Who would have thought she'd find bright spots among the gloom? Her quirky companion Arianne. Her loyal friend Penn. But then there's Cam. Handsome, charismatic Cam who showers her with attention - even more than she's comfortable with. But at least he acknowledges her, and he's kind to her. Not like Daniel. Daniel is aloof, breathtakingly handsome, haunted, and makes it clear from day one that he wants nothing to do with her.
But when Daniel saves her life, brings her flowers, takes her to a romantic hidden spot by the lake and races her through the water...Luce isn't quite sure what to believe.
And the truth will turn out to be almost more than she can handle.
***
Love, passion, death, battles, secrets, intrigue, love-triangles, friendships, betrayals...all ingredients for a fantastic read, right?
Well, maybe.
I enjoyed this book. I loved the writing and the descriptions. I really enjoyed Luce. She's smart and caring. She's guilty, but she's not sure of what. She feels an inexorable pull toward Daniel, and can't stay away, even though he's a jerk. As the reader, we know that he's doing it to protect her. But Luce doesn't know that. And yet she continues to throw herself at him. OK, she doesn't necessarily throw herself at him, but she makes it clear she'd pick him over Cam if he wanted her to, regardless of Daniel's distasteful personality traits (like flipping her off or telling her that if she won't leave, he will).
Again, as the reader, we know that what he's doing is protecting her, and it's tragic and heartbreaking. But really Luce? She doesn't even attempt to hide her obsession with him. (In my opinion at least.)
In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I walked away confused. The entire novel (and it's a big one!) seems to lead up to the last 15 pages. But there's no resolution. Daniel is very vague on who/what he is and why he is the way he is. But Luce seems to be completely at ease with that fact and will follow him blindly because they're in love - though truth be told it feels more like lust than love to me.
I do recommend this book, but know that you'll probably end up with more questions than answers in the end. I know I did. I'll be looking forward to reading the 2nd novel in the series, and hopefully that will help.
- Reading level: Young Adult
- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 28, 2010)
- Source: Local library
5 comments:
HI Deborah! Nice review. Like you, there were some things that annoyed me about Fallen but overall I liked it and am planning on reading the sequels. The descriptive language was really beautiful I thought. But yes Daniel was too stand-offish to make it feasible that Luce would actually be so attracted to him-- I am glad that at one point she starts yelling at him haha. And did Luce's parents annoy you as much as they did me?
Parents?...Oh, you mean the people who abandoned her and didn't even offer her love or comfort after the "incident" with Todd. Yeah...they weren't my favorite.
I am so glad that you reviewed this book. I have heard of it but wasn't sure that I wanted to dedicate several days of my life to reading it without knowing more about it. It sounds interesting though. I'm going to see if my local library has it.
Love the review. I enjoyed Torment much more than I did Fallen! I added your button to my blog :)
Great review! I really liked this book, but I agree. The mystery element can run so deep that it can get confusing. Torment was really good, though, and I'm looking forward to Passion.
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