Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Book: Fallen
Author: 
Lauren Kate

Release Date:
 December 8th, 2009
Source: 
Won from Ellz Reads
Summary:
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 -- he 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.
Review: Fallen is dark, mysterious, and interesting (despite it's flaws).

When Luce shows up at Sword and Cross, she makes only a few friends, and a couple instant enemies. Yet, she can't seem to stop thinking about Daniel (even if he is a complete jerk to her....repeatedly. But that's the new "sexy", right?), but then there is nice ol' Cam (maybe I'm the only one that gets the "creeper" vibe off this guy?). Needless to say, she's got herself in one interesting love triangle that I couldn't tear myself away from. Add to that the mysterious shadows that Luce always sees, and quite a few more interesting moments (and accidents) at Sword and Cross, and you've got yourself a page turner. I'd say more, get a bit more detailed, but then I'd ruin the entire plot.

While I enjoyed the story, there were some flaws and inconsistencies. Despite this, the writing is wonderfully addictive. The story is intriguing, and I never really knew just what was going to happen next, which is fun for a reader like myself. 

Fallen weaves mystery, intrigue and shocking moments into one enchanting story. I was shocked quite a few times.

Highlights: The description kept me interested, and it was an easy novel to lose myself in. The pages kept turning and turning until I was done, and I was surprised at how quickly I finished. This is just one of those novels that keeps you curious, keeps you wondering, which was a definitive plus. Lauren Kate's writing is just my style, so I'll definitely be excited for the second installment, Torment

Lowlights: A lot of emphasis was placed on looks. "He's so hot, sexy...His smoldering eyes...blah, blah" (this is a generalization) -- Obviously, this wasn't working for me. Who cares if he's hot? Is he a nice guy (not at first)? Is he a good guy (questionable)? Sometimes I wanted to slap Luce, because she really focused too much on a pair of guys, and neither were really interesting beyond the looks department. I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing more about these two guys, development-wise.

Also, security was almost a joke in this novel. The teens ran off whenever they felt like it, and never got caught. They tamper with the security cameras, without consequence. How about some realism here?

In the end, I really enjoyed the story, as long as I didn't think about the details and just focused more on the story and the writing.

Rating:   3.5 out of 5
  



19 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to this book! Love the cover (and the sequel's cover)! Thx for your review

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  2. Nice review girl, I really need to move this up my TBR pile :)

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  3. Great review, Lea! I wasn't overly fond of this book, just because I felt it was too...blah. I was bored most of the time, and while I enjoyed the end, I wished it delved deeper from the get-go. Half the time I was wondering what the heck was going on haha :)

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  4. I totally agree with all the stuff about looks. After a while, I barely noticed it. A highlight for me is somewhere near the end of chapter 18, on page 391 or something, where Luce describes how Daniel's kisses make her feel like she's went to heaven. Maybe it's just me but I thought that was the best part in the whole book. And I'm probably the only one that wants Luce with Cam more than with Daniel. Sure, they've fell in love for a billion lives but things are supposedly different so who knows. I don't know about the realism because angels is already pushing it. I wish Cam and Daniel had more personality, especially Daniel.

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  5. I am planning to buy Fallen. So was in need of an honest opinion. Thanks :)

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  6. thanks for the honest review!! i'm still on the fence about whether I want to read this one or not.

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  7. I'm glad you enjoyed it eventhough there were flaws! The writing is great, I agree with you there. I think there will be a chance to right the flaws in Torment. STill looking forward to that novel.

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  8. I really like the honesty of your review for Fallen. I had similar thoughts because I was a bit torn--I liked *some* of the writing & the setting. On the other hand, I couldn't stand the relationship dynamic between Daniel/Cam and Luce. And like you I tired of the endless descriptions of the love interest's "hotness".

    Great review :)

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  9. I completely agree with your review. I felt the same way about this book. I appreciate your honesty as well. Great review, Lea!

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  10. LOL. You had the same issues I had with the book.

    Great review.

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  11. I'm with you on this one although you could look past the flaws more than I could.

    Cam? Yes, creepy. "Jerk the new sexy" - you're so funny - and sadly right on the money.

    I was so excited for this book and still love the premise. I hope Torment improves.

    The covers are among the best I've seen.

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  12. Well said, Lea! I struggled with Fallen too. I get the whole appeal of the "bad boy" but when a guy flips you off, um, move on!


    I saw that you have Hourglass Door on your currently reading list. I honestly thought I was the only one who ever heard of this one - interested to hear what you think of it.

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  13. Great review!! I too had mixed feelings about this book, but you described then much better than I would have done! :P

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  14. Thanks for the awesome honest review :)

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  15. Eh, I didn't really like this one, but great review! I actually liked Cam, though I seriously couldn't tell if he actually cared of if he's a jerk... hm. And, UGH, I could NOT stand Daniel's so-called "hotness" at all, though you could overlook it much more easily than I could, lol. As for the premise, I definitely agree that it's surprising, but, ehh, not my thing again really; I felt it was sort of forced. BUT BUT BUT awesome review, regardless of what I have against Fallen. I'll give that the setting and writing were pretty, and I personally hope Lauren Kate goes somewhere "more unique" with this. Who knows, maybe Torment will be awesome! :D
    I'm sort of iffy about the upcoming love triangle though...

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  16. Great review - I always appreciate honesty! I don't think I'd enjoy this one, so I probably won't be picking it up.

    Emidy
    from Une Parole

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  17. You are not alone! I got the creeper vibes from Cam too. Even though Daniel was all hot and cold with Luce, (which I admit was ANNOYING) I didn't get any weird vibes from him. And I admit I liked the part where he finally (FINALLY) tells her of their past lives together. I thought it was sweet. :)

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  18. i'm planning to read this book. but i hate jerky love interests. god, why are nice guys so extinct these days?!

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