T. Rae Mitchell

I became a fan of Mitchell’s with the first in this series, Fate’s Fables, which ended in such a heart stopping way I found myself constantly checking for when the sequel was going to arrive. It is thankfully here and unbelievably even better than the first.

This fantasy hits all the right spots as you’re whisked along a new compelling adventure with Fate at the reins. There’s plenty of action, romance and her great character development flexes its muscle with new characters to add show more to her ever growing vibrantly created world. Along with her imagination running rampant in this amazing story you get a first class education in SAT words with the likes of “portionages”, “connectifications”, “confabulation” and “monstramorphosis”; they’re just fun to say out loud. Her incredible lexicon continues in how she uses words to turn printed letters into visual photographs like a slideshow slipping slowly across your mind’s eye. She uses metaphors the way a painter uses a brush.

Mitchell’s use of myths, legends and fantasy elements feel more real than imagined as she pulls you along in this battle for redemption. Her use of credible dialogue adds to that sense of realism as you get pulled into conversations that enrich the tale and further the story.

Just like the first, this one ends on a cliffhanger so the story will continue in Fate’s War. Be prepared to feel your heart break at the impossible decision set before our fearless heroine. show less

The heart of this story revolves around a young woman named Fate who unwittingly gets sucked into a mysterious book, the Book of Fables. She’s not alone though; along with her for this wild ride is a perplexing man named Finn, whom Fate instantly feels a strong connection to. Unaware of the ulterior reasons for their entrapment in this book, they are met with a grim reality; in order to escape, they must visit each of 8 fables. They all have a rather tragic ending, which Fate and Finn must show more essentially rewrite, changing it into a positive outcome instead. As would be expected, their task isn’t easy and they run into a lot of complications along the way, both with the people/creatures who inhabit the fables and with each other. Will they be able to overcome all of the obstacles and explore a possible future together? (Hint: This is book 1 of a trilogy so that should give you at least an inkling about what the ending might hold)
The characters really shined in this novel. Our heroine, Fate, doesn’t seem too impressive when we first meet her. She’s just an average teenager, besides the fact that she’s a bestselling author at 17. She grows by leaps and bound as the story progresses, but she doesn’t lose sight of the caring, spunky, witty person she was before. She simply becomes more than that. The other main character, Finn, remains a mystery for a while. Why did he end up getting sucked into this nightmare along with Fate? Not that she was complaining much; when you get stranded alongside a hot guy with a sexy accent you tend not to ask too many questions. Finn doesn’t grow in the same way as Fate, because he was already a strong, confident, protective man to begin with, but he has to come to terms with several incredibly harsh realities along the way. While not a main character, I can’t help but mention Sithias. He is a human-like snake creature with wings, who Fate and Finn meet in the first fable. He added an element of humor and was just a fun character overall.
Almost everything worked well in this book, from the interactions between characters to the captivating fables. It was one of those reads where you set it down because you absolutely have to do something in real life, but can’t wait to sit down and start reading again to find out what happens next. I also appreciated the fact that this was unlike anything I’ve read before. There’s nothing worse than diving into a book and thinking, “I’m having a serious case of deja vu!” The only real gripe I had was with the structure of a few of the chapters. One second Fate would the be the focus of narration, then the following paragraph would be from Finn’s point of view. It caught me off guard when it happened; I think it would be beneficial to separate those instances with page breaks to make it more obvious which character is the focus.
As for the relationship between Fate and Finn, I’m almost positive you’ve never read about a romance like this before. It’s complicated by many things, but there is one very big secret about Finn’s life that seems almost impossible for them to move past. Going through tough times tends to make couples even stronger, so really these things only served to further strengthen their bond. I’m declaring the romance a sizzle, because their chemistry together was insane and they refused to give up on each other.
If you couldn’t tell already, I really enjoyed Fate’s Fables. The characters were well developed, the storyline was engaging and clever, and it was so different from other books I have read in the same genre. I have some bad news though; according to the author’s web page, Fate’s Keep (book 2 of the trilogy) is expected to release in 2014. The year wait will be tough, but I am confident it will be worth it. show less

I loved the imagery and thought provoking story lines in this Fantasy. Mitchell seems to have channeled her inner Tolkien in order to create this story. It’s reminiscent of the fun Harry Potter brought to our world, a kind of more grown up version of what Chris Colfer has been doing with his Land of Stories series. It starts off a bit rough but it’s worth it to hang in there for the ride especially for adults who were looking for a much longer book than what we’re used to seeing in the show more YA world. As a woman I appreciate when you can find a book with a good female protagonist and this definitely has it. The main character, Fate, journeys through the lives of people in eight worlds where she must examine her previous ideals, morals and assumptions in order to leave a more positive legacy on those she interacts with. This is the first in a trilogy with the second coming sometime in 2017 which can’t come soon enough thanks to the cliffhanger that will have you begging for more. show less

"It further confirmed her motto:
Reality sucks. Make-believe rocks."

Well, I suppose this sentence could represent my life philosophy. What a shame that it's the only thing I share with the main character, Fate. If I had to sum up her personality, I would use her own words:

"She should be dazzling the guy of her dreams with her steely magnetism and ass-kicking skills.
But she was the opposite of all that: stupid and spineless."

At least she's well aware of it! Lately I've been meeting only show more annoying main characters, and Fate is no exception. She really is totally reckless, bossy and moody. What's more, she's an author of fantasy books but she doesn't want to believe in what's happening to her, complete refusal.
Lucky me that Finn balances a bit her childish behaviour! He's not only handsome, Scottish ('cause this is a quality!), nephew of a druid, full of resources, patient, strong and caring, but he's got a darker side that makes him even more fascinating!

"Take a good hard look. I'm a walking nightmare."

With a nightmare like him I would sleep 20h a day, that's for sure. I usually hate insta-loves, but since their situation is rather peculiar and original I can let it slide.

Talking about the story itself, I can't really say that it's dull as dishwasher, but the structure is a bit too fixed, making the whole book rather repetitive. I appreciate the story into the story technique (and also the escamotage of reversing the endings in order to going on with the "mission"), but not when the "substories" are so many, since there is almost no continuity in the characters.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, so I could give an honest review. show less