Torment by Lauren Kate #review

Title: Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Link

This is the second of the Fallen novels, which falls into the category of books with the “skinny chick in a prom gown” paranormal romance category. Yes, it is a pretty cover, but what you see on the front has little to do with the actual story.

We pick up the tale as Lucinda Price, Luce, is sent, to a private school for “gifted” children in California. Her boyfriend, the fallen angel Daniel, reckons this is the best way to keep her safe. We quickly establish that there’s a bunch of cursed angels known as Outcasts after Luce, and Daniel and his arch-nemesis Cam, have struck an uneasy truce to fight off the bad guys.

To give author Lauren Kate some credit, the pacing improved marginally compared to book one, but Luce, as a character, still comes across horribly self-absorbed. Perhaps one of the flaws of this story is that I simply don’t see Luce as a strong protagonist. Her achievements are pale in the face of her over-reliance on her friends to do things for her, and a lot of her behaviour is incredibly passive.
cing with

Only at the end of the novel does she act and, even then, I don’t feel there is sufficient motivation for her to behave as she does. In fact, this last act feels tacked on, and an almost forced cliff-hanger to generate excitement for the third novel in the series.

As it stands, Torment is a fair read, and at no time did I feel like hurling the book across the room, but I must wonder how much of the series’ popularity is due to all the hype surrounding it thanks to the pretty cover art and savvy marketing.