When Copper Suns Fall follows Chela Prizeon--a fierce, loyal heroine who manages to think for herself even when she is being manipulated--through the Tidal Years-damaged region of America known as Castle Hayne (formerly, the Southeast) through her discovery of the races of Caducean and Tainted angel-bloods thought to have been exterminated long ago as well as the magic that comes to her through her memories.

When I first began this book, I was enamored like none other. Chela the Hurricane, as we are first introduced to her, longs for the restored health of her twin brother, Micah, who has been comatose for quite some time. When his doctor threatens to use him for research because their parents can no longer afford to treat him, Chela ignites. Her love for her brother burns brighter than all else. Everything she does is for his sake.

Then her two best friends show. Jalen and Lexa, the other half of the Bermuda Three, ground Chela as much as her brother does. They have each others' backs no matter what--even when Chela has been "carded" (think, "ticketed") for using forbidden magic in public. Everything she doesn't do for her brother, she does for them.

And then there's Faris, her sworn Protector. He's a mystery when she eavesdrops on a dangerous encounter involving him and his friends against a creepy crew of evil kids. As they fall more and more in-step with one another, soon everything that Chela doesn't do for Micah or the Bermuda Three is done for Faris' sake.

Last but not least we have Seth Alton, creepiest villain ever, and awesome to boot. His introduction to the novel may at first come off as typical or cliched, but over time he develops into a corpulent antagonist in his own right, with a weird creepiness in him to boot that's like... really my sweet spot.

So we have all heard of the pretty cover stigma that goes along with young adult books these days. The imagery is amazing, it draws you in, puts you under a I'm-gonna-buy-this-RIGHT-NOW spell, won't give up until you've dug your teeth into the words inside. But then, the readers gets a taste, sometimes even ingests an amount that's just shy of masochistic, only to find out that the gorgeous cover appeal only masks a wild array of what-the-fuck hoopla.

Don't think that's the case with When Copper Suns Fall.

So what the cover is orgasmic? Who cares if the title makes me swoon? What's the meat taste like, damnit? Well, coincidentally, it tastes like soy sausage.

The details interwoven into this book are amazing! (I wanted to flawless, but there were a few. What's good fiction without imperfection, though, ah?) Nothing Chela mentions ever fell to the wayside. In a world as vast and deep as the one Chela is steeped in, with its violent history and politics-heavy present, I could understand if one or two things slipped by without real significance outside of coloring the world. But... that never really happened. The Swordfest competition and the purpose of its champions; the Falling Lights festival; the Sons of the Created Shade; all charismatically threaded into the narrative in imaginative, involving, thorough ways.

There are only a few things I had a problem with. [spoilers removed] Oh and someone was a little comma-happy during the making of this novel, I see. :P

In reality, all those things can be forgiven because the narrative is so consistent, the characters really vibrant, the storyline perfectly flowing, and--my favorite point of all--KaSonndra Leigh has some really fantastic skill as a writer. It may not be shining silver and gold all the time, but she has her glimmering moments, and they're far more common than what I've seen coming out of the woodworks in the past decade or so. For that, I applaud you, Ms. Leigh!

With an effortless blend of steampunk and fantasy and mythology, KaSonndra Leigh brings to life the story of a girl locked between two fates--mistakes of the past and decisions of the future--that grabs by the noggin and doesn't let go, not all the way until the very last word.

I enjoyed this book too much for my own good. Screw the e-book, I'm buying a print copy!

ALSO POSTED AT MY BLOG.