I am excited to be a part of the blog tour from Rockstar Book Tours for the start of this awesome series from Disney-Hyperion, A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith. Check out my review below, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Book Information
Title: A Ruinous Fate
Authors(s): Kaylie Smith
Publication Date: January 3, 2023
Publication Date: January 3, 2023
Edition: Hardcover, eBook; 432 pgs
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find It: Major Retailers
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find It: Major Retailers
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.
Tour Schedule
Week One
1/2/2022 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt/IG Post
1/3/2022 - YA Books Central - Excerpt/IG Post
1/4/2022 - Books and Zebras - Review/IG Post
1/5/2022 - Library of Becca - Review/IG Post
1/6/2022 - pluvioreads - Review/IG Post
1/7/2022 - travelersguidetobooks - IG Review
Week Two
1/8/2022 - @more.books.yes.please - IG Review/TikTok Post
1/9/2022 - Wanderingwitchreads - TikTok Review/IG Post
1/10/2022 - NeverKnotReading - IG Review
1/11/2022 - Review Thick And Thin - Review/IG Post
1/12/2022 - Ohyouread - IG Post
1/13/2022 - onemused - IG Review
1/14/2022 - Book Reviews by Alison - IG Review
Week Three
1/15/2022 - Book Briefs - Review/IG Post
1/16/2022 - The Momma Spot - Review/IG Post
1/17/2022 - Thindbooks Blog - Review/IG Post
1/18/2022 - @brittyoreads - IG Review
1/19/2022 - A Blue Box Full of Books - IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
1/20/2022 - A Dream Within A Dream - Review/IG Post
1/21/2022 - A Bookish Dream - Review/IG Post
Week Four
1/22/2022 - popthebutterfly - Review/IG Post
1/23/2022 - OneMoreExclamation - Review/IG Post
1/24/2022 - @froggyreadteach - IG Review
1/25/2022 - Eli to the nth - Review/IG Post
1/26/2022 - Nerdophiles - Review
1/27/2022 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - Review/IG Post
1/28/2022 - The Book View - Review/IG Post
Week Five
1/29/2022 - @drew_ambitious_reading - IG Review/TikTok Post
1/30/2022 - Momfluenster - IG Review/FB Post
1/31/2022 - Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog - Review/IG Post
The Summary
Fate does not choose the weak. Fate chooses the ready.
Illustros is a cursed realm ruled by the ruthless Gods of Fate, and no one understands the Fates’ wrath more than Calliope Rosewood. Blessed with unspeakable powers that terrify even the most dangerous witches and fae, Calla hides her forbidden magic in shame and fear that one wrong touch could send her to her death. With only her two best friends in tow, Calla deserted her coven and has been on the run ever since.
Worse, Calla is concealing an even darker secret: fate has chosen her as the final prophesied Blood Warrior, the being destined to start the Fates’ War, which will decimate her people and eradicate their magic.
After a betrayal from her infuriating ex Ezra leads her one step closer to fulfilling that age-old prophecy, Calla is desperate to do whatever it takes to reset her fate. So when a mysterious and charming witch offers to help Calla do just that, she immediately agrees to his plan. Only catch? That plan includes journeying into the deadly Neverending Forest with Ezra and said witch, who just so happens to be Ezra’s tempting older brother. Torn between her past desires and alluring new possibilities, Calla brings along her best friends to fight what lies ahead.
As the group ventures into the enchanted woods together, they’ll all soon learn that choosing your destiny comes with dire consequences . . . and the Fates are not to be tested. Calla believes the Fates have it out for her, while others believe they have chosen her for a reason. But in the end, Calla will have to fight to forge her own destiny and decide if the risk of choosing herself is worth the possibility of damning everyone else.
My Review
A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith is a fun YA-fantasy with an interesting premise that doesn't quite deliver. The world-building and magic system is grand but not as fleshed out as needed, and readers get thrown in the deep end starting with Chapter 1. It takes a while for one to get to stable ground. But the promise is there, and it is very unique. So much, that I would definitely read the next book.
The Fates decide every witches destiny through the use of Witch's Dice, whether the witch is powerful or to be used as a pawn. The Fates are relaying on 6 unlucky witches to roll a 6 count, 6 times, marking them as Blood Warriors. Blood Warriors who will start a massive war. Our main character Calla is one such possible Blood Warrior, already on her fourth roll of 6. And so starts the race against fate and Calla's freedom.
Like I said, the magic system is unique, if a bit clunky. It takes a while for the reader to understand how everything works, but the different facets of magic, not just within the Witchlands, but all of Illustros, is interesting. There are three types of witches: Rogue, Terra, and Onyx. Each of the covens have their own type of magic which grants then particular abilities. Then there are Fae, Valkyries and Sirens just to name a few of the multitude of fantasy creatures within this world, each with their own type of magic. Of course, none of these groups like each other, so the outskirts is a dangerous place to be.
While the world-building is shaky, the plot does move fast. It is action-packed and places our characters in dangerous situations over and over. This really ramps the reader up, making you want to keep flipping the page to find out what happens next. With this being the first book in a series, you are left wanting more, but not disappointed in the ending to this installment.
Character development is a pivotal point, speaking a lot about fate vs. self-determination with each of the characters, not just Calla. Her two best friends, along with the four male witches they join, all go through some sort of discovery, whether big or small. Speaking of characters though, there are multiple love triangles within the book, which sometimes creates more chaos than is really needed in an already packed story.
This was a very ambitious first book, and while it didn't hit all of my must-haves for a favorite, it was enjoyable and kept me engaged until the end. I'm excited to see what else lies in store for this crew, and to learn more about this war brewing on the horizon. If you're a YA-fantasy lover, you'll want to check out A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith.
Final Rating
Excerpt
Prologue
The midnight constellations grinned down on the forest with polished teeth. The Fates were in good spirits tonight.
The girl’s captor, however, was not.
She leaned back from the cottage’s open window and watched from the corner of the cluttered room as her liege frantically wove threads across the entire expanse of the ancient map hanging on the wall. The usual dark, inky color of the thread used to track the Fates and their bargains was gone. Instead, tonight the thread was the color of blood.
The energy in the room was odd in a way that was abnormal even for this cottage, and she moved toward the large dining table in curiosity, peering at the delicate parchment that her captor ripped open only moments before. The letter had suddenly appeared on the table, unannounced—as things often were within the demonic forest—and sealed with gilded wax. Whatever the note contained shifted the entire mood in the air around them.
She looked down at the messy black ink scrawled over the page. As she reached out to run her fingertips over the paper, her blood began to pulse through the midnight veins that spiderwebbed beneath her translucent skin as it sensed the heavy magic that lingered there. She squinted to try and decipher the words and quickly realized it was not a letter at all—it was a contract.
Across from her, her captor continued working the thread with their long gray fingers. It was as if they were trying to outrun a ticking clock she could not see. Over and over, they ran the thread across the map with increasing fervor. From the far corner of Estrella, to deep within the Northern Fae Courts, the bloodred thread rapidly pursued across all of Illustros, turning the once clear map into a jumble of crisscrossing lines. Until finally, everything went still. Not even the monstrous forest around them dared to breathe or shed a leaf.
Her liege turned away from their weaving as movement from the table caught their eye and it took only a moment for her to realize what had captured their attention. The contract.
There at the bottom, where it had been blank only moments before, four names were now signed in blood.
About the Author
About Kaylie Smith:
Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her degree in graphic design, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author, and the first book in her YA fantasy series, A RUINOUS FATE, debuts in January 2023 from Disney Hyperion. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her menagerie of animals, fussing over her houseplants, or annoying people about astrology.
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