2016’s Fallen is a teen romance and fantasy movie based on the book of the same name by Lauren Kate. Fallen is currently trending on Netflix, proving that, despite its dismal reviews, the movie is very entertaining for audiences. In fact, its 7% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes stands in stark contrast to its 64% audience approval. Given that Fallen is based on a young adult fantasy book, it does make sense that the movie would draw attention. In some sense, Fallen was even supposed to be the next Twilight. The similarities between the two series are very clear, as both center on a love triangle with supernatural elements.

Fallen follows Lucinda “Luce” Price as she joins a new school and feels strangely drawn to her stand-offish classmate. As Luce gets to know the school, a rivalry for her attention grows between Cam and Daniel, but there is even more to their history than Luce realizes, as they are both fallen angels. While the movie ends with Daniel and Luce admitting their feelings, many questions remain and, unfortunately, those who only watched the movie never got to learn what happened next.

Cam & Daniel Make A Truce To Protect Luce

Her Safety Is More Important Than Their Compeтιтion For Her Affection

After Luce and Daniel finally affirm their feelings for one another at the end of Fallen, the next book in the series, Torment, complicates their relationship further. After leaving the Sword and Cross school, Luce relocates to a school in California called Shoreline. As she remains hidden there by Daniel, he and Cam come to a truce to protect Luce from other demons and the devil, who hope to use her to tip the scale between good and evil.

Cam and Daniel agree on an 18-day truce so that they can use the time while Luce is hidden to search for the demons and other beings that are coming after her. While both love interests have some problematic traits concerning their treatment of Luce, Cam actually takes on a kinder role in Torment as he cares for her more than previously. In contrast, Daniel and Luce begin to get into fights throughout Torment because she feels he is dishonest with her.

Luce Discovers Some Of Her Past Lives

The Second Book Gets More Into The Connection Between Luce & Daniel

While the first Fallen book and the movie adaptation explain Luce and Daniel’s connection and reincarnation throughout the centuries, Torment delves into this concept a lot more. Luce and Daniel have been in love throughout all of their past lives, though she can not remember them, and each time they are forced to meet and fall in love all over again. In Lauren Kate’s second book, Luce begins to learn about some of her soul’s previous incarnations, which are even further explored in later books in the series.

Beyond learning about some of her past lives throughout history, Luce also realizes the full impact that she and Daniel have on those around them. By meeting and falling in love, Luce is forced to die in every cycle and be reborn after 17 years. Luce learns that their relationship and the fact that they are pulled together every 17 years has a harmful impact on her loved ones and, more generally, hurts everyone surrounding the couple due to the demons that hunt her.

Luce Realizes That Daniel & Shelby Were Once Romantically Involved

Shelby Is A New Character Introduced In Torment

Like any good romantic fantasy book, Torment introduces new drama following the set-up of the first book. When Luce arrives at Shoreline, she quickly befriends two Nephilim students named Shelby and Miles who help her settle into the new location. While Shelby seems uneasy around Luce at first, the two gradually become closer friends. However, Luce later learns that Shelby and Daniel were romantically involved years earlier, but he never told her.

While Daniel and Shelby’s past relationship seems like something of a big reveal at the time that Luce learns about it, it ultimately ends up being less serious than she first believed. Shelby and Daniel’s dalliance was actually not long at all because Daniel was still in love with Luce’s previous incarnation and was waiting to find her again. Thus, the biggest effect the reveal has is that it furthers the divide between Luce and Daniel which grows throughout the book due to his secrecy.

Luce Gains A New Love Interest

Luce’s New Friend Miles Falls For Her

Much as Edward leaves Bella alone for the majority of New Moon, Daniel stays away from Luce a lot throughout Torment. After hiding her away at Shoreline, Daniel leaves with Cam to fight the demons who are after Luce. In his absence, Luce grows closer to Miles, whom she befriends shortly after arriving at Shoreline. As a human-angel hybrid, Miles also has the power of mirroring those that he is close with, resulting in him realizing he is in love with Luce and creating an exciting love triangle.

Luce is partially unsure of her feelings for Miles, given her relationship with Daniel. However, their feelings for each other do become more clear as the two eventually kiss, but they are seen by Daniel. While Luce and Miles are good friends and enjoy spending time together, she feels guilty about this because of her romance with Daniel. Ultimately, Miles and Luce are not a serious relationship, as Luce knows that Daniel is her only true love thanks to the reincarnation factor.

The Outcasts & Angels Fight At Luce’s House On Thanksgiving

In The Book’s Climax, The Good & Evil Characters Fight Over Luce

Leading into the climax of Torment, Luce decides to return to her parents’ house for Thanksgiving. However, while Luce’s parents are not home, the conflicting sides in the fight, the fallen angels and the outcasts, arrive there to capture Luce. Thus, Torment‘s final act makes all the differing sides in the fight and their goals clearer. While some of the characters, such as the outcasts, have less influence over divine matters, each side recognizes that Luce is the key to the Earth’s future.

While Luce’s love story with Daniel is undeniably the primary plot of the series, even more so than Fallen, Torment complicates the world in which the story takes place. In the Thanksgiving fight, it becomes clear that there is a delicate balance between the angels and demons, with each of them hoping to overpower the other, and Luce plays a critical role in that balance. If Luce decides to continue her relationship with Daniel, then the balance will remain, but if she is tempted by the demons to leave him, then the devil will win control over the Earth.

Luce Decides To Travel Through Time To Her Past Selves

The Book Ends With A Cliffhanger

Had Torment been made into a movie like Fallen, its ending would have been a similar cliffhanger, since the series was clearly planned to continue. Instead of choosing a definitive side in the fight, Luce jumps through the shadowy portals that she sees, effectively allowing her to move through time. However, she is only able to travel along her own timeline to the lives of her past selves, enabling her to learn more about her and Daniel’s previous romances.

Torment creates a great setup for the next book in the series, Pᴀssion, leaving fans wondering what will happen to the leading couple next. Luckily, this book reveals that Daniel follows her into the shadows, hoping to shield her from the trouble and pain that she will find while time-traveling. Though the Fallen book series does seem primed to be a great teen movie franchise, given its poor ratings, it is unlikely that Torment will ever be made. However, there are plenty of great teen fantasy movies to make up for Fallen‘s unrealized sequel.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes