Buy on Amazon: Fallen by Lauren Kate
I’m kind of in the middle on this book. I can’t really decide if I just didn’t like it or if the fact that I read it through in pretty much an afternoon actually means something.
Here is what I did like about Fallen.
1. I liked Luce. I think, while she’s not quite as helpless as other will-not-name girl-characters-stuck-in-a-love-triangle have been in other books I’ve read in the past, she still has a bit of a way to go before I really get the kick-butt out of her that I really enjoy reading.
2. I liked Daniel. I did not like his name so much. I think I would have preferred not knowing who the good guy was and the bad guy was right off the bat as a result of the naming. Because there were a few moments in there that I thought.. “hm.. really?”.
3. I liked the setting. Creepy old reform school, very gothic and emo. I enjoyed it. I liked the character back-up to the school and really enjoyed a few of the secondary characters. But.. man, these kids sure broke a lot of rules for supposedly being constantly watched.
Here’s what I didn’t like:
1. I felt like Luce’s history was stuck on repeat. I kept being told the same information over and over about WHY she was in the school, but I still didn’t really get what actually happened. Maybe I missed it? My eyes started glazing over when the fire was mentioned for the 3rd or 4th time.
2. I didn’t get why Luce’s “old” best friend had to be in the picture. The book would have done just fine I think without throwing an extra character into the mix and she’s just not mentioned enough to be any character worth anything.
3. I wasn’t spellbound by the story. Sure, it was interesting but there were parts that I had to make myself read through because I wanted to see how it all ended. I don’t know if that’s so much a product of the actual book or just the fact that I’m kind of getting tired of these drama-filled, teenage angsty-love, paranormal books. I’m fully ready to admit it might be the latter.
Still, I have to admit, I enjoyed Fallen much more than Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. They are remarkably similar, but Luce didn’t grate on me nearly as much as Nora did.
I think my favorite part of Fallen versus Hush, Hush is the part of the best friend. Penn was probably my favorite character out of all the charactters in both books. Although, I have to admit that I kinda dug Cam too.
I haven’t read either book yet, but I appreciate the review. There’s been a lot of positive buzz about Fallen and anticipation over the sequel, so I’m glad to get another perspective.
Great review! I agree with you on most points – especially Luce’s past! By the third time, I wanted to skim past it. Was Kate trying to be coy with disclosing the information to make it seem more mysterious? I don’t remember learning anything more each time it was mentioned. ?? Hm. The only thing I disagree with you is Fallen vs. Hush Hush. I think I might have liked Hush Hush a little better. Cam was a plus, though.
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I think it’s interesting that you liked Fallen better than Hush, Hush – I felt the complete opposite! I felt like while I liked Luce better than Nora, I thought the Hush, Hush story was significantly better.
The whole fire thing and shadows really bugged me in this book, it was just…silly, to an extent. And I definitely felt in the middle about it too.
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