Audiobook Review: Fallen (Fallen #1)

Author: Lauren Kate

Narrator: Justine Eyre

Audiobook Length: 10 hours 56 minutes

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

The Fallen series came on my radar because of the cover, so I decided to try the first novel. It was also apparently a movie, but I never saw it and after reading, I do not really have a desire to try it. This series has been compared to Twilight with angels instead of vampires and I can see the similarities. Since I am not the greatest fan of Twilight, I am holding out hope that this series turns out better for me. The story is told from the POV of the main character, Lucinda (Luce) Price who is sent to Sword and Cross reform school after a fire accidentally killed her boyfriend, Trevor. The pacing is slow as Luce’s new life at school is introduced along with the key players for the rest of the story. This includes Daniel Grigori, who Luce feels drawn to, but he does not want anything to do with her.

The main plot centers around the mystery surrounding Daniel and Luce’s pasts. Luce also has her own mysteries including the shadows that sometimes appear near her. It is told to the reader again and again how smart Luce is and how her grades and skills are great, but it is rarely shown to the reader. Instead, it is mostly illustrated how passive and naïve she is, which was unfortunate as it did not make her the most likable character. For me, she felt unbalanced as she did not become a character I wanted to root for. I would rather have her drive the story rather than it feel that the story was happening to her. She experiences a love-triangle with Daniel and another student, Cam, which occupied more of the novel than I anticipated.

There seems to be a lot more going on than meets the eye as there is a war between good and evil in the background plus the never-ending questions that need answers, which kept me intrigued; however, while authors write the stories how they want, it was difficult not to imagine how much better this novel would have read to me without the prologue. Not only does the main synopsis tell the main story, but the prologue also reveals it. This is followed by a “revelation” in the actual writing which acts like it is brand new information. For me, it did not make sense as it would have read more organically if the prologue wasn’t present. The readers would still have an idea of what was going on, but, for me, it would at least read a little better. Overall, I am not quite sure how I feel about this story as it is very basic, which also can be its appeal. It is simplistic with potential for complexity, which makes me want to read the sequel. I do not have very high hopes, but I still cannot wait to try it.