Fated (Soul Seekers #1)

Although this book was ok. It lacked that wow factor that makes you want to read more! As I get ready to start book two Echo I really hope that the pace picks up and that it stops reading like a series. It really slowed Fated down. For the 352 pages I found myself wanting to start a new book instead of continuing. Yet, I still finished it. Its a great story and I am a deff. fan of Noel's over series called The Immortal Series. It was great fast paced and wonderful. But this new Seekers Series is very slow. I think that she could have deleted around 100 pages made it a little faster and it would have been perfect! So although this was not a DNF for me. It is deff a book you don't want to get into unless you are in for the long haul!

Now that that is over. I wanted to add that I loved the characters. I think that naming one Dare (pronounce not the spelling) and one Dace was a little convenient lol. But, thats ok.

PS. Noel if you are reading this I still love you and your books!! The Immortal Series kept me up at night as it is one of the first series I had to wait for the next one to be published!!!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Fated by Alyson Noel is about a 16 year old girl, Daire, who is a Seeker though she doesn't know that yet..... instead she thinks she's going crazy. Noel weaves a world where magick's real, and people just are unaware of it, wrapped up in their own world, and where Seekers are working to prevent the Coyotes (the evil magick practisers - always need baddies!), from wreaking havoc on our world. I found it really credible and I prefer it when fantasy novels emphasise that the only reason we don't know about these magick things is because we don't want to notice them. Another series (Strange Angels) does the same thing and I really prefer it and like it...... though I would love to be able to notice the magick in the air - must not be going around it the right way!!
And, thankfully, there's the love interest, Dace Whitefeather.... and he is scrumptious....

Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire's having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she's never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico.There Daire crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes. Her grandmother recognizes Daire's episodes for what they are - a call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, a person who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter, out to steal them. Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she's meant to be with . . . or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.


Daire
She's plucky, brave, exotic, and funny (with a sarcastic dry humour) Love her! She's good fun to follow, you care for her, and you want her to succeed. There are bits in the novel where she's a bit of a martyr 'should I go with Dace or is that going against my families ancestral rules' kinda thing, but nevertheless she's a really good lead character to follow.

Dace .... & Cade
The goodest and evillest souls around, literally. His twin brother Cade is the evil half, he's the good, go figure who Daire choose... They're both fit, but while Dace is warm and friendly, Cade is cold and aloof. I would have liked more a love triangle between them and Daire but I suppose, in some books that can be really annoying as you're shouting at the girl 'What the hell you going with him for? The other one's good and just as fit'!..... Yeah I analyse the Love relationships a bit too much sometimes, Jealously makes a girl green!

Paloma
Paloma's Daire's gran. She knows all about what Daire's going through and convinces Daire's mum that she can 'save' her saving Daire another trip to a mental hospital. She guides Daire through her Seeker training and helps her follow her heart as well as her head.

Xotichl (and it's pronounced So-cheee)
Although Xotichl is blind she can see energies which allow her to see the world and people clearly, usually more so than people with vision! She befriends Daire and helps to keep her grounded, sane and a teenager.... Daire's weight on her shoulders could turn her into an adult before you could say Snap!

Noel gets the necessary rivalries, relationships, humour and background into the novel in order to construct a intriguing addictive first book that leaves you craving more! I loved the incorporation of old legends and the animal spirit guides..... (I admit it, I took the quiz, I'm a wolf..... grrr) and how the Seekers began to seem plausible and real.

Background: Daire just turned sixteen and strange things are happening to her. While away on site at her mothers work, she has a terrible breakdown and attacks a boy star. After that it was grandmas or an institution for her insanity, her mother opted for the mysterious grandmother. Once there Daire finds herself learning more about the visions she thought were crazy and coming to understand a long fought battle between good and evil.

Review: I am so happy to have listened to this book! First off, I love the cover a beautiful purple/pink fade, crows and a profile. I like when books really use color on their covers. Ok on to the book itself- I really enjoyed this read. Alyson Noel is a wonderful author. I have read a few of the Immortals series, but this one seems to be for an older audience (not much older though). It is deeper and more questioning than her Immortals series.

Likes: I enjoyed Daire most of the time. In the beginning, she is super moody and emotional and only thinking about herself, later this changes as she learns. I love when people learn things and then adapt. Yay her! I also enjoyed the grandmother; she is very no-nonsense straight to the point. I really liked the story telling, Noel does a great job of leaving enough suspense and questions to pull the reader forward. The story is captivating and the world she creates is realistic yet magical. I just couldn’t stop listening. She is able to add characters to the story seamlessly, leaving some mysterious and others very clear upon their arrival. Love it. I am interested in seeing where this series goes.

Dislikes: I thought it was weird to begin the book with a lesson on the animals and their attributes, I think it might have been better received in context, maybe the grandmother explaining more, like later in the story…but this may just be me. By the time they were brought up again, I had forgotten a lot of what was said because it was not in the context of the story, just a history lesson. I also thought it weird that Daire calls her mother by her first name, this gets explained away in the book, but I still found it odd, she never even refers to her as ‘my mother,’ just “Jennika”—odd. You would think there would be a stronger relationship because they are closer in age to one another.

Overall, very good read. If you like books about Native American mythology, the supernatural, or just a destined love story.

I'll admit that what first drew me to Fated was the gorgeous cover. Everything about it is gorgeous, and I give massive kudos to the artist. Just lovely. That being said, this is my first foray into Alyson Noel's books. Her Immortals series has been on my reading list for a long time, but I hadn't had the opportunity to start it yet. I was excited to dive into this new series from the beginning.

At first glance Daire was definitely not my favorite character. Her attitude was okay, but I felt like she was kind of disinterested in everything that was happening around her. Even when things picked up speed, and she needed help, it was like she was watching it from outside of herself. I felt more connected to her in her dreams than I did when she was awake. However, as the story progressed I started to like Daire more and more. About half way through the book she does a 180 and really comes to life. It's almost like a brand new character. If you feel the same way I did about her at the beginning, keep reading. It gets better.

The concept of Fated is extremely intriguing. Watching Daire learn who she really is, watching her form a bond with the power inside her, it's all fascinating and makes for a great read. That is honestly why the book picks up so much after the first half. My gripe was that there really wasn't much Dace and Cade development in this story. Since it is the first in the series, I'm willing to give it some time. Admittedly Cade is a great villian! Also I liked that the romance aspect wasn't rushed, or took over the story. I do hope to see a little more later on in the series though.

As a package, I enjoyed Fated and will come back for more. There were little things that kept me from being fully immersed in it, but it did peak my interest for the other books in the series and also the books that Alyson Noel has already written! If you are new to her books, I think this is a good place to start. I've been told it shadows the other series, but I read it as a standalone and I had no trouble following. If you enjoy stories with heart, and just a touch of romance, this is one to add to your reading list.