Review - Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen (Fallen, Book 1) by Lauren Kate
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Rating: 3.5 stars
Pages: 452

Summary: Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even evil—history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.

Thoughts: Although I did enjoy this book, there were certain things that made it feel like a debut novel.  Mostly, the pacing.  I loved the slow-building tension, and the foreboding environment of the first 3/4 of the novel.  But then we are given our climax in a few chapters.  It felt a bit rushed.

However, I did enjoy our protagonist Luce (yay for another vegetarian teen star!) and never grew tired of her narration.  The secondary characters were also complete gems - you could sense at every introduction that there was a fascinating back story to each.

But as for the romance, I found our main love interest Daniel rather dull.  His relationship with Luce is all based on past events that we never got a chance to explore.  Luce loves him because... well, she just does.  His competition Cam, on the other hand, I found far more appealing - even after the final climax.  I am hopeful that he will still be in the running for Luce's affection in the next book.

Bottom line?  If you are looking for some grey and gothic romance, this is the book for you.  I very nearly loved it, but was let down in the finale.  However, this series has real potential, and I look forward to the next book.