Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Source: Purchased kindle version


My Summary:

Ever since Tess turned thirteen, she has been a maid for the Lisies family.  Now eighteen, Tess is headed to America with her employer on the RMS Titanic.  She has saved for two years to have enough money to give notice when the ship docks so that she can start a new life.  But nothing comes easily for Tess and this trip is no different.  Before she even boards the ship, she is attacked by a wolf and defended by the incredible Alec.  Once aboard, the problems really start.  As a third class passenger who serves a first class family, Tess struggles to push aside the feelings for Alec, who turns up again to help her.  Their relationship quickly grows despite the difference is social status.  But the wolf that plagues her on land has joined her on the ship.  Trying to stay safe has become a full time job and that's without the destiny of the ship taken into account.

My thoughts:




5 stars - a must read

So let me start by saying that I'm not a Titanic fan.  I really didn't like the movie and I really don't like reading something where I think everyone is going to die.  Talk about depressing.  But I picked up Fateful for the Dark Days Tour and I'm really glad I did.  I've always liked Claudia Gray as a writer and this book doesn't disappoint.

I love the 1912 atmosphere that she creates for this story.  Tess's employer is disagreeable and difficult.  It's clear why Tess would want a different kind of life.  I love the way that the Titanic isn't the center of the story.  Yes we get to see what it looks like and how grand it is but the ship is not the story.  The social status is certainly an aspect to it but it too is not the story.  Tess and Alec overcome that as easily as Alec not caring what others think.  (Which I love about Alec).  The story is a paranormal romance where a brotherhood of werewolves are all powerful and influential.  They want Alec and they will stop at nothing to get him.  Tess's employer has something else they want and Tess is something of a play thing for them.  The complex drama of the story develops well before any events on the ship come into play.  There were twists and turns as the brotherhood made their moves and Tess tried to stay away from them.  All the while, Tess and Alec become close despite both of their efforts not to.

The characters are rich and full of depth.  Tess is strong and bold, putting up with only as much as she has to keep her position as a maid.  It's clear what draws Alec to her.  I particularly liked Alec.  He was in a difficult situation that caused his family a lot of pain.  He tried very hard to do the right thing at a high personal cost.  It is obvious that he has feelings for Tess but he tries very hard to set them aside so that she won't be drawn into the mess that is his life.  When it becomes clear that Tess is involved, he tries to keep her safe and he stands up to social pressure as he spends time with Tess.  At every step he chooses what is right instead of what is easy.  Love that about him.

Now about the ending, I become very stressed as I reached the last fifty pages or so.  I knew that boat was going to sink, even though the story didn't (thankfully) dwell on the events leading up to the impact with the iceberg.  I clung to the idea that Claudia Gray is a masterful storyteller as I plunged on to finish the book.  I cried.  There were some really hard scenes for me to read but I also hoped.  I wasn't disappointed with the end.  I loved the end.  It was perfect.

Try as I might, I can't find anything I didn't like about this book.  It's a fabulous story and it's exactly my style.  If you like paranormal romance, forget about this being set on the Titanic, read this book!






Fateful is part of the Dark Days tour. 
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3 comments:

  1. I've been wanting to read this and your review made me want to even more! I actually was obsessed with the film Titanic when it came out, but I haven't watched it or wanted to watch it in years, but that definitely adds the element to this story that makes me want to read it! I want to see how it ties in! Wonderful review! :)


    Liza @ Book Crook Liza

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  2. Great review! I have been wanting to pick this up, but I was nervous that it had too much going on. I'm excited to read it!

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  3. Awesome review! I bought Fateful a few weeks ago and haven't found time to get to it. It sounds fantastic.

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