The Fallen - Nine Lives of Chloe King Book Summary and Study Guide

Later that day, her mom is furious that Chloe was doing something as stupid as climbing Coit Tower. She doesn't seem to realize that Chloe could have actually died from what she did. Feeling really angst-y and restless, Chloe decides to go for a night walk around her neighborhood to cool off. She decides to see if she can get into a local club. At the club, she starts flirting with a hot British guy named, Xavier. She suddenly feels very bold and sensual and almost ends up sleeping with Xavier before she shakes herself out of it. At school the next day, she finds that she is suddenly full of confidence, even when the school Russian hottie, Alyec speaks to her.

That afternoon, Chloe meets a quirky guy who comes into Pateena's where she works wearing a knitted kitty hat. She's frustrated that he doesn't give her much attention since she thought he was cute. Later that day, she meets up with her best friends Amy and Paul at her surprise birthday party and learns that Amy and Paul have hooked up due to bonding over the mutual horror of Chloe's almost-death. Chloe feels like this will change the friendship dynamics and she feels like she needs to get herself a guy, too. She goes in search of Xavier and finds him cowering in his condo, swollen and covered in oozing welts and cankers from the rough scratching Chloe had given him that night at the club when they were getting hot and heavy. Chloe calls the ambulance and then waits anxiously the next few days for horrible news to surface about someone dying from a mysterious disease. Chloe has a feeling it has something to do with her.

At school, Chloe starts getting closer to Alyec and they, along with Amy and Paul decide to go clubbing together. After clubbing, Chloe makes her way home by herself. On her way home, she is accosted by one of San Francisco's many street people. A sudden rage fills her and she attacks the man viciously and ends up knocking him out pretty ruthlessly. No one seems to really take her seriously when she described what happened to her. The next day at Pateena's, she meets with the kitty cat hat wearing guy, again. He introduces himself as Brian and asks her out for coffee. After work, she finds herself running and leaping with speed and agility and joy she never felt before. The next day after work, she and meets up with Brian and they end up going to the local zoo. Brian explains that he's taking a few years off before going to college and he wants to major in zoology. They bond over mutual angst against their parents. The date ends up going very well, and Chloe is definitely intrigued by odd-ball but cute Brian.

One day, Chloe discovers a warning note in her pocket telling her that her life is in danger because the “Order of the Tenth Blade” know what she is. Chloe doesn't know whether to think of this as a joke. The next few days, Alyec begins to turn on his full charm and Chloe can't help but be seduced. Meanwhile, she's also messaging and calling Brian, who seems eager to get to know her, as well. Her mom happens to find out that Chloe is dating not just one guy – but two! She tells Chloe that she promised her father before he disappeared that she wouldn't let her date. Chloe in a fit of angst-y rage at the absurdity of such a date-less life and slams the door – only to realize that her nails had extended to look like Cat nails.

Chloe goes for a night walk in which she starts putting two and two together. Something is definitely different about her. She's gained all these weird, cat-like powers. During her night walk, she sees the silhouette of a guy on a rooftop who seems to beckon her to follow him. Together, they jump from roof to roof until Chloe loses sight of him. The next few days, Chloe becomes increasingly annoyed at her best friend Amy, who has been late to answer emails and texts and basically M.I.A. during a time in her life when she feels like she really needs someone to talk to. Chloe instead meets up with Brian and spills her guts out to him – even mentioning the weird incident at Coit Tower. He seems concerned but not surprised. At the end of the night, Chloe feels much more at ease, but when she tries to kiss Brian, he fends her off and is unable to explain why he can't kiss her, making Chloe feel frustrated.

One day, Brian catches Chloe and Alyec together. Chloe confronts Brian about their lack of physical intimacy and Brian can only walk away, hurt. The next night, she starts practicing jumping from roof to roof in her neighborhood. She is joined by a mysterious person who throws ninja stars at her. The man turns out to be dressed in a military outfit and seems bent on killing her. Chloe manages to use her cat-like reflexes to get away but now she's afraid as the man seems to think she is some sort of other-worldly creature. The next day, she receives a call from Brian asking to meet with her. When he meets with her he tells her that she should stop dating Alyec. This obviously enrages Chloe, who has had enough with all the crazy stuff that has been happening in her life, lately. She goes in search of Alyec to blow off some steam. Alyec takes her to the part of San Francisco where the old money wealthy people live – specifically to a house owned by Sergei Shaddar who is his distant relative.

The next day, Chloe feels horrible and sick. After resting for a bit, she is visited by Amy and Paul. Chloe finally tells them what she's going through. The group decides to take a walk outside and are confronted by the crazy military man. Suddenly, Brian also appears and tries to help her. Just when she thought things couldn't get weirder, Alyec shows up and tackles Brian. The crazy military man who calls himself the Rogue reveals that Brian works with him and that they were both hunting Chloe. In the end, the Rogue jumps off a bridge and Chloe and Alyec run away. They are stopped again by Brian, however, who claims he was trying to get Alyec not Chloe. Brian reveals the Order of the Tenth Blade's purpose is to kill people like her and Alyec. Brian expresses how much he still likes Chloe however Chloe is far from believing him. The story ends on a cliffhanger with Chloe looking forward to learning more about who she is from Alyec.

Best part of story, including ending: I like how Liz Braswell describes the moments of joy and freedom Chloe experiences while essentially doing parkour around her neighborhood. It was very vividly described and I felt like I was there, hopping from rooftop to rooftop have a fun chase with another mysterious cat-like person.

Best scene in story: My favorite scene was when Chloe practices her night prowling and meets with the mysterious playful friend that teaches her how to climb trees and test the boundaries of her new-found abilities. I thought it was funny when the Rogue interrupts by appearing with his ninja stars and Chloe at first thinks he's just joking - her inner thought process was amusing to read.

Opinion about the main character: I like Chloe's sarcastic tough girl personality. It made the story much more amusing to read, especially when she has to come to terms with weird things like her elongated nails and "supercat" powers.