Gotta say...I've read some books by new authors that were a bit hard to follow, and in general hard to get through. But I didn't feel like that at all reading Fallen. Lauren Kate's writing style is absolutely enthralling. I could not put this book down. I think I'm young enough that I can still relate to the characters she focuses on, to an extent.

To start with, I was really nervous about reading this book because of the reviews on Goodreads. Some were raving, ands some weren't so good. I hadn't even heard of Lauren Kate, so it was really a toss up. But in the end, I couldn't get over how beautiful the cover art was, so I figured I'd just have to power through it if it was THAT bad. (For those who don't know me, I'm a tad OCD when it comes to reading. I always finish books.) Needless to say, I loved it. I can see other people's complaints, but I was too drawn into the story to care. I liked the characters, and I liked the theme. This was my first angel-themed book, and I've since been looking for other similar themed books.

My only complaint is how fast Luce fell for Daniel, without any real reason in her mind, besides a gut feeling. I get the bad-boy thing...but I really didn't like how he treated her, and she became very mopey because of it. Looking back, I understand his attitude towards her and I understand her feelings towards him, but up until that epiphany, the reader is wondering "what the heck is wrong with her?" You gotta remember that going through this book, you REALLY don't know what's going on until the very end. You have an idea what Daniel is and it's implied that they have an extensive history, but it's never really put on the table until the very end. Still, 4 stars, and I can't wait for the next book.

Lauren Kate is an up and coming author, and I see her gaining a huge following for her YA books. I think that once Torment comes out, I'll want to re-read this book, and I'll have a new appreciation for it. Fallen goes on my shelf of fantasy young adult reads along with Wicked Lovely and Vampire Academy. It sucks you into a world that is so magical, you don't want to leave.