REVIEW: PASSION

Thanks to Sarah at Feeling Fictional for kindly giving me the ARC of this one.

Passion
Author: Lauren Kate
Series: Yes, Fallen #3
UK Publisher: Random House
UK release date: July 2011
Genre: YA

Following on from Torment Luce steps through an Announcer, a shadow of her own past, to race back through her previous lives and discover the truth behind the curse and reaffirm her love with Daniel. Luce visits MesoAmerica, a Victorian manor house and the First World War. Each time she comes closer to understanding why she dies and how strong their love is.

Review: Passion is very different to the previous two books in the Fallen series, as Luce disappears into an Announcer to visit her past lives throughout a variety of different historical eras. Spending a small period of time in each lifetime is certainly interesting and gives pace to the plot as Luce continually bounces around from one place to the next and I had to stay on my toes to figure out what new situation she had landed into.

In each lifetime Luce tries to figure out what her love for Daniel means. If Passion has done one thing for me then it has been to cement Luce and Daniel’s relationship across millennia and prove that Daniel’s love is absolutely everlasting and unshakable. In the previous books I wasn’t really won around by their love, but I have been converted after seeing Daniel bear such intense love and pain.

Fans of Miles, Shelby, Cam and the other fallen angles may be disappointed as they only feature every so often. This story is really all about Luce and Daniel. However new character Bill pops up in one of Luce’s announcers, helping her to blend in to each new time period, adding some biting cynicism and also being able to give a historical context to where they’re visiting.

There are a few minor inconsistencies with the time travel aspect, as Daniel sometimes didn’t remember being visited by his ‘future’ self, and other times he would. It made this element more confusing than it needed to be, although it isn’t a serious flaw of the plot.

In Passion you get more of an understanding of what the curse involves and why Luce dies each lifetime. Luce has to visit a number of her past selves to figure things out a small bit at a time. There wasn’t a big epiphany moment for me where I finally thought I understood the curse (I’m not sure I know the whole picture even know), but there was more a trickle of understanding building up towards the end.

At the end a whole other big dilemma is opened up, which some might see as leading perfectly into the next book. Personally I felt frustrated, that the story was being dragged out and that there wasn’t enough from the book for me. I can only presume that Passion is a bridge into Rapture, however I'm not sure if I'm patient enough to be kept waiting on this story.

Passion is filled with captivating and fast paced time travel, love, pain, and an unshakable depiction of Daniel and Luce’s relationship. A continuing saga in the eternal struggle between life and death, heaven and hell, and joy and despair.

Rating: 3*

REVIEW: TORMENT

If you haven’t yet read Fallen, please be aware that this review contains *SPOILERS*.

Torment (Fallen #2)

Author: Lauren Kate

UK Publisher: Random House

UK Release date: March 2011

Genre: YA

Summary: Following on from Fallen and the discovery that her boyfriend Daniel is a fallen angel, Luce is moved from Sword & Cross and taken to a new school, Shoreline, in sunny California. Here she studies alongside Nephilim, the children of humans and fallen angels, and lives under a protective spell from Outcasts, rebel immortals who want Luce dead. We see her internal struggle as she tries to find out about her past lives by manipulating the shadows and comes to terms with her feelings for another boy. The angel versus demon dilemma continues, however the two sides agree to a truce in order to protect Luce – this lifetime is different from the rest of her lives, and what happens in this life will affect the balance between heaven and hell.

Review: Despite feeling slightly disappointed with Fallen, I was ever persistent and decided to read on with Torment regardless. It is an interesting and intriguing read, with lots of mystery and suspense thrown in. The plot is action focused with a steady pace: Luce gets into a dangerous situations trying to manipulate the shadows to find out about her past lives, as well as with the Outcasts hunting her.

In terms of characters, Luce finally rebels against Daniel and the restrictions he puts on her. Whilst I like the fact that she shows some “balls”, Luce is very naive about realising that she is in danger. I'm also sorry to say that I just don't buy Luce and Daniel's relationship, which is based on their past history and a few snatched moments of kissing. I understand that to make the story more interesting and to build up the mystery Daniel keeps a lot of information from Luce, however I feel it lessens the integrity of their relationship.

The introduction of Shelby and Miles however livens things up, and the developing relationship between Luce and Miles is really refreshing – finally something that resembles a real relationship!

I like the subtext that the difference between good and bad (heaven and hell, angels and demons) isn't as clear cut as it seems. This can be seen in the relationship and characters of fallen angel and demon - Francesca and Steven, as well as the partnership of other fallen angels and demons such as Daniel and Cam.

I will read Passion when it comes out because, darn it all, I do want to find out what happens next.

Rating: 4*