Fallen

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Fallen

Fallen

By Lauren Kate

Delacourte Press

ISBN: 978-0-385-73893-4

3.75 stars

Luce Price isn’t a normal girl, or at least she doesn’t think so. Since she was a child, she has been able to see unexplained shadows that appear before something bad happens. Medication and psychiatrists have not been able to rid of her them and she’s reluctantly learned to live with the shadows. While away at boarding school, she’s involved in the unexplained death of a classmate. She doesn’t remember what happened and can’t explain the fire that killed him and almost took her life.

A judge orders her to reform school, the Sword & Cross, and the day she checks in she’s drawn to one student, Daniel. He isn’t nice to her, doesn’t want anything to do with her, and she can’t leave him alone or get him out of her head. Strange things happen that shouldn’t when she’s around him and the shadows, which have become more direct and daring, begin to frighten her as never before.

Vampires, werewolves, and now angles. Don’t worry, I’m not giving anything away by telling you angels are involved here. The title and the name of the boarding school give it away.

The story starts out slow and stays that way for the first 100 or so pages. Luce is dreary but understandably so. She’s being dropped at another boarding school which is more like a reform school, she’s coping with the death of a boy she thinks she may have killed, her parents act as if they are afraid of her, and now she has to make friends all over again. That’ s a lot for anyone to deal with. Her obsession with Daniel is a bit much for me, I was never one for reading about teen angst, but when things are explained, the attraction and obsession become less annoying. I just wish I knew some of that up front.

The school, the Sword & Cross, is dark, sad, and somehow a good setting. When the story gets moving, it’s interesting to see what side everyone is on. I liked that the religious element was fairly light here. I’m not one for religion in books but here it was handled well — enough to make the point but not overly pronounced. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Fallen will be released December 8, 2009. It is the first is a series.

This book was sent to me by Random House at my request. It is an advanced reader’s copy.

November 2009 Reading List

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Well, I’m a day late with the November wrap-up but I’m not ready for it to be December yet.

I read 10 books in November which is not bad considering I took a week off for Thanksgiving. A few good reads and a one dud so actually a pretty good month.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis

A Highlander’s Temptation by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Kristin Lavransdatter: I The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Undset

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Fallen by Lauren Kate

The Archer’s Tale by Bernard Cornwell

Teaser Tuesdays

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

Be careful not to include spoilers. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!

My teaser this week —

“’That, or he’s trying to draw us into some kind of trap,’ Kirk said. ‘Either way, we can’t meet him in a head-on battle. We need an edge…a diversion. Find me one, Mr. Spock.’”

Star Trek: The Great Adventures, Book 1, adapted by James Blish, page 70.

Star Trek: The Great Adventures, Book 1

Mailbox Monday, a Bit of Early Birthday Loot, and Other Stuff

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Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Into the Path of Gods

While out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, one book arrived — Into the Path of Gods by Kathleen Cunningham Guler. It’s book one in the Macsen’s Treasure series and takes place in 5th Century Britain and looks quite interesting. I won this through the Member Giveaway on Librarything.

The Kingmaking

Pendragon's Banner

Wolf Hall

 

I also got a bit of early birthday loot, 3 books! The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick, Pendragon’s Banner by Helen Hollick, and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

 

 

 

 

My husband also snagged a few books off his parent’s shelf which he thought I’d like – Star Trek: The Great Adventures by James Blish. They are so ’70s and I can’t wait to read them. Who doesn’t love a tale of intergalactic intrigue, and yes, it actually says that on the cover.

Star Trek: The Great Adventures, Book 1

Anything interesting in your mailbox this week?

Kristin Lavransdatter: I The Bridal Wreath

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Kristin Lavransdatter: I The Bridal Wreath

Kristin Lavransdatter: I The Bridal Wreath

By Sigrid Undset

Vintage Books

ISBN: 0-394-75299-6

2.5 stars

Set in 14th Century Norway, Kristin Lavransdatter is a medieval love story. Kristin is the daughter of Lavrans and Ragnfrid and is well-loved and a bit spoiled by her father. For years, the family lives a quiet life in their small village going about their daily routines. When Ulvhild, the much beloved second daughter of Lavrans and Ragnfrid is injured, their life is turned upside down and many years pass before the family begins to recover.

In time, a third daughter is born to the couple, Ramborg, and Kristin begins preparing for her marriage to Simon Andressön. Kristin doesn’t show much interest in marriage but knows her father found her a good match even if Simon is someone she is not interested in — physically, emotionally, or intellectually. Her father and Simon agree that Kristin needs to experience the world at large, and she is put into a convent the year before her marriage. While there, Kristin falls in love with Erlend Nikulaussön, a man of her family’s caliber but not one in good standing with the community. Shortly before her marriage to Simon is to take place, she musters the courage to break off the engagement only to be told by her father that he will not allow her to marry Erlend. Years pass before the two are able to marry but somehow it doesn’t feel happy.

The entire time I was reading I kept wondering if it was the translation. It felt awkward and clunky and I had to go back a few times to reacquaint myself with some people and places. It was also very slow moving. Years pass where nothing much happens but somehow I keep reading. It wasn’t the characters that held my interest though — it was the setting. I haven’t read many books set in Norway and I found the lifestyles and small details of life intriguing.

I didn’t really care for Kristin. She seemed vapid to me, caring only about one thing — Erlend. She almost ruined her family by calling off her marriage, and yet, when she got what she wanted, she didn’t seem to be able to appreciate it. She spends her days before the wedding moping around and pining for something else as is she doesn’t really understand what marriage is about. She has very romanticized notions of life and when reality sets in, she panics and feels sorry for herself. I actually wanted to feel sorry for her but couldn’t. Her mother was much the same way and in the end I came to dislike both of them. I also didn’t like the way her life was decided for her but it was the 14th Century and women didn’t make decisions about their own lives. This is something I find I need to remind myself of when reading historical fiction sometimes.

My library has all three books but I don’t know yet if I will continue reading the story. It felt too much like a history lesson for me. Character wise, I didn’t find it a fulfilling read either. Maybe next year.

Teaser Tuesday

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

Be careful not to include spoilers. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!

My teaser this week —

“Thomas smiled. “It’s all right, no one will hurt you. Hold on to the bow. If anyone looks at you, say, ‘I am an archer’s woman.’”

The Archer’s Tale by Bernard Cornwell, page 209.

The Archer's Tale

I just started this book so a teaser for me too. This series is my Thanksgiving reading this year. I don’t know if I’ll have time to get through all three books, but I’m hopeful.

Covenant With The Vampire: The Diaries of the Family Dracul

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Covenant With The Vampire: The Diaries of the Family Dracul

Covenant With The Vampire: The Diaries of the Family Dracul

By Jeanne Kalogridis

Delacourt Press

ISBN: 0-385-31313-6

3.75 stars

Arkady Tsepesh is returning home to Romania with his pregnant wife, Mary, for the burial of his father. Having lived in London for many years, he is both excited and saddened by the trip. On one hand, he wants to share his life with Mary and introduce her to his sister and uncle, and on the other, he is heartbroken over the loss of his father whom he has not seen for many years.

Mary takes an immediate liking to Arkady’s sister, Zsuzsanna, who is sickly and crippled but a very kind soul. When Zsuzsanna becomes increasingly ill, Mary worries for her. When she finds out the cause of her sickness, she is disturbed in ways she never imagined. Worried for her husband, and with grave doubts about a member of his family, Mary finds her marriage strained. With the pending delivery of their child, she also fears for their lives. Arkady spends much time in denial, until the final moments when he comes face to face with the reality that is his family and what is to become of his life.

Told through diary entries as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you get to experience the emotions of several characters at once and see the story told from different points of view. While I don’t think that anything new is added to the telling her, it is an interesting take on the Dracul family dynamics. The diary entries are interesting for their revelations but they feel very familiar. I don’t consider that bad, but if you’ve read any number of vampire books with the original Dracula character, I think in many ways they all begin to feel the same. It was still an interesting read and Kalogridis’s style brings a fresh voice to the story.

Well, I spent my October looking for a new vampire book and while this one came along in November, I still found it a good read. I enjoy Kalogridis’s writing style and I liked the new additions to the family she added which gave an often-told tale an interesting twist.