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flatreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
sleepylit's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Mental illness, Death, Bullying, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
nerdkitten's review
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Cursing, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Violence, Medical content, and War
Minor: Death of parent, Mental illness, Alcohol, Confinement, and Drug use
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I remember reading this series when it first came out. I really liked the series and it was horrible having to wait a year or two for the next book, who could wait that long? Now rereading the first book, I find that I don't actually have any nostalgia for it. This may be because everything that I remember about the series is in the last two books, so if I read them again maybe I would feel it.
For a first book in a series this feels weak. It is not a bad read but it also doesn't stand out, and some of the cooler plot points don't come in until later in the series. It was actually darker than I remembered, but that along doesn't really make it stand out in the low stakes and low investment main plot. I also struggled with Daniel as one of the love interests and the main one. Now that I think about it I also didn't like him when I read this series before.
I will give the series this, for a debut novel it is not the worst and when it came out the market us in it's boom for these kind of books. I feel the series also gets better as it goes with some different plot points from what was in the market at the time. So whilst the first book was kind of weak and has a bad love interest the rest of the series does get better, or maybe it is that nostalgia finally kicking in.
For a first book in a series this feels weak. It is not a bad read but it also doesn't stand out, and some of the cooler plot points don't come in until later in the series. It was actually darker than I remembered, but that along doesn't really make it stand out in the low stakes and low investment main plot. I also struggled with Daniel as one of the love interests and the main one. Now that I think about it I also didn't like him when I read this series before.
I will give the series this, for a debut novel it is not the worst and when it came out the market us in it's boom for these kind of books. I feel the series also gets better as it goes with some different plot points from what was in the market at the time. So whilst the first book was kind of weak and has a bad love interest the rest of the series does get better, or maybe it is that nostalgia finally kicking in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence
rylol's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Murder and War
bitterseason's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
piperclover's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
itsreirei's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Death, and Grief
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Oh Fallen. I remember why I offloaded this book a decade ago. I shouldn’t let myself fall victim to unreliable, foggy memories of the things I’ve read and not reviewed.
First of all, I will give it to Lauren Kate that her use of language is softly lovely, like rose petals or quiet fountains. I rediscovered this when I read The Orphan’s Song earlier this year and it was that beauty in the writing that nudged me back to Fallen after so many years. Her writing has improved as a whole, and going back to Fallen after reading something newer was a bit jarring. The foundation is still there, but well? Fallen is very much a product of the era in which it was written.
Shall we start with the love triangle? It’s not just a love triangle – it’s a love triangle with two carbon copy boys and whichever one Luce choices could change the outcome of future and the well-being of the universe. You know. As happens in early 2010s YA. It’s exhausting and it doesn’t even try to be subtle. The world building is constantly interrupted by one love interest or another demanding they must talk to Luce, or have a picnic, or give her a necklace. Luce has to stop going to class (or so it seems) because she needs more time to go to the library to undercover all the world mythology because boys are sneaking her to dive bars and taking her swimming in lakes. Fortunately her parents are told that she’s thriving in classes. So! Apparently the teachers don’t notice.
Luce herself is flat as a buttermilk pancake. Her history is a secret because that’s part of the unfurling plot. What we’re left with is a girl who slides easily into situations, that people fight over to befriend when they first meet her, and has no distinguishable personality traits. She does, however, have a hobby. She likes to daydream about Daniel Gregori. It’s not that Luce is an unrelatable character… it’s that she’s as interesting as a paper doll. Fragile and pretty and absolutely insubstantial.
There’s a lot of harmful language and situations around mental illness and facilities and individuals who assist in that sort of management. I know this is the product of the time it was written, but it’s nevertheless unfortunate and did not age well. There’s also a scene near the beginning where characters were trying to identify a teacher’s gender that sent up quite a few red flags for me. I would like to think in the last decade, Kate has learned better, but it made me cringe while reading.
The entirety of Fallen is a very slow climb up an uninteresting hill to reveal a possible plot of the next book, Torment. It’s like a very long prologue. This is the type of book I would call an indulgent read – you know it’s not a work of art, but you read it for the naive, ridiculous romances and the supernatural elements. The enjoyment of Fallen will highly depend on the reader. It’s a light, easy read (I read most of it on a plane… and finished before the end of my flight). It falls into step with books like Marked and Die For Me and other indulgent YA supernatural romances of the era. These were my favourite thing fifteen years ago! Now? Not so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Toxic relationship and Stalking
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