Fallen

I feel like I keep seeing the two star-crossed lovers doomed to repeat their near romance again and again. While this story doesn't breath fresh life into that idea, the characters are compelling and the setting is interesting. It took a while for me to really feel hooked by the story because there seems to be a lot of story set up for the first quarter of the book. But then I found myself very interested in the doomed lovers and all of the quirky seondary characters. I did feel like the reader would benefit from a more fleshed-out explanation of the reason why Luce and Daniel can't be together, and there were a few places in the exciting end scenes where I felt cheated because Luce was never in any real danger and most of the drama happens off-page. However, it's a solid start to what could be a very interesting series, and I think the sequel deserves to be read to give the author a chance to flesh out the world building and really dig into the story.

After a tragedy, Luce Price finds herself at Sword & Cross, a reform boarding school in Savannah. She vows to herself to stay low and not let anything terrible happen around her again. Then she sees Daniel Grigori and her life will never be the same.

There's something familiar about Daniel. What, Luce doesn't know. Everytime she's around the mysterious and aloof Daniel, she has a sense of deja vu.

Daniel has made it clear he wants nothing to do with her. But if that is really true why does he give off mixed messages? Luce is bound to find out more about Daniel even if the truth might be more than she can bear.

I enjoyed this paranormal forbidden romance set in a Southern reform school. Luce has her own terrible secret that she wants to keep hidden but it seems others at Sword and Cross have their own secrets. At first I couldn't see why Luce would keep going after Daniel. Yes, he's cute and all, but at their first meeting he flips her off! The other guy Cam, seemed a better choice. Then I read on and found not all is what it seems. The premise of fallen angels roaming the Earth forever put a unique twist on the whole paranormal genre. I ended up spending all day reading this tale wanting to know what secrets Daniel was hiding. Kate creates a world where love is both dangerous and forbidden. This romantic tale will keep readers glued to the pages.

I liked the sexual tension between both Luce and Daniel. I also liked a couple other characters such as Penn, who seemed to know everything about Sword & Cross except the one truth that really mattered and rebel Arriane who shows her true colors throughout. I can't wait to read Torment, the sequel.

The story starts out with Luce being late for the tour of the new boarding school she is attending, Sword & Cross. You're introduced to a few of the characters that become a big part of the story, such as Gabbe, Cam, and Arriane. Instantly, Cam takes a liking to Luce and so does Arriane, volunteering to show her around the grounds then demanding that Luce cut her hair like her own. Soon after, Luce spots Daniel Grigori, who she is immediately attracted to. More odd than that, she feels as though this isn't her first time seeing him. When Daniel spots Luce, he gets wide-eyed right before smiling and gallantly flipping her off. Even though he was rude to her, Luce continually finds herself thinking about him and looking for him. That is until she has a run-in with Molly, who quickly welcomes her to school with a big plate of meatloaf over her head. However, thanks to Molly, Luce is introduced to Penn - the late school caretaker's daughter who decides to stay at Sword & Cross because that's where her father is buried. Although a little eccentric, Penn turns out to be a good information source for Luce. Luce and Daniel talk every once in a while, but each time she's left even more confused than before. A little less than a hundred pages into the novel, you have your first big scene of action that kind of puts the whole novel into swing - before then, it's just a bunch of introductions, Cam flirting with Luce, and you sort of get an idea of why Luce is in Sword & Cross. However, it's never really fully fleshed out in the story, which either may be a hole in the plot or something the author plans on telling in the next book. Either way, you know enough to know there was a tragic accident, she was blamed for it, and now she's in a boarding school with other "troubled teens". I'm going to stop with the play-by-play, but I will say that as the story unravels, you figure out that a lot of people are not what they seem. You also get the whole story on why Daniel seems so familiar to Luce, as well as a big back story on why they may never be able to be together.

Alright, I'll admit ... I judged a book by its cover - bad. Reading the blurb on the back, I didn't really think there would be anything all that intriguing in the book. Why? I thought it would just be a book where you follow a girl who drools over some really hot guy the whole time and that's about it. I have to say that I was definitely wrong. The story is pretty wonderful. As I said in my review for Evernight, the cover would fit better on that. However, not every book has a cover that fits well with the story itself. So, I'll say that, as just a cover, it's an attention-grabber and it's very beautiful. And really, what's better than being a proud owner of a good book with a gorgeous cover? The prologue to the story is actually a flashback, with unnamed characters, but you quickly understand it as the story goes along - and it does it's job as a prologue by catching your attention, making you want to read more. The plot? As mentioned, it does have some holes and you will have some questions after you read the novel. Since it is a part of a series, I am hoping the author will fix that by answering the questions later on in the series. So, I'm going to be lenient on that until I read more of the series. I loved the characters and they fit their persona well - though I do think that Arriane lost a little of her spark as the story went along. I think she faded back a little too much and didn't keep her spunkiness that she originally started out with. There IS an epilogue that goes with the story. After you read it, you'll have a "Whhhhaaaat?!" moment, but it's a good one! It really gets your blood pumping for the next book. The writing is wonderful, as well as the point of view ... which follows Luce in third person, but you do get a grip on the surroundings too. I forgot to mention that the ending is a little heart-wrenching, but it's necessary and gets your hopes up for the sequel.