Fallen by Lauren Kate 

My rating: A-

 

Luce finds her self at a mysterious reform school after a dreadful incident that she can’t even remember. She’s torn from her prep school life and thrown in among a bunch of misfits where she doesn’t belong. At least, she doesn’t think so. In record time, she is already volleying her affection between two hot guys. There’s Cam, the dark-haired guy who is outwardly affectionate and seems to be everything she should go for. Then, there’s Daniel. Daniel is anything but affectionate towards Luce when she arrives. For some reason though, she just can’t get the feeling of Deja Vu to escape her mind whenever he’s around. Add into the mix the dark shadows that have been filling Luce’s days and nights, and it’s quite the mystery.

 

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. I marked it on Goodreads a while back and then kind of forgot about it until the library called to tell me it was available. It was only an 8 day check-out, so I decided to get through it yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

The first 1/3 of the book had me a little apprehensive. There were quite a few similarities between other very popular YA novels that shall remain nameless. I was afraid that it would be another carbon-copy bandwagon-jumper… For some reason though, I couldn’t put it down. I’m so glad I didn’t. I don’t want to say anything that will spoil it, but I will say that it was an interesting way to depart from the normal YA fantasy. The last few chapters were absolutely engaging for me. The characters were fun and multi-dimensional, and the setting had just the right quality of mystery and dread. Other than dragging a bit at the beginning, this was a great book. Enjoy!