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I don’t get crazy about many novel series, but as soon as I finished reading Lauren Kate’s second Fallen novel, Torment, I immediately texted my son and asked him to pick up the follow-up, Passion, and bring it to me as quickly as he could—because the Fallen series is more addictive than angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
Over the centuries, Lucinda “Luce” Price has died for Daniel Grigori over and over, never making it past her seventeenth birthday. Whenever she falls in love with him, she self-combusts, only to reincarnate into another life. But, in this lifetime, something has changed. Luce survives her love for Daniel, only to have him tell her that they must be apart for her own safety.
Daniel is an angel who’s had to live through the torment of losing Luce over and over again. When she survives this time around, he arranges for her to attend Shoreline—a special school on the coast of California. In the meantime, he hunts down the Outcasts—angels neither Heaven nor Hell want—who seek to eliminate Luce permanently. He must keep her safe at all costs. Even the Devil’s angels agree and call for a truce.
While at Shoreline, Luce learns how to control the shadows that have plagued her since childhood, and she begins to question her relationship with Daniel. He’s keeping her in the dark about a lot of things, and she’s desperate for answers. With the help of her roommate, Shelby (a Nephilim: half human and half angel), and new friend, Miles, she seeks answers on her own. Unfortunately, this puts her right in the path of the Outcasts.
Filled with mysterious shadow beings and angels on both sides of the fence, Torment takes readers on a dark romantic trip that’s as treacherous as the rocky California coastline.
Author Lauren Kate has the remarkable ability to make her readers truly feel what these characters are going through without getting overly dramatic. Luce is a young woman who’s caught in circumstances over which she has no control, yet she handles it with maturity beyond her age. Her actions and reactions are realistic and honest, making her so easy to relate to. Daniel, meanwhile, has dealt with a lot of anguish in his life, but he doesn’t brood about it (thank goodness!). Instead, he takes action to try to prevent even more tragedy as he desperately searches for a way to be with Luce.
With its endearing cast of characters (even the funny and charming Cam, who’s on the Devil’s side) and an exceptional paranormal plotline, Torment is the best young adult novel I’ve read in a very long time. The Fallen series is amazing, and I’m dying to start Passion. Come on—join me in reading this addictive young adult series.
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