Loved It: Fall of Heroes by Jennifer Harlow

Series: The Galilee Falls Trilogy 3
Format: Mobi
Release Date: October 31, 2015
Publisher: Devil on the Left Books
Source: Author
Genre: Superhero Fantasy

"Show me a hero; and I'll write you a tragedy." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Hero and Villain.
Good and Evil.
Love and Hate.

Would that the world were that simple. Nothing is ever simple in a world filled with superheroes and villains. She may not wear a cape or have superpowers, but no one would say Joanna Fallon isn't a hero. At great personal cost she's saved the city of Galilee Falls from two supervillains, but has finally found a measure of peace. But whatever rises often falls, and even the city's champion may not be able to fight the cataclysm about to befall not only her city but the whole of the world...or even want to.

Read the conclusion to the critically acclaimed Galilee Falls trilogy from the imagination of the IPPY award winning author Jennifer Harlow.

It took me a while to get around to FALL OF HEROES, the last book in Jennifer Harlow's superhero fantasy series. I'm glad that I waitied to the right mood to read the final installment of The Galilee Falls Trilogy otherwise I don't think I'd be able to handle all the emotions, twists, and effed up situations that happened here. 

Withouth getting into so many details, FALL OF HEROES put a number on Joanna Fallon. Our heroine's been sober for over a year, the longest she's been, she's finally moved on from the death of her best friend and soulmate, Justice (Superman's equivalent in this world), she's engaged to the perfect man (also a Super), and has finally adjusted to the role of CEO and Heir of the Pendergrast empire.

Then a door opened and everything just went up in flames and Joanna fell off the wagon. And it was Hell to witness! I have to be honest, it took me days to get through this book not because it was bad, but because it felt too real. Like if FALL OF HEROES had limbs, it would've had me in a vise-like grip. It was painful and all to real despite it's fantasy aspects. I guess we can all relate to the hurt of being lied to and betrayed by the people closest to us. Joanna's angst was so palpable, her anger and pain resonated with me that I was hating and loving this book in equal measure. 

Then after all the emotional upheaval, JHarlow resolves these relationship conflicts with this very touching, sucker-punch powwow between Joanna and her fiancee, Jem, which had me crying and dying a little. Okay, a bit because I had to reach out for a tissue. And I'm not even exaggerating here just to hard sell FALL OF HEROES to you. New Adult lovers, you know what I'm talking about!  

I would've given The Galilee Falls Trilogy 3 5 cauldrons if not for the fact that I could tell who the villain is from the very beginning. It's so obvious who the bad guy is, what his motives are, and how he's going to execute his villainous plot. His execution is still evil and deplorable, but I wish there should have been more guesswork involved as to uncovering his identity. 

FALL OF HEROES was a fantastic conclusion to JHarlow's superhero series. It was very emotional, extremely angsty, highly relatable because Joanna Fallon's issues were acutely realistic. Although I hate angsty reads, when I put myself in Joanna's shoes, I'm sure I'd most likely do the same: cuss, act out, be royally pissed, and be superbly irrational until I've burned all my anger out. It was difficult to read those parts because it felt close to home. I mean, I guess a lot of us have been betrayed in some way, a few of us might have been cheated on by an ex, or lied to by a close friend. So in that sense, I felt an affinity towards Joanna even if I was loathe to relive my hurt through her. 

I wish there were more books from the series, but I also agree that it's time to bring The Galilee Trilogy to a close. The story arcs and plot threads were tied in neat bows, Joanna, Jem, and Justin's characters have reached their full potentials in terms of character development, and there's nothing more to want unless JHarlow starts a new arc... *hoping*

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Incidentally, this is also one of my favorite scenes in the book. It's so meaningful and powerful that it brings new meaning to scrambled eggs.

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