’t ‘feel’ it! Especially when Eli disappears and it takes no time before she’s kissing another man (not saying who!) and she doesn’t really seem to have any remorse.
Which brings me to one of the big issues for me with this series. Riley’s field of romantic prospects is just too wide, and it gets larger with each book. There is Eli, Victorian, Noah, and even Julian (Vic’s dad). And, now of course there is another prospect. I’m okay with the possibility of her not ending up with Eli, and her having a strong friendship or two that could evolve into more later, but it seems like every unmated male she comes into contact with wants her. I’m sorry I just don’t feel that anybody is that irresistible and is just too much to be believed.
Also, I find this series to be too repetitive. I mean how many people can really invade Riley’s mind and seduce her in her dreams? Please for the love of all that is holy find a new shtick! Please! And, also one of her dreams was just like a sex scene with Eli in Eventide, just in a different location. I thought maybe it meant it was Eli in the dream…. but no, apparently Jasper just really liked that kind of scene.
Now Riley is off to another destination to try to solve one mystery that was not solved in this novel. I would like to think the series will finally get better, but I’m quickly losing hope.
