Review: Character Evolution Through Time With “Passion” (Fallen #3)

Cynthia Ayala ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer 

Author: Lauren Kate

Published: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Series:  Fallen (Book #3)

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Lucinda Price loves Daniel Grigori with all her heart and would die for him.  This is not new, and that is the problem.  Since the beginning of time, and Daniel’s fall as an angel, their souls have found each other again and again, but each time, their meetings end the same: with Lucinda dead and Daniel heartbroken.   But this time, things have been different, and Lucinda seeks to unlock the past and the curse that keeps her from living.  However, for Lucinda, there is more to her quest.  She seeks understanding, and answers to why they find each other, what pulls them together, and why she and Daniel were cursed to begin with.  But there are those who want to capture Lucinda before she travels too far into the past and risk a butterfly effect that could destroy them all.  And with new players of darkness entering the folds, Lucinda realizes that it’s her soul that could save or undo everything.

The third novel in the Fallen series written by Lauren Kate, Passion finally brings back the spark that was lacking in Torment (Fallen, #2) by weaving such themes as Angelic Mythology and Fantasy to create a captivating paranormal romance young adult novel.

Published on May 8, 2012 by Delacorte Press, Passion picks up where the last book left off: Lucida is traveling through Announcers, shadows that watch and capture life like a camera.  However, for Lucinda, they serve as portals through time.  Her goal is to discover the ins and outs of the curse that keeps her from Daniel and life.

This book was incredibly more interesting than the last one. This is because Lucinda is traveling through time, discovering more about her past lives, her families, and her deaths.  What was so off-putting in the last book was the love between Lucinda and Daniel.  The first book shows readers how they found each other and sets up the premise that their love is supposed to be this powerful theme to drive the story.  However, in Torment all Daniel did was keep secret after secret from her and treat her like a china doll, which effectively turned her character into this sniveling, brokenhearted girl.  All the passion was gone, but like the title suggests, it has returned.

Through Lucinda’s passage through time, readers see her growth as she seeks to understand the love her and Daniel have for each other.  The same goes for the chapters that follow Daniel around as he chases after Lucinda.  Readers are given details and scene specifics that allow them to attach to the characters as the pain and love jumps off the pages.  Readers are sympathetic and grow to care for these characters as they experience each tragic death that Lucinda goes through.  Through these experiences, Lucinda has regained her strength and Daniel has regained his, finally providing these characters room to grow.

In addition, that character growth coincides with the growth of the story.  The time traveling aspects allow Lucinda to evaluate her decisions that would otherwise be reckless.  While she’s still reckless, it’s not the level of reckless that borders on stupidity, which no reader enjoys reading.  She’s not doing stupid things in this novel or being annoying; Kate has finally begun to turn her into a well-rounded character as she moves through the story.  That goes for Daniel as well.  Lauren Kate made a good choice in giving Daniel his own perspective because, as stated above, readers can finally understand and feel for his character.

As for the detail and scene specifics throughout the novel, Kate did not miss a beat.  Her descriptions of the different eras were spot on, from Russia to London, and ancient Jerusalem and Mayan empire.  They were brilliantly showcased, vivid in the mind and so beautiful that they will captivate readers all on their own.  The readers and fans of the series can truly appreciate this novel. ★★★☆☆ (B+)