Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Publish Date: September 28, 2010
Website: http://laurenkatebooks.net/
ISBN: 9780385739146
List Price: $17.99
Rating: 5 out of 5

Jacket Synopsis:
How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword and Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

Review:
The second installment in the Fallen Series did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat reading this book. Luce is an amazing character and the whole angelic plot around her is so intriguing. She knows very little about the war of the Fallen (Angels) and all the sides that were taken. She doesn't realize till now that she was a pivotal reason for the war and only she can end it. These depend on her choices in this life.

Luce has lived a thousand lives and only now has learned that she has been stuck in this love spiral. Fighting immortals was never what Luce anticipated in this life, but her love for Daniel, an Archangel, gives her the desire and strength to learn more about the past, her past lives, and what she can do to save their love, but some interesting events happen in this second installment that make Luce question was she really meant to be with Daniel. However, when she sees Daniel she believes that he is her world and that there is no one else, but when she is alone with another she can't help but feel that she needs to understand more about her past lives to know what decisions to make in this one. Luce does not want anymore of her friends or family to die in this life, like past lives, so she decides to find a way to understand her past.

Luce experiences past lives through her new found control of the Shadows, or Announcers, and she sees this as a way to end the Angel war. This is how Luce views her past lives and travels to find her answers...

Lauren Kate, the author, writes such vivid characters that you cannot help but be enveloped into the story. Passion, the third installment, will be out June 14, 2011. Do I hear "Pre-order"? Yes, I do!!!

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Author: Lauren Kate
Publish Date: November 19, 2009
Website: www.laurenkatebooks.net
ISBN: 9780385738934
List Price: $17.99
My Rating: 5 out of 5

Trailer: Fallen Trailer

Where to start!? This book is a can't-put-it-down type of book. The plot is original, creative, and captivating. Lauren Kate, the author, draws you into the world of Luce and Daniel with such dramatic visions of an unknown, uncontrollable darkness that has followed Luce all her life. Luce’s life seems tragic and destined for a dark ending. Until she arrives at the reform school, after a terrible incident involving death, Luce sees Daniel and she feels an unbelievable pull, and a knowing him that she can't explain. No matter how mean and off putting he is, she is drawn to him. As the dark shadows befall Luce again and are increasingly more dangerous, Daniel appears to be more present to save her or guide her. Luce starts researching Daniel's past as she is drawn to him. She has to know everything about him. This only leads to more shadows appearing and hurting those around her. Ultimately, Luce figures out why she has these vivid dreams of her past and of being with Daniel and realizes they have been together in past lives and no matter what they do they find each other, but they are soon driven apart upon Luce's death. She only lives for 17 years each time and Daniel is heartbroken but so in love he falls for her each time. This time though things are different and Luce doesn't die when Daniel and others expect her to and Daniel is doing everything he can do to keep her safe and break the cycle of losing Luce. As the angel war begins, Daniel is doing everything he can to keep her safe because they need her.

As the reader, we don't find out in the book why they need Luce and what her importance is to the fallen angels, but both sides of angels need and want her and that is where we are left... with Luce safe and Daniel watching over her until he and his angel friends can figure out how to save her and win the war... One character alludes that the sanity of the world shouldn’t revolve around the love of two sick lovebirds (Luce & Daniel)… so we are not sure how important that Luce and Daniel be together really is. We are left with a lot of questions and so eager to continue the story.

I hope to hear more about Luce’s past lives and her purpose in the world of the fallen angels. Lauren Kate has such a great writing style. The story is vivid. I felt like I was there in every scene. This story would make an amazing movie if the screenwriter could capture the story and world Lauren has created.

Torment, the sequel to Fallen, comes out in August-2010. It is already pre-ordered! I cannot wait to continue this story. I was completely on the edge of my seat with this story and I did not want to turn to that last page. It was hard to close the book and have the story end. My anticipation is boiling over for this next book...hurry up August!!