This just seemed very similar to every other romantasy that has a similar plot. There was nothing that drew me into the story, but both the characters and the world building felt very surface level.

Fast, fun, and flirty, this book is perfect if you're looking for a fanciful romantasy to sink your teeth into!

I listed to the ALC version of Forewarned, and thoughts the narrator did a good job! This was a spicy and fast-paced romantasy book with some of the best tropes like fated mates, the chosen one, forced proximity, and captor vs captive. I am glad I read a review tip to increase the speed of the audiobook, because it was incredibly slow. But once you sped it up, it was fine!

Thanks so much to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ALC to have my genuine thoughts.

I absolutely devoured this book! Astrid and Rave are such compelling characters, and the world-building is fantastic, set in a chaotic United Kingdom where fae, vampires, shifters, and other magical beings coexist. Astrid's struggle with her fate is gripping, especially as she tries to avoid her destined mate, the powerful and ruthless Shadow Prince, Rave.

The chemistry between characters is great, and the side characters are entertaining. The book ends on a cliffhanger, making me eager for the next installment. Overall, "Forewarned" is a captivating read with a fresh take on fae lore, exploring themes of destiny, choice, and self-discovery. While it has some pacing issues and underdeveloped secondary characters, it's a thought-provoking and enjoyable addition to the fantasy genre.

The way I gobbled this book up! It was so addictive! I immediately got book two and cannot wait for book three! Astrid and Rave are great! Easy to fall in love with them.

orewarned

Astrid (Star) is a rare seer and healer. August, her best friend and partner in crime, travel together on their search for their fated mates. However, Astrid knows who her mate is but is determined to avoid encountering him. The Shadow prince is known for his seduction of women, darkness and ruthlessness. She has kept the secret from August about her mate, he always avoids the conversation which Astrid thinks is because they aren’t mates with each other.

World building was early and excellent. A United Kingdom after the veil between realms was dropped. Their kingdom used to be only fae, and now it’s described as “chaos” with the previous 6 courts combining to one with rulers / kings of each species where they can roam into each other’s territories. Others include vampires, shifters, demon, goblins, witch, mermaid and incubus. Vampires are the biggest threat as they can turn people into them.

Prince Raven is the shadow prince who controls the darkness and one of the most powerful fae. Astrid knows that she is fated to him which she finds laughable as his family has stayed strong through selective breeding, but she feels she is nothing special. In her vision, not only is she mates with him but she has her power sucked away from her. She knows she can’t let that happen, but when she sees him at a party she fears she can’t avoid her fate for much longer.

When she tries to rescue her friend, she finds herself in a trade her life for his. She finally meets her mate and finds out that the mating bond was triggered for not just one prince, but all four. Astrid is now in a position of power but also fears having to put up with all of the princes before she makes her choice. She’ll have to find who has pure intentions and finds herself drawn to Rave, the Shadow prince, as the devil she knows.

Prince Nico- gift of earth magic who is the most skeptical. Prince Elios- gift of fire who puts on the charm. Prince Cove- gift of ice.

Resistance romance at its finest. Chemistry was great, side characters entertaining and fun, great character development. Ends in a cliffhanger !

Narrator was great. Overall, I enjoyed the read right from the start and looking forward to book 2! Would love to dive deeper into the other kingdoms in future books.

“You are the light to my dark”

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Chantal Fernando's Forewarned stands out in the fantasy genre with its fresh take on fae lore and the complexities of destiny and choice. The premise alone—where the protagonist, Astrid, knows her true mate yet fiercely rejects him—sets the stage for a gripping exploration of love, fear, and self-determination. Readers who appreciate character-driven narratives with a mix of magical realism and emotional depth will find this story particularly engaging.

The plot follows Astrid, a powerful fae who is both a seer and a healer, navigating her tumultuous feelings about her destined mate. Unlike many romantic fantasy novels that glorify the concept of soulmates, Forewarned challenges the notion by portraying Astrid’s struggle against a connection that terrifies her. This internal conflict creates a compelling tension throughout the story, making it relatable for anyone who has grappled with the idea of fate versus free will.

Fernando excels in world-building, immersing readers in a vibrant fae realm filled with intriguing characters and rich lore. The interactions between Astrid and other fae, along with her personal journey, are well-crafted and keep the narrative flowing. The author’s vivid descriptions enhance the reading experience, allowing readers to visualize the enchanting yet perilous world Astrid inhabits.

The narration is another highlight of the book. The first-person perspective gives a raw and intimate look into her struggles, amplifying the stakes of her journey. The pacing of the narration effectively mirrors Astrid's emotional turmoil, drawing readers deeper into her world.

However, while the book shines in many areas, it is not without its flaws. At times, the pacing can feel uneven, particularly in the middle sections where the tension seems to stall. Additionally, some character motivations could benefit from deeper exploration; a few secondary characters feel underdeveloped, leaving their roles feeling somewhat one-dimensional.

Overall, Forewarned is a captivating read that blends fantasy with themes of personal agency and emotional resilience. While it may not appeal to every reader—especially those who prefer more traditional portrayals of romance—it offers a thought-provoking twist on the fae genre. For those willing to explore a story that prioritizes self-discovery over conventional love tropes, Chantal Fernando's Forewarned is a worthwhile addition to your reading list.

I really enjoyed the premise of this one and I think author Chantal Fernando did a great job of building the banter and chemistry between Astrid and Rave. It doesn't take long for the banter to turn to spice between these two. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Astrid and Rave's brothers. Once Rave staked his claim on Astrid it was fun seeing her banter and joke with his brothers.

Narrator Anne Robert was great at bringing this world to life and I liked how she really nailed Astrid's sass.

I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger and I will definitely be checking out book two in the series on audio once it's available! I need to know who Astrid's parents are.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chantal Fernando and Dreamscape Media for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

This book sounded so good and had so much potential. To me it ended up reading like tropes tied together with smut and not a coherent story. The ending was the best part of the whole book for me, but that's because of how much I love angst.

For fans of:
- Blessed
- Fourth Wing
- Bonded Nightmares

Forewarned follows a young woman named Astrid who has one big secret: she is a seer. In a world of powerful fae, vampires, witches, and even Inccubi, you'd think that being a seer wouldn't be that big of a deal. But in this world, Seers are rare and they are deeply coveted and sought after by powerful individuals across the Realm. Ideally, Astrid would be able to confide in her fated mate to help her navigate life with such a big secret, except she's seen her future and she knows that she will be forever doomed if he finds her.

This book includes:
- childhood best friends who might be more
- supernatural abilities
- fated mates
- will they won't they
- Fae/Fairies, Vampires, Inccubi
- political tensions between realms
- morally gray and moody MMC
- a very clever book titled
- cliffhanger ending

This book has many of the tried and true tropes that are currently popular in the romantasy genre. The love interest is brooding and powerful, and the protagonist, Astrid, is reliant on his ability to protect her, despite refusing to trust him. The plot is engaging and it is so easy to fly through this book in a sitting or two. Sadly, I felt that this book was a copycat of ACOMAF and that the writing style was a bit childish. I considered DNF but decided to stick it out and was ultimately rewarded! Except...as soon as I finally started enjoying myself, the book was over.

Regardless of the depth of my enjoyment, I imagine that this book will have many fans. It is lighthearted and easy to read. If you're a romantasy trope reader specifically, you'll probably enjoy this one.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Chantal Fernando, and Dreamscape Media
for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC of Forewarned! Do you like stories that involve fated mates, magic, faes, some action, and a lot of spice? If yes, then I would recommend this book. When Astrid, a seer and a healer, finds out that her mate is Rave, a powerful prince that controls shadows, her first thought is to run away. But as they get closer to each other, she learns to trust him more. And with a pending war with the vampires, she has to learn how to control her new magic powers.
Overall, I thought this book was good. I think it would have been cool to have more world-building and more showing rather than doing (if that makes sense). There was some character development, but nothing crazy. The last couple of chapters in the book were more interesting - that ending was quite the cliffhanger! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

A fun read. Good world building. The heroine is a little immature for a 25 year old that's been through what she has, but she's likeable. The hero is also likeable. I liked that we actually got to see them interact with so many races of people, and not just mention them. There was a good amount of spice in this book. The only unfortunate thing is that it ends on a cliffhanger.

From the pacing to the world building I really struggled with this book. I don’t enjoy books telling me versus showing me, especially in an audiobook. There was too much focus on spice and fulfilling a trope checklist and no actual plot besides a premise. If you want “fated mates” done well, this isn’t that book, and despite this book ending with an intriguing cliffhanger, I doubt I’ll be continuing the story. This book might be for you, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Fernando Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved the magic system in this book.
It was different and interesting, and the characters have strong personalities, and they develop and reveal themselves throughout the story.
However, I would have liked to see more of the magic and the plot, which didn't happen, because the book focused more on the tension and the sexual act between the two main characters. It was good in those parts, but I thought there were too many, when what I really wanted was for the book to move forward. Because the plot is super interesting!
I'm going to read the next volume because I'm curious about the story and what will happen next.

3.5 Stars
A quick and entertaining romantasty!

I devoured this book in just one day! Packed with all the beloved tropes of romantasy, including fated mates, alpha males, captor/captive dynamics, and secret identities, it was an incredibly enjoyable read. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment, although I must warn you that this book ends with a thrilling cliffhanger.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Chantal Fernando, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Story: 4/5
Narrator: 4.5/5

I love the characters, the twists, and turns the story took. The men being on their best behavior. Her father. But mostly I loved how Star was as a person. She didn't truly doubt herself. She wanted to do and be more and did. Talk about a strong FMC. I cannot wait to continue this series.

DNF @ 50%.

The premise of this sounded super interesting but the writing was just so basic. No world building, very literal, and no relationship building. The narrator read so slow I had to speed it up to make it tolerable.

DNF @ 57% - ugh, this started out promising, but it just quickly devolved into spice with no real relationship development and the plot (outside of the romance) has disappeared. Idk, I'm just not vibing with this and need more build up and development :(

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the AudioARC of "Forewarned" by Chantal Fernando.

I very much enjoyed this fantasy romance. The world building was lacking a bit as well as the character back stories could have been explored more but it was a fun and quick fantasy romance read which was very entertaining. It is the authors take on the very popular story line of "a dark and powerful fae who everyone thinks is a bad guy turns out to be a hero". It wasn't the next great literary masterpiece but I still enjoyed it, it was a solid 3 star read for me.

There's a lot of telling instead of showing here and much of the story feels very surface level to me. I found it difficult to really connect with any of the characters because I didn't feel like we got to know them very well. For example, August is supposedly Astrid's best friend whose been like family her whole life and I feel like I have no idea who he is at all. I also think the pacing was a bit too quick -- everything is just going from one thing to the next without much reflection or full commitment to each scene. I do like the fated mates trope and I will probably continue with this series to see how it develops. I think there's definitely potential for the story to grow and for the characters to be more fleshed out. I listened to the audio and can say that the narrator, Anne Robert, does a great job and I hope she does the next audio as well!

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the digital ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.