Book Review | This Wicked Fate #20booksofsummer23

My second book of the challenge is the second book in a series, go figure.

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This Wicked Fate
Kalynn Bayron

How much would you risk to save the ones you love? Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate?

Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage.

Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Bolstered by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?

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I’m not going to lie I pretty much dived straight into this book after finishing the first one in the series, the ending of This Poison Heart although tragic introduced some interesting action points and I was curious as to whether this book would turn into a bit of an adventure. Whilst we didn’t dive straight into it there was a lot more adventure in this story, it is more in the second half, but still, it made for some gripping reading seeing the characters head into the unknown.

The emotional stakes were so much higher in this story and you really feel it from the very start of the book, after the tragedy at the end of book one the offer of a chance to reverse it becomes the character’s drive to find the pieces of the heart. With the inclusion of a deadline and an enemy and the character’s grief this becomes a gut-wrenching journey, I was so invested and I could feel myself getting antsy as the days slipped by and the tension as they were running out was the extreme edge of my seat variety.

It was great to fall back in with Bri and her friends and family, she starts to learn so much more about her history, her gifts, and the community that has been drawn to her birth family for generations. If you haven’t read the first book then I suggested you skip ahead…I also really enjoyed the introduction of Circe into the story, she adds such a different dynamic having had to deal with the destruction that the heart seems to attract to their family. I love that she accepted Bri and Mo as if they had always been family and that she was just as determined to find the final piece as much for Bri’s sake as her own.

Things definitely feel a lot more fantastical in this book, which was amazing, throughout the story I was waiting to be surprised with some completely new aspect and was never disappointed. There is also a bigger lean into Greek mythology and honestly, it is just brilliant the way these characters are woven into this new and exciting story, you get a taste of it in book one, but the author has superseded herself with This Wicked Fate.

The romance that was starting to spark between Bri and Marie in book one burns strong in this one and I loved how much deeper it became due to what the characters were all going through. We get to see a very different side to Marie who is a little less mysterious and a lot more antagonistic, they are a little opposite in nature, but it works so well.

This Wicked Fate is a much more emotional story overall, I would certainly recommend having some tissues handy, I did find it hard to contain my tears, especially at the end, but I really enjoyed reading it and as a series it is fantastic.

Reviews of other books by Kalynn Bayron
Cinderella Is Dead | This Poison Heart