Fallen (Fallen, #1)

by Lauren Kate

2,5 stars

Fallen was my Twilight, when I first read it nine years ago. I have fond memories associated with this book. I remember taking it to school, reading it after one of my exams, borrowing it to my friends and falling in love with the gorgeous cover.

After rereading, it seems that Fallen and A Discovery of Witches have a similar vibe, and we all know how much I love the All Souls Trilogy. Prepare yourself for a similar review...

Lucinda Price is a typical YA Mary Sue protagonist. There are some moments where I thought I could like her. Her thoughts are logical, funny and surprising at times, she shows some personality through her sarcasm and snark and a few of her character responses are believable such as her reaction to Daniel's confession about their past lives. However, for the most part she's contradictory, bland and she has obsessive and stalker-like tendencies. 

The secondary characters are your typical high school stereotypes. Some characters have the potential for more interesting characterisation in future books (such as Cam, Arriane, Gabby and Roland) but in Fallen, they seem fake (which could be something that the author intended as they are fallen angels pretending to be delinquent teenagers). The only character who's a little likeable and seems to be the only voice of reason at times is Penn. 

On an unrelated note, this question has always bothered me, but I found it even more bothersome while reading Fallen: why do supernatural/immortal creatures go to high school. I understand that they might want to give the experience a go at least once, but to spend your whole life going through homework, assignments and drama that you don't even need to deal with. Why though?  

My main issue is the romance aspect. Luce feels an instant connection towards Daniel who ignores her, is rude to her and pushes her away. I could understand both of their viewpoints in the beginning: Luce's interest because of familiarity and Daniel being a jerk because of very good reasons. That was until they took things to the extreme. Luce ends up becoming a stalker and continues pursuing a guy who treats her like trash. Daniel still continues being a jerk, but he decides that it isn't enough and ends up becoming a confusing hot-and-cold, condescending-as-hell jerk. And to add more drama to the mix, there's Cam, a really pushy jerk, who doesn't pretend that he's not a jerk. 

There's also a fast progression from interest to love that ends up feeling forced. Fallen is about doomed star-crossed lovers and I could see what the author was trying to do, but the execution isn't believable enough. I could understand the immediate connection and familiarity, but there wasn't an intense bond, growing chemistry or the sense of clicking with a complete stranger. Maybe, I would have accepted their relationship a little more if Luce knew about her past lives or if we got some sense of her past lives with Daniel and the nature of their relationship. I couldn't see any form of love in their actions or interactions. They seemed like two teenagers who are confusing lust and crushing with a forever-type of romance. I also couldn't stand their sense of ownership over each other. I could understand a little of their jealousy, but found the girl hate and the fighting unnecessary. 

Fallen is romance-focused and there isn't much information about the lore or paranormal aspects. I'm hoping this gets explored more in future books. The aim of Fallen is to set up the characters, the world and the main romantic relationship and nothing much happens until the end. I loved the Gothic atmosphere and the school setting.    

Fallen is cheesy, cliche and ridiculous at times, but it's the equivalent of watching a trainwreck. You just can't draw your eyes away.