We're taking a look at the intriguing Catch Me When I Fall by Vicki Leigh and published by Curiosity Quills Press. Released on October 23rd, this YA-paranormal romance merges the creepy and the sweet.
I'm thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour - check out Curiosity Quills for all the other stops.
Let's take a closer look at the book!
The Book
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Then he’s given an assignment to watch over sixteen-year-old Kayla Bartlett, a clinically depressed patient in a psychiatric ward. Nightmares love a human with a tortured past. Yet, when they take a deep interest in her, appearing in unprecedented numbers, the job becomes more dangerous than any Daniel’s ever experienced. He fights ruthlessly to keep the Nightmares from overwhelming his team and Kayla. Soon, Daniel finds himself watching over Kayla during the day, drawn to why she’s different, and what it is about her that attracts the Nightmares. And him.
A vicious attack on Kayla forces Daniel to break the first Law and reveal his identity. Driven by his growing feelings for her, he whisks her away to Rome where others like him can keep her safe. Under their roof, the Protectors discover what Kayla is and why someone who can manipulate Nightmares has her in his sights. But before they can make a move, the Protectors are betrayed and Kayla is kidnapped. Daniel will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means giving up his immortality.
Catch Me When I Fall is available now!
Excerpt
At 8:55 p.m., I returned to
Kayla’s room. Seth and Samantha were already there. They eyed me with sadness,
but neither said anything. I resumed my usual position and leaned against the
back wall, crossing my arms over my chest.
Given Hendrik standing by
Kayla’s headboard, Bartholomew must not have cleared Tabbi for battle yet. All
the better. It’d be too hard to say goodbye to her.
Kayla sat on her bed,
reading, and at 8:58 p.m., the nurse provided Kayla her medicine. By 9:05 p.m.,
she was asleep, and Hendrik went to work. I closed my eyes and waited for the
Nightmares to arrive.
Within thirty minutes the
hairs on my arms rose, and I opened my eyes when sulfur filled my nose. Six
Nightmares came from all directions. Before I had a chance to react, the
Nightmare nearest me ran for the bed. I sprinted and caught the monster inches
from the footboard, knocking it to the ground. The Nightmare thrashed in my
arms, its elbow catching my nose. I swore as black lingered on the sides of my
vision then punched the beast in the jaw. Its head bounced off the floor.
But the Nightmare was
stronger than usual. It reacted quickly and kicked me off. The middle of my
back hit the corner of Kayla’s bed. I gasped for air, the wind knocked out of
me. A blade flew over my head, hitting the Nightmare between the eyes. I jumped
to my feet and spun around. Samantha had just saved my life.
“Not today, Daniel,” she said
before mule-kicking the Nightmare behind her.
After rolling my eyes, I
flicked them around the room until I found Seth. He was battling two Nightmares
simultaneously—and losing. Plucking Samantha’s dagger out of my Nightmare’s
head and tucking it into my belt, I ran across the room to help my friend, a
dagger in each hand.
Wrapping my arms around one
of the Nightmares’ necks from behind, I yanked the beast away from Seth. Its
claws dug into my arm, trying to squirm away. I groaned in pain, but when I pulled
the creature back far enough that it couldn’t reach Seth, I let the Nightmare
go and in the same motion sliced my dagger across its throat. The monster fell
forward, slashing at whatever it could before collapsing on the ground. The
Nightmare’s scream was like a foghorn in my ear. I winced and turned away.
And that was when I saw the
Nightmare on Kayla’s bed dig his claws deep into Hendrik’s chest and stomach.
He screamed and the dream above Kayla’s bed flickered to nothingness. I ran as
hard as I could, leapt onto the bed and stabbed my dagger into the Nightmare’s
back. It screeched and dropped Hendrik. Hendrik fell off the bed, dead, into a
ball on the floor. In one swift movement, the Nightmare turned around and
backhanded me so hard I flew into the window. The back of my head smacked the
glass and I fell to the ground. Blackness took over.
Catch Me When I Fall is the first book the the Dreamcatcher series from Vicki Leigh. It's not a perfect book, but one that I found to be satisfyingly entertaining!
What I loved most about Catch Me When I Fall is the concept. This spin on the supernatural went beyond the usual collection of creatures to create a squad who weave dreams for humans and also protect them from nightmares - creatures who attack sleeping humans and implant the terrifying visions. This was a really original spin on YA paranormal that I thoroughly appreciated.
This book is also action-packed, with go go go pacing that kept me interested and eager to know what would happen next. There's plenty of fighting, plotting and softer moments. I thought the balance was excellent!
Now, there were a few things that bothered me about the book. I think that some of the details or implications of details that were perhaps off-hand weren't well considered. But, I do acknowledge that some of this may be due to reading this while struck with the flu. It's entirely possible I didn't clue in to some things! The biggest confusion I had was around the logistics of the Catcher/Weaver society. My impression of it as a massive operation didn't really jive with the intimacy of the scenes at the headquarters, though I suppose some of the, ah, inefficiency in information gathering could be chalked up to the size of the organization?
There were also a few 'off' moments for me between some of the characters. That Daniel is so immediately taken by Kayla didn't feel genuine to me. I would much rather have seen his interest in her develop more naturally, because the girl was pretty darn tough and had lots of things going for her besides her striking looks. I also found their first conversation kind of off - mind you, the circumstances were certainly bizarre, so I can see how it wouldn't be a typical meet and greet. Still, something about it didn't sit quite right with me.
In the end, I did find the relationship at the heart of the novel deepens in a satisfying way as the action unfolds. While there were some bumps along the way, I think the book did a really good job of keeping me engaged.
Bottom Line:
I enjoyed reading Catch Me When I Fall even when I was puzzled by it. This is a fun, action-filled romance, and I think it's a refreshing take on the YA-paranormal-romance genre.
4 stars
About Vicki Leigh
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