Last night my church book group met to discuss Ender's Game. I read it way back in 2006 (see my review here), and while I didn't feel like completely re-reading it (I had other things to read...like Mockingjay), I did find the time to read some summaries online and go over the last few chapters of the book again to refresh the story in my mind. We had a great discussion--one of our best yet. Not everyone loved the book like I did (although a couple of women did), but it got pretty good reviews from the other gals.
Anyway, someone asked what next month's book, Fallen, is about, and since I've read it already, I decided to give a little summary of sorts. But for the life of me, I couldn't remember a single thing. A couple of the other women are reading it now, and one other has already read it, so I asked them to tell me the names of the main characters in hopes that I could remember something. (I've been so anxious for Mockingjay to come out that everything else has leaked from my brain, it seems.) To make sure that I have at least one resource to look back on next month when book group comes around, I decided that I should write my Fallen review before I completely forget everything about the book. As it is, I don't remember much, which is quite sad, considering I read it a little over a week ago.
I'll just go ahead and use the synopsis from the back of the book, since I don't feel any summary I write will do the book justice:
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 found another synopsis online that gives a better feel for the book, but it is definitely spoiler-ish, so highlight it if you'd like to know more about Fallen:
Seventeen-year-old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce's boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant, even evil, history.
It's only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there's a reason to be here though she doesn't know what it is. And Daniel's frosty cold demeanor toward her? It's really a protective device that he's used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.
I wanted to like Fallen a whole lot more than I did. I waited and waited for something to happen, but the story dragged on so slowly. Fallen has a very interesting premise, but it took far too long for anything to happen. I know it's the first book in a series, but come on. The last 100 pages (out of 452), when we find out Daniel and Luce's story, are what made the book enjoyable for me, and it's those last chapters that make me eager to read Torment when it comes out. I really hope things work out for Luce and Daniel!
3.25/5
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