When it comes to love, sometimes a glance, a touch or a kiss will make you believe that they are the one for you. Other times, it’s the other person giving you the finger. At least it was for Luce in Lauren Kate’s Fallen. Luce is the main character of the Fallen series (this is the first in a set of 4 slated to be written). She gets shipped off to Sword and Cross, a boarding school for misbehaved teenagers after a horrible accident took the life of the boy she liked in a fire. She couldn’t explain what happened and she was the only witness so everyone speculated that she was responsible. When she first steps into Sword and Cross, she knows right away this isn’t your average boarding school. Everyone wears black, there are cameras – or reds as they are called by the students – and the headmaster never comes to the school grounds. She meets Arriane who instantly takes her under her wing but that is not the only person who catches Luce’s eye. She instantly comes into contact with two boys – Cam and Daniel. Cam make several advances but Daniel is the one who Luce wants to know more about because he not forthcoming about who he is. The first time Luce sets her eyes on him he smiles and gives her the finger. From that moment, she tries anything and everything to figure out who this mysterious person is and why he gave her the finger when he doesn’t even know her. And also, what is this feeling she has that she someone knows him? With the help of another friend, Penny, Luce sets off to figure out who Daniel Grigori is and what is so mysterious about him, that he tries so hard to push her away.
Some have said that this book, this series, is similar to the Twilight series. There are some things that are similar – star-crossed lovers, forbidden love, supernatural beings, etc – but there are things that are different, and that is what made this book appealing to me. First, Luce and Bella are 2 very different characters. As I was reading it, Luce seemed more of an independent woman, never needing someone to help her through something she can always depend on herself. Bella on the other hand always seems to need someone else such as Edward to make her feel complete and get through the day. I enjoyed reading about Luce going to the library to get away from everyone or going swimming to release some tension after a long stressful day of trying to figure out Daniel Grigori. Speaking of Daniel, I find him more appealing than Edward. Daniel seems more down to earth (which is very ironic once you read the book) and fits in much better in this world whereas Edward, to me, sticks out like a sore thumb. As strange as this is going to sound, Daniel seemed like a more realistic character than Edward.
One thing about the storyline that I didn’t like was the ending. I am not going to tell you the ending of the book here but what I will say is that one minute there was this big thing happening and then the next it wasn’t without an explanation and it left me wondering if something was left out of the book by accident. But then again, it does make me want to read the next book in the series, Torment.
Lauren Kate writes well for a young adult writer. It isn’t anything Nobel Prize or scholarly worthy but what it does is tell a story without too much boring description or even boring dialogue and keeps the reader interested in the characters and setting. The book kept me interested enough that I want to keep reading the series and find out what happens to Luce and Daniel and Cam and Arriane and all of the other people at Sword and Cross. I am very glad that I picked this book to read.
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