Common Sense Media Review
Fallen angels are the new, more charming vampires.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 39 kid reviews
Kids say the book received mixed reviews, with some praising its engaging mix of fantasy and romance, while others criticized it for promoting negative themes about relationships and religion. Readers noted strong characters and a captivating plot, but many pointed out issues such as predictability, unnecessary violence, and poor role models, leading to a recommendation mostly for teens who enjoy darker romantic stories.
- mixed reviews
- negative themes
- engaging characters
- dark romance
- predictability
- teen audience
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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?
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 :
- 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 : October 9, 2025
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