If you missed my review of book one, Destined Mate, you can find it here.
I am back again with another KU book. This time, it is book two in the Twisted Fate trilogy, Eclipsed Heart. It was released on October 19th, 2023, and I leaped on it as soon as it came out. Unfortunately, I was heading out for a camping trip to Barter Fair, which is up here in the PNW, so I couldn’t devour it in a night like I wanted to. It was soooo cold at night, brrrr. In any case, back to the book. Let’s get into it.
In the last book, we left off at the ceremony where Samuel would be chosen as king, only for it to be interrupted by Queen Kel. Also, instead of Samuel being crowned, it was Callie. This book picks up where the other left off. Not cool, Ms. Grey. I wanted to know what was happening! Thankfully, this book answered that, though it left other questions more pressing than there were in the last book. Zeke continues to act like a shady bastard. I think he had something to do with Queen Kel’s attack at the crowning ceremony.
Obviously, with the crowning of Callie, we know she is Samuel’s long-lost sister, so they want to get to know each other. They already found that they were drawn to each other and had a connection. Not in the same way as she and Bodey, but a connection nonetheless. Theo surprisingly accepts Callie and Bodey being fated mates pretty well, but Zeke is beyond pissed.
Crap keeps getting heaped on Callie. She was raised to be worthless (not that she is, that is not what I think of her at all), not to rule, so being thrown into an absolute power role has Callie’s head spinning. She has to try to end a war that Queen Kel is bringing, gain the support of her shifter community, lift the remaining spell to get back all of her memory, deal with Zeke, straighten out her family life, and have a life with her mate. The attacks keep coming, and they are going after Bodey the hardest. Plus, Callie is pissing off people in the shifter community, but Zeke is pushing that along.
Callie is an interesting character. She is equal parts strong and weak, and I can’t decide if I like it or not. I also wish Jack was a more fleshed-out character. I want that for Miles and Lucas, too. They were so important at the beginning but have just faded into the background pretty quickly, demoted to only having a sentence or two every once in a while. The book could get on fine without them.
I don’t like the “spells” in this one. I would much rather she deal with the magick like she does in the Shadow City series. Spells worded like “push them away” seem like lazy writing to me. She does better when the magick is more implied than witnessed.
One fabulous change in this trilogy is specific songs are mentioned, so if you know the songs, you kinda have a soundtrack as you read. When that was going on in the Highgate Academy trilogy, I loved it, so this was a treat.
I am rooting for Callie and Bodey. I fell in love with Bodey when he, Jack, Miles, and Lucas saved Callie from Charles, her sister Pearl, and two others. I just knew Bodey was special. The crap keeps hitting the fan with them. I would love for them to have six months of low stress so they can bask in their love for a while. Bodey puts Callie first, but he and Callie try to stay on even ground. Jack is funny and petty in a great way.
The book is frustrating, and it pushes you through the story because you just have to know. Jen does that well. It is the same with all the books of hers I have read. My heart pound as the stress ramps up and stays like that until the moment passes for now. Of course, this book ends on a cliffhanger, which is, again, frustrating. As a reader, I don’t think I like it, but as a writer myself, I understand doing it.
Have you read the first book or this one? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. The next book, Chosen Destiny, comes out December 7th, 2023, and I can’t wait. Callie and Bodey deserve a happy ending. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
