Fated by Alyson Noël

For almost as long as she can remember, strange things have been happening to Daire Santos, things like time stopping altogether for everyone but her. Lately, the strangeness has gotten much worse, especially now that she’s being followed by crows and weird glowing people. Though everyone else thinks these visions are just severe hallucinations, Daire knows all of this has to be real. So Daire goes to live with her estranged grandmother, the only person who believes her side of the story, in Enchantment, New Mexico. There, she learns why such strange things have always plagued her life—they’re signs that Daire is coming closer to her destiny as a Soul Seeker, someone with the ability to navigate the realms of the living and dead. With help from her grandmother, Daire comes to learn and embrace her new powers, but time is short. There’s a deadly plot afoot amongst the Santos’ and Soul Seekers’ age-old enemies, and Daire may be the only person who can stop it.

I enjoyed many of Noël’s earlier novels, from her paranormal Immortals series to her contemporary standalones, because Noël clearly knows how to tell a story. Fated really only further proves that point. Due to an intriguing premise and Noël’s vividly descriptive writing, I was quickly drawn into Daire’s story and the unique world of Enchantment. My interest was then maintained through an exciting plot that was well balanced between the obstacles of everyday life, a very sexy romance, and more fantastical elements. Though I wasn’t too enamored with the writing style at times and do wish that the romance was a little more developed and satisfying, I have to say that Noël really delivers on all other accounts in this novel, and especially in terms of an intriguing concept and truly engaging plot. Overall, I immensely enjoyed Fated and look forward to the continuation of Daire’s story in further installments in the new Soul Seekers series.

Fans of The Immortals series by Alyson Noël, My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, and The Dark Divine by Bree Despain will not want to miss this awesome start to a new series.

Rating: 3.5

Review copy from Deb Shapiro & Company