Fallen

Bibliography
Kate, Lauren. Fallen. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print.

My Thoughts
I liked the bare bones story, but I wish Lauren Kate would have arrived at it sooner. This book was a bit mystery, lots of forced drama, and a predictable love story. I just kept slogging through to find out how the mystery surrounding the characters would be explained.

I kept thinking that Kate had a checklist of "this is everything best sellers have had, so I'm going to include them in my book, too." She perpetuated some stereotypes (i.e., clueless parents) and didn't really include a fresh narrative voice. (The main character was too whiney, insecure and allowed quite a bit of freedom to be at a reform school). At times, I thought the story was too slow (see my slogging comment above), and at the same time, there were parts that just zoomed by me. There were hints of intrigue, but I honestly finished the book disappointed.

I bookmarked many pages as I was reading because I felt like there were clues to the story on the page. I don't even want to look back to see what else I marked.

I have allowed myself permission to not finish the series (there are three more books). I will probably see the movie later this year, and like other books, it may help me change my mind about this book. For now, I'm disappointed and wished I used the time with a different book.