Book Review: Fallen

Synopsis

“There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce—and goes out of his way to make that very clear—she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.”

Comments

Not as dark as I was expecting for this age group and general genre.  While there were all levels of language, there were few actual usages of the words.  There are some religious themes.

Language

Level 1,2 3 [?] Also, a teen ‘flips the bird’.

Sexual Content

Description of some intense kissing. ‘She mimed a jerking-off motion…’

Drugs/Alcohol

Reference to students needing ‘meds’ (mental health).  ‘Pharmapalooza’-party with drugs.  Teens smoke cigarettes.  Teens drink champagne at a party.  Teens go to a bar.

Violence/Disturbing

Luce sees dark shadows which scare her.  A teen boy dies in a fire.  And then another one does. A teacher (who is a demon in disguise) kills a teen by slitting her throat. Not a lot of detail. Fights between teen boys. Also, a battle between angles and demons, though not much description.

Social/Family

Kids are at a reform school of sorts.  Kids have almost no contact with their parents.  A teen hotwired a teacher’s car and ‘borrows’ it.

Religion/Spiritual

Dark shadows Luce sees are actually fallen angels, or demons. Light and dark, good and evil. A teacher ’speaks in tongues.’  Stories from the Bible, fall of the angels.  Mention of religious objects and ceremonies as relates to the Catholic Church.  Because Luce wasn’t baptized as a baby, her soul was ‘left up for grabs’.