Passion

Lauren Kate

Random House

Otago Daily Times, July 23rd 2011

At first glance, Lauren Kate’s Passion fits perfectly into a genre for which I have little time and even less patience: Single-word title, gothically beautiful woman emblazoned on the front, font that fits just 10 words per line and a tag-line describing it as a ‘pulsating thriller with streaks of passionate romance.’ Oh, and did I mention that the Fallen series, of which it is the penultimate volume, is being marketed as the next Twilight (with a Disney movie to follow)? I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find the novel features both an interesting plot and comparatively hyperbole-free writing style.

Central to the story is Daniel (one of seven fallen angels who hold the balance of power between Heaven and Hell) and the mortal Lucinda (Luce for short just in case you missed the symbolic significance). Perfect soul mates, they are fated to be forever separated by love; the mortal Luce consumed by Daniel’s immortal passion and reincarnated only to die in his arms once more.  Only now the pattern has shifted, and Luce has discovered a way to travel back through her past lives. Determined to understand and undo the curse, she travels further and further into the past in search of clues, pursued both by Daniel, terrified he will lose her forever, and other forces terrified she will succeed.

While I don’t think I will bother with the rest of the series, it was an entertaining diversion and I think that fans of supernatural affaires-de-cœur will be well satisfied.

 https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/angels-and-allegory