Falling Upwards Book

NEVA JONES IS ON A QUEST

But she's not quite sure what she's questing for. A crow told her to take off all the iron she was wearing, a stag told her to get a lock of pale hair and a lock of dark, and an owl told her to jump into a lake.

Neva is a businesswoman in the New South, not a character in some fairy tale — but she'll take on this quest if it means no longer feeling like she's going insane. So she dives right into the lake and into a crazy dream-world where nothing makes sense, giants speak in riddles, surfers throw tea parties, and there's ocean as far as the eye can see.

One thing seems certain: the hottie she met on a business trip in Wales is here, and needs to be saved from living the cycle of a curse over and over. Neva's saved herself plenty during her thirty-one years; she figures she can save a dark-haired, blue-eyed Welshman by solving a bunch of riddles. And then, if this really is a fairy tale, they'll be together forever.

Publishers Weekly

Sims's sophomore effort (after The Midnight Work) is a fantasy romance that starts out slow, choppy, confusing and rooted for too long in the real world; once the story passes into its thoughtfully constructed through-the-looking-glass fantasy world, however, the pace and narrative both pick up and the "huh?" factor begins to work to the book's advantage. After businesswoman Neva Jones meets a gorgeous young man named March in a pub in Wales, she begins to have auditory and visual hallucinations, leading her to question her sanity. Once back home in Alabama, Neva is compelled by strange feelings and visions to dive into the murky water of her grandparents' pond. When she emerges onto dry land, she encounters talking animals, fairies and strangely enough her new acquaintance, March. Because of something that happened in that Welsh pub, Neva and March must fulfill a quest that takes them through realms populated by giants, jealous goddesses and a frat-boy sea god. Sims's incorporation of Welsh mythology into her fantasy quest is the strongest part of the book; by contrast, the burgeoning love affair between Neva and March never quite convinces. (Apr.)

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