Short & Sweet Reviews: Fated by Sarah Alderson

Title: Fated
Author: Sarah Alderson
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Series: Stand-alone

Where did I get it? Purchase on Bookdepository, because the book is not available yet in the US.

Trade-paperback, 320 pages
Published on January 5, 2012

 Summary (via Author's site):

What happens when you discover you aren’t who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.

But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray – is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfill a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it? 

 

Review: 

When I first heard of ‘Fated’ I was absolutely intrigued by the cover and summary. This book used many of the typical elements that are found in today’s paranormal young-adult genre for example:

-          - Girl meets a strange and mysterious boy

-          - Vague prophesy

-          - Girl and boy are sworn enemies’ but fall in love

-          - Vampires, shifters, or demons but with different/sillier names (ex: vampires are called thirsters) 

Regardless of all of the typical elements, I thought that it was still going to have a fun and original storyline. Not so much. The first half of the book was very slow in my opinion, even when there was an action scene. The action scene was so dull and Evie (MC) barely did anything to defend herself. The book didn’t pick up till maybe the last 70 pages, but by then I already lost interest and wanted to finish the book.  The storyline was pretty predictable as well. Lucas, a member of the brotherhood (unhumans/demons), mission is to take out Evie, one of the last purebred hunters (demon slayer). However, every chance he gets he saves her and encourage her to fight. I’m sure we all know how the story would end halfway through the book. The world building, one of the most important aspect in a book  felt very weak. This came as a  surprise because this is Ms. Alderson’s second published book. 

Overall an okay read, the story was too slow and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I think one of the reasons I wasn’t able to connect with the characters is because the two main characters’ interaction didn’t feel sincere. They automatically fell for one another without time to get to know one another. Even when they expressed their undying love to one another it seems like it was said to be said. The book ends on a cliff hanger, leaving an opening for a possible series. There were many people who loved this book, but in the end it isn’t for me. If a sequel was ever written, I would probably not rush out to pre-order it like I did with Fated.