Fortuna Sworn (Book 1)
Available at Bookshop.org
3/5
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Fantasy
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Collith is tall, dark, and handsome. Oliver is beautiful, thoughtful, and perfectly tailored for our MC
Is it spicy? Lots and lots of teasing
Is it violent or gory? Violent, but not gory.
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you are a fan of the ruthless politics and sexual tension of the Faerie world, borrow it!
“Like the nightmares that came at night, we were meant to be seductive. We were designed to lure our victims in. Then, when it was too late to draw back, we struck.”
Review: I had high hopes for this and as much fun as I had in this world, I think I will pass on continuing it. Fortuna is a Fallen being, a descendant of the angels who rebelled against heaven. Therefore, she has powers she must hide from the modern world and she must do it alone. All her family is dead, or so it seems. When a faerie gives her the gift of knowledge that her long lost brother is alive in the Unseelie Court, she makes a deal to get him back, but gets far more than she bargained for.
What I Liked: The premise is solid. Who doesn’t love a trip to the underworld were all sorts of horrors delight themselves, especially when you yourself are one? Fortuna is an interesting character with clearly some deep trauma of both being supernatural and being alone. Collith, our Rhysand coded love/hate interest is sexy, alluring, and ambitious. He dreams of a better world and needs a nightmare to help him achieve it.
What I Didn’t Like: Fortuna is clearly so hyper focused on saving her brother that she does not see the forest for the trees. As much as she has been trained by her parents to protect herself from the Unseelie Court, she is not as cunning as she thinks she is. There’s also too much that Fortuna is missing and she doesn’t ask the right questions. I can’t stand it when a character asks a question, doesn’t get an answer, and just lets it go.
My biggest gripe, however, were the Queen of the Unseelie Court trials. What was that nonsense? Those were far too easy. Fortuna is no Mary Sue character here. She isn’t overly powerful or incredibly smart, those trials were just pathetically easy. And no other fae had survived them in hundreds of years? I’m starting to think no one actually wants the job, yet clearly Collith chose her for a reason. I just wish there were hints as to why.
What I loved: The world building here is so much fun! Using established lore of the Unseelie Court, the world here is rich with intrigue, history, and so much drama. I want to know more about this world and dig deeper into the histories. I love a series that pulls me in and makes me want to dive into a wiki for it. The relationship between Fortuna, Collith, and Oliver was just delicious. The will-they-won’t-they tension is felt throughout the book and made more complicated by the fact that Oliver is just a figment of Fortuna’s imagination. I’m honestly hoping he is actually real because oh the draaaaaamaaaaaa.
Overall, I think there is a lot here to expand upon and clearly the author has since it is now a six-part series and counting. Maybe in the future, I will continue it.