Sunday 1 April 2012

My review of Fated

Fated (Soul Seekers #1) by Alyson Noel 
Release Date: May 24th, 2012 (UK)

A fun and enthralling  book that will sweep you off your feet.

Fated (Soul Seekers, #1)
Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognises Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

Fated is in many ways, similar to Alyson Noel's previous series, The Immortals. From looking at the cover and reading over the blurb, you would think that this is an amazing book, right? This book has a lot of potential but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Fated lacked something I was hoping for: an interesting plot. It wasn't the most exciting.

Daire has been sent to live with her grandma in New Mexico because of her unstable mental health. Soon, she discovers a whole new world, a world she has never acknowledged. Daire's grandmother is giving Daire a chance to become a Soul Seeker. But with evil forces around, how will it end?

I didn't think Daire as a very interesting character. She's pretty and blah, blah, blah, but she didn't have the determination and strong personality that I was hoping for. I could very much describe her as an empty shell. Obviously, she had to fall in love with the enemy, right? Because that always happens. The book was pretty much predictable when it came down to boys.

Daire has dreams about a guy named Dace. Long, black hair, handsome, lean, tall, you know, all the qualities a girl falls for, apart from the long hair. When ever there was a scene with Daire staring at Dace all I could picture in my mind was a hippie.

The plot seemed so much better when I read the blurb. But when I read the book it just reminded me of The Immortals. In so many ways, the plot line was similar I think that's why I didn't find the whole spiritual/paranormal dilemmas very exciting.

The book did have some really fun and enjoyable moments though! There were some funny moments, cringe-worthy moments and creepy moments. Even though I didn't like the main character, I did manage to finish the book and  am able to say, "It's okay, guys! I'm alive!". There are a few characters and scenes that I think are enjoyable and will lighten the mood a bit. I think that fans of The Immortals series might find this book a little bit of a let down, especially if your looking for another Damien (Character from The Immortals).

When I read the blurb, I was expecting a book full of romance and action. Unfortunately, Fated didn't have those things. Romance? I should say, "What romance?", because this book hardly had any in it! And as for action; there might have been a few scenes that kicked-butt, but apart from that, I don't think there was anything else.

I do recommend that you try this out when it is released, who knows you might even like it. For fans of The Immortals and spirit-lovers I think you might enjoy this. But, if your hoping for a book packed with action and steamy scenes, you won't be finding it here.

Overall, Fated is a fun and satisfying read that will please all those fantasy lovers out there. 
Rating
- A special thanks to Macmillan for sending me a review copy!

11 comments:

  1. Tank you for this review, it made me feel a little bit better about not winning the ARC. I agree with Immortals, the new age stuff was heavy handed with the crystals and reincarnation stuff.

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  2. Great review! This one has been on my TBR for awhile now. I haven't read any of her books, including the Immortals series, but I think I'd like to give them a chance.

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  3. This cover looks amazing, I can not wait to read it :D

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  4. Oh I have conflicted feelings about this. I started the Immortals series but I never finished Shadowland. I lost interest in the story and I'll maybe pick it up again some day but at the time I couldn't... So my point is I'm not sure I want to start this one. I'm afraid I wont like it.. :) Well I will give it a try if I get the chance.. Thanks for the review!

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  5. I've never read the immortals series, but when I saw this cover, and read the little blurb, I thought it sounded really good too! Kind of disappointed to hear it wasn't, but I might just have to give it a try anyways D:

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  6. I've yet to read The Immortals and I've heard loads of great things about that series so I'm looking forward to it. I'm sorry you didn't find this one enjoyable.

    Sarah Bibi Setar

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  7. I had high hopes for her Immortal series, but only read the first two books before I lost interest completely. I've heard about this book on other blogs and thought the cover looked pretty, so I was considering reading it. After reading your review, however, I don't think I will read this unless I really have nothing better to do. Thanks for the advice!

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  9. Wow! New book for me. Thanks for the review, excuse me while I dash off to add to my wishlist.

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  10. i enjoy reading alyson's book, looking forward to read this one :)

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  11. I had a lot of issues with The Immortals. I mean I liked the first three books well enough but then it was just bleh so I'm not sure I should read this. I want to but I don't know...
    Great review though!

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