I really wanted to love this more than I did. The forbidden romance, world building and magic system were quite intriguing.

But many parts dragged or felt repetitive. I just could not get into it like I wanted to.

Thank you Netgalley ,author and publisher for the opportunity to review this intriguing story through and ARC read.Below is my honest review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Fate and Fury offers a unique and captivating story, blending elemental magic with Slavic-inspired lore and a forbidden romance that adds just the right amount of tension. The world-building stands out as one of the book’s greatest strengths. The magical elements, tied so closely to the natural world, feel fresh and immersive, making the setting come alive with vibrant details. The lore and traditions woven into the story are compelling, giving the narrative a sense of depth and authenticity that fantasy readers will appreciate.

At the heart of the book are Katerina and Niko, two characters whose bond is as powerful as it is dangerous. Their connection is forbidden by the laws of their world, yet it’s impossible not to root for them as they navigate the challenges thrown their way. The push-and-pull of their relationship is emotional and intense, providing a strong emotional anchor for the story. However, while their chemistry is undeniable, some of the dialogue between them occasionally falls flat, dampening the emotional impact of key moments.

While the book’s premise and characters are engaging, the execution is uneven at times. The pacing, particularly in the middle sections, slows considerably. Repetitive scenes and a lack of forward momentum make these parts feel sluggish, as though the story is circling rather than advancing. This drags down what is otherwise a gripping narrative. The writing itself is also inconsistent, with certain passages feeling overly descriptive or clunky, breaking the flow of the story. These moments pull you out of the immersive experience the book is trying to create.

Another area where the book falls short is in the development of its supporting characters. While Katerina and Niko are well-drawn and compelling, the side characters feel underexplored. Their motivations and backstories remain too vague, leaving them as little more than plot devices rather than fully realized individuals. This lack of depth occasionally makes the world feel hollow, as though only the main characters are truly alive within it.

Despite its flaws, Fate and Fury delivers a story that has heart, creativity, and potential. The elemental magic and Slavic-inspired setting are refreshing, and the emotional stakes between Katerina and Niko are enough to keep readers invested. While the writing could benefit from tighter editing and a more balanced pace, the book lays a solid foundation for what could be an exciting series.

It’s not a perfect read, but it’s an intriguing one, earning a respectable 3.5 stars for its originality and emotional core. If the next installment can refine the pacing and bring more depth to the broader cast of characters, it could easily become a standout in the fantasy genre.

3.5⭐️

What really caught my interest was how this book started right in with the action and I loved the whole magic system and world building! That being said, the reason I’ve given a 3.5 rating is because some of some of the characters - at times they came across as juvenile which took me out of the magic of the story occasionally.
I also wish there was a POV from Niko - he was the only one really missing!
There’s also opportunity for some spice in certain scenes, but that’s just my personal preference and not for everyone.

Overall, I did enjoy this and look forward to the next instalment.

3.75 stars! This was a different style of romantasy than I typically read, and I enjoyed the unique forms of magic and world building. The world building was a little confusing for me, at first, but i definitely got my head wrapped around it and found myself immersed in it! The storyline was very different and pacing made it really easy to keep my interest engaged!

As for the romance - who doesn’t love a forbidden love? ;) Niko and Katya deserve the world, and I can’t wait to see them again in the next book! The sexy scenes were definitely mild, so I wouldn’t say this is a spicy read, but it was still romantic and cute and made me feel giddy for them.

As for secondary characters, my favorites were Ana and Gadreel - I’m holding out hope he turns out to be morally grey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Black Orchid Books, and Emily Colin for the eARC of this book. I am leaving my honest review after reading!

Thanks to Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for allowing me to ARC read Fate and Fury by Emily Colin!

Fate and Fury jumps right into the emotional rollercoaster of Katerina's world from page 1. The incredible journey that Katerina embarks on lays a few of the building blocks that will lead us into the next installment of The Bone Moon Duology. Sadly, I don't think this book was for me for a few big reasons:

Firstly, Katerina needed more character development. We didn't learn enough about her to fully understand her perspective and root for her. There were so many moments where I felt simply annoyed with her. Thinking about similar book series that are popular right now, those stories were able to burrow into the facets of the main character to help the reader feel tied to their journey. I didn't feel that connection with Katerina.

Secondly, I felt in all honesty this book had a bit of an identity crisis. I don't think the book description or cover quotes do justice to the immense story that is Fate and Fury. For example, there were only a few chapters about the Bone Trials through the beginning and then it was essentially never really discussed again. Same with the Kniaz and potentially working for him. It seemed like a missed opportunity that could have been further delved into or perhaps skipped entirely to avoid reader confusion. It was so much information crammed in that you felt fatigued from trying to remember names, locations, and traditions.

My third struggle was with the relationship between Katerina and her shadow, Niko. It is mentioned time after time, like in the above quote, that he knows her like the back of his hand and that they're so close. But their interactions were surface at best. I did not feel the emotional depth and pull of their relationship whatsoever. When they finally acted on their darkest wishes, the interactions were just disappointing. I want to be screaming from the top of a hill cheering for them to finally kiss and that was not this at all. Niko's actions and the way he spoke to Katerina were honestly one night stand-ish and self-serving. If Fate and Fury is to be recommended to lovers of Carissa Broadbent, then there needs to be a lot more pining, lust, and slow-burn romance.

Emily Colin's writing was excellent and has insane potential. Unfortunately, all of her incredibly descriptive writing and imagination got lost amidst the chaos of the story. If Fate and Fury could have been spread out between more books, I think it could have been more successful.

I crushed this book! Overall I really enjoyed Fate and Fury. The storyline was very unique and was one I haven’t come across in other Romantasy books. Plus the magic system in this is also super unique. Which I love to see! My favorite part is definitely the forbidden romance between main characters Niko and Katerina. Their relationship as Shadow and Dimi means they can never be together and even has a prophecy saying the world will basically end if a Shadow and a Dimi ever fall in love. The tension and obvious love between them was really well written and I loved all of the emotions that come with their forbidden romance.

I thought the pacing was really good in this book. It’s over 400 pages but never felt long. The action and romance in this makes it a fast read and I never wanted to put it down! There is a lot happening in this and with the added villains and darkness spreading through the land there is so much to look forward to in the next book. I will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out!

Fate and Fury is book one in The Bone Moon Duology by Emily Colin.
Y’all I can’t wait for the second title.
A compelling adult romantasy that was damn near impossible to put down.
A forbidden romance with engaging characters and a world that sucks you completely in.
The Slavic inspiration was done so well here. The writing and pace makes this book hard to put down.

Just finished Fate & Fury and honestly, I had a pretty good time with it! I’d give it 3.75 stars. The storyline was super unique, and the magic systems felt fresh and different—definitely a strong point. The villain characters? Top-notch. They’re so multi-dimensional that you’re left wondering about their motives, which I love. Can’t wait to see where this all goes in book two.

I thought the pacing was really well done! Not too slow and not too fast! The perfect amount to keep me engaged.

That said, the characters sometimes came off a bit juvenile, which pulled me out of the story here and there. And while the book is marketed as adult romantasy, the spice was really minimal. Personally, I’d have liked to see more open-door scenes to match that “adult” label, but if you’re someone who doesn’t mind or prefers less of that, you’ll be fine!

Oh, and Niko! Why no POV for him? We get perspectives for the other main characters, so his absence felt like a missed opportunity. But overall, it kept my attention, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next one. If you like unique magic systems and layered villains, it’s worth checking out

**thank you to NetGalley & Emily Colin for the gifted ARC. All opinions are my own and this review is completely voluntary.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I just don’t think this is for me - I made it to Chapter 4 and was just so lost by the plot. I appreciate that it tried to hook you in with the action from the first page, but I think I prefer a slower build up whilst introducing characters and concepts so that they stick. This felt really intense and like an information overload right from the start.

I may come back to this in the future - the concept sounded amazing and was the reason I came to request the ARC but I just don’t think this is for me as a baby-romantasy reader. It felt like too much, too quickly with little time put into slowly building the world.

Fate and Fury is a new adult romantasy novel and is the first in The Bone Moon Duology by Emily Colin. The story is set in a Slavic-inspired world with an interesting elemental magic system, demons, trials and a forbidden love.

In the story we follow Katerina Ivanova, a Dimi and her Shadow, Niko, who is sworn to protect her. Katerina is one of, if not the most powerful Dimi of her people and her fierce and strong personality matches that. Romance between a Dimi and her shadow is forbidden, and seeing their relationship develop was one of my favourite things about the book.

The characters are well developed, the world building and descriptions are excellent and the emotion that you feel through the writing was superb. The story itself is full of tension and unexpected turns that keeps you reading.

Definitely one I would recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emily Colin for the e-ARC of this book.

What a compelling read Fate & Fury is. This Slavic inspired Romantasy is rich with history and lore; filled with forbidden romance, deadly trials and elemental magic. This book did start off a bit slow for me, but built nicely to a point where I was on the edge of my seat waiting for what was to come next. By a third through I was genuinely enthralled in this magnificent world Emily Colin built. It’s vibrant and dangerous and full of unsavory characters. There was such a range of emotions I felt throughout this book. One minute I was thoroughly entertained by the sarcasm and banter; to the next where my heart was torn in two by heartbreaking events.

Katarina, the FMC, is the strongest Dimi (witch) in existence, with the power to wield all four elements. She is a protector of the land against the demons.
Niko, the MMC, is her soul bonded shadow; who’s sole duty is to protect his Dimi. Together, they are quite powerful and have formed a forbidden relationship that a prophecy foretells will be the downfall of Iriska. Despite the warnings, their relationship is quite beautiful and passionate. All of the characters were well fleshed out with so much dimension.

This book is fast paced and flows nicely, in my opinion. The world Colin crafted is exquisite with such amazing detail. This was a whirlwind journey through epic battles, trials and some very interesting twists that I did not see coming. By the end, I found my self so fully invested in the storyline and was dumbfounded by the cliffhanger. I am anxiously awaiting the next book!!

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Fate & Fury.

I actually had a lot of fun while reading this book, especially because it feels so unique compared to the usual fantasy books. I like how the Dimi, Shadow and Vila are connected and bonded to each other, it makes such unique bonds between people.

The main character Katerina, a Dimi, is bonded to Niko, her Shadow. Together they have to participate in a trial but also protect their village from demons. It is also forbidden to fall in love with your shadow, but that is ofcourse very difficuly when he is so handsome. Is the Darkness because of their love? Or is it something else?

This books consist of multiple POVs which was very interesting. You don't only get the pov from the main character Katerina but also the enemies pov. Which is really interesting to read how the enemy is thinking.

I am very excited for the next book!

Admittedly I sped read this so I had a healthy amount of information going into an interview with the author so I intend to read it again down the road!

But I did enjoy the book. It had a lot in it where she dives into this fantasy world that is rich with Slavic culture and references. While high fantasy isn’t my go-to genre I enjoy it more when it is a romantasy which this is. I love the prophecy story line as well as the darkness that the plot exudes.

I will say that it’s definitely not casual reading as you need to pay attention to many details along the way. This would be a great book to journal along side reading it to ensure you don’t miss anything!

It comes out December 10th 2024 so it’ll make a great holiday give for your favorite Romantasy Lover!
I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Netgalley and the author to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you NetGalley and Black Orchid Books for this eCopy to review

Fate and Fury is set in the mystical realm of Iriska, where Katerina Ivanova, a powerful Dimi, commands the four elements. She is blood-bonded to Niko, her Shadow, and together they guard the portals to the Underworld, protecting their realm from demonic invasion. The story takes a dramatic turn when Katerina and Niko are recruited to compete for a spot in Iriska’s elite force. Their bond, however, goes beyond magic and enters forbidden territory, as love between a Dimi and her Shadow is prophesied to unleash an ancient Darkness upon the world. Despite their best efforts, Katerina and Niko succumb to their feelings, leading to devastating consequences. As they struggle to save Iriska from the chaos they've unleashed, they face unexpected betrayals and must navigate a world where even their closest allies might turn against them.

Fate and Fury has a rich, Slavic-inspired world-building and the magic system, with its elemental control and blood bonds, is intriguing and well-executed. The intense, forbidden romance between Katerina and Niko has high tension which is palpable and adds a lot of emotional depth to the story.

Overall, Fate and Fury is an engaging read. Fans of romantasy and forbidden love stories will enjoy it, but it might not be for everyone.

For fans of The Wheel of Time and Shadow and Bone, Fate and Fury is a captivating addition to your TBR list!

Available 10-12-2024

“If a dimi and shadow lay together, damon-infested darkness would fall upon iriska and overtake the realm”

This enchanting romantasy combines elements of magic, forbidden love, loss, betrayal, and a thrilling prophecy. The novel is set in a richly crafted world where light battles against darkness, featuring dimi witches and their shadow protectors. Add demons, perilous trials designed to test the strength of the dimi-shadow bond, and an intricate magical system, and you have the ingredients for an engrossing read.

The story begins in the middle of events, but the author thoughtfully provides a warning upfront. Through well-placed flashbacks, readers gradually piece together the past, gaining a solid understanding of how the characters arrived at the present. While the world-building is slow-paced and highly detailed, the depth adds to the immersive quality of the setting.

The characters are charming, though at times their development feels a bit shallow. I found myself longing for more significant personal growth as the story unfolded.

The romance between Nico and Katherina is one of the highlights of the book. Childhood best friends bound by a prophecy that forbids their love, they’ve hidden their feelings from one another for years—until one night when they decide to give in, just once. But fate has other plans for them, and the consequences of that night will test their bond in unimaginable ways.

While the story has many strengths, I personally found it challenging to fully immerse myself in the narrative. It wasn’t due to any flaw in the story itself, which is original and engaging. Perhaps it was the pacing or my own dyslexic tendencies, but I struggled to connect deeply with the flow of the book.

Overall, Fate and Fury is a beautifully imagined tale with a unique premise and a romantic core. If you love slow-burn world-building and emotionally charged forbidden love stories, this one is worth exploring.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

Fate & Fury is book one of The Bone Moon duology and follows Katerina, a dimi, and Niko, her Shadow. There is fantasy, forbidden love, shapeshifters, demons, spice, and touch her and die.
I ultimately liked this book, but it took me getting through about 50% of the story before it picked up enough that I was invested and willing to stay up too late to continue reading (moms you know what I'm talking about). Don't get me wrong, most of the first half was definitely required for the story, it just took me awhile to get through it. I'm hoping some of the stuff that seemed superfulous for this book will be required to really understand what happens in the next book. Niko was my favorite character, but I both loved and hated his devotion as battled between love and duty.
I definitely will be reading book two.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Emily Colin for this ARC and allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

"Break me, then" she said, a challenge. " Break me like your promises."

🌶️0/5 (fade to black)

An original and creative Slavic-inspired universe with extensive world building, an elemental magic system, and a unique culture of bonded Dimi/Shadow pairs. A tale of duty, forbidden love, loss, and the risks of making deals with devils.

There were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this! The creativity alone makes this one worth a read. I found the slavic-inspired universe was very unique and I appreciated the rich world building. I did find it a little challenging to keep track of the terms and lore; however I've been told that the latest version does contain a glossary which is a great addition.

There was a lot going on in this story, especially in the second half! The dramatic turn of events in the second half was completely unexpected and had me gripped; however, it felt a little disjointed with the first half of the book. I really enjoyed the premise of the Bone Trials from the outset and I was fully invested in the outcome of the trials; however, with everything that unfolds in the second half, it's unclear to me what role it plays in the rest of the story. Elena's character arc was also very interesting and unexpected (if maybe a bit abrupt)

I enjoyed the multi POV storytelling; however, in between moments of action we spend a lot of time with the current narrator, sifting through their thoughts, opinions, and speculation about the current situation, which I felt lead to slightly stuttered pacing. I found the writing style lovely and almost lyrical; however I also felt that there was a level of verbosity/detail and repetition that didn't always add to the story (and even at times distracted me from the moment). The vivid descriptions paid off during the key moments though, and the scenes were always easy to visualize!

A very interesting conclusion that leaves a lot of intrigue as to what will happen in book 2!

Fate and Fury sounded SOOOO good, and I was SO READY to read this, but it fell flat for me. I don't know why, but I thought Katerina being all powerful, having control over four different elements (compared to other Dimi who normally have control over just one) would play a bigger role in this book, but it was just skimmed over. This really was more focused on relationships, with the issues plaguing this world occurring like background noise around them. And there were kind of a lot of characters/relationships to keep track of? Or at least it felt like it. The forbidden love between Niko and Katerina was portrayed really well, and I was rooting for them to be together, while simultaneously feeling REALLY BAD for Elena (even if she did questionable things in the end). While it served a purpose to the story, I don't understand Sammael's attraction to Elena. I also don't understand how she was able to become SO POWERFUL after days of training with Sammael, seemingly more powerful than Katerina, despite Katerina being "the most powerful Dimi in Iriska". Overall, the concept was good, but it was poorly executed. I think I would have enjoyed this more if less had been happening (it felt like a lot of events were stuffed into a pretty short book) and there were more character development/relationships between characters was expounded upon. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

There’s a lot going on in this book, witches, shapeshifters, demons, and more!

It’s a lot to get your head around, an addition of a glossary or character references would really help to stay on track with who’s who and what they are!

The world building is immersive, you can jump right in to the action and it’s well paced throughout.

This book just wasn’t for me. The premise is really interesting and I am 100% positive that it will find its people.