Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte
Pub. Date: 12/8/09
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Supernatural, Angels, Love, Reincarnation, Friendship, Boarding School, Sanity
Pages: 452

Plot (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.

 I wasn't sure what to expect from Fallen. The cover drew me in, but I'd been reading mixed reviews. After reading, I have to side with those who are fans of the novel: I read it in one sitting and can't wait to read the next installment, Torment.

Fallen definitely wasn't an action-packed novel, but I appreciated the slow unfolding of the plot and found it interesting and intricate. The pages really started flying by when I hit the middle of the novel.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was Kate's attention to detail. In the novel, Luce uncovers the secret of why she knows the mysterious Daniel Grigori.. As more of the mystery is revealed, the seemingly unimportant details from earlier in the novel are incorporated. I was highly impressed by Kate's writing skill.

Luce falls for Daniel immediately, despite his cold demeanor and rudeness. Normally, I would be a bit annoyed by this, since  it often makes the main character seem silly. I appreciated the fact that Kate showed that Luce realized that her almost-obsession with Daniel was odd and a bit crazy. I really enjoyed the love story though. I loved when Daniel told Luce of all the times he'd loved her throughout history - so romantic!

The only part of the novel that I was disappointed by was the explanation of why Luce landed herself in a reform school. Readers are left wondering what happened the fateful night that Luce's crush died in a mysterious fire. I can speculate about what happened, but an actual explanation would have been nice. Hopefully Torment will give some answers.

Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 8
Characters: 10
Writing: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
 Total: 48/50 (A)


In my opinion, Fallen lived up to my expectations. I read it as a tour book, but I will be picking up my own copy of the novel. The end of the novel was amazing (I even read the last few lines aloud to my sister), so I definitely can't wait to read Torment!

Reviewed for Around the World Tours