Brad About Books: Fated by Alyson Noël

FATED
Published: May 22, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Paperback; finished copy for review
Page Count: 368 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Soul Seekers, #1

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.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of FATED for review! Thanks guys; you're super awesome!

FATED brings life into ancient curses and enthralled me with its unique plot. Alyson Noël has crafted together a world that makes me giddy with joy and cringe with terror. FATED is a very promising start to this new series!

Daire was one (if not, my most favorite) part of this book. Yes, she is pretty much a jerk to her mom, but she absolutely redeems herself towards the end. I loved how she wasn't quick to forgive or be so trusting towards anyone; especially since she's thrown into a very insane situation.

Because trust me when I say that this book is crazy. Her grandmother threw something very huge at her in the book, and what impressed me the most about Daire was that she didn't go willingly into this situation, but she wasn't a complete brat about it. She knew what she had to do, and she did it. That's what made Daire feel like a great protagonist for me.

But I did have one problem with FATED: it was hard to get into the book. I couldn't completely connect with the storyline, and I would find myself not remembering things from a few pages ago. Luckily whenever we get to a scene inside a mountain (no spoilers), everything clicked into place and the storyline flowed much easier.

And I really loved the relationship between Daire and Dace. They had a spark of chemistry that made it stand out from other romances I've read in other YA titles, so props to Alyson Noël for making that happen in FATED! And another thing that makes this novel shine was the ability of walking inbetween the living and the dead. How cool is that?! I wouldn't want to have that ability myself, but Noël did a near-flawless job at capturing me into this world of the living and dead spirits. 

And the ending! Wow! Endings are a very important thing to me in a book, and FATED has one of the most action-filled scenes I read in 2012! It was absolutely brilliant. 

Overall, FATED does take some time and effort for diving into the story, but once it takes off, it easily becomes one of the most interesting and unique books I've ever read. I can't wait to see what will happen next to the characters as the series grows!

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