Review: Fated - Sarah Alderson

Fated by Sarah Alderson, published by Simon and Schuster on 5th January 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.

But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it?

Review:
'Fated' is an incredible action-packed ride which was so deliciously good that it definitely left me wanting more.  It opens with a shocking prologue which really grabbed my attention from the very first opening sentence.  This led onto a couple of explosive chapters which set the pace for a story which was tense, gripping and exciting.

Sarah Alderson has created an incredible cast of characters.  I was immediately intrigued by the Brotherhood who are made up of a number of demons or Unhumans including a Mixen whose skin is poisonous to the touch, Thirsters who drink human blood, shape-shifters and Scorpio demons.  There's also the mysterious and enigmatic Lucas Gray, who is half-human and half Shadow Warrior.  I enjoyed discovering more about the history of the battle between the Hunters and the Unhumans and I shared Evie's amazement about a whole world she never even knew existed. 

Evie, as the main protagonist, is the last purebred Hunter on earth.  She's a brilliant heroine because she's headstrong and determined and although she's lived the majority of her life ignorant of her true heritage, she's ready when it really matters to face up to what she has to do.  The Brotherhood want to kill her before she can fulfil a prophecy which they believe to be about her.  Lucas thinks that he is the only one who can get close enough to her to kill her but as he gets to know the real Evie his feelings about her start to change. 

My absolute favourite thing about this book was the romance between Evie and Lucas, the latter whom I fell for hook, line and sinker.  The development of their romance is slow-building and simmers away throughout the majority of the story, the tension building to an epic and extremely hot first kiss which will enable you to practically feel the steam coming off the pages!  Although their love is forbidden and there are a whole host of barriers between them, there are so many sparks whenever they're in the same room together that you feel they could overcome anything to be with each other. 

Sarah Alderson really can do no wrong following her stunning debut 'Hunting Lila'.  Although she's taken a change of direction in 'Fated', she's created a story which will stay with you long after the final page and which will leave you begging for more.  If you're a fan of the paranormal romance genre then grab this one now and if you've yet to discover Sarah's books then you're missing out on a very special author who will quite literally blow you away with her talented and incredible writing.