Book Review: The Lament For The Fallen

I've been in a little bit of a reading slump for the past couple of weeks as I've been focusing on driving practice and trying to get another test date, which has been so stressful so I haven't been reading as much as I usually do. However, I have been able to finish six books last month and most of this book in June too. You can check out my June Roundup post for my thoughts on more books!

I was very kindly sent *The Lament For The Fallen by Gavin Chait (£14.99, hardcover) from Transworld Books which is a division of Penguin Random House. Firstly, let's just take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous and super striking cover - I love it but it's maybe a little scary, according to some commenters on my social media. On Amazon it's categorised as contemporary fiction, it's 384 pages and it will be available to purchase as a hardcover edition on the 28th July 2016.

The book follows Joshua and his family, friends and a more than unusual stranger...that fell from the sky! If that sentence alone doesn't make you want to check out this book then I don't know what will! The story follows a wide cast of characters including warlords, the president of the US, militia, space people and more...Oh and space cities, super human people and a prison called Tartarus *which in ancient greek myths was an area of underworld*. It has action, adventure, mystery and sci-fi elements, the latter isn't a genre I usually go for but I'm pleasantly surprised by this book.

I found the main characters of Joshua and Samara surprisingly endearing as were many of the others, I cared about what happened to them all, even though there wasn't that much description of them or that much backstory to some of the characters. The story not just follows the repercussions and effect of this new stranger and his life, backstory and his adventure to return home but also the relationships of the characters and how the relationships change and grows over time. I loved the emphasis on the important of family, story telling, home, music and community in this novel.

For the most part I loved the writing style as it is SO quick and easy to read but it's quite blunt in places and as I've never read a book set in Africa and I'm not used to certain terms, I did have to google a few terms while reading. Also the structure of the book was easy to follow but throughout the book you get mini stories which I really enjoyed but it was a little jarring while reading, if I'm honest.

Overall, I think the book is very entertaining, unique and engaging throughout! The cast of characters was interesting and some of the main characters were really memorable and endearing. The unique element of the orbiteers, their world and especially the character Samara were so interesting to read about particularly the symbionts and Achenia. However, I found the mini stories a little jarring and the writing is a little blunt but it is a debut novel which is so impressive. Warnings for violence, murder, human sacrifice and rape, the latter two made me quite uncomfortable reading about! I think this book is well worth reading though as it's so unique and entertaining! Overall rating: ★★★★☆, 4/5.

Will you be picking up this book? What have you been reading currently?