Title: FallenAuthor: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books, December 8, 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 452 pages
Series: Fallen #1
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.
Book Review
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book at all. After reading the prologue, I thought the story showed some promise. The present day setting at Sword and Cross reform school seemed intriguing and surely the story would be more complex with twists and turns I couldn’t possibly expect. Nope. I quickly found out the prologue gave away the entire premise of the book in just a few short paragraphs so there was no guessing, no mystery and no more intrigue.
I liken this book to Beautiful Creatures as it was very long and filled with a whole lot of nothing until the final few chapters. The middle part was full of somewhat cheesy clues to hint at what the characters really were (Cam’s serpent necklace, anyone?) so I felt like the story was aimed at incredibly naive readers for that reason alone.
I’m a huge fan of fantastical elements in a story but for me, it has to be a perfect mesh of fantasy and reality to make the story believable. I think Fallen really failed at this. There were too many characters “in on it” for the story to make any sense. It felt like the entire school was a farce – just a way for Luce to get from point A to point B with no real substance.
Needless to say, Fallen disappointed me and I won’t be reading the rest of the series.