If you're okay with reading page after page about a pining teen girl... 
 I know I shouldn't, but I kind of liked Fallen in a strange can't-look-away-but-I-know-I-should way. The book is riddled with problems--the plot never really goes anywhere and it turns out to be page after page of a teen girl pining for the "hot-cold-hot-cold" guy (why are there so many of these obnoxious guys in teen literature these days?)--but I found myself devouring Fallen in one sitting. I can't even explain why I'm giving it three stars (because there are so many reasons why it was terrible) except to say that at the end, I felt interested enough to want to read the sequel. I give Lauren Kate credit for an amazing prologue--it had me HOOKED!--and then I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to see what would happen between Luce and Daniel. And then, as I read, I met Cam, and he ended up being the most intriguing character in the book. He was charismatic and charming, and he genuinely seemed to care about Luce. I found myself cheering for him and thinking Luce should just quit her stalker-like obsession with "I'm pretending I hate you but I love you" Daniel and get to know Cam instead! I think Cam's what kept me reading--you know from the prologue that he's probably not going to end up with Luce, but he was by far the most captivating character. 
 Fallen has a lot of issues--it's a whole lot of teen girl angst and boy obsession, and that's pretty much what happens for 3/4 of the book. If you're looking for a strong plot with lots of action, this isn't the book for you. Read this only if you're okay with a lot of "Does he like me? Does HE like me? He hates me but I love him anyway. I know he's being a jerk to me, but for some reason I can't explain, I just know we're soulmates." Lather, rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat. Luce is pretty weak and love obsessed in the mold of a lot of today's teen heroines (and again in the mold of the previously mentioned heroines, you're left wondering, "Why are all of these guys crazy about her???") but I couldn't stop reading. I am a sucker for a good boarding school setting, but I couldn't figure out WHY these angels were all hanging out at dumpy reform school in the middle of nowhere. Lauren Kate also keeps most the secrets safely guarded, so you're still a little lost at the end about why exactly Luce is so important and how this whole mess got started in the first place, but again, I kept reading. (Do you see a pattern here? I was HOOKED! I'm not sure why--it defies explanation!) 
 I put off reading Fallen for a long time because of the mixed reviews, but I finally couldn't pass up such a beautiful cover. Do I get all of the negative reviews? Yes! I agree with all of their points regarding the many issues with this book...but again, I kept devouring page after page. It was like bingeing on mint M&M's and knowing it's not good for me but I couldn't stop.