Fated by Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 5th January, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who wil 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're find her wherefver 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 fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousands 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?

The Review

A big thanks to Caroline from Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

It may not have beaten my profound love of Hunting Lila, but there was a 99.9% chance that Sarah Alderson was going to write yet another brilliant action-packed adventure and the sweetest of romances in young adult books. And, gladly-without-a-doubt, she did just that in her second novel FATED - only this time round, the author deals with demons and slayers and all the trouble it comes with being one of the two.

FATED was a whirlwind of greatness and it's told in third-perspective, following the complicated lives of Evie Tremain and Lucas Grey. Evie is a young waitress working in a small town and she wants nothing more than to get outta this nowhere town and move to the big city of New York. It's all she's ever wanted. But one night she is attacked and thrown into a very dangerous situation, soon learning that she is a demon slayer and the last of her family bloodline of slayers. Not only that, but she's the number one target of the organisation called the Brotherhood.

Lucas Grey on the other hand is apart of the Brotherhood which is filled with an assortment of brutal demons - with Grey being only half of a demon. Determined to get his sweet revenge on his parent's killers, Lucas wants to destroy the slayers - every single one of them - but when Evie becomes his primary target, he does something of the unthinkable . . . he falls in love with her. But with all failed missions comes the repercussions and Lucas will have to do everything in his power to protect Evie - even if it means death and betraying the Brotherhood itself.

On a whole, I absolutely loved the characters - the good and the damn right evil kind - especially the protagionist Evie. She's very strong-willed, determined to the bone, independent in her own right, and she's driven to succeed at everything she does, even when - at times - she's unsure of herself and of her abilities of being a demon slayer. But despite her self-doubts . . . she was an awesome main character and I loved every bit of snark she had. And then, of course, there's Lucas. Now I absolutely adored his character and seeing his side of things! Why must Alderson write such delicious boy characters in her novels? It's her talent, I guess. Lucas's world is very different to Evie's and that's one of the things I loved about the novel.

Another aspect I enjoyed was not only the storyline and the history side of things (including the demons and the slayers histories), but it was also the subtle-and-the-sometimes-fierce chemistry between the main characters, Evie and Lucas. Trust me here you guys, there was plenty of intensity being thrown back-and-forth between these main characters and I just wanted to yell, "KISS ALREADY!". The romance wasn't insta-love and for once in a young adult book, the relationship was being slowly built-up until each person's motives were out in the open. And for that, I was a very happy reader even though it was obvious these two characters wanted each other so badly. Anyway, everything was very well-written!

After finishing this novel I really hope the author decides to write a sequel to this book. I heard it's a standalone (insert gasps and tears) and while I can still see it being one, but the ending is left in a way where a sequel can be written and continued. So there's a big HOPE there because I need more of this story! I need more of the characters! So readers demand a sequel through tweets and facebook and goodreads . . . hopefully the publisher will notice this need of a sequel!

Overall readers of Sarah Alderson's debut novel Hunting Lila or simple lovers of the paranormal kind will absolutely - unquestionably - love this book! With romance, suspense, betrayal, a kickass heroine and an admirable love interest, FATED will slowly work its way into your heart and I'm sure many of you will be dying for a sequel like I am right now! Read it! You won't be disappointed!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars