In Falling Light (Game of Shadows #2) by Thea Harrison, Michael has been recently reunited with Mary, the lifemate he has been searching for several hundred years to find. They initially decided, along with six others, to leave their distant home when a murderer escaped and began to wreak havoc on Earth. Their battle against the Deceiver has been waging for almost six thousand years and having just fought him, then forced to retreat, Michael hopes finding his former mentor Astra will give them the combined power to defeat the Deceiver forever. But he fears for his and Mary’s safety, wondering who they can possibly trust as the situation deepens.
‘Their sky was crowned with two suns, and the falling light turned their days endless and golden. They were creatures of power and fire, born at the same moment and destined to journey through life together.’
Mary’s life has been thrown into an upheaval. Now that she is remembering parts of her past with Michael and the evil they have been chosen to fight against, she isn’t sure she’s strong enough to do her part. She’s a medical professional in this lifetime and a healer in her original form. But Mary’s being driven to harm others, which goes against her every instinct. Michael is the warrior between the two of them. She believes that he will protect her but she’s not so sure about Astra. Now that Mary’s finally found Michael again, she can’t imagine living without him. Can they each do their part to put an end to this war and still come out unscathed?
“I just have no words for what you mean to me.” Tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes.
He covered the back of her head with one big hand, and gripped her even tighter. “Jesus, woman,” he said from the back of his throat. “Neither do I.”
Falling Light is an intense fantasy where the battle of good vs evil comes to life.
There is a lot happening in this novel, which may have been easier for me to follow had I read book one. However, I still managed to keep up with what was going on as I figured out how Mary, Michael, and Astra had come to be in their current situation. Where this story seems to pick up just where book one left off, there isn’t a lot of fighting scenes or action until a bit further into the plot, which I thought allowed us to get to know the characters better first.
I did like Michael and Mary’s relationship for the most part. Their dialogue was at times amusing, with their somewhat sarcastic banter, and then would turn serious as they delved into their troublesome past. I thought the description of their connection when they finally had a chance to be together again after so many hundreds of years was beautiful and really painted a picture of their true former selves. The imagery Thea Harrison writes about while Mary was healing both herself and others was intriguing. She could see inside the body the areas that were bruised or broken and could use her spirit to “fix” it. That seemed like such a powerful ability to have.
I think Fantasy/Paranormal fans will enjoy this one. There are some surprises in the storyline that will keep it interesting. And who doesn’t like a romance that spans all time?
Book Info:
Published February 4th 2014 by Berkley
Having finally reunited, and fought off The Deceiver for now, Mary and Michael race up the Michigan peninsula to meet Astra before police forces catch up with them. But the closer they get, the less Mary is willing to trust a woman who by her own admission will do anything to finish The Deceiver – even if it means killing Michael and Mary to try again in another life. As they face their final battle unsure if they can trust either side, Michael’s loyalties are tested, making him vulnerable just when Mary needs him most.
