Fallen: After #1    by Traci L. Slatton Order:  USA  Can Parvati, 2013 (2013) Softcover     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Lately, dystopian has been dominating the YA section, yet not as many adult sci-fi novels are gravitating in this direction. Fallen, the first of Traci L. Slatton's After series, is one that does. Emma used to be a successful children's book illustrator with a loving husband and two wonderful girls. That was before the mists came, destroying everything in their path. Now, few are left on Earth, and those who are have banded together in order to survive. Emma and her youngest daughter Mandy were visiting Paris on business on That Day. After the world changed, Emma took seven more children into her care. Knowing she cannot do it alone, she joins a camp of men led by Arthur, who has the power to control the mists. When Emma reveals she has healing powers, she is quickly welcomed among the men. Although she and the children are safe within the camp from the mists, there are still other threats, many a band of cannibals not far away. As Emma and Arthur grow closer, she realizes there are things he is not telling her, and these secrets could be their undoing. Slatton's dystopian world is very well thought out, from the way the mists work to the how and why of the newfound powers. Her characters are also fully developed, making it easy to relate to them and their unimaginable plight. However, unlike YA dystopians, Slatton takes her time developing the world with only small pockets of intense action, making it flow slower than some dystopian readers might expect. Fallen is a wonderful start to the After series. Traci L. Slatton has a great imagination and I am interested to see where she takes Emma's story. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews