Fateful by Claudia Gray

TITLE: Fateful

AUTHOR: Cladia Gray

SERIES: None

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

PAGES: 309 (Paperback)
 
         SYNOPSIS







Fateful is Claudia Gray’s first work since finishing Evernight, and after reading this I think she is definitely stepping up. A standalone novel this time, Fateful is the tale of a sweeping romance on board of one of the world’s most famous disasters: the Titanic.

Tess is a lowly servant working for a financially empty family, the Lisles’s. In a last bid to sell some of their priceless possessions the Lisles, and Tess, board the Titanic in the hopes of reaching America. But on the ship people are not who they seem, and this is proven when Tess meets Alec, a handsome nobleman who is also a werewolf, doomed to change every night at sunset.
But Alec is not alone, another werewolf from the cult-like Brotherhood, Mikhail, is trying to force him to join though Alec resists. In the days that follow Tess is inextricably caught up in their world of power and lies, endangering not just her life but also her heart. But what neither Tess or Alec realise is that another disaster is approaching, one they could never have foreseen; the sinking of the Titanic.

Tess was a great heroine to read about, she isn’t one of those pampered princesses and knows what it’s like to have it rough. She’s brave and courageous, and though she knows her place she isn’t afraid step up when she needs to. Her relationship with the Lisle’s was complex at best, I wanted to hate the lot of them but Irene was so sweet and kind I just couldn’t!

One of the best things I liked about Tess was that she was generous and completely self less; she was willing to help Alec even though she barely knew him and remained loyal when most wouldn’t. The blooming relationship between them both is expertly written and I can’t blame Tess for falling for him: he’s gorgeous, charming, kind, and totally NOT evil, YAY!!

On the plot: knowing that this book is set on the Titanic adds a note of suspense and excitement that Ms. Gray doesn’t even need to expand on. The fact that the dreaded collision draws ever closer is something that niggles at you the entire time and leaves you constantly tense and alert. The interwoven second storyline about werewolves and the Brotherhood is clever and interesting –  Ms, Gray adds just enough paranormal to make it believable, but not so much that the two events together just become ridiculous.

And the ending, oh THE ENDING! It was nail biting, emotional, and so much better than I had thought it would be. Claudia has definitely written the most heart wrenching and satisfying conclusion possible, and I thoroughly applaud her for writing it.

On a more serious note I will say that I am aware the Titanic was a real tragedy, and evidently so is the author. Ms. Gray has taken great care to respect the memory of those whose lives were lost or affected by this disaster, and the amount of research she must have done on the whole novel is staggering.

Fateful is an amazing first standalone from Claudia Gray, everything from the plot to the characters to the writing was captivating and my only problem was that I wished it had been longer (though it was still substantial enough). Any fans of YA historical or YA PNR will devour this book just as I did, and find that Ms. Gray certainly can write outside of the world of Evernight.