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.
Rating: 4.5/5
Let me start off by saying how amazing this book really is. Lauren Kate is author of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, but her writing career didn't take off until Fallen was published. Fallen is the first book in a series about forbidden love, an ancient curse, and a wondrous pair of star-crossed lovers. Fallen is a great debut in a series and I decided to rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars (wings, in this case) for the plot line, characters, setting, and writing ability. Kate offers a very refreshing take on what true love actually means.
I really enjoyed this book because I am fascinated with fallen angels and curses and defeating the odds to conquer true love...and this book is all of that summed up into one big phenomenon. I enjoy books that have a lot of action and adventure in them, and even though Fallen is first and foremost a love story, it is still very gripping and entertaining.
I hate how in some books the two main lovers fall in love far too quickly and would happily take a bullet for their significant other on only the second day of knowing them. In Fallen, the main character instantly feels drawn and connected to her lover, but she isn't in love with him. Now, I'll introduce the characters:
Lucinda "Luce" Price is a seventeen-year-old girl who is sent to Sword & Cross, a reform school in a pastoral Georgia setting. Luce is a studious, intelligent girl who was at the wrong place in the wrong time...landing her numerous court trials and countless visits to a psychiatrist who tells her that she's crazy and dopes her up on anti psychotics...until she is ordered to Sword & Cross, an eerie ex-Civil War academy with a large cemetery and restless spirits.
Luce immediately feels connected Daniel Grigori, the 'bad boy' of Sword & Cross. He seems to hate her from the start and tries to distance herself from him, but they can't help but somehow end up bumping into each other...is it fate, or just a strange coincidence? Daniel is a leather and chains kind of guy with the most piercing, intense violet-gray eyes and melodious voice, like honey dripping slowly from a spoon. Daniel is definitely one of my favorite male heroes because of his personality, charm, and wit.
While Luce is on the borderline of stalking Daniel, dying to figure him out, she goes from the stalker to the stalkee when a charming rich boy named Cam Briel befriends Luce. He showers her with unconditional love and affection and gives her plentiful gifts, including a golden serpent pendant, which holds countless meanings tying into the story.
And then there is the 'supporting cast' you could say: Pennyweather Van-Syckle "Penn" Lockwood, an allergic mess with a great sense of humor; Arriane, a tough girl with an urge to be exactly like Luce; Roland, Cam's right-hand man and sneaky messenger, able to get his hands on the special goods that aren't allowed on campus; and, last but not least, Molly. Ugh, Molly is your typical reform school mean girl with numerous piercings and tattoos. She reminds me of leather and glitter, like glam rock...except nothing about Molly seems glamorous: she is a tough chick who doesn't play nice and seems to have a vendetta against Luce on the first day of her arrival.
I think that the setting of this story was a very good choice. Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful place with a calming sort of eerie hush tinged by the haunted spirits of the Civil War, the town marked with history and urban legends. How did I know that, you ask? Well, it's not because I've actually visited Savannah--it's because Kate's descriptive writing style and tone really brought the seemingly undead town to life.
All in all, this book is a winner and deserves to be read by you...yes, you, so go pick this book up today, as well as the sequels, book two (2) and book three (3): Torment and Passion.
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