Creature Feature Review: Fateful

Well, better late than never! It's Wolfish Friday on Starting the Next Chapter, and things are a little different today. I was really behind in my reading, so I decided to switch times with the Bump in the Night Brawl. Today's review is Claudia Gray's Fateful, a werewolf story set aboard the Titanic. How intriguing is that!? If you haven't already, be sure to check out today Brawl submission by the awesome DJL from Denim Jacket Librarian Dishes. She is a writer of amazingly insightful reviews. If you haven't been to her blog before, I highly recommend that you check it out ASAP.

Fateful

by Claudia Gray
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: September 13, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 328
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

In Fateful, bestsellng author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

What I Thought

We all know that I thoroughly enjoy YA paranormal romances, but what you may not know is that I also have a soft spot for historical romances. Claudia Gray's Fateful has managed to combine both into one book combining characteristics of both. It is made even more intriguing in its plot, as it is a story of werewolves, danger, and romance, all set against the backdrop of the disastrous maiden voyage of the Titanic. What results is an enthralling adventure in which one girl must find the courage to fight for what is right and to love without boundaries.

The plot that makes up Fateful is an especially well-executed one. While it contains a fair amount of information that must be digested, it does so in a more parceled out manner, preventing an overload of information that would otherwise make a reader become overwhelmed. Our introduction to the characters is not done all at once. Instead, we get to know the characters via their introductions to each other and some well-placed memories. There is an element of danger that is easily felt and a cast of characters with the ability to evoke a full range of emotions from the reader. The implementation of werewolves as being a peril unseen by other passengers is both off the wall and entertaining. I wasn't sure about their incorporation, at first, but I soon grew to be eager to learn more about the reality of werewolves in this opulent world. Over all, the plot is a lovely one that I sank right into and didn't want to end.

The main character, Tess, is a very commonsense sort of girl. She is able to put up with a lot from her overbearing employers, the Lisle family, and plays the role of friend to the daughter of the house, the shy Irene, wonderfully. When faced with danger, she doesn't give up easily. Rather, she fights with everything she has in an attempt to stay alive and make things right. When she meets Alec and learns more about him and his past, she is amazingly pragmatic about the situation and is able to accept him for who he is. Alec, himself, is a conflicted character, with good reason. Though he comes off as brusque at first, there is a lot more to him that is just waiting to be discovered. As the two face the monstrously villainous Mikhail, their connection is formed into a solid bond that will be difficult to sever.

The backdrop for this book is absolutely stunning. Edwardian English society is depicted in such a fascinating and vivid manner as to make the setting easily pictured. The use of the Titanic as a setting, while not unique, makes for a beautiful, fascinating backdrop. I couldn't get enough of Gray's descriptions of life aboard the RMS Titanic and was moved by the events of the fateful night that it sank. The emotion involved does justice to the sadness of the occurrence.

Fans of historical romance and paranormal romance alike should definitely consider Fateful as a book to be read. It is presented with a clean writing style and intriguing story line that makes for an absorbing, fast-paced read. If you like werewolves and historical settings such as this, Fateful is for you.