Drama, Magic, and Love triangles: A Ruinous Fate will Sweep you off your feet

Hello Fantasy Babes! I hope you’re ready for today’s book review because today I am reviewing the fantastic A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith! This novel is so good! It has drama, messy romances, princes, a plus-sized heroine, and LGBTQ+ characters!

Kaylie Smith (she/they)  is a new author hailing from Louisiana USA where she frequented haunted bookstores and grew up going to the library. They have always loved writing and have practiced their craft from a young age. A Ruinous Fate is their debut novel.

Summary:

Calliope Rosewood abandoned her coven four years ago and has been in hiding with her two best friends, Hannah and Delphine, ever since. Calla has one of the most feared gifts in all of Illustros, she’s a Siphon and can drain anyone if she wanted to. Unfortunately for Calla, fate has never been on her side, and she’s very close to fulfilling her destiny and beginning a war that could eradicate the witches.

And when her ex boyfriend, Ezra, stabs Calla in the back, she’s left with no choice but to make a deal with Ezra’s mysterious older brother, Gideon, who shares the same ruinous destiny as Calla. But Gideon’s learned of a powerful witch in the Neverending forest who could reverse their fate; they’ll have to survive all the dangers of the woods first. 

Luckily, Calla doesn’t have to journey alone she’s joined by her besties: Hannah and Delphine, and Gideon’s friends Kestrel and Caspian. But not all is as it seems in the forest. Loyalties are tested, and betrayal is inevitable. 

This novel begins by placing readers right in the middle of some drama! We’re introduced first to Calla and Ezra as they try to outwit some townspeople at a card game. But there’s some tension between Ezra and Calla that hints at a lover’s quarrel. But immediately after the card game the plot picks up because Ezra hands Calla a pair of Witches’ dice!

A Witches’ Dice is the most powerful artifact to exist in Illustros because it has the power to grant limitless magic but also the ability to set a witch down a path of destruction. Unluckily for Calla, a prophecy has chosen her as the blood warrior, meaning she’s destined to participate in the war between the Gods and the Witches.

Thoughts:

This novel is an adventure! I was invested in the drama between Calla and Ezra, and I simply needed to know if their romance would end in a disaster! Now this couple is a mess which kept me entertained, but it also moved the story along during the first beat.

Speaking of mess,  the romance in this book is messy…but in a good way. I’m talking dramatic, messy, telenovela worthy romance! As mentioned, Calla begins this novel jaded towards Ezra, and the two have a history as lovers. But as Calla enters the neverending forest with Gideon, Ezra’s older brother and heir to the witch’s throne, she finds herself drawn to him.

Calla’s attractive to both princes, but the drama continues when Gideon’s hot ex lover, Kestrel, also joins the journey. Kestrel is still in love with Gideon, and he notices the sparks flying between them before they notice. Kestrel may be immortal, but he’s also petty, and he lets his jealously known by behaving like a grump through out the journey.

Oh, and did I mention that there’s also some unrequited love between Calla’s own friends? 

Calla’s best friends, Hannah and Delphine, are baddies in their own right, and Hannah is secretly in love with Delphine! Although, Delphine seems oblivious to this, the other characters are quick to catch on. Additionally, all three women are close and go to great lengths to protect each other. They’re very loyal to one another. That’s a great dynamic that I appreciate in any book! 

“No matter what is destined for us, we get to make our own decisions along the way. Those decisions may not change the destination, but they do change the path we take to get there.”

A Ruinous Fate
Kaylie Smith

The messy romance is definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed this book because it’s reminisces of Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer night’s dream. Although I would argue the romantic entanglement in a Ruinous Fate are more dramatic!

I loved the romantic portion of this novel, but that’s not the only reason. A Ruinous Fate is entertaining, but the world of this fantasy novel is interesting. The characters’ destinies connect to a pair of magical dice and the outcome of that roll has the potential to ruin their lives up the stakes! 

That said, I cannot lie while I thought this concept was cool, I did have a hard time interpreting the idea, and I am not a hundred percent certain that I fully grasped why Calla had to roll the dice when she received them.

The world of this novel is also super cool, and I was picturing the streets of Ketterdam from the Shadow and Bone (show), but I did notice some reviewers mention that the author does not flesh out these city streets nor Calla’s apartment, which I have to agree with. 

However, the author does a very great job describing the Neverending Forest. The Forbidden Forest is present throughout almost every fantasy novel, but the Neverending Forest in A Ruinous Fate is unique because it’s constantly shifting its scenery. Meaning the trees can appear friendly one minute and shift to poisonous ones the next. Which makes navigating the woods more confusing. But also fitting given that Calla and Gideon are traversing it to untangle their destinies. Wow. Let me take a second to appreciate that metaphor.

A Ruinous Fate is a Young adult, but all the characters are in their early 20s, so I would argue that it also works as a new adult. This novel does not have sexual content, but it does have character death, blood, and violence. I would recommend it if you’re looking to read a book with older protagonists.

This book has some diverse characters, and if you love LGBTQ+ representation in your fantasy novels, check this one out. 

Still not convinced? Check out this gorgeous promotional art!

until next time fantasy lovers lets live in libros,

Gabriela

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