Fallen: Book 1 of the Fallen Series [Paperback]

When I opted to check Fallen out, I did so believing it was going to be a straightforward dark fantasy adventure. Then I started reading it and began to cringe. I'd picked up a teenage romance novel (admittedly not my first choice of genre) or so I thought.

The one thing reading Fallen has taught me (and this should apply to all readers), it's that one should never underestimate a book. Because it's greatest power is always that it can surprise you. And that's what Lauren Kate has done with her (quite frankly) enthralling read.

Fallen focuses on one Lucinda Price, a narcissist teenager with a horrific past. Lucinda has been sent off by her parents to Sword & Cross reform school. Immediately, Luce finds herself struggling to fit in with the strict regime of the school, as well as trying to find her place among all the other misfits she's landed up with. And to cap it all off, Luce is head-over-heels in love with Daniel Grigori, a distant, cold teenager who couldn't care less about her.

It may sound so simple, but like epics such as The Gargoyle (Andrew Davidson), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and The Kin (Gillian Wallace), Fallen becomes so much than its premise implies. And that's because of how Lauren guides her story.

There is a plot to Fallen, but it doesn't come into play until the last few chapters. The majority of the book is purely character-driven, with Kate keeping the primary focus on Luce and chronicling her struggles to adapt and survive in the harsh environment of Sword & Cross. Then the author throws the characters (one-by-one) into the mix, and before long, you witness a colourful cast germinate and interact before you.

It's certainly a creative way of establishing all the characters before getting into the thick of things. In the long term, it's a wise course of action as well, as the Fallen series is planned to span across four books. So if we're going to go on a long journey, we want to get to know, love and hate all the protagonists/antagonists.

Throughout the novel, many supernatural elements are touched upon and hinted at, but it isn't until the final chapters when the whole complexity of Fallen changes entirely. Revelations and plot twists kick in and will shock you to the core. And there's nothing cheap about any of it, because the whole read is just wonderfully paced and builds-up to a rip-roaring climax that will leave you hungering for more.

Lauren Kate has certainly gotten her Fallen series off to a strong start. She certainly has a strong understanding of character. Time will tell if her plotting can pay off. I'm certainly intrigued to find out more after such a strong start. Highly recommended.

I am a twilight fan and this was the first paranormal romance i read afterwords. I havnt compared it to twilight as its a book in its own right.
Im prob a bit older than intended audience (im 22) but i loved it, and i didnt feel too old for it.

The characters are likable and interesting, it can take a chapter or so to get into it, i was thinking in the first chapter i wouldn't like it, however it drew me in and and i couldn't put the book down again....i carried it around with me reading lines when ever i could.

The story is sown up and all the mystery is all brought together at the end which gives a great and full ending to the book which i feel many books lack.

I wish it had a little more romance in it though!

This is the first in the series and its incredibly captivating book. It has romance, mystery and twists. It a nice read.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good paranormal romance novel!

Please rate my review as helpful :)

Lucinda's just been enrolled at a reform school, only she doesn't belong with the other kids and hasn't done anything wrong. Her parents think she may have mental health issues, even though she tells them that the childhood shadows she always saw following her no longer exist. Only thing is, the shadows are very much there - they were there the night Trevor died and though she remembers nothing of what happened to him many still see her as a suspect.

The other kids at Sword and Cross Reform School are a motley bunch of new offenders and reoffenders - except Penn. Penn has a different story - all the kids here have a story, but the only story Lucinda's interested in is Daniel's. From the moment Lucinda first sees Daniel she feels as though they know eachother and she feels that they share a connection...so why is he one of the people whose most hostile toward her? Another boy is so much more attentive to Lucinda and at first she's grateful to have someone who seems to care. Only Cam isn't Daniel, even though being with him sometimes makes her wonder why she doesn't just give the guy a break.

The author's writing is wonderfully descriptive. It was easy to picture what all the people in this book looked and acted like. I could imagine the way the reform school and practically smell the swampiness of the surrounding area.

My main gripe about this book is the pacing. For a while we were gently moving along - at first I thought it was too slow, but then I settled down - when all of a sudden Cam acts as a catalyst that sees a major battle between the 'kind of, sort of good' and the 'downright evil' being played out. Then the action was over in an instant and we have the epilogue that prepares the way for the sequel... No. I wasn't happy with the pacing at all.

I liked the 'Fallen Angel' element. Which of the reform kids or faculty are human and who's a little more than they first appear to be?