Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen
by Lauren Kate
The Fallen Series

Delacorte Press
ISBN-10: 0-385-73893-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73893-4
Publication Date: December, 2009
List Price: $17.99

Review: Imagine a world where everything is new, bewildering, and terrifying, but deep inside, everything is eerily familiar. This is the world of Lucinda Price, the heroine in Lauren Kate’s Fallen – the first book in a four part series. In a time when vampires are flooding the market, Lauren Kate takes her new series in a refreshing direction – fallen angels. Lucinda, a 17 year old girl who is haunted by shadows and the uncertainty surrounding her involvement in the death of her boyfriend, is sent to Sword & Cross Reform School where she is to make amends with her life and somehow find a way to be a “normal” girl. But, instead of reform, Luce is thrust into a world in which she questions her sanity even more strongly! Only one person is able to make sense of Luce’s life, but that person is Luce’s greatest mystery.

Fallen begins in 1854 England with a young artist and an irresistible maiden. When the artist finally succumbs to his love for the young girl, he embraces her knowing that his affection will lead to her being swept from the earth by shadows. 150 years later, Lucinda Price begins her schooling at Sword & Cross in Georgia. When she must give up every privilege, including her privacy, upon entrance to the school, Luce realizes how different her life will be compared to her New England private school prior to “the accident.” Luce is greeted by some of the most colorful and unfriendly characters, but slowly begins to assimilate to reform school life. It doesn’t take long for her to meet HIM – Daniel Gregori. Daniel’s first greeting to her is an unsightly hand gesture, but nonetheless, Luce is completely taken in by Daniel. She can think of nothing else, that is until Cam enters the scene. Soon, Luce finds herself in a love triangle of epic proportions. But, what draws her so strongly to a boy that does everything to ignore her, and how can she explain this to Cam, a boy with more charm in his little finger than anyone Luce has ever met before? And, what makes everything so much more unsettling is the feeling that she’s done this all before.

Fallen is a fast-paced suspense novel packed with just the right kind of romance to keep readers coming back for more. Lucinda Price is a perfect heroine. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and daring with just enough innocence for her to connect with readers. Daniel’s handsome features, aloofness, and hint of mystery make him irresistible. Time and time again, writers have proven success with lovers that can never be together, and Luce and Daniel are no different. “’You mean there are things more important than this?’ she challenged, taking his hands and drawing them to her heart. Oh to be her and not know what was coming! Or at least to be stronger than he was and be able to stop her. If he didn’t stop her, she would never learn, and the past would only repeat itself, torturing them both again and again.” Lauren Kate wisely leaves many unanswered questions in Fallen which will certainly be answered as the series progresses. Fallen, as a first book, is well-written and engaging leaving the reader waiting for more. It might need a little more “bite” in the next installment to hope to rival books like the Twilight series, but with characters as well-developed as Luce and Daniel, and an antagonist who readers love to hate; Lauren Kate is on the right track. As the series continues, the epic battle between heaven and hell will undoubtedly leave readers questioning their very existence. Move over vampires – angels are here to stay!

Lauren Kate’s second book in the series, Torment, is expected to be released in October 2010.

Review written by Margo Nauert (6th grade teacher).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Fallen for this review.

Have you read Fallen? How would you rate it?