Fallen in Love

by Lauren Kate

Random House. Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback RRP $22.95

Reviewer - Barbara Brown

Everyone who is a fan of Lauren Kate and her Fallen series, will love this unexpected interlude showing extra glimpses of the star-crossed lovers, Luce and Daniel.

Fallen in Love relates the love stories of a number of the characters in the series. Four individual stories, set in medieval England on the eve of Valentine’s Day, entwine together and explain why some of the characters act and the way they do now in contemporary time.

This collection of short stories is not a chronological volume in the Fallen series. However, it does continue on from Passion, following extracts of the storyline. It is a must read if you want to know what happens to Luce and Daniel on that night hundreds of years before.

Fallen in Love also comes with a free downloadable Fallen Books app from the App Store or Android Marketplace, where you can watch the front cover come to life and Lauren Kate talks about her books. A very clever marketing tool in this modern world.

Fallen, Torment and Passion are the first three books in this wonderful story of love, right and wrong, good and evil, heaven, earth and hell. And I would definitely recommend them. Rapture, the final tome will be out the middle of 2012.

The Reading Stack reviewed Fallen, Torment  and Passion in February, February 2011 and June 2011 respectively and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove in September 2011.

http://www.fallenbooks.com/

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

by Lauren Kate

Random House. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

Natalie Hargrove has fought her way to the top of the high school social ladder and there isn’t anything she won’t do to ensure she stays there.

Natalie has everything now, the most influential, gorgeous boyfriend who will be Prom King to her Prom Queen; the beauty and looks that others try to emulate; and a past that has quietly been hidden from everyone.

But before Natalie and Mike are crowned as the Palmetto Prince and Princess there are a few things to be fixed. Like J.B. Mike’s friend and Natalie’s forgotten past.

Natalie and Mike play a little prank on J.B., but then things turn out horribly wrong. What’s a girl got to do to keep her reputation clean? Obviously go back to her feral past and get the assistance she needs.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove was Lauren Kate’s first novel before her best-selling books, Fallen, Torment and Passion. I didn’t find it had the same pull as her later books however the ending was one of the biggest shocks I’ve read for a while. There is something about a not-so-happily-ever-after ending that I like and Lauren Kate has done it well. Great story just for the ending.

The Reading Stack reviewed Fallen, Torment and Passion in February 2010, February 2011 and June 2011 respectively.

http://www.fallenbooks.com/

Passion

by Lauren Kate

Random House. Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback RRP $24.95

Reviewer - Barbara Brown

This was a highly anticipated third book about Luce and Daniel. However I was a little disappointed as the whole book is about Luce travelling backwards to find out why she has to die every time she kisses Daniel. Daniel is also travelling back in time to try and find Luce and to stop her from getting trapped. The last 13 pages of this 420 page novel are when the two finally get together! And of course it was worth it but just a little bit frustrating.

Passion is about Luce, a human, and her angelic soul mate Daniel, a fallen angel. Luce must solve why her past lives have always ended up in a flaming death, usually after a very passionate embrace with Daniel. So why does Luce not die when she kisses Daniel in this lifetime?

Both Daniel and Luce are battling their feelings for each other and working out why Luce doesn’t combust every time they are together. Is it because Luce has no faith and has never been baptized? Or does it go back to how Daniel became a fallen angel?

While Luce has help from a gargoyle named Bill, Daniel is on his own. When Satan manifests himself and decides to start meddling then things are set for a great battle in the last book.

Fallen and Torment are the first two books in this wonderful story of love, right and wrong, good and evil, heaven, earth and hell. And I would definitely recommend them. Rapture, the final tome will be out later this year. Can’t wait!

The Reading Stack reviewed Fallen and Torment in February 2010 and February 2011 respectively.

http://www.fallenbooks.com/

Torment

by Lauren Kate

Random House. Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback RRP $29.95

Lucinda Price, Luce known to her family and friends, has been hidden away by her angelic boyfriend, Daniel. After the angel/demon battle at the last school, Sword & Cross, Luce is not safe and has been sent to a school in Fort Bragg called Shoreline, a school for the rich with a secret class for the ‘gifted’. Normal kids try hard to get into the gifted programme but unless they have a parent who is an angel or demon, they will never get in. Except Luce.

Luce has been placed at Shoreline under the protection of the school’s Nephilim kids. These kids all have powers and Luce can be well hidden in amongst their auras from the Outcasts, immortals who want Luce dead.

The shadows that have followed and surrounded Luce all her life are still with her but she learns, with the help of her new friends and teachers, that they can be manipulated to help her see into her past and past lives. Luce has eighteen days to learn as much as she can about her and Daniel’s past before the truce between Daniel and Cam, the demon that tried to kill Daniel at Sword & Cross, finishes and then Luce may have to fend off more than one enemy.

The more Luce learns about her past, the more she realises that her and Daniel have a long past that always ends up badly. Could their relationship finally culminate in something, but what? She is a mortal and he is a fallen angel.

The Reading Stack reviewed Book one, Fallen in February 2010. You don’t have to read book one but I would recommend it just to enjoy the story of past lives and angels and demons. Can’t wait for book three, Passion which will be out mid-2011.

http://www.fallenbooks.com/