Fallen by Lauren Kate

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. [borrowed from GoodReads.com]

Although Fallen starts at a slow pace - the characters and its descriptions of the derelict reform school - will give you the feeling that you are walking down the halls with Luce, or hanging out at the cemetery or taking a stroll through the school grounds.

I will confess that what originally attracted me to this book was its stunning cover art. Because yes, I'm fickle like that. But the story was captivating and I really liked its unique and clever plot twists (which I personally didn't see coming).

Luce was very likeable, a bit naive and, I will confess that at times I found this frustrating since I was understanding things before she would. But nonetheless, I also felt that she needed protection and guidance. Daniel was dark, mysterious, and I think, by far, the most interesting character in this story. I mean the guy flipped her the bird at first sight. That alone was like "Wah?" I needed to know everything about him - who, what, when, where, why? He was very intriguing and although I wish he would have been nicer to Luce and they have had more time together - I truly get why there wasn't.

There are plenty of characters to love and hate in this novel - Arianne, Penn, Cam, and a couple of others. One other factor that I really enjoyed in the book - was the feeling that you never truly trusted anyone. Who was good? Who was bad? You were always questioning everyone's motives. Call me jaded - but I love the indecisive feeling of whether to like a character or not.

All in all, I really liked this. I thought Ms. Kate did a fantastic job keeping you in suspense the whole time. Nothing was revealed too early in the story and although the ending leaves many unanswered questions - it only leaves you anticipating the next book in the series - Torment.

Fallen has something for everyone. If you like your love stories with a dark, supernatural twist, then you should definitely pick this one up.

My Rating: