FUN! I love a messy group of people going on an adventure together! Forests, witches, sirens, oh my! A great time!

One of the best debuts, to be honest. What an amazing world, what fun characters, and the prose! I just! Ahhhhhhhh!

"A Ruinous Fate" by Kaylie Smith is a gripping fantasy novel that immerses readers in a world of magic, intrigue, and danger. Set against the backdrop of a kingdom on the brink of collapse, the story follows its determined protagonist as she embarks on a quest to save her homeland from destruction. Smith's vivid world-building and compelling characters draw readers into a thrilling adventure filled with twists and turns at every corner. With its blend of action, mystery, and romance, "A Ruinous Fate" is a captivating read that will leave fantasy fans eagerly anticipating what lies ahead in this promising series.

Fun and fantastical, Kaylie Smith creates an exciting and different magical system than many I've encountered before. I cannot wait for the next book!

This book was, simply, so cool. The world building was so lush and inventive, the writing was absolutely stunningly magical, and the cast of characters was impressively distinctive and heart-warming, balanced wonderful by a fleshed-out magic system and quick, engrossing plot.

Sadly, this just didn't work for me.

I feel like YA is oversaturated with fantasy stories, and this story feels like it's a part of that.

This is one of this instances where every other sentence was fabulous but the strange ones in between ruined it. This author can clearly write but needs to work on polishing. I look forward to reading more of their work in the future.

A RUINOUS FATE by Kaylie Smith is an enchanting and thrilling journey that takes readers into a world of magic, danger, and heart-stopping adventure.

Calliope Rosewood is a captivating protagonist, a witch burdened with a streak of bad luck and a destiny entwined with the mysterious Witch's Dice. The author's skillful portrayal of Calla's inner turmoil and her struggle to escape a haunting prophecy makes her a truly unforgettable character.

The world-building is nothing short of breathtaking. Illustros, with its rich magical history and the powerful Witch's Dice, comes alive in vivid detail. The Neverending Forest is a place of both beauty and peril, providing the perfect backdrop for a high-stakes quest that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Kaylie Smith's writing is simply magical. The seamless blend of romance, action, and suspense creates a story that's impossible to put down.

The supporting characters are a delightful addition to the story, adding depth and charm to the overall narrative. Each one is uniquely crafted, bringing their own quirks and strengths to the table, making them feel like old friends.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

A Ruinous Fate is the first book in a new, exciting, fast-paced fantasy series, filled with magic, mayhem and an intriguing love triangle. Mysterious characters and backstories make the latest novel by author Kaylie Smith a compelling page-turner paving the way for more engrossing adventures to come in subsequent books in the Heartless Fates series.

The worldbuilding in this story is excellent and lays a strong foundation for deeper exploration to come in later books. While there is a lot going on at all given moments, I suspect this is because there is significant unpacking of many of the themes touched on in this first novel that will come later. The love triangle in this story is given some significant page time while still adding to the progress of the story – artfully done by the author without losing the intriguing magic aspect to any sort of cheesy drama. The supporting characters also have more to them than meets the eye, which provides another layer of complexity and interest. Striking a great balance between introducing new characters and game-changing action scenes, A Ruinous Fate ticks all the boxes for a premiere novel in what is to be a daring and thrilling new book series.

I liked this book. But I didn’t love it. I won’t lie, I rounded up because it was a debut.

I liked the premise and the magic system so much. But there was WAY too much going on plot-wise. Too many characters and too many moving parts to keep track of. I will 1000% need a reread before attempting to read the sequel because it was too much to remember. I think the author would have done well to split this book up into 2 books and fleshed out more of the details. The cast of characters is really great but there were just too many.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love love love this book. What an incredible debut. If there is one thing I love in books, it is tension and high stakes, and this book had it: I didn’t know what to expect next and the ending absolutely destroyed me. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this book, mostly because I thought it had a lot of potential that didn't quite get fulfilled. The concept and storyline were interesting, and the writing style was fluid and just the right balance of descriptive and pace-setting. However, some of the characterization fell flat for me (especially with secondary characters) and the worldbuilding was....confusing? Felt like I was missing a lot of information about the rules of the society and the magic system especially; there was enough to get from beginning to end, but there was no real reasonance throughout the book. I got to the end and just--didn't know enough to care what happened.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.***

I’m not sure if it was the writing style or the many characters, but I just wasn’t interested in this book. I usually really like reading fantasy novels, but I did not enjoy this.

this book follows our protagonist, Calla, and with her, her little group of misfits featuring two best friends (who are destined to be together), an ex & his BROTHER, and their 2 friends (one of them being ungodly in love with the brother). this book is a race against time and so fast paced with great dynamics that had me laughing out loud. can’t wait for book two.

Thank you to the author and publisher for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to FIVE ⭐️

Most of my YA reading days are behind me, so it took me some time to really get into the book. That being said this was a delightful story. There is a large group of character and I enjoyed following them along. The story centers around a young witch with multiple curses trying to change her fate. We follow a group of characters ranging from witches to other magical begins as they go on a quest to change their fate.

I really grew to love Ezra. I feel very protective of him. I was glad to see development from Calla at the end there, as she moves from a pawn in the fates game to a player. I am really hoping to see some female rage from her in the next book.

The ending chapters, especially the last few and epilogue, really have me anxious for the sequel.

If you enjoy The Vampire Diaries, Six of Crows, Lord of the Rings, The Inheritance Games, mythology, princes in disguise, witches, curses, and spells, you will find something for you in this book and I would highly recommend.

DNF at page 88. I thought the concept behind this book was really cool but I couldn't get through it. Both the characterization and worldbuilding felt really clunky.

A Ruinous Fate is a great entry in the YA Fantasy line up. Though it doesn't come without a few issues.

While the plot and characters in this book were really great, I did find the world building and some of the magic system a bit confusing. For me, I couldn't get a could grip on what the city our characters were initially staying in was like. I don't mind fantasy stories that are set in more modern worlds or more traditional, but with this book I really didn't understand which we were in. When they got into the Neverending Forest it helped me enjoy the story a lot more because the author gave us a clearer description of what the forest was like and what it held.

I also felt that the magic system, the classes of witches and other magical beings relied heavily on my knowledge from reading other fantasy stories. I feel that if this were the first fantasy someone picked up without a lot of understanding of Fae, Sirens, and Valkyries that they may feel more lost. While I do believe the author will expand upon the world and magic system across the series, it can be a bit disorienting to be dropped into this new world and expected to understand the terms like "rouge witch" and "witch dice" without fully knowing their purpose or what they mean.

The characters in this story were all distinct and felt interesting. I think there was really great exposition in this book to set up the exploration of their backstories and develop them further throughout the series. I wasn't anticipating this to be a semi-love triangle (love square?). I would like to see where the author takes things in terms of the romance in the future books.

The book also ended on a pretty big cliff hanger that had me excited to continue the series and see where the author takes it!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the next book! Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

A Ruinous Fate is a rather intriguing magical debut by author Kaylie Smith. It features witches, mermaids, fae, and Fates so there's a little bit of something for everyone. That may seem like that's a lot going on but it actually all flowed together surprisingly well for a first book.

The world building was done fairly well for this being a first book. I felt like I understood what was going on and what was at stake and how the communities worked. The idea of Fate/Fates was also an interesting addition. But mostly I really enjoyed the characters. I felt as though there some nods to other popular fantasy series with some of the names and mannerisms but I actually really liked that. It made me laugh and feel as though I was in on a joke.

I thought the tension was done very well and it was a nice set up to a second, or more, book and I will absolutely plan on picking up the next book when it comes out.

This was an absolutely great YA fantasy novel, that I thought was really well written! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Can you outrun your fate? Calla sure hopes so. That’s what she’s been doing for the past four years to avoid becoming the last Blood Warrior, a person prophesied to start the Final War that will decimate her people and eradicate their magic. Through a series of unfortunate events that nearly results in her being sold at auction, Calla and her two best friends find themselves on a quest with her ex, his brother, and a couple of soldiers. In hopes of changing her fate as well as that of another character, the group enter the deadly Neverending Forest. Here, nothing is as it seems, and the forest is filled with dangerous creatures – and you don’t want to get on their wrong side if you value your life.

These characters. They’re messy, chaotic, competitive, overprotective – and I adored them. Even though only two are actually related, they all act like a large, dysfunctional family who have love/hate relationships with each other. You also may need a flowchart to keep up with their love lives – many are interconnected. Talk about weird dynamics. Despite all that, the bonds between them are strong even though some have only know each other a few days.

Illustros is a vibrant, colorful world inhabited by diverse people and magical beings that engaged me immediately. The plot is complex and full of action, surprising revelations, heartache, and humor. This is a remarkable debut, and the sequel is high on my list of anticipated reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.