Confession of a Book Junkie: Fallen

Showing posts with label Fallen. Show all posts

Passion - Lauren Kate (Book 3 Fallen Series)

(Buy it HERE)

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 14, 2011)

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.

Click HERE for the Walmart Exclusive Side Story (link under picture of book)
NOTE: Not much of a story but more of a deleted scene. Reading it before or after shouldn't make a huge difference or impact on the story itself. But I liked that Miles voiced a LOT of what I've been thinking about Daniel's view on Luce.

So this story really leads off where book 2 left off. Luce is over emotional and steps through an announcer to the past. She has no idea how to control where she is going or what she’ll find when she gets there, but she steps through anyway. Fortunately for her after stumbling through a few lifetimes she does chance upon a guide. Is the guide friend or foe? She sets out on a quest to find the answers to several questions that have carried over from the previous book. What is love? What is a soulmate? And is the drive to be with Daniel on born of their curse or their love? Why is she so special that Daniel would live through the agony again and again?

Out of three books I enjoyed this one the most so far. While the redundant tendency of the story to state the dangers of time travel, it was interesting to see both Luce and Daniel’s side to their turbulent love story. While Luce tries to find meaning in her dying and reincarnating and Daniel relives the agony of losing her over many lifetimes again (but not without reason). Can she truly live if she has no what idea what it’s like to die? This is somewhat addressed and Luce goes through the discovering her past lives and loves with Daniel. While they may not all be rich in detail, the lessons learned there are important to her. Of course this is all leading to the final book. While I will say that the way they met the first time isn’t talked about, even through 5000 years of history, you sense that it’s more important or altering than even Daniel can remember. Through the book you see love, devotion, loyalty, agony and more. The scenes where Luce sees the aftermath of her dying while Daniel remains is heartbreaking. I liked that I got a sense of his feelings about the whole situation. Even though Luce may be frustratingly whiney in some portions that are borderline “give me a break”, she does seem to mature a tad as the book goes on. We also gain some more insight into Cam and the loophole. I like this series as it is different and unique. We’ve come a long way since Daniel flipped her the bird in Fallen. I can’t wait to see where we end up.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Side Note: This is my least favorite cover, I loved the Gothic feel of the first two books as you just saw the back of Luce. Hope Rapture goes back to it.

Torment - Lauren Kate (Book 2 Fallen Series)

Posted by OnyxHIikari comments (0)

(BUY IT HERE- AMAZON)

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Ember; Reprint edition (June 14, 2011)

LOVE NEVER DIES
Lucinda is sure that she and Daniel are meant to be together forever. Now they are forced apart in a desperate bid to save Luce from the Outcasts–immortals who want her dead. As she discovers more about her past lives, Luce starts to suspect that Daniel is hiding something. What if he has lied to her about their shared past? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

In book two we follow more of Luce's story. The beginning seems as if we would get more insight into Daniel and maybe Cam's world, but alas we do not. This book is more about Luce than the anything to with the bigger picture of the storyline.

Luce really starts to question everything. At the end of book one she just takes everything on faith and follows where she's lead, in this book we see her start to grow and question the things happening around her and to her. Who is she? Is she really her own person or just a recycled soul with shattered memories of past lives? What is love? What is a soulmate? These questions are important as you realize Luce in any of her past lives has never lived past the age of 17. Everything that is happening to her (and Daniel in part), the things she is feeling and learning, is completely new territory. This makes for some severe tension between her and Daniel. Her frustration and loneliness obvious to the reader.

During this time more bad guys come to play isolating Luce even more from those she loves. She discovers a talent she shouldn't have, that no one can explain. While some orders for her safety seem obvious, there are certain parts where Luce is so resistant to it, it she seems to lack common sense. She's so frustrating in her reasoning, that it becomes borderline naive for her to believe what she does. She makes two new cohorts Miles and Shelby who become essential characters to the story. Both are loveable in their own way, although Shelby tends to be a bit rough around the edges. Again we follow Luce as she's presented half truths, omissions and more questions. You identify with her as you are also left in the dark as to what the end game is, who has what agenda, and what exactly Luce's role is in the big picture. Toward the end of the story is Thanksgiving and with it comes a few well earned laughs, groans and excitement. All in all while the book is completely worth the read as you continue to dive deeper into the story.

RATING: ☆☆☆ 3/4

Fallen - Lauren Kate (Book 1 Fallen Series)

Posted by OnyxHIikari comments (0)

(Buy Here - Amazon)
Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 28, 2010)
Language: English

- BACK OF BOOK:

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: Let me just start by saying this has been on my "To Read" list for quite awhile. It was something about the cover that caught my eye. I think it's one of the most beautiful ones that I've seen. It's just simply gorgeous. ALSO this book is written in third person which is a complete relief. In the recent onslaught of first person books since Twilight, it's a nice change. But that being said lets review.

Luce is a teenage girl who has hit a serious snag in her life. This snag lands her straight into reform school. But she’s not a troublemaker or crazy in any sense, unlike the majority of the students there. What happens after that is a little dull and dry. I was a little disappointed as I usually hope a book will capture my attention in the first couple of chapters, this one didn't. I clearly remember I was on page 230 or so before I finally felt this story was worth continuing. (I had picked up the book and put it back down several times unable to get into the story. The premise of the book had me hoping it would get better and eventually it did.) My biggest complaint about the first 200+ pages is that you have the feeling of walking into the middle of the conversation and no one will tell you what’s going on. This feeling lasts for almost half the book it can make hard to stick with. I will advise you that once you push past page 250+ the story really picks up. The rest of the read really flies by as the plot becomes clearer and the characters finally get some explanations. Luce, Daniel, Cam and Arriane all take their place in the story with decent reasoning on why they do what they do. There is one portion that is a tad confusing, but nothing that really interferes with the story in any way. Once you get to the end, you really want to know more. The last 200+ pages of this book make it worth the read. Stick with it, I promise it’s worth it.

Rating:
☆☆☆