Falling to Ash [Kindle Edition]

Falling to Ash follows Moth (Or Marie to her human family) a teenage vampire who is still adjusting to her vampire life and trying to juggle her human family. Now the blurb itself is actually a bit misleading because it suggest that Moth's father has a big role in the story and he doesn't. It focuses mainly on Moth as she discovers that a kid was killed and turned in a Zombie (Unmade). This forces her to work with sexy Vampire Hunter Jace. And while trying to find out who is trying to turn kids into Zombies she must prove herself to her Maker and the Boston Vampire Clan that she is under control.

Falling to Ash is the first book I have read of Karen Mahoney, even though I do have her Iron Witch series. I am kicking myself for not reading anything by Karen before. Falling to Ash was simply outstanding. And I 100% love it.

Moth is such a brilliant character, she is vampire but is still in touch with her humanity. She is snarky and funny and I think is just so easy to connect with. Which is a big bonus for me. If I can't connect with the protagonist I have trouble fully enjoying the book. Thankfully I liked Moth from page one. When a kid she knew was killed she goes to investigate and she runs into Jace, a vampire hunter. Now Jace, I wasn't sure if I liked him straight away or not. But the chemistry between him and Moth was undeniable even if it was in the form fighting. I just found them so funny. And as the story develops so does their "relationship"

There is quite a few other interesting characters that play a part in the story. And Theo is one of them. Theo is Moth's maker and I was of course drawn to him. It's the big bad vampire thing, I can't help myself. He is bad ass and scary at times but drool worthy and I just wish he was in the story more. Maybe in the next book.

Falling to Ash was truely amazing. The story is fast paced and never slows down. It's action packed with twisted and turns that keep you guessing. It mysterious, with a slight 'who dunit" feel to it as Moth and Jace are trying to find out who is behind the Zombie. And let me tell you I had no idea who was behind it. Usually I can figure out these things pretty quick but Karen keeps you guessing all the way through.

I know a lot of people are now sick of vampires but for me I'll never be sick of them. They are my first love and I love all the different takes on them. Karen Mahoney has took the classic blood drinking vampire but put her own slight twist on them. So vampire lovers, this is a must read.

Overall, Falling to Ash was fantastic!! I can't recommend it enough. It has it all. Action, mystery, blood thirsty vampires, zombies and a little bit of romance. Go now and grab yourself a copy and see for yourself! I am now going to go loopy waiting on the sequel!!

This is the first book I have ever read by Karen Mahoney and I now want to kick myself that I haven't read any of her books sooner. I warmed straight away to her writing style and fell in love with her humour. I was a bit wary about it being another vampire story, but I really think the author makes it her own and offers a whole new twist to the genre.
Moth is a brilliant lead character - as she struggles to come to terms with being a vampire, you discover she hasn't lost any of her humanity. She is adorable on one hand and kick ass on the other. The author naturally blends her vulnerability with her toughness to create a really wonderful character.
I adored the growing friendship between Moth and Jace; it was like a vampire version of Romeo and Juliet. There is no way in hell that these two characters should ever be together, but the author weaves such magic within the story that you can't imagine them ever being apart. The added hints of sarcasm made the banter between them hilarious as they tried to understand how the other thinks.
I instantly became a huge fan of Theo and I am not sure if I was supposed to. I mean, he is really BAD, but he is giving off some seriously sexy vibes with all that dark, gypsy style image - I can't wait to get to know him better!
There is a strong family connection in this book for Moth, as she tries to distance herself from her family without any luck. Some families rarely let the ties disintegrate and Moth's sisters are not about to let her disappear into the night. As she moves further into the realms of the vampire world, it will be interesting to see how she juggles the needs of her family alongside it.
The plot was excellent and well paced, really drawing me into the story. The writing humorous and tense when required. A very promising start to a new vampire series from an author quickly establishing herself among the UK YA greats.

I first came across the character of Moth in a short story titled ‘Falling to Ash’ in a short story collection/anthology called The Eternal Kiss and I absolutely fell in love with the world and character Karen Mahoney created. So, of course, when I heard that Mahoney was going to write a novel based on that short story I had to get my hands on a copy.

The novel Falling to Ash is narrated by Moth – Marie O’Neal – a recently turned vampire. In the story Moth is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that she is a vampire. I really liked this aspect of Mahoney’s main character. That she is not all “isn’t being a vampire soooooo cool”, but at the same time despite how uncomfortable she finds it she can still acknowledge the good parts about being a vampire. I really liked Moth’s narrative voice, seeing the events of Falling to Ash through her eyes really worked for me. It made me really empathise with her as a character, and I enjoyed hanging out in her head.

Mahoney splits the plot of Falling to Ash into two distinct parts that overlap throughout the narrative. I really enjoyed reading about Moth learning to fit into her new world in one main plot, and I also liked the mystery and suspense of the second main plot. Mahoney does a brilliant job with the conclusion of the book. She ties up enough loose ends so that the book feels complete, but she also leaves enough threads that I am looking forward to getting my hands on the second book in the series – which according to Goodreads isn’t out until 2014 unfortunately.

The secondary characters in the book were really interesting, most of them will be familiar to those who have read the short story and I really liked that. I liked getting to see Theo and Jace again, and watching Moth interact with both of them. I think her relationships with these two characters are really interesting. I also enjoyed getting to see Moth’s human family – I’m hoping that there will be more of them in later books.

If you are a fan of vampires and urban fantasy novels then you should definitely check out Falling to Ash. Mahoney creates an interesting world with a brilliant protagonist who seems very real.

Originally posted on TheFlutterbyRoom.com