Book Review: Fallen by 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.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Part of Around the World Tours
I'm also trying to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.

Lately, I've been hearing whispers that angels are the new vampires, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Of course, then I actually read Fallen, and my opinion changed slightly. It took me a while, about 100 pages, to get into the story. This was mostly chapters introducing the characters, and Luce adjusting to Sword & Cross. Once the book picked up, however, I finished it in a few hours. Of course, I had to know what was going to happen to Luce and Daniel! Of course, I knew some of the major plot points before I read the book (I read a few reviews and ignored some spoiler warnings). Nevertheless, the book still had some surprises in store for me.

I actually enjoyed Luce as a character. I think that she could have easily become the whiney damsel in distress. Kate did a great job of ensuring that her lead character remained strong, even after she uncovered her past (I probably would have be freaked out beyond all reason at that point). I thought I'd also briefly mention Daniel, the mysterious-yet-attractive character. I think that Kate could have easily let the reader know too much about Daniel, but he kept his secret for majority of the book. Plus, there was a love triangle! I won't say what characters were involved, but I hadn't read about it in any of the reviews. It was the little surprises like that, and a certain character's hidden motives, that made me feel like it was still worth reading the book after discovering the ending.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Plus, the cover is amazing. Obviously the cover doesn't change my rating, but I just want to take time to point out how pretty it is. I'll be looking forward to Book 2, and more from Kate.

Fallen
By Lauren Kate
Published by Delacorte Press
452 Pages
Rating: B+