Review: Fated by Alyson Noel + Giveaway

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 440 pages

May 24, 2012, Macmillan Children's Books (UK)

June 1, 2012, Pan Macmillan Australia

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals comes a breathtaking new saga brimming with magic, mystery, and an intoxicating love story that will steal your heart away. Meet The Soul Seekers.

Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

Source: Beatrice & Pan Macmillan, Pan Macmillan Australia (I got an extra copy so I’m giving it away to one lucky reader.)

My Thoughts:

The uniqueness of Fated left a sweet taste in my mouth. The drastic change from the bright and worldly Hollywood gigs to the nature-bound Enchantment to the Otherworlds wrapped me in a magical haze. I enjoyed traveling with Daire to the Upperworld and the Lowerworld and its various surprise-riddled dimensions, filled with spirit animals and denizens.

Daire was the kind of girl who moved around and didn’t get attached. She had no permanent address, no home and no family aside from her mom, Jennika. Although she was stubborn and sometimes annoying and maybe a little disrespectful, I found her realistic. She was flawed, went with the waves of her emotions and daydreamed just like a real teen. Noel knows how to make me feel the panic, the confusion, the anger, the helplessness and eventually, the acceptance that Daire felt.

Daire’s dreams were filled with two brothers: one good and one evil. But the line between her dreams and her reality blurred when she came face to face with the brothers. Cade, the evil twin, was the popular guy at school. He was the charismatic and attractive one but deep inside, he was far from nice. His twin, Dace, has a big, pure heart. As the good twin, he was the opposite of Cade. He wasn’t popular and he didn’t have fans but he was compassionate and honest. He was the kind of guy that would be a joy to know and discover. However, in Fated, I didn’t get to know him that much. I have to admit that his character was not well-developed and I really wanted him to be one. I’m hoping in the next book, I’ll get to know more about him.

The story was focused on Daire’s becoming and being a Seeker. But I was expecting romance to play a big part in the plot because of the frequency of the dreams including Dace. But the romance didn’t meet my expectations. I felt that it was rushed and a getting-to-know-each-other-while-emotional-and-sexual-tension-flare phase was skipped. But then I did like the scenes between Dace and Daire. They were mostly awkward (because of Daire) and sweet (because of Dace), sometimes hot and burning. I just wanted more.

After reading Fated, I felt that I went on an exhausting but incredible journey. I liked how Daire transformed from being that distant girl to a brave and caring Seeker. She became in touch with nature and opened up to her skills, magic and destiny. I love how she got close to and learned to trust and love Paloma, her grandmother.

Fated is will delight readers with its unique magic-filled storyworld, crackling with power and danger. This is definitely a step up from The Immortals Series. I recommend this to people who didn’t enjoy The Immortals Series – you might just like this one and to paranormal readers.

Rating:

Giveaway: ARC of Fated by Alyson Noel

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