Title: Fallen
Author:Lauren Kate
Publisher/publish date:Delacorte Press/December 8th 2009
Pages:452
Average Rating:3.82 (courtesy of goodreads.com)
My Rating: 4.00/5.00
Synopsis
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.
Review
Okay, so at first the only reason why I decided to read this book was because I loved the cover art. I was still a little hesitant because the synopsis on the back of the book made it seem like just another one of those "girl meets, and falls in love with mysterious guy who has a deadly secret" type book as so many of young adult books are now. Hey I'm not complaining. I enjoy reading about fictional guys that would make me melt with their gorgeous looks if I met them in person just as much as the next girl, but I wanted something different. Man...did this book deliver.
The excerpt in the back of the book truly did not give you any clue into what you were reading. Luce, our heroine has just been sent to Sword & Cross, a "boarding school" in Georgia. Its actually just a place where delinquent kids are sent as a last resort before prison. In Luce's case, she was sent there because what happened over the summer with Trevor was just a first offense, and has the police questioning her sanity. There she meets the gorgeous Daniel Grigori. I mean come on even his name is hot. So anyways of course Luce feels an "instant connection" to Daniel...and he doesn't want anything to do with her. But the reason for why that is isn't revealed until the end of the book. Oh. and lets not forget about Cam? Our dark haired knight in shining armor? Get it...Sword & Cross....Knight? hah.
But, is Cam really only looking out for her or does Luce play a bigger role in his life than she thought?
I thought all of the characters were pretty interesting... except for Luce. She basically let Daniel treat her like dirt and went right back for more, even though she new he was just going to hurt her again. She relied on her friend Penny to get all her information while she flirted with Cam. Don't get me wrong, she turns out to be quite worthy of praise in the end, but the beginning threw me off and I disliked her from the start. She was just..a character. Someone who the story was about, not a character with substance. Like the only thing that made her interesting was the "connection" she felt for Daniel. Oh and lets not forget the shadows. Daniel was..well to put it in simple terms, an A class jerk. And while he has more than his fair share of shinning moments, I still can't figure out what he's thinking. AND I'VE ALREADY FINISHED TORMENT! Cam is an interesting character because instead of being just the third wheel in a love triangle as I thought he was, he turns out to be a dangerous opponent for Daniel, and knows a lot more about what's going on than Luce does.
The reason why it wasn't a five out of five book was because the book could be a little slow at times and I wasn't a big fan of Luce. (Mind you, that my view has completely changed now that I've read Torment) But the really awesome thing about this books is that Lauren Kate writes in such a way that you feel just as lost, confused, and frustrated as Luce does because you have no idea what's going on. In a lot of cases that means the book sucks. End of story. But in Fallen it just makes you feel closer to the characters and that much more determined to find out what the truth is once and for all. If you decided to read Fallen you'll probably like Torment much better, but all in all this is an awesome series and I can't wait for Passion, the third book from Lauren Kate about the painful journey of Daniel and Luce.
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.
Review
Okay, so at first the only reason why I decided to read this book was because I loved the cover art. I was still a little hesitant because the synopsis on the back of the book made it seem like just another one of those "girl meets, and falls in love with mysterious guy who has a deadly secret" type book as so many of young adult books are now. Hey I'm not complaining. I enjoy reading about fictional guys that would make me melt with their gorgeous looks if I met them in person just as much as the next girl, but I wanted something different. Man...did this book deliver. The excerpt in the back of the book truly did not give you any clue into what you were reading. Luce, our heroine has just been sent to Sword & Cross, a "boarding school" in Georgia. Its actually just a place where delinquent kids are sent as a last resort before prison. In Luce's case, she was sent there because what happened over the summer with Trevor was just a first offense, and has the police questioning her sanity. There she meets the gorgeous Daniel Grigori. I mean come on even his name is hot. So anyways of course Luce feels an "instant connection" to Daniel...and he doesn't want anything to do with her. But the reason for why that is isn't revealed until the end of the book. Oh. and lets not forget about Cam? Our dark haired knight in shining armor? Get it...Sword & Cross....Knight? hah.
But, is Cam really only looking out for her or does Luce play a bigger role in his life than she thought?
I thought all of the characters were pretty interesting... except for Luce. She basically let Daniel treat her like dirt and went right back for more, even though she new he was just going to hurt her again. She relied on her friend Penny to get all her information while she flirted with Cam. Don't get me wrong, she turns out to be quite worthy of praise in the end, but the beginning threw me off and I disliked her from the start. She was just..a character. Someone who the story was about, not a character with substance. Like the only thing that made her interesting was the "connection" she felt for Daniel. Oh and lets not forget the shadows. Daniel was..well to put it in simple terms, an A class jerk. And while he has more than his fair share of shinning moments, I still can't figure out what he's thinking. AND I'VE ALREADY FINISHED TORMENT! Cam is an interesting character because instead of being just the third wheel in a love triangle as I thought he was, he turns out to be a dangerous opponent for Daniel, and knows a lot more about what's going on than Luce does.
The reason why it wasn't a five out of five book was because the book could be a little slow at times and I wasn't a big fan of Luce. (Mind you, that my view has completely changed now that I've read Torment) But the really awesome thing about this books is that Lauren Kate writes in such a way that you feel just as lost, confused, and frustrated as Luce does because you have no idea what's going on. In a lot of cases that means the book sucks. End of story. But in Fallen it just makes you feel closer to the characters and that much more determined to find out what the truth is once and for all. If you decided to read Fallen you'll probably like Torment much better, but all in all this is an awesome series and I can't wait for Passion, the third book from Lauren Kate about the painful journey of Daniel and Luce.
Great review! I was drawned to the cover art too. Good to know the book has substance!
ReplyDeleteHi! Just letting you know that you've received an award over at my blog, Missy's Reads & Reviews. Congrats!
ReplyDeletegreat review, i am definitely going to read this!
ReplyDelete