Review: Unforgiven - Lauren Kate

Unforgiven by Lauren Kate, published by Corgi on 12th November 2015

Goodreads synopsis:
High school can be hell.

Cam knows what it’s like to be haunted. He’s spent more time in Hell than any angel ever should. And his freshest Hell is high school, where Lilith, the girl he can’t stop loving, is serving out a punishment for his crimes.

Cam made a bet with Lucifer: he has fifteen days to convince the only girl who really matters to him to love him again. If he succeeds, Lilith will be allowed back into the world, and they can live their lives together. But if he fails…there’s a special place in Hell just for him.

Review:
This is the book that all Cam fans will have been waiting for.  If you love a bad boy then Cam will have definitely caught your eye from his frequent appearances in the Fallen novels.  While the latter books were focused on the eternal love affair between Luce and Daniel, Cam was the mysterious angel with a secret heartbreak that I wanted to see more of.  He was always there in the background, although the details of his story were never revealed.  Until now.  Finally, Cam's story is unravelled in the brilliant 'Unforgiven'.

Cam and Lilith's past is gradually revealed in a series of flashbacks, while in the present he has to try and rescue Lilith from an eternal hell that she has been trapped in since they last parted.  I really enjoyed the plot of 'Unforgiven'.  It was well paced, the story kept me gripped and intrigued and I couldn't wait to see if Cam was going to win back the heart of the only girl he had ever loved.  I was also interested to see what had really happened when the two were torn apart. 

It was lovely getting to see Cam in an entirely new light.  A softer, more gentle side to him was revealed and one where he is selfless and interested only in helping Lilith, even if it means sacrificing himself.  I loved Cam and I really liked Lilith too.  I think I appreciated them as a couple, even more than Luce and Daniel.  Although Lilith is trapped in hell, I enjoyed seeing her beginning to open up and embrace her love of music which in turn leads to her opening herself to Cam and letting him back into her life and her heart.

I have had a bumpy relationship with Lauren Kate's Teardrop saga but she has a definite winner with this book.  It was fabulous and Fallen fans should definitely go out and get their hands on a copy.  You won't be disappointed!   

Review: Waterfall - Lauren Kate

Waterfall by Lauren Kate, published by Doubleday on 6th November 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Eureka's tears have flooded the earth and now Atlantis is rising, along with its evil king, Atlas. Eureka is the only one who can stop him – but first she must learn how to fight.

She travels across the ocean with Ander to try and make sense of the dark world her sorrow has created. But dark secrets are hidden in the depths – will she be strong enough to defeat Atlas, or is her broken heart just what he needs to power his rising kingdom?

Eureka has the chance to save the world. But she'll have to give up on everything – even love . .

Review:
This is the second book in the series following last year's opening instalment 'Teardrop'.  I have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book.  I got quite confused about what was going on, particularly in the second half of the story and I found the pace very slow.  I put this one down and picked it up again several times before I actually managed to finish the whole thing.  I am disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading it and had such high hopes about it that I felt very flat by the time I got to the final page. 

Eureka has caused the earth to flood and now has to deal with the consequences.  People have died, those closest to her are in danger and her love for Anders and best friend Brooks lies in the balance.  As Atlantis begins to rise and the evil Atlas threatens everything she holds dear, Eureka begins to discover some difficult truths about her past and future. 

I thought that at times, Eureka seemed like a very different character in 'Waterfall'.  She's been through so much and learnt so much about herself and I understand that this would change a person but I didn't always recognise the person that she ended up becoming.  She was tougher but her human side was less evident.  I also didn't feel the romance between Eureka and Anders this time around, even though I thought this was going to be developed in a really positive way.  The bond between them is still strong but I didn't believe in it quite as much, so I wasn't as connected with them as a couple.

I do think that Lauren Kate writes beautifully and I always adore the mythological aspects of her stories.  I enjoyed finding out more about the Seedbearers and the world of Atlantis but this wasn't enough to keep my attention firmly rooted on the characters' struggles. 

I will be continuing with this series because I think that Lauren Kate may still knock it out of the park with a killer conclusion.     

Review: Teardrop - Lauren Kate

Teardrop by Lauren Kate, published by Doubleday Children's Books on 24th October 2013

Goodreads synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean.

And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don't make sense.

Can everything you love be washed away?

Review:
'Teardrop' is the first book in Lauren Kate's new series.  After the huge success of her Fallen series it has high expectations resting on it's shoulders.  The cover is absolutely stunning!  All the artwork for Lauren's books have been amazing so far but this one is achingly gorgeous.  There's no way that you could resist picking this off the shelf. 

I loved the whole concept for the book which is unique and original.  The way in which Lauren Kate has combined elements of mythology with a modern day story is extremely clever and I thought the idea that Atlantis could be raised again by one girl's tears was brilliant.  Although I did think it was very slow at the start, it really picked up at the half-way point and from then on I was hooked.  If you find the same as me at the start and your attention wanders a bit, then I would strongly suggest you stick with it because the plot totally sucked me in during the latter half of the book. 

I wasn't hugely keen on the main character Eureka but she grew on me throughout.  A large part of the book deals with her grief about her mother's death, but things get a lot more interesting when she discovers that her mother Diana was keeping some pretty major secrets which she begins to unravel with the help of the mysterious Anders.  Eureka is strangely drawn to Anders who I liked immediately.  I do hope there's more romance between the two of them in further instalments of the series because I thought it was a little lacking at times. 

The ending was fantastic and I have a feeling that although 'Teardrop' may have been a bit of a slow burner, the rest of the series will be amazing.  I can't wait to see how Lauren Kate will transition the story into a more mythological realm and how she will take the characters down their new future paths.

Cover reveal: Teardrop - Lauren Kate

I'm a huge Lauren Kate fan so I was very excited to hear about her new book, 'Teardrop' which will be published in the UK in October.  Here's the absolutely beautiful cover which has to be one of the prettiest that I've seen lately.  I can't wait to get my hands on this one!  

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.

Cover reveal: Fallen in Love and Rapture - Lauren Kate

Here's the beautiful final cover art for Lauren Kate's two new books, due to be published in 2012.  I have completely fallen in love with both of these and I can't wait to get my hands on them and see them prettying up my bookcases!

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's 'Fallen in Love' is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

The last installment of the Fallen series.  Will Luce and Daniel get their happy ever after?

News: Fallen in Love - Lauren Kate

Exciting news for all those fans of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate.  Pencil this date into your diaries now! 

Random House Children’s Books will publish an original novel by Lauren Kate that is connected to her internationally bestselling series, Fallen. The novel, 'Fallen in Love' will be released in the UK on 2nd February 2012  It's a collection of four intertwined love stories featuring the Fallen characters that fans have grown to know and love: Miles, Shelby, Roland, Arriane, and Luce & Daniel.

Following on from this, the final novel in the series, 'Rapture', will be released in the UK in June 2012, concluding an incredible series which has really captivated readers all around the world.

I was thrilled to find out about this new title from Lauren Kate.  I'm not usually a big fan of short stories but I'll definitely be making an exception for this one.