Fallen    by Lauren Kate Order:  USA  Can Delacorte, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto With Fallen, Lauren Kate has created a new type of dark fantasy series for young adults. In Fallen, you will not find any vampires, werewolves, or even faeries. I won't tell you what you will find, because that might spoil the ending. After a boy at her old prep school dies in a fire that Luce Price survives, she is in therapy for months. Therapy is not new to Luce; in fact, that was why she was sent to Dover Prep in the first place – to be near her doctor. However, this time, everyone thinks Luce set the fire. Only Luce knows what really happened, but saying the shadows did it make her sound even crazier than if she were a pyromaniac. Shortly after her seventeenth birthday, Luce is enrolled in Sword & Cross, a reform school. The campus is dismal with security features everywhere, but Luce soon ignores all that when she starts making friends ... and an enemy. She draws the attention of handsome Cam while her own interest is in gorgeous Daniel. Daniel, though, has secrets in his past. With the help of her friend Penn, Luce is determined to discover what he is hiding. Fallen starts off a little slowly, but it quickly picks up speed, keeping readers in its grasp until the very end, and leaving them breathless for more. The story is haunting and tense, full of mystery and deception. The characters themselves are unique and very real, coming alive on the page. Luce's best friend Penn, though, was my favorite as she uses her position and good-girl reputation to become quite the detective. Anyone who is looking for something different from the typical YA dark fantasy fare needs to pick up Fallen. Lauren Kate has a winner on her hands with this start to what promises to be a dark, exciting series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews