Fated by Alyson Noel

Fated by Alyson Noel is the first book in a series called the Soul Seekers-a spirit world between the living and the dead.

Daire is now 16 years old and her fate has been set from before her birth. Her father died before she was born and her mother raised her. Her mother, Jennika, is a cosmetologist and travels the world working on movie sets. Daire travels with her and has never had a real life or home. Daire has been having dreams and also gets violent as she goes into seizures. Her grandmother, her father's mother, has contacted Jennika and said it is now the time for the training of Daire and she must bring Daire to New Mexico. Daire finds a different way of life; real school for the first time, a home, herbs and a grandmother, Paloma, who is kind but mysterious. Paloma is Spanish and a widow. Abuela is grandmother in Spanish. (the book I read before Fated also had the word Abuela).

The scenery of New Mexico is apparent in the adobe buildings, mesquite trees (not really a tree but more of a bush), juniper, pinon trees, the Santo de Cristo Mountains and tumbleweeds. Foods that describe New Mexico are pinon coffee from the pinon nuts (my mother and aunts favorite nut) and blue corn pancakes.

The book is written in first person and leads the reader into the Lower World and Upper World as well as the Middle World.

There are demons, darkness, dreams, souls, portals, evil and good, Shamans, Seekers, balance, reborn and renewed energy and ancestors that help pull the reader into the contents of the novel.

There are five sections of Fated: Then, Now, The Spirit Road, The Raven's Song and Dark Harvest.

The author has done a lot of research on Animal Spirit Guides such as the Raven, Coyote, Horse, Wolf and Eagle which are all important in Fated.

Some other characters are Chay, a friend of Paloma and the twins, Cade and Dace; one evil and one good and one with icy- blue eyes from Daire's dreams.

This is a young adult paranormal book that is a good read. A little bit of sexual mention and the language is pretty much clean. I am giving Fated a 4 1/2 star and look forward to reading Echo, the next book in the series, followed by Mystic and Horizon.

I received a complimentary copy of Fated to read and review and I wish to thank the author for such a good read. The book is a hard cover and a very impressive book cover; it would make a nice gift for a teenager. The opinions are my own.

The reader can reach the Alyson Noel at www.alysonnoel.com.

Leona Olson

mnleona.blogspot.com