Fallen (Fallen 1) by Lauren Kate (VO)

Synopsis : 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.

Review : Regarding the presentation, I found the cover really beautiful : the picture is sublime and the book is very soft to the touch, I love it!
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same of its content. Fallen was a huge success across the Atlantic and has even been a buzz on the internet. But I confess that I was disappointed by this novel. Maybe I expected too much about it, I don’t know, but the fact is that I didn’t like it. Fortunately, it can be read fairly quickly. The atmosphere is so oppressive and sinister that we find throughout the book is there to give a semblance of mystery to the story, which could be a very well function without a prologue that reveals a little too much.

I haven’t liked either the main characters. They didn’t seem touching. Luce is rather annoying, I found completely unrealistic the fact that she is attracted from the start by the two most interesting boys of the rehabilitation center, without even knowing them. She rapidly falls in love, in the first few chapters, before acclimatizing herself to her new environment. Not very credible anyway! In addition, she doesn’t know what she wants. It’s the same for Daniel, we learn that he’s a tortured character, but there aren’t enough developments to explain his inner conflict (except in the prologue). Overall I think this story isn’t sufficiently thorough, it isn’t intense enough. Then there’s Luce’s obsession of Daniel: There were two deaths, both occurring in a strange way and each time she was present but instead of worry about it and conducts her own investigation to learn what happens, Luce thinks only about one thing : tracking Daniel. She doesn’t even try to understand why she is involved in these two deaths. I think she’s a very selfish and immature heroine.

The result of all of this is that the love story between the two main characters isn’t touching at all. Cam could be the one who could give a bit of spice to this situation but unfortunately he doesn’t. Moreover, we don’t know anything about him, which is a pity because he seems to be the most interesting character. It’s the same for Arrianne and the others.

Finally we have a “false love triangle” and some secondary characters undeveloped. And that’s all. The action isn’t forthcoming, we end up bored. The fantastic side really appears at the end. Indeed, two thirds of the book only describe the center and its functioning. In addition, Luce compares constantly the center to her former high school. Okay it’s a big change for her but she should have known that it wouldn’t be the same ! doesn’t she?

In short, it’s a disappointment, only the end is interesting. However I’ll read the second book with the hope that this series will improve but it will wait a bit.


 

9 thoughts on “Fallen (Fallen 1) by Lauren Kate (VO)

  1. @ Liz : Thank you very much! Yes, I had exactly the same impression. The romance was developed too quickly. I was disappointed by the characters, especially Luce.

    @ Melissa : Hi! I hope so too! But unfortunately I haven’t read many good reviews for Torment either, so I’m not very optimistic. Thanks for stopping by.

  2. I thought the cover for this one was really pretty, too! But I didn’t like Luce’s obsession with Daniel, either. If a guy flipped me off, I wouldn’t fall head over heels in love! I’d like to say I’d do something brave and slap him, but I don’t have the guts LOL! x)

    Awesome review! It’s too bad that you didn’t like it — I hope you enjoy the second one more! 🙂

  3. I’m reassured to see that I’m not the only one who disliked Luce and her obsession with Daniel! I hope Torment will be better but I don’t think so because the heroin doesn’t seem to change at all.
    Thank you very much girls! 🙂
    Have a great day all 😉

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