Friday 6 July 2012

Book Review: Fated by Alyson Noel.


Product details:
Publisher: MacMillan Children's Books.
Release date: May 24th 2012.
Paperback, 448  pages.
Rating: 2½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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.


As one of the first post-Twilight YA books I read I will always have a soft spot for Alyson Noel’s Evermore. While the rest of the Immortals series was a struggle for me at times, I loved that first book, and so I was hoping for equally good things from this new venture of hers. With its amazing premise and gorgeous cover art, I really thought I was onto a good thing with Fated (Soul Seekers #1).  I thought nothing could go wrong.  And I thought that surely I wouldn’t be faced with another Ever Bloom.  Surely she couldn’t happen twice…

If, like me, you thought Ever was annoying, then just wait till you meet Daire, because she makes Ever seem like a pleasant dream.   I totally understand that it can take some time to connect with a character, but from start to finish, I didn’t like Daire, finding her all round shallow and spoiled. A total brat.  As the daughter of a Hollywood make-up artist, Daire lives an enviable life, travelling around the world and making out with the hot young things of Hollywood on a regular basis. And this could be fun to read about, but it’s not, because it’s Daire, and she’s just not an easy girl to like.

If the paranormal element of this book had hooked me, I could have gotten past my issues with Daire, but I found Fated to be cliché, formulaic, slow in pace and repetitive. Oh, so repetitive. Alyson Noel is a superstar YA writer – she’s sold a gazillion books, and so she’s obviously employing a formula that works – but this one just didn’t work for me. From Daire’s visions, to her dreams, to those twin brothers with the icy blue eyes, to the very strange part of the book where Daire starts experiencing life through the eyes of the cockroach… None of it worked.

Usually when nothing is working I can at least count on a hot book boy to save the day, right? Not here. Dace and Cade are twin brothers. One is good, one is evil, and apologies, but the only thing I can really recall about them is that they have these amazing piercing icy-blue eyes, a fact that is mentioned dozens and dozens of times throughout the book. OK, I get it; they have those Ian Somerhalder eyes. Hot. I don’t need to hear it all the time.

I hung on in there with the Immortals, but it’s safe to say that I won’t be doing the same with the Soul Seekers series.  There are unanswered questions at the end of this book, of course, but I’m not going back there, not even to find out the secrets of the Echo, because if I have to read about those freakin’ icy-blue eyes one more time…! 





13 comments :

  1. I've heard similar sentiments from several other bloggers, so you're definitely not alone in your ire.  I won a copy that I have yet to receive.  Now I'm thinking I'm okay with that.  Seeing this many unhappy review bloggers can't be coincidence.

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  2. I think I am going to skip this series. I loved the first few books in the Immortals series, but never continued with it after book four - it got repetitive and super weird.  I think Daire sounds annoying from what you say and maybe my students might like this series, but it doesn't sound like it's for me--which is disappointing! Thanks for the great review though!

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  3. I don't think this is for me. I was one of the ones that found Ever annoying, so if Daire is worse...I don't think I could enjoy the book very much. Plus, I don't like cliche books, so I think I'll have to give this one a miss. Thanks for the honest review! 

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  4. Becky @ Stories & Sweeties7 July 2012 at 05:15

    LOL, Noel seems to have a habit of mentioning things over and over again in her books or using the same phrases a little too much (does anyone recall just HOW MANY times Ever "pressed her lips" in Evermore? It was on nearly every other page).  This definitely happened with the "Ice blue eyes".

    With the Immortals I only read the first and second books, and then half of the third book before giving up.  I did love the spirit & shaman stuff going on in Fated, so I haven't decided
    yet weather or not to read the rest of the series...just have to wait
    and see how I feel when they come out, I guess!

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  5. You know what - I didn't like The Immortal series because it was an up and down series where I liked it at times then I didn't. But with this series I'm really surprised by it because I actually loved it . . . though I can understand why others may not have liked it. Anyway nice and honest review!

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  6. daisychainbooks8 July 2012 at 18:56

     The Immortals series definitely dragged on for too long. It should have been a four, or maybe even just a three book series in my opinion.

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  7. daisychainbooks8 July 2012 at 18:56

     I definitely found Daire more annoying than Ever. What annoyed me about Ever was all the dumb decisions she made. Daire is just a brat!

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  8. daisychainbooks8 July 2012 at 18:57

     If you do decide to continue, let me know what the Echo thing is all about. I'm curious about that, just not curious enough to read the next book!

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  9. daisychainbooks8 July 2012 at 18:58

     Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I really wanted to like it too, but things just didn't work out for me with this one.

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  10. Although I actually enjoyed reading Alyson Noel's The Immortals series, I didn't quite enjoyed Fated. I found Daire annoying and I didn't like the guys in this book either. I might actually prefer Cade over Dace :P

    Anyway, awesome and honest review, Leanna! ♥

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  11. I couldn't agree more with your review. I thought Daire's character was flat and that there was nothing memorable about the boys in the book (with the exception of repetitive mentions of their physical features). The concept, I thought could have worked well, had there been more thought and planning in the actual execution of the idea. I really wanted to like it, but at the end of the day, this book, was ultimately, a very forgettable read. 

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  12. daisychainbooks9 July 2012 at 20:51

     Thanks, Celine! <3 You may have a point about the boys because I just found Dace all round boring, although I think certain eating habits of Cade's might not be so easy to stomach!

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  13. daisychainbooks9 July 2012 at 20:52

     I really liked the concept too, so it's such a shame that it didn't work out.  I think Noel should drop the icy-blue eyes altogether from the next book!

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