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A review by gabyijo
Rapture by Lauren Kate
4.0
First I want to say that the blurb is totally misleading. Yes, Luce MIGHT be meant for another guy, but that's not the whole point of the story; the main plot of the book is about Luce and the angels preventing Lucifer from repeating The Fall so that the seven million years that they've been through wouldn't be wiped out.
Okay, so I think the characters don't change at all. Luce and Daniel is still the most boring fictional couple who exists and the other angels and Nephilims are pretty much the same, no growth and all. The most important thing about characters that troubles me the most (and probably the number one reason why I took out one star from the rating) is the lack of Cam's story. Why does Cam, one of the most important characters in the series, has SO LITTLE significance in this story? Cam is the only character who is different, who has a unique quality, plus he is one of the first characters to be introduced, but why is he put into such a small importance? I think Cam's character is equivalent to Puck from "The Iron King," or to Simon from "The Mortal Instruments" because Cam was THAT important in the beginning of the series. But he’s that meaningless in this fourth book until I think it will make no difference if he is not mentioned at all. And it is never explained why Luce cares for Cam so much other than the vague reason that “they used to be BFFs.” There are no examples of Luce’s and Cam’s friendship to prove their unconditional care for each other, except for Luce’s foolishness in preventing Cam’s demise that leads to two fallen angels’ deaths. And still I can’t reason out WHY she does that if the only explanation why is because They. Were. Frigging. Best. Friends. Before. I thought there will be some scenes where Luce and Cam can talk freely about their past, to show how they really were in the past, but no, nothing like that. This isn't even the worst part because the worst part is in the ending. Cam just flies away and no one knows (or even cares) where he goes and for how long. When Shelby starts to ask where Cam is, no one answers!
As for the story, I think it is the best of the series because even though it lacks suspense, Lauren Kate has successfully created a beautifully written narrative of Luce's and Daniel's journey to obtain the location of The Fall, and finally, the truth behind everything. I love how the author depicts the timequakes, especially when she says it feels like air molecules split in half, and how she portrays the angels’ physical features as radiant. Though some of the beginning chapters are kind of monotone in the sense that it lacks action, the later chapters are great, especially during the scene when the angels have to fight off The Scale. I think that’s the best action scene in the book because it made me quite agitated for a little while. However, I am quite disappointed to find out that it is the only battle story in the novel. The “war” mentioned a couple of times that I was craving for the whole time is never there. Even the breaking of the curse, which should actually be the climax of the series, seems too easy for me. So much for letting my hopes up…
The ending, though bittersweet, is beautiful. I love the message of this book, that everything, even love, has a cost and sometimes it is not an easy cost. But the last chapter, right before the epilogue, bored me to death because Luce and Daniel are so dull and boring. I think their scenes are less mundane only when their fellow angels and demons are around, which they aren't. And I don’t even see any sparks of passionate love between the two starcrossed lovers, I just see mindless decisions. Rapture is a novel about love. A novel about how two lovers want to break their curse in order to be with each other, but why is there no chemistry between them? And at first I can’t help wondering why Daniel could soar above the clouds with Luce without worrying about the low oxygen partial pressure that is able to cause human deaths due to lack of oxygen, or why he could dive deep in the ocean with her having no concern of the high pressure that might wreck her internal organs (sorry, I’m a science major, I can’t help thinking this way). Although almost everything is resolved, I think the author should mention these biological details because there is one aspect of it that is described: Luce’s need for oxygen underwater. If one is mentioned, at least the others shouldn't be left out, correct?
Overall, even though I have quite a lot of childish rantings and disappointments, I think this book still deserves four stars because I think the whole concept of angel rankings and tipping the scales and the idea of the story altogether are brilliant. Though some descriptions are too elaborate they are engagingly and beautifully written. I really wish I can get a glimpse of the Cam’s angel wings and Daniel’s violet eyes.
Okay, so I think the characters don't change at all. Luce and Daniel is still the most boring fictional couple who exists and the other angels and Nephilims are pretty much the same, no growth and all. The most important thing about characters that troubles me the most (and probably the number one reason why I took out one star from the rating) is the lack of Cam's story. Why does Cam, one of the most important characters in the series, has SO LITTLE significance in this story? Cam is the only character who is different, who has a unique quality, plus he is one of the first characters to be introduced, but why is he put into such a small importance? I think Cam's character is equivalent to Puck from "The Iron King," or to Simon from "The Mortal Instruments" because Cam was THAT important in the beginning of the series. But he’s that meaningless in this fourth book until I think it will make no difference if he is not mentioned at all. And it is never explained why Luce cares for Cam so much other than the vague reason that “they used to be BFFs.” There are no examples of Luce’s and Cam’s friendship to prove their unconditional care for each other, except for Luce’s foolishness in preventing Cam’s demise that leads to two fallen angels’ deaths. And still I can’t reason out WHY she does that if the only explanation why is because They. Were. Frigging. Best. Friends. Before. I thought there will be some scenes where Luce and Cam can talk freely about their past, to show how they really were in the past, but no, nothing like that. This isn't even the worst part because the worst part is in the ending. Cam just flies away and no one knows (or even cares) where he goes and for how long. When Shelby starts to ask where Cam is, no one answers!
As for the story, I think it is the best of the series because even though it lacks suspense, Lauren Kate has successfully created a beautifully written narrative of Luce's and Daniel's journey to obtain the location of The Fall, and finally, the truth behind everything. I love how the author depicts the timequakes, especially when she says it feels like air molecules split in half, and how she portrays the angels’ physical features as radiant. Though some of the beginning chapters are kind of monotone in the sense that it lacks action, the later chapters are great, especially during the scene when the angels have to fight off The Scale. I think that’s the best action scene in the book because it made me quite agitated for a little while. However, I am quite disappointed to find out that it is the only battle story in the novel. The “war” mentioned a couple of times that I was craving for the whole time is never there. Even the breaking of the curse, which should actually be the climax of the series, seems too easy for me. So much for letting my hopes up…
The ending, though bittersweet, is beautiful. I love the message of this book, that everything, even love, has a cost and sometimes it is not an easy cost. But the last chapter, right before the epilogue, bored me to death because Luce and Daniel are so dull and boring. I think their scenes are less mundane only when their fellow angels and demons are around, which they aren't. And I don’t even see any sparks of passionate love between the two starcrossed lovers, I just see mindless decisions. Rapture is a novel about love. A novel about how two lovers want to break their curse in order to be with each other, but why is there no chemistry between them? And at first I can’t help wondering why Daniel could soar above the clouds with Luce without worrying about the low oxygen partial pressure that is able to cause human deaths due to lack of oxygen, or why he could dive deep in the ocean with her having no concern of the high pressure that might wreck her internal organs (sorry, I’m a science major, I can’t help thinking this way). Although almost everything is resolved, I think the author should mention these biological details because there is one aspect of it that is described: Luce’s need for oxygen underwater. If one is mentioned, at least the others shouldn't be left out, correct?
Overall, even though I have quite a lot of childish rantings and disappointments, I think this book still deserves four stars because I think the whole concept of angel rankings and tipping the scales and the idea of the story altogether are brilliant. Though some descriptions are too elaborate they are engagingly and beautifully written. I really wish I can get a glimpse of the Cam’s angel wings and Daniel’s violet eyes.