Now THAT'S a good vampire book. Roehrig writes a great blend of shadowy forces, humor, and lovable characters, all set in a magically charged town reminiscent of Scooby-Doo's Coolsville. The last book I read of Roehrig's was "White Rabbit" and his writing growth is clear: the prose is much more mature and fully realized, and totally enjoyable to read. My only big complaint is that there are a LOT of scenes where characters just sit down and have info-dump-y conversations, which drags the pace of the book down. Even though what is being said is well-said, there is still a lot of room for trimming this down and providing more dynamic moments instead of just chit chat. But all in all, lots of fun to read- I would definitely recommend "The Fell of Dark" if you want a solid YA vampire adventure! ( )

Roehrig writes teenagers in a realistic and approachable way. This is geared towards YA and many of the characters are 16/17 but I didn't find them annoying or overly dramatic like I do with a lot of YAs now that I'm of a certain age.
It's also really well paced with a lot of action and drama and a huge exciting showdown fight at the end. Some of it is still eyeroll inducing but it fits in with the story and there's a lot of humour thrown in to keep the reader engaged.
I tagged it M/M romance but it's mostly crush-levels with some kissing. We get pretty close to a M/M/M scene not once but twice but then we're cockblocked by the end of the chapter, but this isn't surprising since it's still YA. I'd have liked to see maybe less characters and more interaction between Jude, Gunnar, and our MC but they're not quite central to the plot so they're just another on a long cast list.

Overall, a really fun book in a style I very much enjoyed. I'll be reading more of Roehrig's work, and I need more vampire books like this one. ( )

Don't be like me and go into this thinking it's a romance. It's tagged on Edelweiss (a site used by publishers, booksellers, etc) as Young Adult/Romance/Paranormal. It's two of those things. There's a romantic arc between the gay teen protagonist and another character, but there isn't an HEA. It's sort of hinted that they may reunite in the future, but...

The Fell of Dark reads like if Buffy the Vampire Slayer was about a gay kid. Auggie lives in a town outside of Chicago that's a "nexus" (Hellmouth). There are vampires, witches, secret orders and a mysterious being living inside Auggie who's going to take over his body unless someone kills him first. There are kisses and fight scenes and at one point it seems like everyone in Auggie's life has been lying to him about their identities and motives. It's funny and sarcastic and truly, a lot of fun. It was fun to read a YA paranormal that feels modern and fresh even when the tropes are classic.

I read this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. My only complaint is that the book runs a bit long and you have to be in it for the fight scenes and complicated political/magical machinations instead of for the romance.


Content Warnings: murder, violence, lying, secrets, possession, blood sharing, stalking, abduction of loved ones ( )

August is 16 years old and he lives in Fulton Heights. It’s a perfectly normal, boring town to grow up in except for the fact that it’s infested with vampires. Vampires… in this book are known about… and live around people. Sure, they’re annoying and bitey and they do kill the occasional human. But, it’s not as weird as you might think. At first. Then it gets weird.

One evening, August meets a really cute vampire named Jude. He tells him that August is important… that he’s going to be changing and when he needs him, to call him. He tosses Auggie a burner phone and disappears.

I’m not even going to try and explain the amazingness that goes on in this book because I really think that Caleb Roehrig is amazing! He is a wonderful writer, and one of my favorites. So… there are a few things going on in this book. Sure, there are vampires but they’re not the sparkly kind that you might expect! These vampires range from adorable teen boys (at least that is how they appear) to old monsters! There are magical practitioners! There are historical figures woven into this tale. There are cute first dates and passionate kisses. Do I even need to continue?

It turns out that August is the vessel for a terrible entity that is arising. The problem is that there’s really no consensus about what’s going to happen when he’s taken over. There are warring factions trying to determine Auggie’s future… and suddenly he is left feeling as though he has no control over anything.

There are some really great scenes in this book about love – it’s not a romance, so don’t go there! But Auggie is 16 and there are cute boys all around him and even if some of them might be bitey and fangy, he is still 16! There are some really great discussions about love, relationships, and friendship.

The characters in the book are complex and interesting! No one is really all they seem when they are first introduced. I have always enjoyed that about Caleb’s characters. Auggie is my favorite, but some of the vampires are really intriguing. I loved how Caleb delved into what it might be like to consider living forever. What if you’re turned when you’re very young? What if you outlive your entire family? There are so many practical things to consider when you think about becoming a vampire.

There is a great story in this book. There’s great attention to detail and I love how the entire story comes together in the end. There might be a few things that are unresolved…but I can’t help hoping that there might be a sequel in the future. A girl can wish. ( )

5 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“The Fell of Dark” By Caleb Roehrig

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