Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Review: Foretold

FORETOLD
Sisters of Fate #1
Rinda Elliott
Paranormal Young Adult
310 pages
HarlequinTEEN Digital
Available Now
Source: e-ARC from publisher 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…


The Lockwood triplets have had the prophecy drummed into their heads since birth. Still, Raven, the eldest of the sisters, can't believe it's really happening. She's the reincarnation of a Norse goddess? One of the sisters is destined to die? When it starts snowing in summer in Florida, the sisters fear the worst has come to pass. Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world, has begun.

Raven finds herself the secret protector of Vanir, a boy with two wolves, a knowledge of Norse magic and a sense of destiny he can't quite explain. He's intense, sexy and equally determined to save her when it becomes clear someone is endangering them. Raven doesn't know if getting closer to him will make a difference in the coming battle, but her heart isn't giving her a choice.

Ahead of the sisters is the possibility of death at the hand of a warrior, death by snow, death by water or death by fire.

Or even from something else…

Sisters of Fate
The prophecy doesn't lie: one is doomed to die.


MY THOUGHTS
Foretold drops us into a world on the brink of destruction and keeps us on the run from beginning to end, engaging our minds with prophetic puzzles while warming our cheeks with a romance helped along by the heavy hitters of Norse mythology. Because we hit the ground running in this taleor rather flat out sprinting–confusion and unease are what dominate in the opening chapters (as they're clearly meant to), our timeline with Raven jumping from present day to a few days prior when a massive snowstorm and the suspicious disappearance of the girls’ mother throws their world into chaos. Pieces of a prophecy are spoken of casually, and because we haven’t grown up with it as the girls’ have, it takes us a little while to mentally organize all the information that’s so quickly distributed. Before too long though we’re right there with Raven, ready to save the world and get swept off our feet as we do so.

Raven is the eldest of the three girls (by minutes given they’re triplets, but still), sent to track down one of the three warriors she believes is capable of fulfilling the prophecy that’s dictated how she and her sisters have lived their entire lives. She’s easy to like from the moment we meet her, slightly adrift and somewhat unsure of what her next moves should be even though she’s known Ragnarok has been coming for years; feelings that help form a connection to her given they're mirrored in us as we read. She has a surprising desire to tell the truth to Vanir and his brothers, something that’s not always the case in supernatural situations, and while for most of the book various events prevent that truth from coming out in full, it’s still a relief simply to have a desire for honesty present. She does keep the most important tidbit to herself until the very end, which, while a touch frustrating, thankfully doesn’t result in a colossal blowup that derails everything she and Vanir have worked toward up to that point.

The romance could be described as the one of the instant attraction variety, but the paranormal element of the story acts as a balm to soothe whatever irritation tries to flare up at their quick connection, granting us a bit more patience when it comes to the two of them than we might have otherwise. Their relationship, though important and prominent, doesn’t take over the entire story and turn a deeply interesting mythological mystery into a superficial teenage drama, rather the two elements nicely combine to keep things moving forward while at the same time ensuring our hearts are one hundred percent in the game. We’re left in a good place, no cliffhanger waiting to emotionally eviscerate us on the last page and with enough of our questions answered that we feel content to wait for the next installment, geared up to follow Raven’s sister Coral as she tracks down the next of the prophesied warriors.

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.

37 comments:

  1. Ah I loved this one. I loved the paranormal elements and I was especially fond of the nordic mythology part! I'm also not for the instant love, but then somehow here it worked and made sense, and a weird paranormal kind of way :)

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    1. I agree, their connection was a touch on the instant side, but it was easy to look past it in this case:)

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  2. I really like to have mythology elements in a story, I think it's always interesting to see how the author will feature them. I didn't know this one I confess but it sounds like a nice story and I'm curious to discover Raven. Thanks for the review!

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    1. Yay! Glad I could put this one on your radar Melliane!

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  3. I haven't heard about this one. Surprising. It sounds good. I think being one of triplets would be so cool (but I think being the parent of triplets would be awful).

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    1. It's HarlequinTEEN's digital-only line. They've got some great titles coming out, I'm really excited:) This one was a really fun read I thought.

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  4. I hadn't heard of this one yet. I think I prefer a faster start than a slow one, so that's good. It definitely sounds intriguing!

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  5. Ok look no dress ;) Are dresses over and done?

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  6. The premise to this sounds pretty darn awesome. Raven sounds wonderful and I'm glad that her keeping something to herself didn't keep you from loving her. Ohhhh, I'm so glad to hear that the romance doesn't tak over the rest of the plot which would be a complete shame. Lauren will be glad to hear about no cliff hanger ;) I'm happy you enjoyed and thanks for sharing, Jenny! <3

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    1. She did want to tell him, big things just kept getting in her way so it was easy for me to forgive her, especially when there were no massive repercussions when the truth came out (relationship-wise).

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  7. This is definitely something different to what I would normally read, so I'm glad that despite being thrown into so much straight away, you were able to enjoy this Jenny. It also sounds like the author mixes it up a lot in this book, but also makes it work well! Fab review!

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    1. Norse mythology is starting to eclipse Greek mythology for me Jasprit, I just love it! I'm excited for the rest of this series:)

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  8. While this cover isn't one that would make me pick it up out of the crowd, the story is definitely intriguing, as are the positive reviews! Poor Raven and her sisters. I mean, what would you do if you knew Ragnarok was coming and you had a key role to play? Especially as a teen? I'd probably blow it off, thinking that the old folks were nutters.

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    1. I would definitely not want to be in her family, that's for sure. I'm good without any sort of goddess sharing my body:)

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  9. Hmmm, Norse mythology? I think I'm quite sold on adding this one to the TBR list! I'm a huge mythology fan and a series with Norse myths is not as common as one with Greek one!
    I'm glad the romance didn't turn the book into teenage drama, I hate that it happens way too often!
    Great review, Jenny!

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    1. YES! I love Norse mythology so much Pili. It just fascinates me. I hope you give this one a try!

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  10. "warming our cheeks with a romance"
    That was pretty much enough to convince me, Jenny! ;)

    I haven't heard of this book before, but I'm most definitely interested. I like how it deals with triplets and the paranormal elements sound like they were very well-written. They aren't many books with Norse Mythology settings, so I'm curious. I also like how this didn't end in a cliffhanger and that each installment deals with a different sister. I'll keep what you had to said about the instant attraction in mind when I decide to pick it up! Lovely review! :)

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    1. Hehe. You know it would have been for me as well had that line been in your review Nick! I'm really glad each installment is a different sister too, I can't handle too many more monster cliffhangers:)

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  11. This reminds me of a Charmed but with Norse gods and goddesses than witches. It's certainly something that I would enjoy and especially since recently I read the Everneath series which holds some of the same aspects as the Sisters of Fate. Wonderful review, Jenny! :)

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    1. CHARMED! Loved that show:) I think this one might work well for you Emma!

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  12. I hadn't heard of this one either. Norse mythology is fun, and romance not overwhelming the plot is an absolute MUST, so I'll check this one out for sure! Great review, Jenny--thx for putting this one on my radar ;)

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    1. You're welcome Jessica! I really enjoyed it:)

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  13. I love this "engaging our minds with prophetic puzzles"

    Beautiful review Jenny. I love coming here just to read your gorgeous review Jenny. I think you could make even a dull book sound fascinating. ;)

    I don't know how I have missed seeing this one but it so sounds like my kind of book!

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    1. *blushes* Thanks so much Ali! I don't think this digital line gets as much hype as Harlequin's print titles, so I'm glad I could bring a little attention to this one:)

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  14. Huh, I originally thought this was a book about the fae or angels as it has a similar look to the Shirvington series. While I'm interested in the Norse mythology, the insta-love has me a bit hesitant. I think I'll wait to see what book 2 is like and hopefully the prophecy would be a bit more prominent in it.

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    1. It does have a similar vibe to the Violet Eden books Rummanah! No angels here though. And it's not so much instant love as an instant connection, but given that part of it is because the souls inside them recognize one another from past lives, it was easier to get on board with:)

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  15. Hehe. Take all the credit Felicia!

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  16. If done right and especially with paranormal and fantasy where there is intense end of the world, live or die action..i can handle insta-love and even some authors like Bella Andre can make me believe with her fleshed out characters. This sounds like it has strong worldbuilding and the suspense and action have me so curious.

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  17. Ooooh, fabulous review! I hadn't heard of this one, but definitely sounds like my kind of book.

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  18. I haven't seen this one before. Sounds different. I like that the romance works even if it is a bit of an insta love and yeah for no cliffhanger!

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  19. This sounds awesome! I am addicted to Norse mythology and will read pretty much anything involving it, but it's nice to hear you got swept up in Raven and her sisters' story. I'm glad the romance instalove is tempered by the circumstance and that it doesn't take over the story. Can't wait to read this, lovely review! :-)

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  20. So first, loving the cover! Want the haircut and everything!! Then, the Norse mythology and Ragnarok, but hate that prophecy! Have you picked the sister you wouldn't mind losing? I don't know if you can trick the fates in Norse mythology. But for those triplets, I sure hope so!!! This sounds great! Sounds a bit confusing in the beginning, but as a former Floridian, I can tell you nothing is more confusing than snow in summer (or winter) in Florida!!! I'm gonna give it a try!

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  21. Ooooo the Norse mythology aspect sounds right up my alley! I'm usually reluctant when it comes to any other kind except Norse. I shall investigate this book further .... :)

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  22. I really like the cover :D I don't usually enjoy people covers, but this one feels... different. I'm super interested in that whole Norse mythology thing, and sibling protagonists in YA are the best. Awesome review Jenny!

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  23. This is a story that I'm interested in. I know that this author is the writing partner with Rachel Vincent whom I adore so I'm hoping that their writing styles are similar. And if they are, I will enjoy. Thanks for sharing,

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