Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.
Guys, Kalynn Bayron’s new book released not too long ago, and I’m obsessed. Like, I did makeup inspired by the book cover and everything.
Be nice to me, I know my makeup skills aren’t top tier and I will not accept any criticism on my look. Also, hi, I’m reviewing This Wicked Fate today.
I really just want to crack into this one so I don’t have much of an intro for you today. As always a spoiler alert is in order. Seriously, there are major spoilers for both This Wicked Fate and This Poison Heart ahead. You’ve been warned! Now let’s crack into it.
Briseis is back and is as sassy as ever! Picking up right where we left off, Briseis has been tasked with putting all six pieces of the Absyrtus Heart back together in order to save her mom. She thankfully has help in the form of Marie and her newly found Aunt Circe.
These three, along with a few other strong, sassy, badass women, set out on a hero’s quest. And yes, this quest is long and dangerous. They must take the five highly poisonous pieces of the Absyrtus Heart that they have on a sea voyage to find the final piece and bring them all together once again. Said piece may or may not be hidden on a magical, invisible island that is protected by sirens and every poisonous plant to ever exist. It’s a killer quest on many levels, but Briseis’ mom is worth it! Her and Mo deserve their Happily Ever After!
Oh, this hero’s quest also comes complete with Greek Gods long thought dead. Not to mention, our heroes have to contend with a group of villains trying to get to the final piece of the Heart first. Who will get there first? Will Briseis be able to bring her mom back from the underworld? What will happen when all the pieces of the Heart are brought together for the first time in eons? All will be revealed in This Wicked Fate.
Okay! Let’s GO! Right away I need to praise Kalynn Bayron’s writing. She always comes through with beautiful prose and lush details for both the characters and setting. If you’ve read any of Bayron’s other works then you already know this as fact. I just want to make note that This Wicked Fate is no different. Readers will be treated to beautiful worlds, characters who stand out with distinct personalities, and details that transport readers to new places.
As this is a sequel, I’m not going to talk much on characters. I feel that everything connected to character arcs and character development is to be expected. Briseis has to come to terms with losing her mom, along with the possibility that she may not be able to save her. She also has to face the harsh truth that she may lose other people that she is close to on this quest. She grows emotionally through grief and learns to live and love to the fullest. Nothing about it is really out of this world. The writing is strong, the development happens at the right pace, and Briseis' character arc flows smoothly. But it’s the average arc one sees in this type of book. I’m really here for the main story line and Bayron’s lush prose.
One thing did feel off in this book and that is the pacing. The story takes place in the span of a month. Not everything that happens in said month is detailed, Bayron really only notes events that occur at the beginning and end of the quest. While that is to be expected to an extent, I was thrown through a bit of a loop. There is not a strong enough marker to note that time had passed. One minute I was reading about the events that happened right after Briseis received her quest and then the cast of characters suddenly begun adventuring into the Mediterranean Sea. Points one and two occur at different points in the quest’s timeframe, but they felt as if they happened within two days of each other. It was just odd. And out of place for Bayron’s writing.
Another odd thing about This Wicked Fate is the lack of villain. Yes, you read that right. This book lacks a villain. I mentioned previously that there is another group of people after the Absyrtus Heart. They're the same group of villains from the first book, but they are never seen until the last third of the book. There are very few mentions of them in general. They almost don’t exist. Sure, the main characters have a deadline and goal to accomplish, but the lack of a Big Bad takes away some of the tension. Going into this book, I expected Briseis to bring back her mom. I never doubted that for a minute. I needed there to be a Big Bad Villain to bring some tension and anxiety into the read. Didn’t get that though. Again, this felt odd and out of place for Bayron’s writing.
This Wicked Fate is an excellent follow up to its predecessor. It answers the questions readers have leftover from the first entry as well as wrapping the story up into a beautiful bow. I couldn’t ask for all that much more when it comes to main story, but it has some odd moments that took me out of the wonderful experience I was having. I’m still a huge fan though and look forward to reading whatever Kalynn Bayron releases next.
With that, I must bid you all adieu. I shall see you next week with another great review. Spoiler alert, next week’s review may or may not involve Greek mythology as well.
Until then, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.
I'd like to know if Marie has a last name! She's my favorite, so I just need to know!