Monday, December 1, 2014

Review: Foresworn

FORESWORN
Sisters of Fate #3
Rinda Elliott
Paranormal Young Adult
HarlequinTEEN
Available December 2nd
Source: eARC from author for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
It is written that three Sisters of Fate have the power to change the world’s destiny.

But only if they survive…

Kat Lockwood grew up listening to her unhinged mother’s stories about the Norse goddess souls she and her triplet sisters carry, about fiery deaths and a prophecy foretelling the world’s end. Now, to save that world, Kat must find a guy who hosts the soul of a Norse god–a warrior with the lightest blond hair and the darkest brown eyes.

But at a truck stop on her road trip, Kat freezes time while she writes out a cryptic message in runes. The only other person able to see this happen? A gorgeous guy with the lightest blond hair and the darkest brown eyes.

Kat’s not convinced peaceful Arun is the future warrior who will turn the tide in the final battle. Yet, Arun turns out to be a lot tougher than he seems. As soul-carrying teens and underworld creatures gather over the world’s deadliest volcano, Kat finds that no one, including her sisters and mother, is exactly who she thought they were….

Sisters of Fate

The prophecy doesn’t lie: one is doomed to die.


MY THOUGHTS
Foresworn is the final installment in the Sisters of Fate trilogy, Kat's story overlapping that of her sisters' for a few chapters before moving everything we've learned over the course of the series forward and closer to the final showdown with Loki. It takes just a touch longer to settle in with Kat than it did either Raven or Coral, her quiet intensity (love interest Arun calls her “prickly”, an apt description) coupled with the introduction of a large number of new characters creating a distance it takes a bit of time to bridge. Once more and more kids bearing the souls of Norse gods and goddesses begin making their way to Kat's location in preparation for whatever Loki has planned though, the action picks up and Kat shows us what she's made of, her mettle weighed, measured and not found the least bit wanting.

Though all three Lockwood girls have grown up with the prophecy of an early death hanging over their heads, Kat is perhaps the one who bears the brunt of its weight, her nights haunted by dreams in which flames take her to her excruciatingly painful end. Knowing she is the one meant to die is a burden she carries alone, keeping her dreams to herself and putting a little extra distance between herself and the rest of the world. As mentioned previously, its this distance that keeps us from warming to her as immediately as we did her sisters, but once she starts to let Arun in and lower her guard just a touch, it's as though some of the weight she's been carrying shifts to us and we can suddenly feel not only her fear, but her strength as well.

Just as Vanir and Taran before him, Arun is perfectly suited to Kat, his sweet and caring nature as well as the openness in the way he communicates–speaking plainly and truthfully without hidden meaning or agenda–slipping through the chinks in her armor and bringing with them a bit of happiness in the middle of the literal end of the world. He's quick with a compliment (sometimes a super cheesy one that Kat simply can't let slide without comment) and a smile, but there's never artifice in his words or gestures, and he easily wins us over as he does Kat.

The final showdown with Loki himself is over surprisingly quickly and with relatively little fanfare given the way he's orchestrated all the events leading up to this last battle, but the battle itself is suitably epic, lives lost and others irreparably changed as valkyries, giants, dark elves, and those carrying the souls of some of the mightiest in Norse mythology go head to head. Overall this series consists of three quick and captivating reads, prophecy, romance and family–both born to and made–combining to delight and entertain on every possible level.

Rating: 4/5
 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

31 comments:

  1. I think I remember the reviews of book 1 without really which one it was. But it's nice to see this one was good again! It sounds well done. thanks for the review!

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    1. I've loved all the books in this trilogy Melliane, highly recommend:)

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  2. Ah, but I love prickly characters. And Norse mythology? Heck yes. :D

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  3. Mmm Loki, oh, not Hiddelstone Loki? What a shame ;)

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    1. No, unfortunately this Loki is not as adorable as Tom Hiddleston:( He's definitely a bad guy through and through!

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  4. I remember your review for one of the previous books in this series and how much you enjoyed it. I still need to check the first book out, but the romance in all three books sounds very well written.

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    1. I've had a blast with this series Z! They're quick, fun reads:)

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  5. Man, the mythology sounds FUN in this book (and series). I also feel more sympathetic toward prickly characters now that I've written one.

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    1. YES! I love Norse mythology so much. And I did thoroughly enjoy Kat, prickly bits and all:)

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  6. NORSE MYTHOLOGY? This is a thing? A THING THAT EXISTS? *ADDS TO TBR*

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    1. YES! Definitely read this series Lily! Valkyrie Rising is great as well:)

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  7. This sounds like a great addition to the series, with an ending worth the wait. Each time I see your review for this series I remember it's one that I'm hoping to tryout with its touch of Norse mythology. Wonderful review, Jenny!

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    1. I hope you get to these books Kim, they're really fun. I'm looking forward to whatever Rinda writes next:)

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  8. Gah I need to read this series Jenny!!

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  9. I need to read this series, Jenny. The books sound like a lot of fun and I like all three sisters have different personalities. Also, the romance sounds too cute! I'll have to try this for sure.
    Lovely review!

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    1. All three girls are drastically different and I loved that about them. And each romance was really fun to watch unfold:)

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  10. This novel has been popping up on so many of my bloggers peeps' sites, that I'm feeling guilty about not having started this series when it first came out. Bad, Carmel! I think I was burnt out on Norse mythology at the time, but I'm not feeling that way anymore. Time to backtrack!

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads.

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    1. I hope you give these a try Carmel! I just blew right through them:)

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  11. Fantastic review Jenny!
    I must say I loved Kat from the start, she's quite more prickly than Raven or Coral, but she had that fierce love and loyalty to her sisters that made me like her so much from the very beginning!

    And Carmel, YES YOU NEED TO GO READ THESE NOW!

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    1. I really enjoyed Kat Pili, she was quite a change from Coral and it took me a little while to settle in with her, but once I did I was a huge fan:)

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  12. What this series is already over? I swear you just started it. I am a tad bit disappointed that the big showdown is so swift that is kind of a downer.

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    1. I know! These came out pretty close together, which worked out well for someone with as little patience as me:)

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  13. I hate it when the big moment in a series comes and it's over in the blink of an eye. After all that build up?! Ugh. Oh well at least the romance and the characters don't disappoint. Sound like a fun series.

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  14. I'm glad to see that this final book was another winner for you Jenny, this series tends to highly remind me of Charmed! Arun sounds like such a sweet character, one that I look forward to meeting! Fab review!

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  15. Oh I like the sound of the world in this one. Sorry to hear about the big bad showdown. Still, it sounds like the characters really hold this story together.

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  16. I've seen these books around, but they didn't catch my attention until now. I love Norse mythology, so I think I might like this.
    Great review, Jenny!

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  17. I've been a bit burnt out on the mythology stuff (gods and goddesses) so I'll probably skip this series for now, but in the future I'll keep it in mind! It seems like all the loads of characters might weigh it down but I figure if I can handle it in Kevin Hearne's series I can probably deal here. ;)

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  18. Well this settles it, I need to read this series! Glad you enjoyed this, can't wait to check it out for myself!

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  19. This is another series I really want to read. Thanks for so much for sharing your thoughts Jenny. You make me want to buy it!

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