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This Review Contains Spoilers

My big gripe about this story was Luce, the main character. She was nothing more than a pretty little piece of flotsam being pushed to and fro on the waves by the people who surrounded her. She seemed to have absolutely no choice about anything--it all just to happen to her. She never asserted herself other than resorting to stalking the amazingly beautiful, but really mean Daniel she couldn't get out of her head. You don't even really know much about her, other than sketchy details of the unfortunate accident that landed her in reform school. It isn't until page 326 of this 452 page book that we finally learn Luce is actually smart; that she knows Latin and French and won the science fair 3 years in a row and attended a super exclusive prep school and could do the sunday cross-word in under an hour. This is the kind of info that would have endeared me to Luce, but by the time it finally surfaces, I'd already lost interest in her.

And Daniel! Daniel! What does he see in Luce? He and others keep saying she is "too good" for this person, or "too good" for anyone. Really? Really? I don't see it. Luce's only redeeming quality was that she was a somewhat loyal friend when it was convenient for her.

Luce has been plagued for most of her life by dark imposing shadowy ghost like things that follow and terrify her. This seems to be a huge part of the story, but when it's finally explained by Daniel, these shadows seem to be no big deal. Nothing more than little spies that deliver messages. What? A huge part of the plot up to this point is based around these shadow things and they are summarily brushed off in a glib paragraph on 392.

The final nail in the coffin for me was the last few sentences of the book that indicate Cam and Daniel are in some kind of fight for Luce. They actually shake hands in a "may the best angel win" type of gesture. Luce is oblivious and asleep and they sit on the rafters of a cabin watching her. Eww. Again. Luce seems to be the ball in this strange game of ping pong with no will or mind of her own. Whoever wins gets to take the ball home. Again, I can't really figure out why they'd want her in the first place. Surely there must be more than one attractive, passive female in the world.

There were inconsistencies and lots of unanswered questions for me, but the big one is if Daniel is immortal, a fallen angel, and will live forever and Luce is mortal, how will he and she be together? She will eventually grow old and die and he'll stay his super-hot, 17 year old self. What's up with that? Does he bite her to make her immortal? Come on! This sounds so familiar.

The cover has a very slight resemblance to something that happens in the book, but in the story it's very clear Luce has SHORT hair, not long because it all got burned off in the fire. Bugs me with covers are misleading.

The second book in the series comes out Fall 2010 and is called Torment. I'll refrain from making a joke about the title and just say: I think I'll skip it.