Lauren Kate- Fallen (#1 Fallen series)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.Review: I thought Fallen was an enthralling read, but there were many aspects that I really loved about the novel and many that I didn’t.The protagonist, Luce is an adolescent girl who has been sent to a reform school following an 'incident' where a boy dies in a fire. After years of seeing shrinks and doctors and prescribed antipsychotics, Luce is beginning to think she may actually be ‘crazy.’ She is followed by what she calls dark shadows and when they appear, bad things happen. She instantly feels a connection and falls for mysterious Daniel Grigori. He is hot and cold towards her yet he reels her in and she doesn't understand why. She has memories of their past experiences but does not understand her connection to him. Then there is the bad-boy Cam, who completes the love triangle.Perhaps it is my own prejudice but I was expecting a reform school to be a little more rough and dangerous. Other than her first day at school I didn't really get that impression at all as everyone seemed to swoon over Luce. Arianne for example, the first girl to take Luce under her wing I suspected she would turn out to be nasty or cause trouble for Luce, but she didn't.Although I enjoyed the mystery, the storyline and even the slow plot development I was a little disappointed by the character development in this book. Penn was the only one who really had some depth and I could connect with her background- but if you have read the book you will know that she won't be in the next book. I felt as though Luce was just in a bit of a daze throughout most of the book, being led around by Arianne and Penn, seduced by Cam and completely infatuated with Daniel.Luce, although endearing her passivity also frustrated me at times as was her desperate attempts to get Daniel interested in her. I understand that there was a pull there that they shared memories and love from a different life but that wasn’t enough for me to truly connect with the feelings that emerge between Luce and Daniel. I hope this will be further explored in the second book.Overall, it was an enjoyable read and kept me turning the pages until the very end- mainly because I wanted to know more about Luce and Daniel and their history. There is still so much that hasn't been explained and the vague ending will obviously have me reading Torment- the second in the Fallen series- to find out more.
4/5 rating
Fallen can be purchased online from Fishpond (free shipping in Aus) or Amazon
