Book Review: Fallen (Lauren Kate)

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?

After the mysterious fire, 17 year-old Luce's parents send her away to reform school. The grim, harsh, run-down Sword and Cross is a world away from her previous wealthy school, full of high-flyers & socialites.

Luce finds herself instantly & inexplicably drawn to Daniel - gorgeous and intelligent - but she can't help thinking he hates her half the time. Meanwhile there's the charming Cam, who can't do enough for her...

Without realising, Luce is being lured into grave danger. She has no idea of the world which exists in parallel to her own, but is about to find out...

When I saw the cover of Fallen I knew I just had to get this book. And that was just the cover - the blurb was promising, intriguing and definitely falls under my cup of tea. I have been spending too much on books so I decided to borrow this from the local library instead of buying it. So with a lot of expectations already on board, I started, and was teeny-weeny bit disappointed.

Firstly, I loved the prologue. It was very captivating and was for me the most exciting part of the book. It is probably one of, if not the best prologue I have ever read. Brief, romantic and very enthralling.

I didn't particularly enjoy the setting - I cannot relate to Swords and Cross at all. I think it was a brave choice of setting for the author and I applaud the originality. I also think it underscores much of Luce's characters and the fact that she is different. However, although it was easy to delve into the setting I didn't really feel it. The grimness of the whole setting contributed - together with the element of darkness surrounding the fallen angel theme I thought it was a little too much. 

However, I did greatly enjoy the characters. Most of them. I loved Penn personally, Arriane and Roland Sparks. I thought they were all well-developed characters even if you don't see them in every page. The only flaw I found was in Daniel and a little in Luce. Daniel seemed so dead in the book - for me comes alive only after the fight with Cam in the library. He hardly shows emotions and the moments when he does, I don't feel it's enough. I almost screamed for more interactions between Luce and Daniel. Easily explained at the end though, because being distant is in fact Daniel's way of saving Luce from an inescapable fate. Still, I would have liked him to show more emotion throughout the book - that would have made the ending, when he was explaining everything a little more gripping. I was just so used to Daniel Grigori being too distant that when he did feel close towards the end, it still felt distanced. 

As for Luce - well, I would have done exactly the same thing. I fell for Luce throughout the book because she was so clueless. Alone in a new place, and she hardly even knew herself. It was complicated for her, but she was a really strong character. Lauren Kate has moulded Lucinda Price very well.

Overall, Fallen is a worthy book to read. The plot may seem draggy at times but it weaves together at the end and everything eventually clears. The action sequences were well crafted and believable. The emotions in the book are so raw they seem to lift off the page. The train of thoughts and narration were very consistent and the romance, one-of-a-kind. The whole mystery and concept of fallen angels, wars and secrets were very very strong. Although the twists and climax of the story could have been better, the 'Is-that-it?' factor regarding the whole plot was ignorable. Some may even find it intriguing.

The book stays true to forbidden romance and destiny. The ending makes you crave for more - I, for one, would certainly grab the sequel on its launch day.

Three stars.