by
Alyson Noël
Amazon
Summary
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.
My Review
This is not my first experience with Alyson Noël. I
was a fan of her Immortals series…well
at least until the fantasy and paranormal got too much for my taste (namely Everlasting, the last book in the
series). Because of this and the book description, I decided to give Fated a shot.
It is very rare that I don’t see a book through and unfortunately
Fated was one of these occasions.
Maybe it was because I was reading another book at the same time that grabbed
my interest more. Whatever the reason, I didn't make it past chapter 14.
I think what turned me off the most was Daire. As a
character, I could not relate or sympathize with her at all. I found her to be
a brat. The way she speaks to people, especially her mother I found
unbelievable. I understand that she was going through a lot and that she was
angry, but come on. She doesn't talk to her mother like a mother; I can’t even
describe the relationship between them because it’s not friendship either.
There were times where I wanted to reach in and smack her myself. And
considering that she’s the narrator and the central character of the novel, it
makes seeing the book through very difficult.
I also felt Daire was self-righteous, vain, and
conceited, no matter how much she tried to convince us she wasn't She spends
the first chapter talking about what life was like being the daughter of a
movie set crew member, going from set to set, city to city, country to country.
She particularly describes what it’s like to be around celebrities; mostly men.
She tells us what we already know about heartthrob celebrities: that they feel
that they can have any woman they want and never get attached. She also says
that she isn't like that and is not easily swayed by their names and good looks
and “they’re so unused to that, they usually end up pursuing me.” That’s not far-fetched,
but then she turns out to be just as bad as they are because she hooks up with
them. I feel that if you think that you’re so above them, then act like it and
don’t play into their game. I get that she has no intention of getting attached
to anyone and she’s just out to having some fun, but if that’s the case, then
don’t portray yourself as better than everyone.
The other reason I could not see this book through are
the “visions” Daire has and her “destiny” as a Soul Seeker. I just could not
wrap my head around it. I couldn't completely grasp the immortality of Damen
and Ever and Shadowland in the Immortals
series either, but there were enough things going on along with that to keep my
interest. This was not the case for me with Fated.
Granted, I probably did not read enough of the book to really learn all I
needed to, but I just didn't feel that the amount of information provided up until the
point where I completely lost interest was enough for me. It was too obscure and vague for my taste.
I don’t recommend this book. It’s too vague,
obscure, slow-paced. The narrator is a brat whom I don’t feel readers can
relate to. I do believe that Ms. Noël is a good writer, but to anyone who
wishes to read anything of hers, I strongly suggest the Immortals series,
particularly Evermore, over this.
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