Book Review: Torment 
 Torment 
 by 
 Lauren Kate 
 Also appears on My Precious Book Reivew Website: thecallawayfam.blogspot.com 
 Publisher: Ember; Reprint edition (June 14, 2011) 
 Length: Hardcover 
 Format: Listening Library Audio book 
 Source: Library2Go 
 Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance, Angels 
 Series: Book #2 in The Fallen Series 
 Completed: September 2011 
 Challenges: Show Me the Free Challenge 
 ** Spoilers for Fallen - Proceed with Caution ** 
 Summary: 
 Lucinda Price recently discovered the love of her life, Daniel Grigori, is a fallen angel. He wasn't just an ordinary angel either, he was an angel in a very prestigious position. That was until he fell in love with her, a mortal, in some previous life. As a result of this questionably bad decision, their love has been cursed. Daniel is forbidden to tell Lucinda anything about the curse because she must discover it on her own. All Luce knows is they meet every seventeen years, fall in love and have a tragic outcome each time. This pattern repeats over and over again throughout time. 
 Temporarily, for her protection, Daniel has hidden Luce away at a prestigious school on the west coast, for Nephilim (offspring of fallen angels and humans). From what, or why Luce still doesn't have a clue. Daniel won't/can't fill her in. This irritates her. So, she certainly doesn't have a problem going to great lengths to find out what everyone is hiding. Unfortunately, her relentless quest for knowledge may prove to be far more dangerous than Luce could have fathomed, not only for herself, but also for the ones close to her heart. 
 Ramblings 
 BACKGROUND 
 This is the second novel in the Fallen series. The author Lauren Kate currently resides in Laurel Canyon with her husband. Her idea for the Fallen Series stemmed from a line in Genesis about fallen angels loving mortal women. The third book in this series Passion was published in June of 2011. The final installment Rapture is set to be released in June of 2012. 
 SETTING, PACE AND & STYLE 
 Torment takes place in another boarding school settings. This time Luce relocates to the West Coast to attend Shoreline, a prestigious school for for unusually gifted students and Nephilim. Shoreline is located in Fort Brag, on the rocky coastline of Northern California. The story picks up right where Fallen left off. So, the pacing is moderate to fast for the majority of the book with action, adventure, mystery and a small dose of drama. 
 CHARACTERS & PLOT 
 In Torment, Luce begins questioning her relationship with Daniel. In doing so she develops a welcomed independence she lacked in Fallen. I liked this aspect of Luce's character. She's much more sure of herself, no longer just blindly following whatever she is told to do. 
 Similar to Fallen, one of the first people Luce meets at Shoreline is her new roommate, Shelby. She is a little rough around the edges, being an only child, sometimes she acts a bit spoiled. Initially, she's very unwelcoming to Luce. Eventually she warms up to her and they do end up bonding, discussing boys and enjoying each others company. 
 In addition to many other classmates, Luce meets Miles, a cheerful, easy going young man who's dependable, sweet and calm. A stark contrast to Daniel, Luce's absent, fallen angel boyfriend. Miles is considered "diluted" because he has a history of angel blood in his family, but with no real powers. Throughout the story, she and Miles become quite close. Its innocent in the beginning, but definitely has potential to go somewhere. 
 Plot lines follow Luce's continued unquenchable quest for knowledge and discovery of pieces of her past lives. She yearns to know what part she plays in the angels and demons battle. 
 Recommendation: This is another great book for patient readers who enjoy mystery, paranormal romance and angel books. If you enjoyed Fallen, then definitely don't pass this one up, its even better. 
 PERSONAL NOTE 
 I enjoyed Torment more than Fallen mainly because Luce grows a backbone. She begins questioning her relationship with Daniel, wondering if its really the right thing for her. Passion is the foundation for there relationship, but she doesn't really find any other substance to it. 
 There is a small hint of a love triangle developing with the introduction of Miles. He's kind of a breath of fresh air. I admit, I did eventually grow tired of Daniel's repetitive behavior pattern. He continues to be overprotective, secretive and far too brooding for my tastes. He reminds me of a broken record, always saying the same things over and over again - enough already! So, if I have to chose guys right now, I think I'm swaying towards "Team Miles". 
 Torment is more complex than Fallen. The angle lore is further explored, but still not fully revealed. A fresh perspective is delivered in this book through Luce's new teachers Franchescha (an angel) and Steven (a demon) an unconventional couple. I really found the expansion of the Shadows and their true purpose to be fascinating. In this story the Shadows (renamed "Announcers") are no longer evil, dark or scary. Instead as Luce becomes more knowledgeable about them she uses them to help her view "glimpses" of her past lives. This element of the story introduces a bit of time travelling, which proves to be quite captivating. 
 RATING 
 I deducted one ring from my rating because the mystery part of the novel is somewhat predictable. Well, at least I was able to figure out the spy who infiltrated Shoreline far ahead of Luce or any of her friends. 
 My Rating: 4 out of 5 Rings