Torment (Fallen, #2)

by Lauren Kate

Torment is an okay read, enjoyable at times, boring to some extent, but the main elements don't work for me. 

My main issue is the romance. I've read this series before, so I knew that it was going to be romance heavy and I wasn't expecting much plot-wise. However, if romance is the main part of a story, I have to be invested in the relationship. I couldn't get behind the romance no matter how much I tried. The romance between Luce and Daniel is made to seem like the benchmark of true love and one of the most epic love stories ever, but their relationship is such a joke. For most of Torment, Luce and Daniel are separated. When they're apart, they pine for each other, but when they're together, all they do is make-out and argue. The way their romance is written seems more like lust than love. Their relationship has no basis and no foundation, so when they're together, the cracks start showing. 

It also doesn't help that Daniel is an epic jerk. He treats Luce like a child and because he knows all her past lives, he thinks he knows her better than herself and treats her like a possession instead of a person. He's arrogant, condescending, selfish and terrible and thinks that he's above everyone else. If he just communicated with Luce, instead of brushing her off and keeping her in the dark, maybe their relationship would seem more believable. I dislike Daniel and the way he deals with things. He's not a swoony angel, but rather a grade-A idiot. 

Then there's Luce, who is meant to be a likable character, but ends up being annoying and frustrating. She might be booksmart, but she certainly isn't streetwise and I don't know how she's still alive. She has no personality and everything that makes her who she is revolves around Daniel, who for such an important person in Luce's life hasn't done anything to make him worthy of being one.

In Torment, Luce meets Shelby and Miles. Shelby seems like a stereotypical character at first, but she's proactive, notices the details and makes plans to figure out what's going on. Without her Luce would be going nowhere, but Shelby's character also emphasises that Luce doesn't have a clue about anything even though we are constantly told that Luce is intelligent. Miles is a nice guy, but he isn't a developed character and I don't get what he sees in Luce. 

The love triangle is unnecessary because it's obvious how things are going to go. The aim of the love triangle is to create drama and tension and is a way for Luce to affirm her feelings, but it doesn't come across naturally. I also dislike how Luce leads Miles on which results in her cheating on Daniel when she kisses him, in one of the most contrived scenes ever. The love triangle doesn't do any favours for Luce, as a character, and also the romance between Luce and Daniel. 

The plot is slow for the most part and Luce tries to figure out what's going on because she's being kept in the dark, but she isn't getting anywhere. Then there's Luce pining after Daniel, meeting him, arguing with him, messing around with the announcers and maybe two life threatening situations, which are the result of Luce's stupidity. There's also a lack of tension because I had the feeling that things would go a certain way, but in all fairness, this is my second read. 

Since I've gotten most of the negatives out of the way, there are some elements that I like such as certain characters (Shelby, Cam, Arriane and Roland), the awkward Thanksgiving dinner and the last 'battle' scene. However, the ending shows Luce's and Daniel's negative traits in all its glory. Luce goes into an announcer. She doesn't know what she's doing, where she's going and she doesn't even know much about announcer travel. Daniel decides to follow Luce, but he doesn't accept any help, because apparently no one knows Luce as well as he does.

This review makes my reading experience seem extremely negative, but if it wasn't for the mess that is Luce, Daniel and their romance, Torment would have been a more enjoyable read... but then there wouldn't be a story to tell.