Book: The Fraying of Fates by Aubery Sloane
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 4/5
This book sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me hooked until the very end! This book follows four different points of view (Boudi, Maggie, Cae and Luca) and provides every perspective from the different dynamics of witches/humans and other mythical components in preparation of the upcoming courting. So not only do you get to see the events unfold from prior to the courting but you also get to go through the courting, and get a little glimpse of the aftermath.
This book had the world building element including crafting levels, and overall different elements of magic, including differing hierarchy levels. It was fantasy packed, and had it's generously tasteful level of spice. On one end we have a human wanting to go the courting in hopes to find her long lost love, we have another one who woke up on the island and is going to the courting to find his true mate, and then we have two who have more mysterious circumstances which led them to the courting which leads them to be more deceitful.
Throughout this book a lot of the elements were explained really well, and in other instances there was a lot unanswered, which made me as a reader want to keep going. This leads really well into a series, where things are built upon, and examined closely and expanded upon which I like. My gut when I first started reading this book was, what the hell is going on and why is this courting so important, and it felt a little sinister, and I can confidently say at the end, it still feels sinister! I enjoyed going through each of the perspectives because it felt like I was in it with them trying to figure out what was behind everything.
For me the main components that stood out were the intertwined dynamics in the relationships, and how messy and complicated a group of four can be, and the different bonds that form between them, either romantic, or even friendship and trust amongst themselves and different pairs. The most beautiful thing was the friendship between Boudi and Maggie and how close they became versus where they started off. I enjoyed Boudi in general, I think in this book there's a lot of elements of ability and perspectives of how female and male witches are perceived differently in the different parts of this world, and Boudi I think questions that a lot, and so does Luca. Boudi questions the courting, and the sometimes ridiculous elements that have to occur which makes it real and relatable.
I finished the book and honestly all I keep thinking about is when the next book is, because it left it on quite a cliffhanger, and now I'm excited to see what comes next. I feel like I'll be thinking about the end of this book for weeks to come. I look forward to reading more from this author, I am thankful I got the chance to read this.