Parents' Guide to

Fallen

By Debra Bogart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Fallen angels are the new, more charming vampires.

Book Lauren Kate Fantasy 2009
Fallen Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Soapnet
Soapnet Adult
September 13, 2011
age 14+

Don't hate me, but it was okay, not the best book ever...

It has a great plot, just they swear a lot and so on. Oh, yes, and there is death, voilence, and it is great at the beginning of the book but slows down for a while. Forunatley, it picks up speed again soon! (It slowed becuase Luce [the main character] infuriatlrying obsessed over Daniel and sometimes Cam way too much and far too intensley.)

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
kierstinr
kierstinr Adult
November 12, 2014
age 14+

Fallen

In this book Luce is an extraordinary girl who can see shadow’s and doesn’t understand it. To her it seems like when she’s the most happy they come and take that happiness away. When her boyfriend was killed by the shadow’s everyone believed it was her who killed him so she confessed about the shadows. When she did this everyone thought she was crazy, so in result to this they sent her to sword & cross school for the mentally insane. There she meets Daniel and her whole world gets turned upside down. To me this song explains how she feels throughout the book.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Seventeen-year-old Luce is sent to reform school after her boyfriend dies in a suspicious fire and she is blamed for his death. Being sent to new schools is nothing new to her after a lifetime of treatment and mediation for seeing "shadows," but the new school is the worst so far. At least until she crushes on a hot guy named Cam, and then falls under the spell of beautiful Daniel Grigori. Could Daniel be the love of her life? A new friend helps her spy on Daniel's past and although Daniel resists her advances at first, soon he is fighting Cam for her. Innocent students start dying, and Daniel admits that their love is not the only thing at stake. An epic battle ends the book and the true nature of many are revealed -- but enough new questions are raised to make readers anxious for the sequel.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (41 ):

There are lots of plot twists and turns to keep the action from being too predictable, and enough romance to satisfy legions of teen readers longing for their own teen angels. Who knew fallen angels could be more charming than vampires?

There are so many similarities between FALLEN and Twilight in plot and characterizations, but Fallen has more strong friendships between likable girl characters, and that whole boarding school mystique going on. Luce is almost convinced that she really is mentally ill, although the shadowy beings who menace her seem so real -- and their origins are revealed in good time in a surprise twist.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the epic battle going on in and what theology the story borrows from. Do all religions believe in angels and the fallen angel story? Do all religions have a version of heaven and hell?

  • Luce was in therapy for "seeing" dark shadowy beings who threaten her. Why would doctors give her antipsychotic medications for that?

  • What makes the story of star-crossed lovers so appealing? What are your favorite love stories? Do they always end happily?

  • Disney is reportedly making this book into a movie. Who would you cast in the main roles? What parts of this nearly 500 page book would you cut to make it movie-length? What should be left in?

Book Details

  • Author: Lauren Kate
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press
  • Publication date: December 1, 2009
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
  • Number of pages: 452
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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