A Ruinous Fate By Kaylie Smith Is Heart Breaking In The Best Way
Back in 2022, I saw an ad for A Ruinous Fate that described this as D&D if the characters were the ones who had to roll for their next move. And I was like, bet. SIGN ME UP. I followed the author on X/Twitter (back when I had one) and ended up winning a contest for an ARC! A big thank you to Kaylie Smith for gifting me a copy because THIS BOOK WAS FIRE 🔥
We Love A Chaotic Found Family
To start, I’m going to highlight one of my favorite parts and that’s the crew. This group is such a goddamn chaotic mess and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. The found family trope is one of my favorites and A Ruinous Fate has it in spades. Sassy Delphine was giving me life, Calla has such an awesome character arc throughout the story, Caspian was HILARIOUS, Kestrel was giving me Legolas vibes, Ezra is such a dramatic emo boy, and Gideon. UGHHHHHH GIDEON.
“You have always been playing the game, Calliope. You’re just finally seeing yourself as a worthy opponent instead of a casualty to the rules.”
They’re such a hodge-podge group brought together by chance (OR IS IT?? 🤔) and the close-knit bonds of the girls help bring them all together, which I loved.
Tell Me How To Climb Inside This Book
Also, the world-building is fantastic???? I need more of this crazy universe with all the magic and fantastical creatures. There’s no info dump at the beginning, which I really really appreciated. Instead, the author gives you bits and pieces throughout the book that you have to piece together like a puzzle. It made the story so much more engaging and it all comes to a crescendo at the end.
I Didn’t Ask To Be Attacked Like This
And SPEAKING OF THE END. Ummmm, wow. Hit after hit after hit. The pacing of this story is already pretty fast from the start, but once you hit a certain point it just takes off and doesn’t slow down. My head is still spinning.
Right now as I write this, it’s January, but this was the perfect book for autumn. I read this to kick off my spooky season books and it was the best decision ever. If anyone is seeing this review in the future, all the witchy vibes make a great fall read!!
The Final Word
This was such a fun story!! If you love witches, fantasy worlds, drama, and found family then you’ll love this too. Not me already waiting for the next one…
