Torment by Lauren Kate

Book title:  Torment

Author: Lauren Kate

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: September 28, 2010

# in series: 2 of 4

Rating: Good - It's still a bit slow as there is a whole slew of new characters to introduce.

After the dramatic events of Fallen, Cam and Daniel make a truce to protect Luce from the Outcasts. Luce is hidden at Shoreline, a school where both human and Nephilim attend. Luce finds out more about her past lives with the help of two Nephilim friends: Shelby, Luce's roommate, and Miles, whose affection for Luce causes her to doubt her relationship with Daniel. Daniel will do anything to protect her, which includes forcing her to stay at Shoreline to keep Luce safe. Discovering some of her past lives, Luce realizes how their love hurt the thousands of families she once lived with. During her time in Shoreline, Luce's division between angels and demons becomes blurry when she discovers that Daniel and Cam are fighting side by side. At times, Daniel visits her to try and make her feel happier about her situation. She then finds out he had a fling with Shelby many years ago. At one time, when Daniel comes to visit her, he sees Miles kiss Luce on a window sill. She finds out that not only the Elders want her, but that the Outcasts - beings who are neither angels nor demons - want to capture her. Luce's parents have a Thanksgiving party, and when her parents go out the Outcasts arrive in Luce's backyard to fight the angels. Luce finds out that Miles has feelings for her, as he can replicate a person, but only if he loves them. Luce is stressed from the violence and decides to find out more about her past lives by jumping through one of the shadows, leaving her friends behind.

I found this one an easier read. You already knew what was going on and you were clued in to a little more than Luce was. You learn early on that there is a truce and that Cam and the other demons aren't the threat at the moment, though you don't know who the actual threat is until later on in the books. There still has to be some mystery.

I did find this book to be a little more on the slow side, however, because Luce was in a completely new school and there were quite a few new characters to introduce, and a whole new species, the Nephilim.

Luce naturally doesn't like being told what to do without answers as to why she's being told this, so putting her at a safe school ends up not doing a whole lot of good--not to mention there turns out to be a spy in the school!

This book celebrates Thanksgiving, and the dinner is actually kinda amusing until it turns dangerous. You do finally meet Callie, which is something I liked. I kinda pegged her as being one of the characters the main character always talks about but is never there, especially since she's not involved in the crazy world of the fallen angels and the nephilim. At least... not yet.

This book ends with Luce still being confused and running off into the past, so that tells me that Passion should at least provide some interesting storylines.

I'm giving this book a rating of good. It's a little faster pace than Fallen, but introducing all of the new characters pushed it almost back to first book status. It still left a little to be desired, but was still an interesting enough read.