ARC Review: Fates by Lanie Bross

Fates by Lanie Bross
February 11, 2014
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley and Delacorte

Summary

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

There’s absolutely no question I adore Greek Myths. I mean come one guys…Medusa? Hades? Persephone? Hera? Aphrodite? How can you not find these guys interesting? In FATES, we discover a twist on the classic three fates story. The classic fates are Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter) and Atropos (unturnable). In FATES there are wayyy more than three. Corinthe is just one of the ‘sister fates’ and the first on to be cast out from her home for being ‘’too eager, too curious, too questioning.’’

Corinthe has finally reached her last job. All she has to do? Kill the one guys who just may understand that she has never had a choice, never been given a choice.

Onto what I though. The romance in this book seriously confused me. There was no romance, maybe a little bit of attraction and some kinship because they were sorta on the same boat and then, out of nowhere, BAM! They’re in love and willing to give up everything to be with each other.  Suddenly, everything they ever believe in cease to exist and the only thing that matters in each other. Falling in love with the girl who tried to kill you, does freaky things with water and offers no explanation….you see why I am a tad bit puzzled when it comes to the ‘romance.’

Also, I felt that the action in this book very near boiled down to very little. When our two main characters got into something big it only lasted for a little while, while the sections where they talk about their confusion about their attraction to the other character lasted much longer. Normally this really wouldn’t bother me much if the love made sense but in FATES it really didn’t.  I like action, near deaths and plot twist as much as the next person but sadly, this book just didn’t do it for me.

I need to feel some sort of connection to the characters. I need to care whether they live or die or if they get home or not or whether their siblings survive. As you are probably guessing, I didn’t.

So here’s what I liked. I liked that Luke wasn’t a killer and the fact the Corinthe respected that. I like Luke’s devotion to his sister. I like the guy who’s name started with an A who risked everything, even his sight to be with his one true love and in the end when she betrayed everyone and him the most, he still thought love was worth it. I like the spin on the Fate’s story even if FATES wasn’t the book for me. I like the fact that in the end, the world isn’t perfect.

So, sadly I cannot recommend this one. Have any of y'all read this yet? What did you think?