Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lucinda Price has seen shadows her entire life, dark twisting blackness that leaves disaster in its wake. It is because of the shadows that she is forced to go to Sword & Cross reform school, because she can’t remember exactly what happened to Trevor the night the shadows came. Now she finds herself living at Sword & Cross, with other “troubled” teens. It is there, at Sword & Cross, where she first sees him, a boy her own age who looks so startlingly familiar, Daniel. As she tries to get closer to Daniel, to discover how she knows him, the shadows too are moving closer to Luce and the people she cares for.

Fallen, from the very beginning, is both intriguing and enticing. It grabs you from the first page and propels you into an ages old struggle between good and evil. At each haunting turn you never know where this story will take you. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as the story progresses. Fallen is both romantic and intriguing. The ending left the reader wanting more, which leaves the door open for sequels. Torment the next installment is due out September 28, 2010 in the US. I will probably pick up the sequel since I enjoyed Fallen so much.

While I would classify this as paranormal romance, I think fans of the genre may find it a little lacking on the romance side. You feel the attraction between the characters, like you do in Twilight and maybe even Linger but unlike those, sometimes the relationship between the characters leaves you cold. You don’t see it; you don’t really feel it. If you are looking for the hot attraction you see in those books, you might what to try something else, because it just isn’t here in Fallen

The audio book is read by Justine Eyre who does an excellent job narrating the story. Her narration is the picture of clarity and is spot on for Luce and her schoolmates. The running time for the audio is just short of 11 hours and consists of 9 compact discs if listening on CD. It was the audio that propelled me through the tough, slow spots, and is an excellent way to enjoy this book.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Mild language and some violence are present in the novel. Mild kissing, but no sex.

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