Fallen by Lauren Kate

I've just finished a book borrowed from my lovely friend Neysa. It is a book that I have been anticipating for quite a long long time. I jumped and shrieked at the sight of it when I saw Fallen at the mall bookstore when I was spending time with Neysa and her friends. I encouraged her to borrow the book, since she's a book lover like me.

So here it goes, first, of course, the overview.

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.

I knew this book was worth waiting all those months! I loved it and read it within a span of 5 days. I've fallen (woot!) for the alluring scent of supernatural fiction books and Fallen is one at its best. Like the silly teenage girl that I am, I'm going through the years where the words "boy" and "love" are currently the loudest rings in my ear. Books like this are getting my attention, and I simply devoured this one like a bowl of Chocolate Mousse. This book just keeps tugging at me, with Lauren Kate's superb execution of the plot and her way with words. I get caught up in the mysterious, eerie setting of Sword & Cross reform school, I swear to you I've had a couple of chills up my body while reading this book.

The characters were brilliant and I really connected with them. Just in case you didn't know, that is a plus on my list. I really liked Luce, she's a troubled, disturbed girl because of these dark "shadows" that keeps appearing before. And that has shaped her the way she is in the book, and she definitely learnt a lot more. She has just these troubled emotions and she dealt with them a lot especially when it involves the gorgeous, mysterious and strangely familiar Daniel. Daniel is oh so intriguing, and he just seems to have this problem with her and she confuses over it. But you'll find out more about him as you read and as the pages unfurls, you can't help but feel empathy for him. Then there's Cam, and there would be something that you'd never expect of him, mostly because of his "like-ability", he was almost to good to be true. But I'll leave that for you to find out ;)

There is also Arriane. She's the first girl Luce talked to at Sword & Cross, and she is this quirky, funky girl that you'd want to be best friends with and can't help but love. I really, really liked her. Then there's Penn, the funny, easygoing who also befriends Luce.

The story just builds up chapter-t0-chapter and it gets a lot more interesting and twisty nearing the end of the book. But it's never boring, never. It doesn't feel slow at all like other books I've read (like Going Bovine by Libba Bray). Lauren Kate just has this way of keeping you on your toes as the story progresses until it really starts building up. She kept the story interesting, capturing without using so much flowery or "cheesy" words. You will keep wondering about so many things in this book and you just might come up with some questions.

Of course, the good stuff. The forbidden love. The irresistible yet intense chemistry between Daniel and Luce. I simply loved it. Why I love reading about love so much is that, I think love is worth striving, worth fighting for, and I've had my share of fighting. I really connected to the characters and understood more on how they feel, and I felt that too. The way Lauren Kate speaks about her characters just felt so genuine and real, I could relate to some of Luce's emotions especially towards people in this book.

Alas, my review is coming to an end. Now, as you pick up Fallen, I must say, don't pick it up and compare it with other books that relates to this type of genre. Because this book itself is just so one-of-a-kind special, unique and amazing.

And, don't you think that the cover is just to die for? It will definitely get my vote if there was ever an award for Best Book Covers of the Year.

This engrossing, gothic love story is just too irresistible for me. And I will definitely read the next book, which is Torment. I loved the whole mystery of it, and it will leave you hanging, until the last word.

xoxo

Maya.

Grade: A+