Brooding, leather jacket-wearing Nyx Fortuna looks like a 20-something, and has for centuries now. As the son of the forgotten fourth Fate, Lady Fortuna, he has been hunted his entire life by the three Sisters of Fate that murdered his mother.
Fed up and out for revenge, Nyx comes to Minneapolis following a tip that his aunts have set up a business there. His goal to bring down his mother's killers and retrieve the thread of fate that has trapped him in the body of a twenty year old unable to age or die.
But when a chance meeting with the mysterious, dangerous and very mortal Elizabeth Abernathy throws off his plans, he must reconcile his humanity and his immortality.
My Review :
I am a huge fan of Marlene's 'Dead Is' series and I was really looking forward to what else the author had on offer. So her move into Urban Fantasy was a great chance to see if the author could wow me with something new. Used to her Young Adult paranormal genre written from a female perspective it took me a few mintutes to realise that the guy on the cover wasn't just supposed to be eye candy but actually the lead character. Then it was another chapter or two before I was more than certain that the book wasn't young adult.
Why didn't I know all this? Well I am one of those people who skim over a blurb and say 'yeah I wanna read that'. Then forget everything about the blurb and start reading a book without knowing what it is about. So Strange Fates started off different to what I was expecting and it put me off a little. I am not a huge lover of guy's leading the story when a woman is doing the writing but all that said and done a lot of women pull it off. Marlene is one of them. Not being a Young Adult wasn't a problem. After all you can only take so many teenage love stories before you start seeing red.
My adjustment phase over I managed to get into the story pretty easily. The author gave away snippets of information along the way and it was enough for me to keep things together. Sometimes it felt like some of the information was being repeated a little too often but at least I could keep tabs on who was who, why things were the way they were and so on. The fantasy aspect flowed into the story nicely but I have to admit I expected more. While the story talked about magic and creatures it just didn't seem present enough. It was something that only came into play when really needed and it was always over so quickly.
The concept was pretty cool. The whole Greek mythology bit has been done before but the author has managed to put yet another new twist on to it. The mythology didn't come up very often but when it did it fit into the story well and I am sure it is something that the rest of the series will focus on more. The writing style was nothing special and at times it felt a little jumpy. Maybe I am just so used to Marlene's other books that I couldn't look past this but things didn't flow all the time.
As for the characters, well they were a nice mixed bunch. I didn't really like many of them that much though and don't feel I really got the chance to get to know them well. If any of them come along for the ride and are involved in the next story then it will be nice to see them again but nobody really grabbed me and made me want to come back for more. Nyx came across as a young boy and he also acted like one more than once. I can't say he has made his mark either but he does offer some air of mystery. I am sure he could grow on me but for most of the book he is pretending to be someone he isn't. Not a great way to really get to know someone.
All in all this was an interesting first in a new series. It offered some good groundwork for what could be a good series. However this is definitely one of those debuts that has left me unsure. I really need the second book to decide. Strange Fates didn't give me enough to hold onto or get me excited about. I will definitely check out the sequel but it will have to wow me because this one didn't quite have it.
And don't miss a chance to enter to win Tarot card pack signed by author, Nyx’s charms & an ebook of STRANGE FATES.
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