Passion (Fallen, #3) by Lauren Kate, Book Review

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.







Rating: 3.5/5




Title: Passion Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 420
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Source: Won

I won a signed copy of Passion from a giveaway a while back and I was so psyched to find out that I won this book. I'm a fan of the Fallen series, and it being signed makes it all the more special. In Fallen, Luce met Daniel and their romance caught flame. In Torment, they were painfully torn apart and reunited to only be torn apart once more. In Passion, Luce travels through centuries of her past lives and reincarnations to find something, anything that could help break the curse that tears her away from Daniel when they prove their love for each other with a kiss.


I found the whole concept of starcrossed lovers racing through centuries of past lives and reincarnations to be very, very exciting and thrilling, but Passion itself didn't quite live up to the throat-gripping, attention-grabbing explosion I was expecting. I love romance--the epic love that spans across centuries and has enough power and fuel behind it to ignite an eternal flame. However, I felt as if the author, Lauren Kate, tried too hard to make Luce and Daniel's love "epic" and "dramatic". Even for a fictional romance, their love seemed fake and brittle--like a deceiving facade of the truth.


The characters in this book were slightly annoying and I found that Luce is a very whiny character and not one chapter went by without Luce having something to complain about. The only character that brought some development to this novel was Daniel. I love Daniel; I think Daniel is a really great character and a dashing love interest. I felt like Daniel was the only person making sacrifices in this book, and Luce was merely witnessing it all through a lens. Despite the fact that Luce zip-zapped through all of these Announcers and tried to break the curse forever binding her to Daniel, I felt like she could've broken the curse without the hastle of time traveling and cause present-day Daniel much less pain that he had to go through and experience throughout the course of the novel.


I enjoyed the introduction of a new character, Bill--a very raspy, mischevious gargoyle who helps guide Luce through the Announcers and development of old ones such as Luce, Daniel, Roland, Arriane, Gabbe, Molly, Shelby, and Miles.


I liked this cover; however, it felt very plain and dull compared to the previous two covers of Fallen and Torment. I also missed the mystery and intrigue that the previous covers brought to the table. In this cover, Luce's face is revealed for the first time, which I wish wouldn't have been done because the mystery of Luce seemed unraveled with the cover reveal of Passion.


It was not until the end of the novel until I felt Luce's personality and characteristics throughout the novel finally come into play and settle down. Many questions I had from the first page slid into place and everything clicked. I felt that the ending of the novel left many, many opportunities open for the future and the sequel to Passion and the fourth and final book, Rapture, due out Spring 2012.


One thing I did like about this novel was the angel mythology and folklore as well as the romance (until the pages became saturated with phony love.) I only hope that the romance in Rapture is more realistic and paced.


One thing I didn't like, as stated above, was the pacing of the romance, which I thought could've been toned down many, many levels.