Torment

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 6 SEPT 2010

In Kate's sequel to Fallen, fallen angel Daniel has negotiated an 18-day truce with demonic Cam, during which time they will keep his one true love, 17-year-old Luce, safe from the Outcasts, "spineless, waffling angels, shunned by both Heaven and Hell," who are after her. Daniel sends Luce to Shoreline, a Northern California prep school for angel-descended Nephilim. The change is stressful for her because she is there alone and because she is seen as a "legendary freak" by some students for her famous doomed relationship with Daniel, which has unfolded tragically over several lifetimes. Uncovering details from her past lives and meeting charmingly normal Miles, Luce begins to have doubts about Daniel. Equal parts romance and thriller, this sequel can be both schmaltzy ("There was no darkness, no more cold, just the lovely sensation of being bathed in his violet glow. Even the rush of the ocean was canceled out by a soft hum, the energy Daniel carried in his body") and frequently suspenseful. The open-ended finale paves the way for a third book. Ages 12 up.