Review of "Fallen" by Lauren Kate.

I think it's offical. My reading slump is over! Two reviews in two days? It has to be a sign..

Disclaimer: This book is a "Library loot" - I have this checked out from my library, so neither it, nor anything else, was given to me in exchange for a review.

Type: Paranormal romance, YA Fiction, Angels/Fallen Angels

From the back of the book: " 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 Sword & Cross boarding school in Savannah. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are screwups, and security cameras watch every move.
Except Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce - her goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce 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. "

I hate to say it, but with books like this, I can't help comparing them to the Twilight Saga. Which is usually a good thing for the books, since almost anything can look better when compared to Twilight. This is true in the case of "Fallen" too, I enjoyed this book far more than the Twilight series. Though there were a few similarities - the biggest one being.. why the heck were these immortal beings in high school? A school for delinquents, for that matter. Well.. maybe I shouldn't say delinquent, I'll say "Troubled students." Now, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy the setting - I thought it was an interesting place to throw these characters. But I really don't see why they would want to go through highschool. I mean, most people can't wait to get out of it, why would immortals want to go through it over and over?

So.. on to the characters. I didn't hate Luce. I thought she was interesting enough, and she had real emotions - guilt, trepidation, fear, etc. I also liked the fact that her love for Daniel wasn't just a sudden thing. There was an instant connection, of course, but there was a reason. Another issue I had with the Twilight saga - the love between Bella and Edward didn't feel.. right. It was too deep, too quick. But with Luce and Daniel, they have some other forces playing with them, and it was a good little curve thrown in there. And speaking of Daniel... any one that studies Angel legends, or has read.. any, really, books featuring angels, fallen or otherwise, had to recognize his last name - Grigori. I loved the spunk he showed in the beginning of the book, but he lost some of that spark later on. Admittedly, more and more bad things started happening, so there wasn't really a cause for spunk, but I wouldn't have liked to see more of that side of him. I mean, he had the audacity to smile at Luce, and then flip her off during their first encounter. It would have been a nice twist if he had kept that amusing side to his character, instead of delving into the "almost always serious" territory.

I love books involving angels, especially fallen ones. So because of that, of course I'm more willing to forgive this book any faults I might find. I really want there to be more fallen angel books out there - no no, I NEED there to be more. That said, I didn't feel the whole "I GOTTA HAVE THE SEQUEL NOW!" feeling I usually get - that is.. until the epilogue. A conversation between two important characters that only lasted a page, if that, was enough to make me want to keep reading. And I think that's a great tactic. It wasn't even a teaser for the sequel, just part of the book. And if you can make a person want to read more with less than a page - then you definitely deserve some kudos!

I'm going to give "Fallen" by Lauren Kate a FOUR out of FIVE. I was going to give it a three point five out of five.. but that ending redeemed it a little in my eyes. That.. and the fact I am outrageously bias to anything with angels in it.

Check out "Fallen" by Lauren Kate - and its upcoming sequel, "Torment." Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Next up: I dunno! Maybe "Insatiable" by Meg Cabot. Or any of a number of books in my TBR.