Thursday, April 7, 2011

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Released: December 8, 2009
Published By: Delacorte Press
Number of Pages: 452 (U.S. Hardcover)

Synopsis:
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.


Review:
Fallen seems to be a favorite for a lot of readers, but for me, it was more of a "meh" novel. I was excited to read this, because a book with a gorgeous cover had to be a great read right? Ehh, not so much when it came to Fallen.

Reading the synopsis of the book wanted me to read this even more, and picking it off my bookshelf as my next read was even more enthralling. Sadly, I wish to go back to thinking about how great this book was built up in my head. And because I had built it up into thinking that it would be such an awesome read, I had let myself down. Hard.

The writing was amazing, I have to give Lauren Kate props on her abilities. However...the plot had lacked something significantly for the first 350 pages. It was only until the last hundred pages of the book, where it had captured me, and had me reading and begging for more. Perhaps this is the style that Lauren has adapted to, so that it leaves her readers eager for the sequel, Torment.

The characters...some were lovable, others were okay and many I found annoying. I felt that Luce's character was a bit misunderstood at times, and was quite annoying when she couldn't decide between Cam, a lovable guy that worships at her feet, versus Daniel, who seems to find her annoying and idiotic, even though they had never met before. Arriane was a lovable character, and so was Pennyweather (I much rather prefer her nickname Penn).

To me, this novel seemed like it was over a span of a few months, but when the main character Luce would think back to major events in the novel, she would say things like, "Last week," or "Yesterday" even when it seemed like a month had passed. I think the reason for this is because she would leave off on a cliffhanger, and then have it be a different time and scene for the next chapter, creating the allusion that it had been a few days later, but it had been only a mere hour.

Although I hadn't enjoyed Fallen as much as I had anticipated, I think I'll give this series another shot, and I will be picking up Torment, even if it's not at the top of my "to-read" pile.

Teaser:
"Just before she ducked into her first class, she dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it--he was watching her go."
            -Page 41
 

Rating:
Plot: 10/20
Characters: 15/20
Writing: 17/20
Originality: 15/20
Cover: 10/10
Ending: 9/10

Total: 76/100=C
    


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