Review: Falling to Ash (Moth #1) by Karen Mahoney

Beware of the things that bump in the night, they might just kill you. And in Marie's case, it did and she became one of them. The undead, a vampire.

Title: Falling to Ash (Moth #1) by Karen Mahoney
Pages: 341
Release Date: September 27th 2012
Published by: Corgi Childrens
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

You can’t choose your family... living or dead.

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...

Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston’s wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances—before someone winds up undead?

Marie lost her humanity a year ago, and now she's Moth, a fledgling vampire trying to get used to not having a pulse but still continue on living. She was supposed to be starting life as a college student but she was hurting after her mother's death and it led her to the arms of Theo, a man she loved, who also happens to be the Vampire Master of Boston, and now he's her maker. Moth just wants to figure out how she was to live her immortal life and that turning her into a vampire wasn't the biggest mistake Theo had made, when people connected to her starts dying one by one. Knowing the reason why she was connected in all of it lands her into the hands of a gorgeous vampire hunter and suddenly she's fighting zombies who love to chomp off arms of unsuspecting victims. Why is it happening and how is it connected to Moth and her Maker?

I have to say this first, the way Karen Mahoney wrote this book cracks me up. Moth had a very entertaining, sarcastically funny voice that made me like her instantly. Getting the hang of being a vampire is not easy, and she constantly has to resist the longing and complications of her human life while trying to come into terms that her heart doesn't beat anymore. Moth was facing an identity crisis. Where does she belong? Can she give up the sun? The feel of being human? Being an O'Neal and seeing her sisters? Moth isn't overly dramatic and I like how she thinks. For a vampire she wasn't pretending to be all fearless and mighty, but she's not clueless. She knew she still had a lot to learn if she was to accept life as part of a vampire family. I like that she fights to retain her humanity, the feelings and the memories that saves her from being a monster. Moth's a good example of how it is to live as a vampire. It's not all glamorous and sparkly, not at all.

Moth had two very interesting and different potential love interest. When it comes to being mysterious and dark, Theo fits the bill. He's a powerful vampire, the master of Boston, and yet he hides a sad past that Moth reminds him of. It was still unclear what his real reason and motivations are for turning Moth, and why he wants to keep her beside him. If there was one that will make being a vampire such an alluring possibility, it was the mere fact that someone like Theo exist. He's that dark enigmatic, sexy stranger you wouldn't be able to resist. Jace, on the other hand, had monsters of his own to battle with. Growing up with a vampire hunter as a father wasn't easy and the vampires had taken away a lot from his life. He's sarcastic, funny and a little childish sometimes and I love how he can push Moth's buttons all the time. He's also a great fighter, and even though it seemed so cliche to know that the hunter falls in love with his prey, I'd love to see how his story intertwines with Moth, especially when Theo looms in a corner.

If you want a story offering a great amount of mystery and action, then Falling to Ash is for you. It's a guessing game, and you'll find your hunches and guesses oftentimes wrong, but it's what makes it so entertaining. You'll find that the fun in the novel lies in figuring out how the clues and pieces fall into place through Moth's persistence and her encounters with zombies and fellow vampires, even those with a pulse. The characters are lively, and you'll find yourself laughing more than you can count. The funny factor in this book doesn't distract the readers from the dangerous situations Moth finds herself into, and more often than not, you'll wonder if she'll live through the next day with her brazen and impulsive attitude. Kaz Mahoney wrote about Moth and the contrast between the life she lives and the one she had before, plunging the readers head on in her own dilemma: how does she live her life as a vampire when her human life is still tied so closely to her?

It's a pleasant surprise to know that this book is a little on the amusing, mirthful side with a title like Falling to Ash, but I like how the dark, sad parts blend well with the light, comic moments. I for one can't want for the next book! I'm sure the readers won't be able to resist Theo's allure and Jace's boyish charm.

Content (plot, story flow, character):
There are deaths, violence, arm chomping, silver bullet ambushes, vampire family scare and one impulsive heroine. What more can you ask for? The ending was a bit expected once your guesses fall into place but a good cliff hanger, nonetheless.

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
I'm assuming that girl is Moth. Isn't she gorgeous?