Fallen

Fallen. Lauren Kate. 2009. Random House. 464 pages.

From the prologue: Around midnight, her eyes at last took shape. The look in them was feline, half determined and half tentative--all trouble.

Luce and Daniel are meant to be--or are they? If you're looking for a Dramatic read, then Fallen may satisfy. It has angst, romance, danger, and destiny. It stars Luce a young woman who's tired of pretending she doesn't see the shadows. And then there's Daniel and Cam. The two guys in Luce's life. Cam, at first, seems to have the most potential. He's friendly and charming. He actually wants to be in the same room with the heroine. But Daniel, well, he's ever-mysterious. And the fact that he keeps running away from the heroine, well, it makes him even more attractive. Sure, he's rude. But he's rude in that oh-so-dreamy way.

Luce is new to Sword & Cross, a reform school, and at first she's not sure where she belongs, who she wants to be friends with. In many ways, every one is so odd, so strange. But then again, so is Luce. She sees things no one else does. It's all haunting and disturbing. And then there was that fire incident last year...

I liked Fallen. I can't say I loved it. But at a time when I thought I would never even "like" another YA paranormal novel, well, I couldn't put it down.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews