Fallen

Justine Eyre captures Luce's fragile emotional state as she enters the gates of the Sword and Cross Reform School. What follows is an atmospheric romance as Luce confronts the fascinatingly familiar Daniel Grigori and the mystery he represents. Eyre fully expresses the haunting quality of this story. Luce's pain and uncertainty are rendered in a believable depiction of teenage love. Distinct voices for each of the reform school students make for a rich cast of characters. Indeed, Eyre's deft characterizations help preserve their identities until the final chapters. However, Luce's secrets are too easy to figure out. The linear plot won't entrance listeners as much as the supernatural romance. For those who believe in destiny, Eyre's performance is on the mark. C.A. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

November 23, 2009
Beautiful Lucinda (Luce) Price is banished from everything she knows after a mysterious fire leaves her friend Trevor dead and Luce shouldering the blame. She is forced to board at a decrepit reform school where students are under the constant watch of cameras and must go without cellphones or Internet access. Grief-stricken by Trevor's death and horrified by her new surroundings, Luce is also plagued by sinister, terrifying shadows that appear wherever she goes. The remote gothic setting provides the standard backdrop for the crux of the story, first in a planned series—the romantic feelings Luce develops for the elusive, unpredictable, and rather unlikable Daniel. Aside from the evil shadows, the plot can be summed up with a single word: pining. Luce longs for Daniel in various ways—dreaming of him, digging up information, trying to talk to him, experiencing rejection, then trying again. Some readers will pine right alongside Luce, but others may feel that Kate spends too much time on unrequited love and too little on forward movement in Luce's relationship with Daniel and the mystery of what, exactly, Daniel is. Ages 12–up.