Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Torment: Fallen #2 by Lauren Kate Reviewed by Dani  (Steph, again, will not be reviewing this book because she read it a while ago) 
Dani's Rating: 4.5 stars Overall Rating: 4.5 stars 

***So the last review we posted was Fallen, the first book of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. We thought it would be fitting to post the review to its sequel after it. Enjoy!***  
    
Goodreads Synopsis: 

Hell on earth.

That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.

It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous.

What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

Dani’s rating: 4.5 stars

    Something about the Fallen series made me want to pull an all-nighter just to finish reading the books. I read the first 2 books, Fallen and Torment, in a total of four days. Is it the romance? Maybe. Is it the suspense? No. Is it the plot? No. Is it the characters?  Maybe. Is it the little “mini-dramas” in Luce’s teenage life? YES.

DO NOT READ MORE OF THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE READ FALLEN. MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

    I can understand why Luce is annoyed that Daniel is keeping her in the dark and hiding precious knowledge from her, but from a reader’s view Luce seems too paranoid, worrisome, and unfaithful. The reader knows that Daniel is just trying to keep Luce safe. We don’t know why he thinks Luce needs to be protected, but we know that Daniel is always concerned with her safety. Luce proves to be made of stronger stuff than she first appears to be when she deals with enrolling in yet another new school that happens to be full of Nephilim, and taking it into her own hands to find the knowledge Daniel won’t give her.

    The plot was much more interesting in this book. I have a feeling that this is one of those series that gets better as you read on. The first book was more of an “introductory” book. Luce becomes a true “bad girl” and openly disobeys Daniel, even though she may be risking her life. Daniel, that’s what you get for ordering a girl around without telling her why she should listen to you! Because of you, the love of your life could die! Being even more bad girl-ish, Luce experiments with “the shadows”, which she now knows are called Announcers. She figured out how to use them, although it is extremely difficult and dangerous to deal with them. And as she did it, she hid it from all the disapproving figures of authority around her...well, most of them.

    Two more cool supporting characters are introduced! One of them provides some serious competition for Daniel and the other could contend with Molly (from Fallen) in grumpiness. The drama in this book is what kept me reading. There weren’t many true “slow parts”, because as you read the slow parts your mind is still trying to decode Luce and Daniel’s latest argument, the newest threat, or a romantic moment! Mrs. Kate is keeping us readers in suspense. The end is so mind-boggling. You wouldn’t think that Luce would have the courage and defiance to do what she does. Oh, and she sorta-maybe-kinda almost breaks Daniel’s heart...Read Torment to find out!

I gave Torment 4.5 stars because it was really good, but not PERFECT. I know that some people will get bored when reading the so-called “slow” parts. The perfect, 5 star book is a book that all YA fiction lovers will obsess over! SHOUTOUT FOR PURE BY JENNIFER ARMENTROUT. Pure is definitely a 5 star book. Read the review for Pure and then go on and read the book!

Here’s a small excerpt from Torment about that serious competition Daniel has...

“But instead of the stars and trees and crashing waves, Luce’s eyes fixed on something else behind one of the roof’s many chimneys. Something white and billowing. An iridescent pair of wings.

Daniel. Crouched, only half hidden from view, just feet away from where she and ****(NAME OF DANIEL’S COMPETITION IS EXCLUDED) had kissed. His back was to her. His head was hanging.

“Daniel,” she called out, feeling her voice catch on his name.

When he turned to face her, the drawn look on his face was one of absolute agony. As if Luce had just ripped his heart out. He bent his knees, unfurled his wings, and took off into the night.

A moment later, he looked like just another star in the sparking black sky.”

Now you want to know hear the details on who this mysterious person is, huh? Well, I’m not telling you. You have to read Torment!