Obsessive and driven by nightmares, Ava Baio is uprooted from her Chicago home after the untimely and tragic death of her loving mother. Taken across country by her antagonistic grandmother and placed as a boarding student at a school in Dana Point, California, Ava struggles with isolation and the loss of her mother and her grandfather. Faced with having left her beloved brownstone behind and attending a new school, surrounded by new faces and unfamiliar scenery, she finds herself sorting through unfamiliar and uncharted feelings with a strange and beautiful boy, Ari – a modern day Adonis. After an unconventional start to their relationship, Ava becomes intensely absorbed by her love for Ari, and with his help and the help of his family, she discovers who she really is – a Fate descended from Atropos. She learns that the Greek mythology she grew up reading is not comprised of myth after all.
Ava faces constant challenges both in her relationship with Ari and with the fact that she is being hunted by six threatening and ruthless men who want nothing more than for her to die so that they can live forever. She has no choice but to stand up for those she has come to love. In doing so, she becomes something she hates, a killer.
The synopsis of this book is so amazing and it totally sounded like it would have everything that I would ever want in a book - Mythology, boarding school, killing, a gorgeous boy - it sounded safe but it sounded like a mixture of what I love in my YA books. The first thing I'm going to say is that this book could have done with another round of editing since some of the dialogue sounded very stilted and formal and honestly I could have cringed every time I read the phrase "pure wow", It was just as annoying as Ana's 'Oh my!' in the Fifty Shades series! The writing was good, but I did notice that the sentences were very short, it was like this: I am Ava. I am moving to boarding school. My mum died and I don't like my grandmother.
There is total insta-love in this book - Ari and Ava start the relationship in secret but within weeks it becomes a serious thing and Ava seemed to grow obsessed with Ari very quickly. The whole book spans around nine or so months and by the end of it their relationship has grown at an extreme speed - this was whirlwind romance to the extreme.
One thing that really annoyed me about this book was Ari's family. Fair enough, they're a close family but what happened to family boundaries and how did Ava put up with them barging in on her in bed? Rude much?! As well as that, the family are all nicey nicey but they become super adoring when they find out that SHE is who they've been waiting for, their 'baby'. They even call her 'Ava Baby' all the time - it seemed like they loved her for what she was, not who she was. I found fault in Ava as well, I liked her but I can't help but mention that even though her mother is dead and it's mentioned occasionally, she died only a week before the book began yet Ava didn't seem to be mourning that much about it, same with the death of one of her friends during the book.
This book was a really thrilling read though, and it was gripping. I liked watching the Kakos' drop and the tension being built up about number six kept me reading through all of the things that I disliked in this book. The ending was high paced and terrifying and the cliffhanger totally had me shocked.
Overall, A Beautiful Fate was a thrilling and exciting read, however I disliked most of the characters and the romance and since the romance was a massive part of the book I can't say I really enjoyed this book all that much. I really regret to say this since Cat Mann seems like a lovely woman and I have seen some positive reviews.
There is total insta-love in this book - Ari and Ava start the relationship in secret but within weeks it becomes a serious thing and Ava seemed to grow obsessed with Ari very quickly. The whole book spans around nine or so months and by the end of it their relationship has grown at an extreme speed - this was whirlwind romance to the extreme.
One thing that really annoyed me about this book was Ari's family. Fair enough, they're a close family but what happened to family boundaries and how did Ava put up with them barging in on her in bed? Rude much?! As well as that, the family are all nicey nicey but they become super adoring when they find out that SHE is who they've been waiting for, their 'baby'. They even call her 'Ava Baby' all the time - it seemed like they loved her for what she was, not who she was. I found fault in Ava as well, I liked her but I can't help but mention that even though her mother is dead and it's mentioned occasionally, she died only a week before the book began yet Ava didn't seem to be mourning that much about it, same with the death of one of her friends during the book.
This book was a really thrilling read though, and it was gripping. I liked watching the Kakos' drop and the tension being built up about number six kept me reading through all of the things that I disliked in this book. The ending was high paced and terrifying and the cliffhanger totally had me shocked.
Overall, A Beautiful Fate was a thrilling and exciting read, however I disliked most of the characters and the romance and since the romance was a massive part of the book I can't say I really enjoyed this book all that much. I really regret to say this since Cat Mann seems like a lovely woman and I have seen some positive reviews.
Book released 11th June 2013
Book received from the author in exchange for an honest review
No comments
Tell me your thoughts on the post, the book, the world. I like volcanoes, feel free to tell me about volcanoes.