The Ninja Reader

You've gotta be kidding me!Let me preface this review by saying I did not go about reading this book expecting greatness. In fact, I didn't expect anything from it, other than the possibility of seeing Daniel in thighs (that, sadly, never happened). However, Torment offered me a glimpse of a Luce that could be an amazing character, when she wanted to be, and I figured that if she spent a whole book away from Daniel, there was a chance that she would evolve into a kickass heroine. You should admire my optimism, 'cause I'm modest like that.My plans for world domination aside, this book was... ugh. It's not a noun, I know. More like the transcription of a sigh of exasperation. But really, that's what I thought while reading Luce's blundering in the past, trying to understand the curse better and failing miserably at developing as a character.I think the whole 'one step forward, two steps back' describes the characterization of Luce in these series. If we are to believe the whole 'you must read the whole series to understand the awesome' philosophy, Luce doesn't help the case. She started off in Fallen as a girl who has lived through something horrible, slightly shy but not without hope, who likes vintage movies. Not great, but certainly a good starting point. She quickly devolves as soon as she meets Daniel, and her obsession with him starts to border on psychotic - forgetting herself when he spoke to other people, stalking him, even stopping in the middle of grieving for a dead classmate (who died while they were trying to get out of a burning building together) only to fly into a jealous rage because, you guessed it, Daniel was in the same room as another girl. In Torment she tried breaking free from the habit, dying her hair, partying, diving off a boat to save a drowning classmate, but whenever she showed any kind of individuality or free will, Daniel pitches a hissy fit that could make a soap opera star roll her eyes.So, as you might imagine, I was looking forward to seeing how Luce would do WITHOUT Daniel PMS-ing in her neck. I shouldn't have raised my hopes, because Luce apparently wants Daniel hovering over her shoulder, being a possessive jerk and acting like a knight in shiny armor (or an idiot in tinfoil), only without the minor inconvenience of her bursting into flames.This book didn't enrage me in the way Halo did, because quite frankly, the writing was good, and while Luce is annoying, her Mary-Sue-ness isn't shoved in our faces in the way Bethany's is. Still, in terms of plot and story-worthy problem, these two books are pretty much on the same boat. Luce's big questions were: "Does Daniel really love me?" "Why does Daniel love me?" "How much does Daniel love me?" and "Is Daniel's curse worse than mine?" As far as I'm concerned, the whole point of the exercise was to prove that instalove is the best of the best and that's that.Speaking of which, I have a feeling Lauren Kate has been reading up on the reviews of her books, because the instalove isn't the only thing that gets defended in this book. A lot of obvious plotholes from the previous two books have been adressed, such as "Why does Daniel just NOT kiss Luce, and stop her from dying?" or "What happens if Luce was born to a non-Christian, non-white and non-middle class family? How does the whole baptism-soul saving deal work?"As it turns out Luce was not always white, and she was not always converted in the Christian religion to reincarnate. However, if we assume the Christian religion is the default and that everything that happened in the Bible happened (and the book does), then Luce has her work cut out for her. It's been a while since I read my Dante, but as I recall, there's a special place reserved for heretics in Hell. Quite honestly, I think there should be a circle reserved for TSTL heroines as well, since Luce doesn't seem to have learned anything in the past two books. Get this: She meets Bill, who tells her he's a sort of a guide, who demonstrates that he can turn into whomever he want, and who never shows himself to immortals. Not once does she become suspicious of him, or question his motives - she completely and utterly trusts him! After the deceptively harmless Miss Sophia brutally murders her handy geeky sidekick friend Pen! Then again, Luce has proven again and again that she doesn't see past her own nose, so why am I surprised at her short-sightedness?Cam actually turns into the most sympathetic character in this book, but the whole story of him turning evil just... fells wrong. The conflict is just so artificial and fake and over the top, it's ridiculous. Moreover, it was comepletely useless to the plot, so... tough luck, Cam, you're just not meant to find happiness.I don't know what is worse: the characterisation in this book, or its messages about love. According to my well-read friends here on GR, the Grigori fell because of lust, not love (seeing as I can't be bothered with reading the Bible, I rely on their opinion). God doesn't condemn love. So why is it that this book portrays selfless, passionate love as a crime against God? If you want morally ambiguous characters, they ought to do a little more than "B-grade heavy petting" (the book's own words) to invoke the wrath of the Heavens.Bottom line: This book was not a disappointment, if only because I didn't get my hopes up too much. But something is obviously wrong when you agree with a villain that is so cartoonish and bond-like he makes Miss Sophia look dignified. As far as I'm concerned, Passion was just a big pile of cotton candy - sticky and with little nutrition.