Feel Me Fall by James Morris

Monday 24 July 2017

Emily Duran is the sole survivor of a plane crash that left her and her teenage friends stranded and alone in the jungles of the Amazon. Lost and losing hope, they struggle against the elements, and each other. With their familiar pecking order no longer in place, a new order emerges, filled with power struggles, betrayals, secrets and lies. Emily must explain why she's the last left alive.

But can she carry the burden of the past?

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my thoughts.

Feel Me Fall is deceptive. Upon first glance, it looks as if it'll be a cheesy story about a whiny young girl. Do not be fooled by that. It is so much more and I guarantee that you'll want to hear how Emily's story ends.

We start the story with our main character, Emily Duran, recovering from a plane crash, of which she was the lone survivor. It feels like she's trying to gain some closure and you instantly feel for her. Her story - and the writing - pulls you in and starts to set the scene of what could be a modern day Lord of the Flies. (Probably. I've never actually read Lord of the Flies, but kids stranded in a jungle? Sounds familiar.) Our time is split between the past in the Amazon, and the present in the hospital as Emily tells her story and fills us in on her day to day activities pre-crash and comes to terms with the fact that she's now something of a celebrity.

Personally, I preferred the time spent in the jungle and would have liked to have seen more. I wasn't too bothered about Emily's time at school interacting with the others in her group, and I can see how it all played into the bigger plot. It just wasn't my favourite aspect of the story. The dynamics and the action in the jungle are much more gripping, and there's less focus on her relationship with her teacher. Because, yeah, spoiler alert: there's a student-teacher relationship that I really could have done without. Not only do I despise the trope, I felt that the story could have been told without it. Or at least, he could have been substituted for someone her own age.

Gripe about the relationship aside: I really enjoyed everything else. Emily is a very well rounded character and I kept rooting for her, even when I shouldn't really have done. She's very morally grey and could even be classed as an anti-hero (which I always love to see in stories). And the best part is that we see her struggle with herself and her experiences. Her tumultuous emotions feel so real and so raw they evoke the sympathy we reserve for real life tragedies, which is a testament to Morris' skills as an author.

There are also twists and turns that will keep you on your feet. You'll think you have it all laid out nicely and then BAM! You don't realise that it's that kind of book until it is that kind of book. But not to worry, it's a very mild thriller with only a smattering of gore and a straightforward plot. Perfect if you want to jump into darker subjects but still want all the fun of a young adult story.

This is a quick little book so if you're a fan of adventure stories - or even if you aren't - I'd highly recommend giving it a go. You won't be disappointed.

James Morris and his work can be found at...
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