1: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Plot Summary: The first in the Fallen series, Fallen shares the story of Luce, a troubled teen who is forced to transfer to Sword and Cross Academy to complete the remainder of high school. She is first introduced to Arriane, who seems to have more baggage than she does. The two quickly become friends and Luce begins to lean on Arriane as she deals with all that comes with being the new kid at school. She then meets Daniel, who for some strange reason, she feels an immediate attraction but not the physical kind. She feels as though her soul is being pulled toward him as though the two were magnets. Daniel, on the other hand, is less than impressed by Luce's appearance at the school. In fact, their first encounter involves a snarky smile and a middle finger from across the quad. She is confused by his actions and turns her attention to Cam. Unlike Daniel, he is all about Luce. While she admits her physical attraction to him, she is not drawn to him as she was with Daniel. Despite his constant rejections, Luce continues to pursue her feelings; however, the more she gets to know him, the more questions she has. With the help of a new friend, Penn, Luce decides to dig into Daniel's past in order to get some answers. Before she has the chance to uncover Daniel’s secrets, the shadows of her past come back to haunt her and threaten to put an end to the life she has come to know. 

My Opinion: Fallen is, and has been, my favorite Y.A book since i first read it at fifteen. I was never much of a reader as most of my reading was done with the sole purpose of completing homework assignments. This was on the summer reading list for my grade and I procrastinated and this was the only book the library had. I personally was trying to take the easy way out and accidentally found a book that I became obsessed with. I had never heard of it before so I did not know what to expect but I am so glad I was able to go into it without any possible spoilers. Now, with that being said, much of the basic roots of the plot seem a bit too similar to Twilight by Stephanie Meyers but I never read Twilight so I cannot speak too much in terms of comparison of the two stories. Focusing solely on Fallen, the story is a romance novel for teens so if that's not something you enjoy, I would definitely skip this one. If you do chose to read Fallen be prepared to read the entire series because, like Luce, the more answers you get, the more questions you have. There are four stories in the series, Fallen, Torment, Passion, and Rapture along with one novela Fallen in Love and one spin-off novel that focuses on Cam's story. Acknowledging that the story is for young adults which just means, it is a story for teens, I have reread the entire series as an adult and it still holds up for me. I am still as invested as I was when I first the series and to put that into perspective for you, I read Fallen for the first time the summer I turned 15, I will be 25 this summer, so ten years later I am just as in love with the story. 

Drop a comment below: Which side would you choose?