Began reading: 23.7.2017
Completed reading: 31.7.2017
Overall rating: 3 stars
The sky is dark with wings...
And time is running out for Luce and Daniel.
In order to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the Fall began. Only Luce can break the curse, and it is her choice alone that will decide all of their fates.
But as Dark Forces gather, great sacrifices will have to be made in this final, epic struggle...
In the fight for Luce, and for love, who will win?
Rapture by Lauren Kate is a fictional young adult novel that contains fantasy, paranormal and romance themes. I have been so busy this week, so it took me a little longer than expected to finish. It was a little slow in the beginning, but I ended up enjoying it.
After exploring numerous Announcers, Luce realised that Lucifer plans to erase the world and its history to begin again. With the help of Daniel and the other fallen angels, Luce will have to travel across countries within nine days to locate three relics that will show them where the angels fell at the beginning of time. The race against time becomes more of a struggle when Luce crosses paths with the wrathful Miss Sophia, who has captured three angels. Death will teach Luce about herself and those close to her – but when Luce realises her true self and her conflicted past, she will be forced to admit that the boy she thought she’d always loved had not always been the one who possessed her heart. As the angels come together to end Lucifer’s plans once and for all, Luce will have to choose between a paradise she once knew and knowing a love like no other.
As expected, this book was well-written, if a little slow-paced in the first half of the narrative. I wanted to get through this book as quickly as possible because: 1) it’s a library book and I have heaps of other books to get through, and 2) I want to get through this series because Luce is getting on my nerves. Unfortunately, the pace really dragged me down. Anyway, the use of literary techniques was consistent with the previous novels in the series and one of the reasons why I enjoyed Kate’s writing style. There were also some great quotes in this book, including:
‘The past is important for all the information and wisdom it holds. But you can get lost in it. You’ve got to learn to keep the knowledge of the past with you as you pursue the present’ (p. 120).
‘You said a curse is only a curse if I allowed myself to be cursed by it. You said… I had it in my power to free myself of any curse – that curses were preludes to blessings…’ (p. 233).
Why did something dear have to die so other dear things could live? Didn’t whoever made these rules think they deserved an explanation? It was like Abraham’s being asked to sacrifice Isaac. Had God created love to make pain feel even worse? (p. 331).
‘Mortality is the most romantic story ever told. Just one chance to do everything you should. Then, magically, you move on’ (p. 421).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
I love an interesting plot, but it’s been a bit of a hit-and-miss situation with this series. Some of the books have had a fascinating plot that kept me hooked, whereas others have come across as cliché and predictable. Looking back on this novel, it definitely had me wanting to know how Luce and Daniel’s relationship would end. I was invested in this plot, so I’d say that I enjoyed it, especially the second half of the book. I liked the idea of having to travel and find the relics, while also struggling to rescue the fallen angels from enemies. It added suspense to the storyline, which is why I thought that it was interesting.
I had noticed that plot twists in this series have been predictable and unsurprising. I suppose that it’s probably because this tale resembled Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, but I saw so many plot twists coming. However, the plot twists in this book were unforeseen and unpredictable. I was shocked by the deaths of some special characters, as well as Luce’s secret past. It made things emotional and dramatic, suspenseful and exciting. I believe that, by now, Kate has developed and improved her writing style, particularly how to structure a plot twist. Without this improvement, the book would have most likely been dull and forgettable.
An epilogue is a perfect way to provide readers with closure, so it’s important for authors to design one that answers questions and leaves readers feeling satisfied. Fortunately, Kate managed to do this successfully, and I thought that this epilogue was the perfect way to conclude the series officially (no, I haven’t forgotten that there’s still one more novella). It paid homage to most of the characters in the series, and it was bitter-sweet for Luce and Daniel. I was satisfied with this ending, but I still have some unanswered questions about other characters which I’ll talk about in the next paragraph. I must applaud Kate on how she concluded this series because it could have been a train-wreck.
Now, let’s look at the characters – or, more specifically, the secondary characters. I have been looking forward to getting into this book since I finished Torment because Francesca and Steven are my faves! I was glad to see old characters making a final return in this novel, but there were some that weren’t even mentioned. Jasmine and Dawn, Luce’s friends from Shoreline, weren’t brought up which I thought was odd. While at Shoreline, Dawn was kidnapped by Outcasts and almost killed. The last we heard from her, she was leaving to spend Thanksgiving with Jasmine. What happened to these two? Also, Luce recovered pretty quickly after murdering someone, which is even weirder! She had a moment of grief for this lost character, but moved on almost immediately. This character was essentially forgotten, along with Jasmine and Dawn, which made things seem unrealistic. Note to writers: don’t forget about your secondary characters – even a brief sentence can provide readers with closure.
Another issue that I had with this book was the lack of a significant climax. A peak in a story is extremely important in a book’s structure, so an anti-climactic ending ruins the narrative. A story builds up to a major event or climax, so leaving it out of a novel can disappoint readers. In this book, the peak of the plot wasn’t as exciting as it should have been. In my opinion, it felt insignificant in comparison to other events in the series, so I was left feeling a little dejected. I’m hoping that Kate has worked on this since this book because it was an issue in a previous novel too.
My favourite character was Dee because she was friendly, wise, courageous and honest. Maybe it was because of her relation to another character, but I didn’t fully trust her until she revealed her fate. She was an interesting character, which was why I grew to like her so quickly.
Like I mentioned earlier, I had a few unanswered questions. One of them was: what happened to Luce’s parents and Callie when Luce didn’t return? I have tried to process it but it doesn’t make sense. Also, I know that character deaths are important for a good book, but why did the three characters have to die? I was shocked that Kate would kill them off, but this character had a special place in my heart! They were too beautiful to be killed! They deserved better! Excuse me while I go and sob in the corner.
My favourite part of the novel was when Luce discovered her past because it was unexpected and interesting. I didn’t suspect that Luce had any lives prior to those that were explored in Passion, so this twist took me by surprise. It added extra drama to the already suspenseful plot, so I was getting my fill of excitement.
Recommendation time! If you like the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, The Hollow series by Jessica Verday, and the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Fallen, the Twilight series, Lucifer tv series, The Vampire Diaries tv series, and Tuck Everlasting.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the Fallen series, including Unforgiven. Keep an eye out for that!
My reviews for Fallen, Torment, Passion and Fallen In Love can be found by clicking on the titles.
Happy reading!
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