Review: Fallen

Fallen (Fallen, book one)

By Lauren Kate, read by Justine Eyre
Published 2009 by Listening Library

A tragedy has led Luce Price to the mysterious Sword & Cross boarding school and it may just be the first of many. With the strangely familiar Daniel Grigori lurking about, Luce may yet discover some things about herself that are hard to believe.

Ugh, that is a terrible summary but I don't have it in me to write a better one. I listened to this book quite some time ago - and that's how unremarkable it was. I can't even be bothered to try and write a better summary. To be fair, I didn't expect amazing things from this - I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into when I downloaded the audio version. But it was so overwhelmingly mediocre that I can barely remember it. First, this is petty but I have to get it out there - can I just say how completely distracting it was to listen to a book with a main character named Luce? Say that out loud - "loose" is what you'll hear. I mean, really? How am I supposed to take this book seriously at all? In addition to her terrible name, Luce is a terrible heroine - she is boring and needy and constantly in distress. The romance is creepy and flat and disturbing. I am so over creepy romance in YA! I keep hoping for a more interesting reincarnation story in YA but I've yet to find it - it's all doomed love and sadness and the world in peril. Can anyone recommend me something better? This is maybe one of the worst reviews I've written, but honestly, this book doesn't deserve much better. Glad I can check this series off my list - I won't be reading the rest.

That being said, I can definitely see the audience for this book. Hand this to fans of Twilight and other paranormal romances - they'll probably gobble it up.