Thank you, Social Sidekick Media, for providing a copy of Fate’s Chosen in return for an honest review.

With fall upon us, my reading choices have drifted towards the fantasy genre. Massive worlds to fall into and magical journeys to partake in. And one recent trip I took was within L.M. Rhys’ Fate’s Chosen. The genre has blossomed over the years, and now we have more than a plethora to choose from when we want to journey outside our own world. So, how does Rhys’ debut novel rank? Spoiler alert – I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

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Official Summary:

The Fates Chosen Heir is said to be a myth. But some know the truth.

Through the Veil of Elysian, faeries and humans rule side by side. Before the birth of the twin faerie princesses, a prophecy was foretold. One child to be chosen for light and one for dark. To save their land, the human king helps send one of the princesses through the Veil and into the true Human World.

But a prophecy must come to fruition.

Years later, Evie Monroe finds herself knee deep in tequila and other questionable coping mechanisms. But when the handsome captain of the Stalwartian Guard arrives on her doorstep, she learns that faerie tales are real—as well as the monsters that come with them. Now she must fight to save a world she never knew existed. And if she fails, she will doom them all.

The Chosen One

Fate's Chosen book cover.

I typically don’t find myself enjoying “the chosen one” trope within fantasy books as much as I did when I was younger. It isn’t because I don’t enjoy one person being the best, but I found that I actually enjoy more of an ensemble cast within my fantasy series. Fate’s Chosen may focus heavily on Evie and her being the “chosen one,” but it also has great supporting characters. Milo, Baz, Elora and Frey are all interesting characters with backstories, flaws and emotional drives explored within the story.

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Another piece of Fate’s Chosen that makes “the chosen one” trope so easy to deal with is how great Evie is as a character. She isn’t perfect and has flaws that she grapples with throughout the story. And one thing that dawned on me while I was reading was that a lot of times, within fantasy novels, those flaws that hold the hero/heroine back are swept under the rug. But not in this case. Her struggles with alcohol as a coping mechanism aren’t magically taken care of, and she is open about them.

Building Magical Worlds

One of my turnoffs about fantasy novels set in magical worlds is that they tend to take a lot of time to set up the world itself. And with Fate’s Chosen being the first novel in what is looking like will become a whole series, I was worried it would spend more time with worldbuilding than story. And I will say that worldbuilding is not inherently bad; just not my cup of tea. But Rhys found that beautiful balance between setting up her world and still providing an engaging story.

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And speaking of finding that beautiful balance, Rhys does this with her magic system. It is relatively simple to understand, and Rhys doesn’t spend a lot of time going into too much detail. Evie and the fae have magic powers. They can tap into them, and things happen. There is beauty in its simplicity. As the series moves forward, I would like some more explanation, but it was refreshing not to have to spend the entire first book reading explantation after explanation of the who, what and why.

Add It to Your TBR?

Yes, Fate’s Chosen should most definitely be added to your TBR. It was a magical read with characters I felt like I could sit down and spend time with. Evie was someone I could understand. I understood her pain and why she chose the coping methods she did. And it is always a great read when I can get into other characters’ heads as well. My only slight criticism is that the story bounces from POV to POV quite often. And at times, I would have to reread a section to figure out whose POV it was. A little heading above the new section with the character’s name would have helped keep track.

Fate’s Chosen is availble now. Have you experienced this magical tale? Let us know in the comments below and on social media!

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Julia Roth
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