Fated by Alyson Noël
My review: 3.5 of 5 stars

Unlike potato chips, I can and did easily stop with just one book of The Soul Seekers. I’m not saying it wasn’t a decent read. Many teens will and already do like The Soul Seekers series. Fated had an attention-grabbing opening that created immediate suspense and anticipation. The teen voice and characterization were authentic (maybe a little too much so because as an adult I found Daire Santos rather annoying). The exotic locations and unusual upbringing of Daire add flair to the story and create perfect backdrops for mystical and paranormal events. Sometimes the pace slowed as the writer took the time to explain things. Maybe these explanations were necessary for the first book in a series, but I craved more action and romance. Occasionally, Fated became corny and cliche’ as well. Other times the novel surprised me in unexpected, positive ways. Fated became more engrossing the further I read into it, but it stopped short of turning me on to the series. One book satisfied my curiosity enough, plus I never connected with the characters enough to feel invested in their fate. Nevertheless, die-hard fans of the young adult, paranormal genre may want to try The Soul Seekers series for themselves.