20
Dec142009
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Fallen’ by Lauren Kate
by Carolyn • Posted in 4.5 Star Reviews, Authors I-L, Book Reviews, Paranormal Romance, Reviews by Carolyn, RHCB, Young Adult
Title: Fallen (Fallen #1)
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: 17 Dec 2009
ARC: 452 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Young Adult
Source: Review Copy
Reviewed by: Carolyn
RATING: 9/10
SUMMARY:
Seventeen year old Luce is sent to reform school, Sword & Cross following a terrible tragedy involving her ex-boyfriend Trevor. The details of what happened that night are hazy and Luce is struggling to come to terms with the idea that she might have been responsible.
On her first day at Sword & Cross Luce meets Cam, a good-looking, edgy guy with piercing green eyes and dark hair and she feels strangely attracted to him despite the fact he is not usually her type. However, Cam is not the only guy to have attracted her attention. Daniel is captivatingly handsome, almost too perfect, Luce feels instantly drawn to him, as if she already knows him, but she would never forget someone who looked like that, would she? (Press release)
REVIEW:
I was really excited about reading Fallen, the cover is absolutely gorgeous and I just had to have it! Luckily I received an ARC, thanks to Random House Children’s Books. This is another book that has had a lot of hype recently and, as with Hush Hush, it had a lot to live up to. I have read negative as well as positive reviews, so I went in with a completely open mind, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The story starts out a little slow at the beginning and not a lot really happens in the way of action until half way through the book. The days Luce spends at Sword and Cross reform school, where she has been sent after an incident with a fire, which killed her ex-boyfriend, does become a little repetitive and drawn out and all I really wanted was the story to get going. But I think the author was trying to set the scene, give us some really well developed characters and lots of suspense before revealing all. In retrospect, I liked this approach as sometimes a story can move along quickly but then have no depth at all.
There are many characters in “Fallen”, all of which I think are really well rounded. Even those that are not the main focus still have their own story and you feel they are all central to Luce’s life. Although none of the characters are particularly ‘dangerous’, there is a darkness about Daniel and Cam that is subtle but definitely there. As each character grows and a little more is revealed about them, you realise that there is more to each of them which is not necessarily what you first thought. Nice twists and turns kept my interest and I was very intrigued as to how this book would pan out. The atmosphere is dark and edgy too and each detail of Luce’s surroundings is described well and at times I really felt as though I was there.
Luce herself is a nice character. She is interesting and I think she will develop into quite an intriguing female protagonist. Sometimes she is quite witty and feisty, but at other times she can be a little slow on the uptake. But overall, I’m looking forward to seeing how she develops and deals with the revelations which occur at the end of “Fallen“.
Cam and Daniel, who are the two main love interests for Luce, are both delicious. They are very different from each other and at first I wasn’t quite sure who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. As I got to know Daniel, I began to like him more and more and could completely understand why Luce is so captivated, and almost hypnotised, by him. He is gorgeous, and a very sexy fallen angel, *move over Patch!*
VERDICT:
The story does take time to get going and is definitely a slow burner, but I think it is well worth the wait, so be patient. The ending is exciting, albeit a bit rushed; maybe a few pages from the beginning would have been better used at the end. I was left with a few questions, but that’s okay, as I know there’s another book coming, and I can’t wait! “Fallen” is a brilliant read and has set the scene for what I hope will be a very exciting series.
20 Comments
Awesome review. I just love this book so much.
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The cover is incredible. I think I'm going to add this to my TBR pile!
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Thanks for this great review! Fallen is on my wishlist. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews for Fallen. It seems to be those who love it and those who doesn't enjoy the story all that much. Wonder which group I'm siding with
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OHHH Great review – I cant wait to pick this one up.
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Good review, I have wanted to read this one for awhile.
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Great honest review. Bravo!
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I just won this and will have to remember that it starts out slowly.
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BCC I'm so glad you reviewed this one, I was a bit surprised when I saw other bloggers give this a DNF or a grade F. Seemed like a great story from the excerpt.
Great Review!!
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I am glad to hear such great things here on Fallen. I have this on my list to get, and was a little worried with all the hype it wouldn't live up to it. I try to keep an open mind going into a book, particularly when there is a lot of great hype going around. I am always afraid of setting the bar too high and being let down.
Another great review!
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Great review! I'm so glad you liked it! I know I'm not going to be able to resist that cover for long. And a contest too? I'll be watching out for it!
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Enjoyed your review. I'm being a little sneaky about this book…I'm getting it for my stepdaughter as one of her Christmas presents…that means I get to read it too.
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Great review! I was waiting for yours because I've read mixed reviews on this. I love the cover! It's hauntingly gorgeous
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I love the over of this book and the story sounds great. I can't wait for the Q&A!
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I'm currently reading Fallen and I'm at the part where things are picking up and starting to happen! Too bad work got in the way. I'm glad that my friend that I go to lunch with understands my need to read
I can't wait to finish this book to find out what happens!!
Great review!
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Great review, and nice cover – I'll have to check this out!!
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I really want to read this one – thanks for the great review
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I want to read this one! Awesome review
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You don't have to be a teenager to enjoy this book. The cover sold me on this one at the store. It did start slow but was pretty darn good. I'm looking forward to the next one in September 2010! I can see this becoming the new movie series like "Twilight."
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The cover is beautiful, I will definitely read it once I get my hands on a copy. My local store was sold out and I bought Kissed by an Angel instead.
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Loved this book! Plus, I hear Disney wants to make this into a movie!!1 That would be nice ~ I just wonder if the movie will turn into a series (like HP and Twilight) – - a movie for every book in this series sounds good to me (of course if the 1st movie is good lol)!!
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