Ugh, I wanted to enjoy Kalona's Fall WAY more than I did. Alas, it just didn't connect with me as well as the others in the series.


In KALONA'S FALL, the shadows in Kalonas past will finally come to light We will learn about the winged immortal's secret history and discover how he went from being the Goddess's Warrior and Guardian to her enemy and betrayer. Did Darkness taint Kalona as it did Neferet, or has the powerful immortal always preferred power over honor, and control over faith?  

 


To be perfectly blunt with you guys, I don't necessarily care for Kalona or his backstory. I would probably say that I loathe his character in general. I grew to tolerate his presence towards the end of House of Night, but only just barely . And honestly? The Other World version of Kalona is, by far, the superior version of the character. His origin story in Forgotten makes Kalona's Fall pale in comparison.

(Which, if you haven't begun the House of Night Other World seriously: you definitely should.)

Still, I reluctantly dove into Kalona's Fall because the other three House of Night novellas impressed me and offered a great deal in terms of character development. I loved learning the backstories for Dragon and Anastasia, Lenobia, and Neferet. Each novella brings forward a specific timeline and paints a vivid backstory of these beloved characters.

In many ways, Kalona's Fall does the same. It just so happens that I care for him the least and, to be blunt again, Kalona's origins just don't offer the same set of feelings as the others. While Dragon's Oath stirred up various emotions and made me warm up to a character I disliked (or rather was indifferent towards), I feel like Kalona's Fall did absolutely nothing in terms of development of Kalona.

And while Neferet's Curse peeled back the layers of Neferet's life as a human girl and how she became who she is in this life, I felt nothing towards Kalona. He was petulant and there were times where I wanted to feel bad for him, but couldn't. As a character, I think that Kalona just doesn't do it for me and is the bare minimum in terms of development.

He is just there and in House of Night we fear him, but in Kalona's Fall he feels like a cardboard cut out of a character. I was bored. And there's really nothing more to add to it?The biggest redeeming factor--and the only reason I not only completed the novella and gave it a three star rating--is in the use of mythology.

We also get to see a great deal of Nyx, Erebus and Kalona. Obviously. While it is supposedly Kalona's story, I feel like the true shining stars of it were Nyx and Erebus. I can honestly say I wasn't feeling anything else. The competition was lackluster. The way Erebus and Kalona came to be was just... I can't explain it? Detached? And, ultimately, it was the weakest link in what was otherwise a fantastic set of novellas. 


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