Review: Torment

Torment by Lauren Kate
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, this book actually isn't much different from its predecessor. In many ways, it's a rehash of Book 1, right down to Luce finding herself being moved to a new boarding school in a different part of the country (I was happy to see it being Northern California, though), meeting some quirky new classmates, developing feelings for a handsome new boy, and ultimately a wild and crazy finale that manages to validate the slow-moving four hundred or so pages that precede it.

The major difference for this one, though, is that we're meant to already be fully aware of the presence of various classes of angels (fallen, Outcast, Nephilim) and demons without the online blurb spoiling the hell out of it. So this time, Luce is put in a school full of Nephilim (not to be confused with Cassie Clare's deadly, awesome Shadowhunters), and with Daniel largely out of the picture, she's able to discover things she doesn't know about him. And, even better, the new boy she develops feelings for has more of a personality - and is less perfect, because he's got only the barest hint of angel blood. (Yeah, I'm shipping Miles and Luce now. Shoot me.) And the best part for me is the way this new school of Luce's works. Shoreline is similar to Balthazar from my own Red Rain books in a number of ways - most notably the NorCal setting, the relatively down-to-earth teenage angels (or partial angels, anyway) with very human troubles, and the less restrictive environment compared to your typical boarding school.

So, while this book doesn't bring much to the table, it brings enough to keep me interested. Next up - Passion. :)

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