Fallen (Fallen, #1)
by Lauren Kate
Genre: Paranormal
Romance/Angels
Reading Grade: Young
Adult
Publishing Type:
traditional
Publication Date:
December 8, 2009
Source: local library
(Audio CD)
Age Rating: 14+ (for
light profanity)
Seventeen-Year-Old
Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming
boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died
under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over
his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword &
Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even
evil—history.
It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.
It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.
My
Review
Fallen is another popular YA
paranormal romance title that I was afraid to read because I figured
I'd dislike it. Sometimes I just don't like what everyone else is
gushing over. But, this is a good novel, so the gushy people are
somewhat right this time.
Luce is actually not a totally
annoying teenage girl protagonist, and sometimes they just get on my
nerves. She's pretty cool, if just pretty clueless, but that's not
her fault. The story is set up for her to discover the tiny pieces of
her true identity very gradually, and even by the end we still don't
know who she is. We do get some info on who Daniel and the students
at Sword & Cross really are.
Not much plot happens in this
story, and it painstakingly maps out the details of every little eye
flit and hair flip you can imagine (or don't want to), but it's not
boring. There's plenty of tension on every page to keep you wanting
to know who everyone is and why all the weird things keep happening
to Luce while she's attending the reform school. The writing is
excellent, and if you love knowing exactly how everything that's
happening makes the protagonist feel, then you'll be in seventh
heaven with this book. Otherwise, it might annoy you.
The characters are interesting,
although the main ones, Luce and Daniel, are middle-of-the-road
personality-wise. But, there are some quirky, eccentric ones in
Arianne, Penn, and Cam. They are funny, intriguing characters, Cam
being my favorite for having plenty of attitude in a good way (or, at
least I think it's good).
There is a ton of emphasis on the
romance between Luce and Daniel and how much they already love each
other, which makes sense given the centuries they've known each
other. Nevertheless, I'd still like to see evidence that they have a
reason to love each other. The romance is so sappy and sweet, I got a
serious toothache and a few canker sores in my mouth. It suits
readers who live for that kind of thing in fiction. I'm all for true
love, but not being beaten over the head with the kind that has yet
to be proven.
Still, this novel is good, and
lovers of YA paranormal romance should take to this one really well.
I haven't decided if I'll get caught up with the rest of the books,
but I will see the film adaptation whenever that comes out.
My
score: 3.5 stars out of 5.
I really like that you can point out the pitfalls of a book so well and yet still convey that you enjoyed it. I tend to have the opposite problem :) I've heard good and bad reviews of this one so I'm unsure whether I should pick it up. It sounds a bit Twilighty.
ReplyDelete@Lan: Thanks! I really try to give authors a break because writing is so hard and they always do their best. It's heart-breaking when a reviewer is so negative just because a book wasn't their cup of tea. It usually is perfect for someone else, so I try to emphasize what I think works for those folks.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Fallen could be like Twilight, but I didn't read enough of that book to be able to compare the two.
Good review! I read this one a couple years ago. Didn't like it enough to continue the series, but it was OK. Oh, and I agree completely about needing more reasons for Luce and Daniel's love - I had a really tough time believing their emotions.
ReplyDelete@BJ: Thanks! Yeah, I probably won't read anymore in this series. It just wasn't my thing enough. If true love is the motif of a novel, then it needs to be believable.
ReplyDelete