Thursday 6 November 2014

Review on Twisted Fate #1 Fate's Exchange





Alyssa Frank's fate was not to die, so when a brutal attack by a group of teenagers causes her untimely death, she is given a second chance at life. Alyssa must do things differently this time, and escape the clutches of death. But having been given no clues as to what she is meant to do, Alyssa must face D-Day alone. That is until a mysterious and gorgeous new student named David joins the school, and quickly forms a strong relationship with Alyssa. As D-Day approaches, Alyssa must tread her path carefully and finally escape the clutches of Death.

The first thing I thought when I started reading this book was that it reminded me of my favourite Supernatural episode, 'Mystery Spot'. I loved the idea of Alyssa having to come back to the same spot each time she died so that she could do things differently, and I felt that it was a bit like




I really enjoyed the first half of the book, and each time that Alyssa died in a different way, I was looking forward to finding out what she had to do to get out of the loop and stay alive until the weekend. I did however find myself wondering what would have happened if she had stayed at home instead of going to school, and found it slightly strange that she didn't really consider this option.

There are some strong themes in the book, particularly centred around rape. Although there is not an actual rape scene, I felt that it could still be triggering for some people, and thought it was worth a mention in case anyone finds it too upsetting to read about. I did however find that the topic was covered brilliantly, and showed how such an awful act can be life changing for rape victims.

I loved the introduction of David, and how he was hiding his true identity from Alyssa. His conflicted emotions of loyalty and love played out brilliantly. I did however find that the plot centered around the romance too much, and by the middle of the novel, Alyssa's relationship with David seemed to be more important to her than the fact that she could die at the end of the week, so I felt that she needed to sort out her priorities. I did enjoy the romance between them, and loved the idea of a supernatural being dating a human girl, but I felt that it would have been more enjoyable for me personally if it had been more of a sub plot, as I was far more interested in the storyline of Alyssa dying, and found it quite tedious to read through chapter after chapter of making out and going on dates before the story got back on track.

I liked the ending, and the hint that David would once again have to protect Alyssa. I also loved how one of the Sisters was keeping a secret about Alyssa's fate, and I would love to carry on reading this series to find out what that is. 


You can purchase Fate's Exchange HERE






5 comments:

  1. The review is pretty good, but like all mysteries, you have to keep reading to discover the answers to your questions. It is one of the reasons I have become a big fan of Sasha Leigh. The twists and turns unfold eventually and that is why you keep reading.

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  2. I completely agree which is why I said at the end that I would love to continue reading the series. There's really no point in revealing everything in the first book of a series as otherwise readers won't want to come back for more. I had no problem with the fantasy and mystery elements of the plot, I just thought there was a little too much romance. I would be ok with that if it was a romance novel but as it was a fantasy/mystery novel I wanted the plot to progress rather than reading tons of romance. Just my opinion though others may enjoy lots of romance.

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    1. I would say that since the Twilight Series was a best selling world-wide hit, that most like the romance.

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    2. Yea probably I actually thought twilight was awful though.

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  3. Thank you both for the great reviews and insights. Twisted Fate is a YA Fantasy Romance novel. It has mystery, but a lot of the series is focused on Aly and David - or whoever the boy becomes in the sequels :)

    To address the point you brought up about Aly thinking about staying home: she was grounded the first time around (before first death) so staying home was something she knew wouldn't work, and skipping school wasn't viable because it is lack of action i.e. how can she "change" something if she doesnt "do" something? But, if that isn't clear in the first installment, it is covered in another :) I am thinking of writing a prelude to showcase exactly what Aly went through the first time around, as well as focusing on Lachesis's role leading up to the Brothers' involvement.

    Again, thank you for such a thoughtful review. I love it when questions are posed so constructively. For the record, I have seen the Supernatural episode you reference, but not once thought of it when I was writing. There are silarities, I see, but Fate's Exchange wasn't written to be comedic like Mystery Spot with the hundred Tuesdays.

    Have a great day!
    Sasha Leigh

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