Written by Benedict Jacka, Fated is the first in the Alex Verus book series. Alex Verus is a mage, specifically a seer, who has been successfully hiding from his past running his little shop. After his friend/men-tee finds a mysterious cube, they are sucked into a plot of lies and deceptions.
The writing in this novel is perfect for an urban fantasy novel. Smooth and flowing, this novel is fast paced and so much happens that it doesn’t feel like a book that is less than 300 pages. A lot happens, and Jacka has reach a balance for the right amount of descriptions to include and how much to let the reader’s imagination fill in the gaps.
On the cover of this book, and I think it was on every cover I have seen for it, there is a quote from Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files, and in all honesty, I enjoyed this novel far more than I enjoyed reading about Dresden. Dresden is a characters whose traits seem forced at times, and whose overall attitude I find bothersome. Personal opinions, as that is also a well written and enjoyable series. But this novel? I will be reading the rest of this series once I work through the current pile I have from the library.
I love Alex. Here is a character who has subtleties, and the author SHOWS us his personality, and we don’t have to listen to him talk about how he is such a good guy. He tells us his past, and he will tell us what he won’t do, but it is subtle and wonderful for that.
I think ANY fan of magic, urban fantasy, or even just fantasy should give this series a go. It has been hidden from me thus far, and I am so sad that it was! Part of the reason might be because the first novel came out after I was busy with school and wasn’t keeping up with all of the latest book releases.
Give this novel a shot. No, there isn’t really any romance, but there could be in the other books (I believe this is the first in a series still being written and there are at least 6 books out), and it is just so well written with wonderful characters.
SPOILERS!
I see you have read thus far. Thanks. There aren’t a lot of spoilers that I want to discuss, but there are a few.
First, I really hope that Alex and Luna make it work. There is just something about the two of them together that I enjoy.
I am sure we will be seeing more of Rachel in the future. I have… mixed feelings about her. She is an interesting character, I just don’t know if I want her to have any more interactions with Alex. Just saying.
