Review by enchantingreads_rosyreviews - Fearless

enchantingreads_rosyreviews 's review for:

Fearless by Lauren Roberts

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Dedication: For those fearless enough to follow their heart.

What an ending! Going into this book, I didn’t know what to expect because how do you end a trilogy like this? We’ve been on such a journey with these characters & I didn’t want to say goodbye.

It is my turn to become the difference I always dreamed of being, even if the king’s reasonings do not resemble my own... I am the sacrifice that Ordinaries have bled and died for. I am the power they lack... Every moment of my life has built up to this one. This one fleeting second of bravery.

But without spoiling this story, let me say I liked the ending overall. The last few chapters felt a tiny bit rushed & there was a twist I felt could’ve been developed a bit more. But one thing I absolutely loved about this story is how it paid homage to the original in a unique way while still feeling new.

“It was just a nightmare... You’re okay. I’m right here.”
A nightmare is an understatement. That… that was torture...
“How… how did you get in here?”
His fingers graze my forehead, sweeping away the sticky strands of hair there. “I heard you scream. And nothing… nothing has terrified me more.” I hear him swallow. Feel a swipe of his thumb across my cheekbone. “And it didn’t stop. You just kept screaming. So…” A pause. “We both know it will take more than a locked door to keep me from you.”
My eyes travel over his shadowed shoulder to find a gaping hole where my door once stood. Now it decorates the floor, having ungracefully toppled to the ground. The thudding in my dream. That was real—that was this. He had kicked the damn door down...
“I’m sorry you’re forced to relive that moment every time you shut your eyes.”
“Not every time.” I shift, slipping off his chest to sit beside him. “Not when I’m with you.” ...
“Then I’ll never leave your side.”
I give him a look. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“It’s not promises I care to keep—it’s you.”

Our girl Paedyn never gets things handed to her, she has to earn everything by constantly outwitting others to survive another day.

“Don’t fear power. Wield it. Perhaps even let it control you.” The queen smiles sharply. “Being an Ordinary is not what makes you weak. It’s your heart.”

While she does this, Kai is out there protecting her, fawning over her, & doing anything he can to get close to her. This book is no different.

I’m breathless at the sight of her, doomed by the hope of having her. It’s a beautiful ruin, a devastating devotion. This girl holds my heart in her hands, could crush it between her fingers and still have me thanking her for the touch. And I hold her shoes.

But now, there’s even more tension because Kitt is the looming presence casting a shadow on their happily ever after.

"You think I would not beg to run away with you? My duty may be to the king, but my heart, Pae, is wherever you are. It is in the palm of your hands, the pad of your thumb. So if you leave, I will follow. If you stay, I will bow. Because there has never been a moment when you did not own the only piece of me that mattered—loving you made me matter. And I ache to be full again."

The twists were twisting, the adventure is definitely there, & the world expands in this book. And everything else we love from this series makes its appearance here too. It’s an emotional ending to a fantastic series & I really liked how it was wrapped up (even if it hurt a little bit).

My eyes fall to the trembling, bloody hands I hold out to him. “I’ve… I’ve stained my soul again.”
“Shh.” He grabs my wrists, pressing those bloody palms against his black tunic. “There. Now it’s my soul that is stained.” ...
"I don’t want to stain your soul further.”
His smile is sad. “There’s not much left to stain, darling.”

Seeing as how this is the conclusion of a trilogy, you can't start your journey with this book, that's obvious. But there is a tie-in to the Powerful novella, so if you haven't read it by now, go do that before starting this one.

My entire body is numb—mind, soul, and shattered heart. I am utterly hollow without his love to fill me... I am utterly alone. There is nothing left. Not within myself or the world beyond... My very being is decaying, and love is the culprit. Love has killed every person I care about... I’m little more than the shell of a girl, sitting among ghosts.

As with the rest of the dual narrated series, I loved Chase Brown's performance here. Kai is his usual broody self, expressing his pining in the most poetic ways for his beloved Pae & Chase delivers these lines perfectly. He finds that happy balance between witty humor & devastating devotion to really bring Kai to life. Cecily & Jared have good performances too, and it was pretty cool to hear Lauren herself narrate a small part of the book. Really felt like a full-circle moment.

“Paedyn, I love you. Like nothing else before, I love you. And I’ve been waiting to tell you since I realized your eyes are my favorite color and your freckles the only constellation worth looking at. I could lie—say that you’ve stolen my every thought and heartbeat like the thief you are, but all of me was already yours. Pae, you are my inevitable.”

Content Warnings