Review: Calla Falling by Tallie Rose

As soon as I read the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. Calla Falling is a sapphic vampire x vampire hunter romance that’s perfect if you’re looking for something short and sweet.

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Blurb

Vampire hunter Calla has spent her life fighting bloodsuckers, just like all the women in her family before her, and she’s enjoyed every second. But when vampires come out of the coffin, the hunter’s Council orders her to play nice. It’s an order she’d rather not take, but the Council is all she’s ever known.

Though she misses the feeling of a stake in her hand, Calla is willing to accept her new way of life, until she’s blackmailed by the ancient and annoying beautiful vampire, Isolde. Urged by the Council to comply, Calla must pretend to date Isolde in a scheme to endear vampires to the human public.

Calla promises herself she will do everything she can to undermine Isolde, but the longer she spends with her the harder she finds it. When she learns of a threat to all vampires, she must decide if she will help the woman she swore to hate but never could, or deny her heart and follow her training.

Review of Calla Falling

• Format: ebook
• Pacing: fast
• Character-driven
• Sapphic romance
• Bisexual MC
• Beauty and the Beast retelling

Calla Falling was an entertaining and quick read. The story followed a vampire hunter who finds herself without a purpose after the rest of the world discovered the existence of vampires… and decided to make peace with them. The hunters, who protected humans from vampires for generations, had no choice but to adapt to their changing world. Calla had always called herself a protector, but what does that look like in a world where vampires and humans coexist?

I thought the premise of this story was interesting and executed well. I’m definitely a sucker for stories about characters who leave (or are forced out of, in this case) a life of adventure, and must figure out what to do next. It’s easy for me to relate to the character’s feelings of uncertainty about the future. I loved how this theme was woven into the story and seeing Calla process change. The moments that hit me the hardest were the ones when Calla grieved her past life or was grateful for little things that were possible in her new life that weren’t before. They reminded me of how I process change. I always miss how my life used to look, but then I look at all the little things I couldn’t do before and am grateful for the change.

One thing to note about Calla Falling is that it’s very trope-y. I enjoyed this aspect of the story when the tropes were executed well, but there were some moments that felt like they were checking off a list of story elements. They didn’t fit into the narrative beyond “fun trope”. I think the story would’ve been better if there was more time to develop the plotline and characters. Calla Falling is only about 200 pages, so there isn’t much room to develop complex characters and plotlines. That being said, I don’t think the story was meant to be a complex and extended epic plotline.

Overall, Calla Falling was a fun read. I recommend it if you’re looking for a fast-paced romance that won’t take much effort to get into.

Where to find Calla Falling by Tallie Rose

Have you read Calla Falling? Let’s chat in the comments!