Review: Fallen - Lauren Kate

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.

Fallen Series:
Fallen
Torment (30th Sept 2010)
Passion (2011)
Rapture (2011?)

Visit Lauren Kate's website for more information

Review:
Luce has just transferred to Sword & Cross reform school and is completely out of her element.  She doesn't know anyone and is struggling to fit in, make friends and learn the rules.  She is instantly attracted to Daniel but he seems determined to avoid her and when forced to speak to her is usually downright rude.  Despite his attitude she can't help but feel they have a connection, if only she can get him to open up to her she might be able to convince him.  Then there is Cam - who makes no secret of his interest in her - but why does she feel she shouldn't trust him?

Fallen is one of those books that I've seen mixed reviews for so I really wasn't too sure what to expect when reading it.  If you haven't already read Fallen then I'd have to urge you to forget anything you may have heard and read it yourself.  Yes I had a few minor niggles along the way but overall I found it was an enjoyable read & I'm really looking forward to reading Torment.

This book is very character driven so there isn't much action until right near the end of the book but I was completely sucked into Luce's world.  Lauren Kate's writing is descriptive and leaves you able to picture the reform school perfectly.  I could feel Luce's attraction for Daniel and their connection felt real despite his attitude towards her for most of the story.  It was easy to imagine yourself in Luce's place starting at a new school not knowing how anything is supposed to work and finding it hard to know who to trust.  Yes she makes mistakes and at times you want to scream at her not to do what she is about to do but I think most of us have made mistakes when it comes to love - especially as teenagers.  I found that made her a more real character & easier to relate to.

Luce is a young girl who is confused by the events that brought her to reform school, she is cut off from her family and friends and in an unfamiliar environment.  She doesn't know how to deal with her feelings for Daniel and she is also confused by the attention she is getting from Cam.  He seems like he would make an ideal boyfriend but for some reason her instincts warn her against him.  There are also some great secondary characters - I particularly liked Penn who made an excellent friend for Luce and had me laughing out loud with her quirky ways.

The action at the end felt a little rushed and I would have liked to have seen it drawn out more but there was a fab twist that I didn't spot coming.  I enjoyed what we have found out so far about the fallen angel mythology Lauren has created, yes there are plenty of unanswered questions but I'm very much looking forward to finding out more in Torment.  Overall I found Fallen an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend it to fans of young adult paranormal romance.  If you're looking for something that is non-stop action from the first page then this may not be the book for you but if you enjoy a character driven romance with well written characters then it is well worth picking up a copy.

Source: Thanks to RHCB for sending me this book for review

Other reviews of this book:

Chrissie's Corner
Lily's Book Shelf
Trisha's Book Blog
I'd So Rather Be Reading
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.