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A review by thequeerbookish
Fated Souls by Ariel Dawn, Lila Mina, A. Perveen, Barbara Russell, Layali Grimshaw, Belle Langtree, Chele MacCabe
5.0
Get more queer reviews and additional information about Fated at The Queer Bookish.
The Queer’s Review
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this bittersweet reading a book.
I was so excited for Fated but somehow I managed to surpress the knowledge that this means the end of the Temper saga. I couldn’t ignore that knowledge anymore while actually reading it though. I didn’t want it to end and even though Fated is over 600 pages long it still feels too short.
Are you wondering why? Because I just love this series to pieces! Everything from the characters to the worldbuilding to the writing style is just… what I want and need in a book.
You could read Fated without reading the other books first, but you’d miss so much. The way Yuki, Honda, and Lana get together, how they grow, what they have to get through, how Francesco finds his way into this family… and then enjoying how much they’ve grown and how it affects their daily lifes. Especially comparing Temper!Honda to Fated!Honda is… unbelieveable joyful and sweet.
But let’s get to Fated on its own. I’ve really enjoyed how Lila Mina ties every loose end together without it feeling in any way forced. And then opening up even more options which I’m really hoping will be explored somewhere down the line. But even without those new options I’m so down for her new series – the Honda clan having guest rolls is just the cherry on top.
There are so many different relationships with their own dynamics and every last one gets loving attention. But the relationships aren’t the only things that are detailed. I really enjoy how Japanese culture is interwoven into the actions and reactions and how it clashes with the Italian, Spanish, and historical Japanese culture. Since the author is living in Japan I believe it is respectfully done, but if there is a Japanese book blogger reviewing Fated (and the other books) I’m happy to link to that review to make absolutely sure.
I don’t know if I simply forgot or if the at times nearly poetical approach to language is a new development that might be a reflection of a more balanced psyche of our beloved characters. Either way I had to mark many sentences in my Kindle for further enjoyment.
Bookish Thoughts
Time travel is a trope that I am in theory very interested in but more often than not I end up feeling disappointed because I find the way a character has to acclimate to the new timelime very lacking. Here I get two characters who find themselves in a timeline not their own and both read realistic to me – and in a certain case very, very amusing.
Disclaimer
I’ve received a free copy through the author via StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
The Queer’s Review
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this bittersweet reading a book.
I was so excited for Fated but somehow I managed to surpress the knowledge that this means the end of the Temper saga. I couldn’t ignore that knowledge anymore while actually reading it though. I didn’t want it to end and even though Fated is over 600 pages long it still feels too short.
Are you wondering why? Because I just love this series to pieces! Everything from the characters to the worldbuilding to the writing style is just… what I want and need in a book.
You could read Fated without reading the other books first, but you’d miss so much. The way Yuki, Honda, and Lana get together, how they grow, what they have to get through, how Francesco finds his way into this family… and then enjoying how much they’ve grown and how it affects their daily lifes. Especially comparing Temper!Honda to Fated!Honda is… unbelieveable joyful and sweet.
But let’s get to Fated on its own. I’ve really enjoyed how Lila Mina ties every loose end together without it feeling in any way forced. And then opening up even more options which I’m really hoping will be explored somewhere down the line. But even without those new options I’m so down for her new series – the Honda clan having guest rolls is just the cherry on top.
There are so many different relationships with their own dynamics and every last one gets loving attention. But the relationships aren’t the only things that are detailed. I really enjoy how Japanese culture is interwoven into the actions and reactions and how it clashes with the Italian, Spanish, and historical Japanese culture. Since the author is living in Japan I believe it is respectfully done, but if there is a Japanese book blogger reviewing Fated (and the other books) I’m happy to link to that review to make absolutely sure.
I don’t know if I simply forgot or if the at times nearly poetical approach to language is a new development that might be a reflection of a more balanced psyche of our beloved characters. Either way I had to mark many sentences in my Kindle for further enjoyment.
Bookish Thoughts
Time travel is a trope that I am in theory very interested in but more often than not I end up feeling disappointed because I find the way a character has to acclimate to the new timelime very lacking. Here I get two characters who find themselves in a timeline not their own and both read realistic to me – and in a certain case very, very amusing.
Disclaimer
I’ve received a free copy through the author via StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.