Book Review - Fated (The Soul Seekers) ~ Alyson Noel

Alyson Noel is a bestselling YA author, and a beautiful person to boot! I met Alyson at a book signing last year when she released Fated, the first book in her new series, The Soul Seekers. Alyson was charming and informative and has an undeniable passion for writing. I've had this book since then, it's been sitting on my bookshelf waiting for the right moment. I was saving it for a time when I needed a bit of inspiration, and it seems this month was the lucky one.

Amazon.com description:

Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter’s sanity, Daire’s mother sends her to live with the grandmother she’s never met. A woman who recognizes the visions for what they truly are—the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead.

There on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, Daire sets out to harness her mystical powers. But it’s when she meets Dace, the boy from her dreams, that her whole world is shaken to its core. Now Daire is forced to discover if Dace is the one guy she's meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

Fated is incredibly different. And that's a good thing, a very good thing. The storyline centres around Daire (gosh I love that name) and her new-found powers as a Soul Seeker. What I love about this book/series is that it has a mix of the supernatural and Native American heritage. I find that as a writer, I'm kicking myself for not being the one to come up with a story as cool as this. It's fresh. It's a new twist in a YA world filled with witches, vampires and dystopian tales (don't worry, I love these too!) It is a story of change for the main character, and we get to see her delve into a totally new world. I have read a couple of books in Alyson's Immortal series, where romance and love is prevalent, and was pleased to see that the plot in this series goes well beyond this. Sure, there's a hot boy in there, Dace, but the romance is not the key story. Daire is. She is fiesty and independent and you see her develop as she begins her new life. You see her get attached to her abuela, Paloma, and gain some interesting friends along the way.

I really recommend this book. If you are looking for something new, a story that is a bit out of the ordinary but fast-paced and challenging, then the Fated will hit the spot. I have the next couple of Soul Seeker books on my shelf ready to devour, and I will, because I am hooked. In fact, I was hooked from the very first page.