Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate
Release Date: December 8th 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Page Count: Hardcover, 452 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Good Reads: Link
Good Reads: Link
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. - Good Reads
I went into this book not having any idea what it was about. I totally went off the Good Reads summary, which is very vague and the cover, which I liked.
I was interested in this story from the beginning - what could Luce, a seemingly innocent girl have done so wrong to end up at Sword & Cross? Lauren Kate did a very good job at painting a scenery that was dreary and depressing and Sword & Cross is the last place I'd want to end up. The secondary characters were interesting and likeable. In particular I liked a character named Penn who became Luce's good friend.
At first, Daniel, the love interest, is a total a-hole. Without a lot of back story I felt that Luce was an idiot for pining after him. The first time they see each other he flips her the bird and from then on she's obsessed. He continued to act cold and then hot and then cold and it was frustrating. It did straighten out a little in the end and I could relate a little more to the whys and hows, but for a while I was ready to jump in that book and pull out a can of whoop ass on Luce and ask her why she was bothering with him.
The biggest problem I think I had was the writing. It's in third person and I don't know if it is the fact that I'm so used to reading in first person lately or if it was something about her writing that bothered me. I never exactly pinpointed what it was. I was able to get through the book well enough though, but I had an underlying irk going on throughout.
I'm definitely going to continue this series. I felt the story itself was intriguing, it just started out slowly. By the end I was full of questions, which will have me running to the library first thing tomorrow morning to grab the next book. With such mixed reviews about this book, I'd probably suggest borrowing it before buying it though.
This is one of those covers that just grabs you and won't let you go. I think it's so beautiful but the summary doesn't do much for me. I've read so many books lately about the same thing and it's starting to drive me a little bit crazy.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way! The premise was really cool, but I found that the third person narrative (although very gothic and dark) was a little confusing at times, and sort of hard to get into. Still, I liked this book even though I wasn't really on board with Daniel (I liked Cam better LOL).
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Liza! :) You should definitely pick up the next books in the series (although I warn you that things only get more complicated!).
I had trouble understanding Luce's obsession with Daniel after that first day as well. Normally when someone flips me off I don't fall in love with them:) Like you, I found the story intriguing and will be picking up the next 2 at some point just to see what happens:)
ReplyDeleteFallen was the first angel story I read, and I have to say the series has come to hold a special place in my heart. So yeah, definitely continue reading because you wont be disappointed! :D
ReplyDeleteI barely made it to the end of this one...and I haven't gone back for seconds. *hides under a rock*
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for something in the angel/demon realm, I thought Misfit by Jon Skovron was excellent, and the love interest was refreshingly wonderful. :)
@Lan Yes, I could definitely see that. I think there are definitely better series in this particular genre than this one.
ReplyDelete@Mimi Well, now Cam seem to be kind of a jackass, but I was totally on Cam's side in the beginning. I'm curious about the second book and if it will give more a back story as to why Cam wants to win her heart so much!
@Jenny Ahaha, exactly! :)
@Amy I will definitely keep reading! I am really starting to like the angel series - Hush, Hush in particular. I can't get enough of them at the moment. :)
@BJ Awww! I could see that! I haven't read that one! I'm going to go put that on hold at my library right now! :D I think I'm in an angel phase at the moment! Thanks for the recommendation!
This has been a series I've been unsure about starting - a lot of people love it, but I've always had the impression that it would be a Twilight-copy. Maybe I'll give it a try, but there are a lot of other series to get to first.
ReplyDelete@TG Well, I felt that it was quite a bit different from Twilight - I really wouldn't be able to compare the two in any way, except for the basic it's about a teenage girl. But there are better series out there for sure - It wasn't horrible, but I liked it well enough to continue! Go read Soul Screamers!!!!! :D
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