Bound to Fall (Encounters 3) by Ann Somerville

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Bound to Fall is the final book in the Encounters series; is the parallel story of both couples of the previous two books, the chimerical human Dinun and his Angel lover Moon, and the chimerical human (but with an heavy Angel genetic legacy) Suaj and his human lover Raeln.

Both these couples have problem to overcome to be happy together: Dinun finds out that he can't live in Moon's world due to his health condition, and he wants pretend from his lover to be captive in his "narrow" world: Moon is not used to live in the confined space of an home, he is born to live in the open spaces where he can fly. On the other hand Raeln, even if deep in love with Suaj, and more than happy in their relationship, misses home; he is aware that he will not find anything better at home for him, but still he longs for a world that he still considers his own. When an spaceship from Raeln's planet asks to land, it's the change for all of them to test their bonds.

There is a clear shift in the story at the middle: the first part has almost an utopian mind, made of "friendly" scientists who want only to learn and develop new ways for living better; the second part almost ends in a nightmare. Unfortunately what happens in this futuristic world, is what always happened when different cultures meet and don't "mix"; there is always one part that believes to be better and to be allowed to judge and bring pain in other life in the name of the wellness of their people, doesn't matter if this means to injure others.

Said that I would like to spend a bit of good words on the characters. In this last book there are two characters that I believe had the space to develop and grow as they hadn't had in their own story. Dinun, in the first book, was a nice character, but he was almost too naive, smitten by the powerful Angel who was his lover, he didn't have the chance to have on the reader a strong impression. Now instead he is the leading man in the relationship, he is maybe more angry and mourning, but he proves a strenght that I hadn't found before. Sure Moon is still the stronger in body, but finally Dinun behaves as an adult.

The second character that I see in a different way is Suaj; oh yes, he is still a bit detached, but now I can see that he cares for his human lover. He is not obviously the passionate character as Raeln, but at least I have no more the impression that for him Raeln is only a nice benefit deriving from his work, I finally have the impression that Suaj would not be happy if Raeln should decide to go back home. Probably he would be find a way to overcome the pain, but at least he would feel it.

There is clearly more passion and more open feelings in this last book than in the previous two. It's not necessary a question of sex, if I remember well there is only one real sex scene, but the characters are more open, they arrive to the reader in a more direct way, and so they leave a deeper impression.

http://www.lulu.com/content/5940701

Series: Encounters
1) On Wings, Rising: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/393060.html
2) Reaching Higher: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/485944.html
3) Bound to Fall

Reading List: 

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading+list&view=elisa.rolle

Comments

[dreamilywistful.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm Vivian and I found your blog from Dear Author where they linked your blog in a review of the I Do anthology. I really liked your in-depth review of it and after clicking around I found your man candy days and had to friend you! LOL only slightly kidding! Though I've read tons of yaoi manga and watched gay anime/movies, I just sort of got into M/M in full-length novels with Joey W. Hill's Rough Canvas and Caught Running by Abigail Roux & Madeleine Urban, both of which I found fabulous, and would love to find out more about it. Hope you don't mind I friended your journal, and would love it if you friended me back :) Thanks!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

You are more than welcome Vivian and I'm happy to friend you back. If you are new to the M/M genre, you will find plenty here ;-) Browse through the main tags (top left on my menu) so it would be simplier to find what you like. Elisa