Book one....decent
Book two....better
Book three.....well....
I have to say that this series has been okay for me but not my favorite. The third book starts out right where we left off in Torment (Book 2) with Luce having just stepped into an Announcer. Let the road trip begin!!!
While trying to discover some crucial piece of information about the curse on her and Daniel, Luce visits numerous accounts of her past lives. We go from Prussia, to Italy, to Ancient China and back again all trying to uncover the secret of a loophole in the curse. Of course, Daniel (and the other angels and demons) are hot on her trail, trying to stop her from make a fatal mistake but they are always a step behind.
Halfway through her journey, Luce meets up with a gargoyle named Bill, who is supposed to be a Scale (someone who helps guide others through the Announcers). Luce is alone and needs help and she confides in Bill who leads her to unique stages of her past lives. He also introduces her to "3 D" which occurs when she touches one of her past selves. She can then relive the moment as if she were actually there again.
Luce finds one thing consistent through all of her experiences. Daniel loves her, through and through and it only strengthens her love for him. Daniel continues to chase her but then figures out he might be able to find a loophole in the curse himself. Off goes Daniel on his own little quest to places within his past.
After many of Luce's lives, Bill finally suggests that he knows a way for Luce to be free of the curse. She must split her soul away from herself with a starshot (the fatal immortal arrow) when she is about to die within one of her past lives. The only catch is she won't be connected to Daniel anymore. Luce contemplates this decision because of her longing to stop putting Daniel through pain when she dies over and over again throughout time but in the end she just can't bring herself to separate the love that they share.
Bill becomes furious when she fails to "separate" her soul and then shows his true form. That's right, he's the Devil in disguise (shocker). Since his plan fails, he takes Luce back in time to Heaven in the beginning of the Fall. He also deceives Daniel into being there as well. The Devil is convinced that if he relives the Fall again, this time he can turn the tide in his favor. However, he misses one crucial thing, this is the very thing that Daniel needs to create a loophole in his and Luce's curse.
Daniel pleads with God to have mercy on him and Luce, thus creating a loophole. If Luce is not in covenant with any side and chooses Daniel over everything then the curse may be broken and they can be together.
End of story, right? Guess again. Even though the curse has a loophole now, Satan's plan is still in action. The Fall is supposed to take nine days. Now the Fallen have nine days to figure out a way to defeat the Devil and change history forever. Guess we'll find out how that goes in the fourth book due in Spring of 2012.
Sooooo....as far as this particular book of the series is concerned, I wasn't really impressed. It was a little repetitive and the mushy, gooey stuff got to even me after awhile (*gasp*). Not that I don't enjoy a good romance (cause you know I do) but it was just over and over again and by the end of the book I was just ready to be done. I definitely see why the author went this way but it felt like she was dragging things out, kind of forced. I didn't even really feel like Luce learned anything huge on her journeys. So, she found out she loves Daniel and that he loves her. Didn't we already know this?
In the end, it's Daniel who creates the loophole in the curse not Luce. She doesn't even realize what is exactly killing her in each life. We get that confession when Daniel is before God.
Am I saying I didn't like the book. Well, yes and no. I didn't care for this particular book of the series but I don't dislike the series as a whole. Book two was, by far, my favorite so far. I am looking forward to the next book. I think the author created a great set up for an epic end. I just hope she lives up to the hype.
On a whole, I would label this series a filler series (in between reading when you can't find anything else). Good reading but definitely not the best. I've read far better series by far better authors (no offense intended as I respect anyone who has had as much success as Lauren Kate).
Parents, I'm kind of cautious on this kind of a series. It definitely touches the spiritual realm deeply. Make sure you are comfortable with your impressionable teenager delving into it. As for content, there are definitely kissing scenes and passion (duh) but nothing too saucy. Also there might be a few curse words involved but nothing extensive.
And that's a wrap :)
No comments:
Post a Comment