Before the Fall: Arrival

Embassy Row #0.5

by Ally Carter

Inside every secret, there’s a world of trouble. Step into Grace’s world with this exclusive bonus scene from Embassy Row, New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter’s new series of global proportions. Embassy Row Book 1, All Fall Down, is available now!

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her -- so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can't control Grace -- no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

Don’t miss this never-before-read scene from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter’s brand-new series, Embassy Row.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Short Stories, Contemporary, Fiction, Novella, Mystery Thriller

13 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2015

About the author

Ally Carter writes books about sneaky people and movies about Christmas. She is the New York Times Best-selling author of the Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, and Embassy Row series for teens as well as WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR for younger readers. Her books have been published all over the world, in over twenty languages.

She encourages you to visit her online at allycarter.com and embassyrowbooks.com.

Reviews

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Words: Perfect length for a cuppa.

This is super short, it really is just a scene.

But there's something about Ally Carter's style that just immerses me in the world the second I start reading.

I have read this before the first book All Fall Down so I'm not sure what it adds to the story, but as a teeny tiny standalone it worked OK.

I liked how tough Grace was even if she could do with learning some respect for people who are just doing their jobs.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to the series! Only took me ten minutes to read, but I enjoyed every page!

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting short story that happened before Grace Blakely returns to the embassy three years after her mother’s death. It’s not really something that adds to the novel, more like a preparation of sorts, on how Grace managed to regain her composure and present herself with dignity and grace. Because she’s not what they expected her to be. Everyone from the Embassy thought she was crazy. Well, she’s definitely going to prove them wrong when she arrives.

[Emilija · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022 52 Book Challenge - 36) Recommended By A Favourite Author

This is very short, but it really intrigued me and makes me want to read the series.

[Girl and Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[Kirsty-Marie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I wouldn’t dream of getting into any trouble.” Biggest lie you've told, Grace.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually can't figure out why this isn't at the beginning of Embassy Row. It would probably be a better start to the novel than the current opening scene. It gives a little hint to Grace's state of mind and the circumstances involved in her coming to Adria. It also sets up the whole (suckish) murder mystery plot line going on. Thank you, Ally Carter, for not making us pay for such a short scene. You're a kind woman!

[MarcellineCazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story that takes place just before All Fall Down, the first Embassy Row novel. It's short and sweet and does a great job setting the stage for the novel. It's not necessary to read this before you read the novel, but if you plan on reading both, I'd read it first as it just segues in perfectly. It could easily have been including in the book as a prologue.

[Meg R White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to get hold of and too short but love it as always ❤️

[Avigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Before the Fall' is the short prequel novella for the 'Embassy Row' series.
The truth is I prefer the prequels to be a little bit longer than a seen so you can understand where the main books of the series go. In my opinion, I believe if this little chapter would have been the prologue in the first book, instead of having this short novella.
Unfortunately, this short chapter didn't intrigue me to pick up the first book of the series.

[april · Rating 3 out of 5]

can’t wait to start the series

[⋆. shiloh 𝝑𝝔˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmmm

I’m like really intrigued now.

So many questions were pouring out of me when I read this- now I just gotta get to book 1!

I absolutely love Ally Carter’s writing too <3

(Not doing content & age rating bc its so short)

[Mel (Reviews In A Pinch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars.

All Fall Down was actually one of my anticipated reads for January 2015. I was excited to see there was a prequel/bonus scene. Since we all know I love my prequels, I immediately picked up Before the Fall: Arrival to get me in the right mindset to read All Fall Down.

Grace will be an interesting character. In Before the Fall: Arrival she seems like an entitled spoiled brat, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an act to hide the pain of her mother’s murder. Personally, I think I’d just be really depressed or angry at the world. So good for Grace that she seems to be channeling her feelings into something possibly productive (i.e. looking for the guy who murdered her mother) or remarkably destructive. Time will tell on that one, or reading All Fall Down.

As far as plot goes, Before the Fall: Arrival is extremely short. However, it packs one heck of a punch in order to whet your appetite for All Fall Down. I’m looking forward to exploring more of this reality.

Overall, I liked Before the Fall: Arrival and if you’re planning to pick up All Fall Down then I would recommend it. Why not read it? It’s an interesting set-up and it’s free. That’s a no brainer for me.

For more reviews, check out Reviews In A Pinch today!

[Rachel (aka Ms4Tune) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this short novella is lifted straight out of All Fall Down. I don't mind, as it was a flashback anyway. If you haven't read All Fall Down, don't worry, it doesn't give away anything major, it just gives you a small glimpse at the tense atmosphere that you'll encounter in the first book.

I thought I'd read this as I'm just about to start book 2, See How They Run. I'll be honest and say, I've forgotten what happened in All Fall Down, all I remember is that I quite liked it. This was a nice little reminder of the characters and their situation and I vaguely remember now that happened. Hopefully the rest will filter back to me as I read the next part of this YA mystery series.

[Allie3Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was yet another Ally Carter master piece. I understand that is was cut because it has to much detail and not enough of a hook for an opening chapter. It was still the wonderfully writing we have all come to know and love from Ally Carter. I've been a huge fan for almost 10 years now and I still love reading Ally's books! Thank you so much for making it free.

[Sthep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I wouldn't give a high score to a short story (barely a couple pages), but I think there's something very poweful about the way Ally Carter portraits her as the girl who went through tragedy: Mentally unestable, angry, sad. The way it should be.
I feel so bad for Grace.

[Fafa's Book Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly better than All Fall Down. I really would've liked it if Grace's brother was a main character in the series. Unfortunately this was not enough to save my dislike towards the first book.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should really be the opening to the book and not a separate "prequel bonus scene."

[&Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ach, po tomto mi šialená Grace chýba viac než predtým .. kedy to má vyjsť tá dvojka?

[Meredith Henning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a preview, looking forward to the book!

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been the beginning of book one. I started Book 1 before this one and decided to read this one to see if it would explain how Grace came to be there-and it did.

[Chiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to this one, really. Felt more like a deleted scene that a prequel.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short, but it makes me interested in reading the first book.

[Kiaya-anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

It was amazing I just dunno how to explain how good it was. Most books I read I get bored but not this book.

[soph &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;]

couldn’t this have been an epilogue?

[Rissi]

Thoughts to come.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I walk through the airport and out to the car that is waiting for me, two small US flags flying on either side of the hood. When the driver opens the door, I step inside and lean back against the cool, black leather. When the car pulls away, I keep my eyes glued to the horizon, the wall, and the sea.
I should close my eyes, I know. I should rest. But instead I stare out the window, looking for dragons.
The story has just begun.

Unlike the prequel to this prequel which was just some family conversations about Grace getting shipped off to Adria, this tells an actual story. Here, the story of Grace’s arrival works well as a prequel. It's short and nothing too exciting, but it's fleshed out enough that it could be a chapter in All Fall Down. I'm not a huge Embassy Row fan in general, but I did think it was an interesting choice to create a narrator with PTSD You do get a little glimpse into Grace's mind here which I appreciated. I’ve read my fair share of random short stories which seem to be a new requirement when writing a YA series and always ask myself “how does this contribute to the series?” This was one of the few times my answer wasn’t “it makes the author more money.” Don’t expect too much from Before the Fall (it’s a free 15 page e-book, after all,) but if you don’t read it, at least you won’t feel like you fell victim to a ploy to relieve you of more money.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arriving home should be a pleasant experience, but that's not always the case as shown in Ally Carter's Before the Fall: Arrival.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

With a haunting past, Grace returns to her home country of Adria after many long hours of travel. After hearing her mother's voice and thinking that she saw her mother's killer in the airport, she runs off and immediately finds herself in a bit of a bind and at the mercy of security after entering a restricted area. Thankfully, she has diplomatic immunity through her grandfather and can escape this particular snafu, but will the embassy always be able to protect her and what she's determined to accomplish?

Encompassing a brief scene of activity, this short story teases readers with intriguing tidbits as an enticement to proceed to the rest of the Embassy Row series. Not having read the first book in the series, All Fall Down, I found that this short story does work rather well as a standalone as it quickly establishes Grace's behavior and sets a tense atmosphere despite being far too brief to allow for much development; this scene would likely fit better as a prologue as it helps readers get immersed into the larger story and it seems to help to speak more to Grace's character and how it's developed in the series.

[Bronwyn Lok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as the title had suggested, this short story was, quite literally, about Grace's arrival in Adria, from her going off the plane to her time at the airport. Because of her tendency of seeing the Scarred Man when he wasn't there, she caused quite a scene just as she arrived at the airport, even though she did not mean to. It was really short, and could have easily been a deleted scene taken out of the novel.

[Zara dieobi · Rating 1 out of 5]

To short and the front cover is wrong it was ok but missing something

I thought this book was long but I was clearly mislead and the book didn't contain the stuff in it ,it didn't feel right at the end it wasn't a cliff hanger