Calico Reaction (calico_reaction) wrote in bookish,
Calico Reaction
calico_reaction
bookish

Kate, Lauren: Fallen

Fallen (2009)
Written by: Lauren Kate
Genre: YA/Paranormal Romance
Pages: 452 (Hardcover)
Series: Book One (ongoing)

The premise: ganked from the author's website: Some Angels are Destined to Fall

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.


My Rating

Buy the Paperback: it was worth the cash for me, but then again, I found my hardcover for less than $10. Fallen really asks a lot of its adult readers in terms of suspension of disbelief. What you choose to roll with and what you don't roll with will determine how you enjoy this book. The target audience, however, may not give a fig, and that's not to say the target audience isn't discerning, it's just to say that the story rolls along so quickly and the heroine is likable enough that it's easy to forgive the book for its flaws. Despite what I wish the book could've done in terms of realism, I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the star-crossed lovers (such as they are), and besides, the book does some stuff right. We don't have, for example, the stereotypical absent parents. The heroine has some friends who, while they do talk about boys, talk about other things too. :) And there's some neat developments in the overall mythology (which really is fascinating) of this book, and I like how religious iconography plays a role here and how it seems to fit in naturally with the book. I wasn't even done with this sucker before I pre-ordered the second book (with it's equally gorgeous cover). Don't get me wrong: I don't want to pay full price for these books, but I enjoy them for what they are rather than dislike them for what they aren't, and I think that YA fans who enjoy paranormal romance will have fun with this, especially if they're having withdrawal from certain sparkly vampires and hot werewolves. This has similar ingredients, but it's most certainly its own unique story. At least, as far as my reading goes. No fangs, fur, or fae here!

Review style: Let's see, I want to talk about what worked and what didn't in terms of the premise, as well as why I wish this book was written in first-person POV instead of third. In truth, there's not a whole lot to say about this super-fast read, so no worries about spoilers. Feel free to read the full review in my LJ, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome!

REVIEW: Lauren Kate's FALLEN

Happy Reading!

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Book club selections @ calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!

August: Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
September: So Long Been Dreaming edited by Nalo Hopkinson
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