14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
One of those rare phenomena where the adaptation is better than the novel., July 13, 2011
This review is from: The Fallen (Nine Lives of Chloe King) (Paperback)
Chloe King is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She may have had extraordinary beginnings - as a Soviet baby adopted by her parents to come and live in San Francisco . . . but since that extraordinary start, Chloe has been thoroughly normal. She has her two best friends - Amy and Paul. She fights with her mum all the time. And she resents her father for walking out twelve years ago . . . she doesn't understand trig and she's desperate to work the cash register at the clothing store where she works. Totally normal.
And then Chloe fell from Coit Tower. A 210-foot drop and Chloe walked away . . . without a scratch.
Now Chloe's life is venturing into the utterly bizarre. Suddenly she has super speed and cat-like abilities - including retractable claws! Chloe's previously barren love life is also suddenly exploding - there's the cute guy, Brian, who she meets at work, not to mention her super-sexy ex-Soviet classmate called Alyec.
Oh, and she's receiving crazy notes from somebody claiming to be from `The Order of the Tenth Blade'. . . not to mention a crazy, knife-wielding stalker is on her trail.
Suddenly, Chloe's life is about as far from normal as you can get.
`The Fallen' is the first book in Celia Thomson's `The Nine Lives of Chloe King' young adult supernatural series.
`Fallen' was published back in 2004, but `Nine Lives' caught my attention because of its recent TV adaptation on ABC family. I watched the first two episodes and was thoroughly impressed - even more so when I discovered it was based on a YA book series. I went into `Fallen' with lofty expectations, considering how much I've been enjoying the supernaturally tween-cool show. So I was somewhat disappointed/gobsmacked to discover that `The Nine Lives of Chloe King' is actually one of those rare bookish phenomena where the adaptation is better than the novel.
The problem I had with `The Fallen' was a serious lack of action. Chloe falls from Coit Tower very early on in the book - and it's a wonderfully gory and dramatic scene that suckers you right into the story. But after that death-defying feat, Chloe shows little reaction to the changes in her. She defeats a violent bum on the street, starts leaping tall buildings and growing claws . . . but she's really more interested in the developing romance between her two besties, Paul and Amy, and what that means for her as their third wheel.
I was quite dismayed to read so much teen melodrama in this book, which is amped-up when Chloe starts seeing two guys at the same time - sweet but mysterious Bryan, and the sexy-confident Alyec. The supernatural/fantasy element (which is so prevalent in the TV series) really takes a back-seat to Chloe's changing friendship and romantic dramas. Much to my chagrin.
It's not that the relationships and romances weren't interesting. And I was pleasantly surprised to read that Thomson's novel is more hard-edged than the strictly-PG ABC family drama. The teenagers in `Fallen' swear, and Chloe's libido is kicking in, along with all her other unique new abilities. There is potential for a complicated love triangle between Chloe, Brian and Alyec. So I did like the romance . . . but it felt like the supernatural aspect of the book was an afterthought for Thomson, sloppily explored in the last few pages.
I'm actually really impressed by the way ABC's adaptation has jumped ahead in the book series - and made the action/drama more of a focus . . . while teasingly playing with Chloe's romance. I was yearning for more action and insight into Chloe's cat-like abilities, because I know from watching the show that that's where the real interest and plot-intricacy lies.
It's a real shame that Thomson didn't make her novel more of a stellar supernatural. There are paragraphs of action brilliance, in which Chloe shows promise as a Buffy-esque heroine. Like when she faces off against a mysterious bad guy and is admirably brazen and witty, despite her fear.
I am loving the ABC adaptation of Celia Thomson's `The Nine Lives of Chloe King' series. Unfortunately, everything that I love about the show is non-existent in the book. Though this is clearly a supernatural series with a superhero-bent, our catty heroine is more interested in her love life and fractured friendships than discovering the truth behind her transformation. I will definitely keep watching the TV series, but I have little interest in reading the based-on books.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting Adventure!, June 22, 2005
This review is from: The Fallen (Nine Lives of Chloe King) (Paperback)
Just turning 16, Chole King's life changes once she falls off a 20 ft tower and doesnt die. Her body goes through some unusual changes of that of a normal teenager. She now has long sharp cat like nails and can run and jum faster than ever. But whats really get strange is the 3 new guys in her life and a stalker thats trying to kill her and shadowy figure that has the same abilities as her. Are the 3 new guy somehow connected to this stalker or this mysterious person or should she just not trust anyone? With all these crazy things going on in her life the one person in the world she has to share all of this with is too busy with her boyfriend to listen to Chloe. The ending will really surprise you and have you wanting more!
I really enjoyed reading this novel. I thought it was fun and real. I could totally connect with Chloe as feeling like an outsider. I believe its just something we all go through as part of growing up. The ending of this story really had me awed! I couldnt believe it and that it was over...well for now. Which is why I am certainly reading the next installment 'The Stolen'.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life one, October 14, 2004
This review is from: The Fallen (Nine Lives of Chloe King) (Paperback)
Sixteen-year-old Chloe King was a very normal teen girl. She kept up well in her classes, except for some occasional mischief, and generally had some issues with her mother(You know the whole teen girl and mother conflict thingy we all experience). However Chloe's life is about to change forever. The day before her sweet sixteen, Chloe and her two best friends Amy and Paul decided to ditch school so they can visit San Francisco's Coit Tower, the highest tower in the city. In a split second Chloe's life changes when she falls from the tower and hits her head, except defying all odds, she isn't dead, she lives to tell about it. Surviving such a fall is impossible for a human and Chloe soon begins to develop unusual powers. When her two best friends begin dating, Chloe feels left out and begins to have an assortment of relationships with young men who seem really interested in her, to the point of prowling. That not all of Chloe's problems, she's growing claws, ones that a cat might possess and to top it off, someone is trying to kill her, or maybe a secret organization. Can Chloe's other eight lives save her from death?
I first came to know of this series from an excerpt of the book in Francine Pascal's Fearless series. Like the Fearless series, Celia Thompson develops a character who has supernatural powers and has someone after them. A good read for fans of teen fiction for sure, but the book has its weak points. However, I can't wait to read the next one.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
