Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (December 8, 2009)
BOOK DESCRIPTION: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
MY REVIEW: There are books which move quickly, like James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. As much as I enjoy reading these page turners, I am often left wanting to know more about the characters themselves. FALLEN is the type of book which, like its subject matter of angels, unfurls slowly. By the end of this story I know Lucinda Price. I know she can see shadows, her past, the incident with Todd, why she wound up at Sword and Cross reform school. I also learn about Cam and Daniel Grigori, the two male love interests.
Kate took her time building up the story and showcasing Luce's conflict. Her conflict is internal--is she crazy? Why does she see the moving shadows? Why did Todd die?--and these same shadows turn the conflict external when they interact with her. Cam and Daniel are mysterious and not fully realized, as some gripe, but this is intentional and done wholly on purpose. I found the epilogue intriguing, especially the handshake which is foreshadowing, and I look forward to the next installment.
What I didn't like was the way Luce still went after Daniel even though he flips her the bird the first time they meet. He isn't nice to her for much of the book and she still pursues him. Yes, this is a fantasy and he's the typical supernatural bad boy, but do so many of the female characters have to be treated badly by their love/lust interests in some of the YA paranormal romances I've read lately? Is paranormal romance becoming synonymous with being treated lousy? What's wrong with having the romance aspect special?
I did like the love story and the whole reincarnation spin throughout. Let's see what the author does next in this paranormal series.
RATING: +++1/2
BOOK SOURCE: Purchased.
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