Rocks Fall Everyone Dies

by Lindsay Ribar

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Aspen is part of a family of reachers. Reachers are able to probe the layers of a person or animal and take a part of them away. It could be a memory, a physical trait, an ability, or a desire that they take. They can give this thing they stole away or they can absorb it into themselves. One of the family's biggest responsibilities, though, is stealing to give to the cliff, because if they do not feed the cliff: rocks fall, everyone dies.

This book is sort of a mystery, contemporary, paranormal hybrid.

I found the magical aspect really interesting. Ribar really took me along with Aspen through each layer during a reach. The journey from the initial touch to that particular piece he would be taking away was quite vivid. I found the whole concept of stealing parts of people, and transferring or transforming what you stole intriguing. They way one could steal a small part, and it could result in huge changes in that person. That seemed really profound to me, and played into a this bigger idea in the book regarding morality, responsibility, and freedom of choice.

My favorite aspect of the story, though, was the mystery. They were all these unknowns that had to be uncovered, and I keep reading because I wanted to know the answers. I was able to guess parts of them - yeah me! - and I really enjoyed searching for the clues and putting them together.

I had wished for something different at the end. I get what Ribar was going for with the ending, but I was hoping for a little more. (I wish that after Aspen did what he did, that some of what was done would have been undone. If you read the book, maybe this makes sense to you.)

Overall: A fun and interesting read filled with complicated familial relationships, magic, and morals.