2nd Opinion Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

I’m so pleased to be able to share another 2nd Opinion Review this time for Fallen by Lauren Kate courtesy of Alyssa from Teens Read and Write.  A 2nd Opinion Review is just what you’d expect: I reviewed a book negatively and this is an opportunity for a positive review to present another opinion or vice versa. If you’d like to find out how you can have your review posted as a 2nd Opinion Review, please click HERE.

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Fallen
by Lauren Kate
Pub: Dec 2009
464 pages

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.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The prologue is amazing. It really sucked me in. The premise is exciting too. People think Luce killed someone so they sent her to Sword & Cross, which is a boarding school for mentally ill teens so its more like school/prison. Some of the more dangerous students even wear shock bracelets. Yikes!

Luce has a couple guys fighting for her. And she's managed to acquire the only non-crazy student as a friend. Yay!

The book is pretty well paced, the romance fun (at times irritating because hello! Daniel wants nothing to do with her!), and the world of Sword & Cross is unique.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. I pressed on because I thought the prologue was awesome and I typically like the books from this publishing house. Not to mention I'm a huge urban fantasy lover.

Problem 1: I couldn't connect with Luce. At all. And I tried -- tried for 464 pages. Jake originally started this book and couldn't get through it -- which left the duty to me -- because he said Luce was too much of a wimp. While that is true, she does evolve somewhat but she remains wimpy and often not too bright.

She doesn't fight back physically or verbally when she is being attacked. She just takes it and then runs off and cries. At least her friend punches the nasty wench.

At one point Luce is going to break up with the violent guy (good for you, I say) but then instead she decides to go off with him to some undisclosed location, and no one knows she's gone (stupid girl! I scream). And the guy she leaves with has duct taped the security cameras. Talk about a flaming RED FLAG!

Problem 2: Luce sees shadows no one else can see. I was all excited, the paranormal element was introduced from day one! Then my hopes were dashed upon the rocky shore. What do the shadows do? Well...they don't do anything for the first two hundred-some pages. What are the shadows? You aren't going to figure that out until some time after page 350, that's when the paranormal element of the plot is introduced/ explained. Yeah, you read that right, page 350.

Problem 3: "...where two peach trees had grown together. Their trunks bowed toward each other, forming the outline of a heart in the air below them." Really?! There just happens to be trees that form a heart where they happen to be walking? Come on! This kind of thing always sticks out to me. In fact, no matter how hard I try, I can't shake this mental list of books with horridly ridiculous romantic settings that magically appear out of no where.

Problem 4: The school is supposed to be for dangerous mentally disturbed kids but I never really got that. And the supervision for this place - which has bars on the windows and barbed wire topped fences and security cameras everywhere - is non-existent. Luce doesn't show for class and no one checks on her except other students. The security cameras get duct taped over and no one cares. There is no supervision in the dorms and while there are security cameras, no one bothers when the kids put clothes over the lens or unplug them. Oh, and the dorms are co-ed, by the way.

That said, the last hundred pages were very good and there were soooo many unanswered questions. So I'm torn. I can't say if I'll pick up the sequel.

I loved the premise of the story. It's awesome! But the execution didn't work for me. I've seen lots of good reviews but...

Can someone please explain what I missing, because I really wanted to love this book! You can add the link to the bottom of this post so we can see more perspectives.

The Cover: It's beautiful. I want to have it framed and on display in my house! The blue and black hues and her dress gives off a dark Gothic appeal that I'm in love with!

Opening lines -

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

First Chapter: Luce barged into the fluorescent-lit lobby of the Sword & Cross School ten minutes later than she should have. A barrel-chested attendant with ruddy cheeks and a clipboard clamped under an iron bicep was already giving orders -- which meant that Luce was already behind.

I think the prologue's opening is very gripping and the first chapter's...not so much. With the prologue we get an increasing tension-- always welcomed. With the first chapter...she's late for class which really pales in comparison to the troublesome woman with a feral gaze.

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Thanks Alyssa for sharing your review! If you liked Alyssa’s review, stop by Teens Read and Write and let her know.

Click HERE to read my review of Fallen by Lauren Kate