Orphaned at birth and traveling with their uncle to hide their ability to read each other’s minds, a brother and sister are shocked to discover a book, that first—claims magic is real, and second—that they belong in that world, and third—they are chosen by blood to fulfil a prophecy: to either save or destroy all magic. The Fated Chronicles is a Contemporary Portal Fantasy Adventure Series.
From strange childhood to stranger adolescence, twins Meghan and Colin Jacoby are coming of age in a land of magic alongside everything they thought was make believe…
3 books in all: Heirs of Magic, Prophecy of Fire, & Trials of Initiation
Twins Meghan & Colin Jacoby have lived a life in hiding for as long as they can remember. Their uncle had kept them safe. But all that changes one summer when a stranger group of travelers stays at the same campground. Their friendship with a boy from the group sends them on a journey through a portal & opens a world of magic & strange worlds that they seem to be a part of.
The story unfold through the twins eyes so the reader knows no more than they do. Interesting unveiling with a good tempo & several surprises.
When I first picked up this set, I thought this series would be an enjoyable read. It certainly promised some of the things I especially love in a good fictitious novel: adventure, action, magic. The numerous good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads reinforced my decision to give this series a try.
A few chapters into the first book, however, I felt myself beginning to lose interest. The dialogue is certainly believable, and the plot is certainly interesting and unique, but both the dialogue and the style of writing did not immerse me in the story. I felt detached and more like a casual observer just looking in on the events of the novel simply because I had nothing better to do. There are few elaborately descriptive sentences in this book, and I felt as if the style of writing could use a lot more work; again, the way the sentences are structured felt to me as if the writer is simply telling me the basic ideas of what happened, kind of like those in a history book, instead of describing it to me, of making me actually feel like I was really in the story instead of just a casually bystander. I just don’t feel what the characters are feeling, don’t see in front of my eyes what the characters are seeing in theirs. I did try part of the second novel, just to see if the series gets better, but gave up about two-thirds of the way. In short, this series feels more like a chore than a pleasurable read to me.
That said, just because Firemancer seems horrible to me, it does not mean that it is horrible to anybody. I would recommend this series to people who are younger, perhaps someone from eight to twelve years old. The short sentences and lack of complicated vocabulary makes this series an easy read for an audience of that age. The creative plot and the existence of adventure, action, and magic in this series might appeal to their taste.
However, I am no longer going to be returning to this series. It might be a good book to introduce to a much younger audience, but being an older teen, I feel as if the novel’s style and lack of elaborate description is a bit too dry for me, making me unable to immerse myself fully into the books. For people who are much younger, I would say that this book might be good for them. Just do not expect long, elaborate sentences and description.
This was an interesting YA story. It had the whole "finding out you're a wizard Harry" thing going for it. A set of twins lead a nomadic life with their uncle, until they come to the aid of a group of gypsies.
Personally, I didn't like Meghan. I liked her character at the beginning but quickly changed my mind. She is rude. She flies off the handle regularly. She lies. On the other side of things, I really liked Colin. He came into his own over the three books in the box set. Another thing that I didn't like was the writing style. I felt like the dialogue between the characters was too formal. It kind of felt like it was written by someone whose first language wasn't English, or maybe someone British. I know that sounds weird, but it's hard to explain. When the main characters were interacting their dialogue was too formal for a bunch of preteens. I randomly found myself switching to a British accent while reading, which, again, I know is weird.
I feel like this storyline had potential and then kind of let me down a bit. I gave it 3 stars because I liked the idea of it.
Wow, this book was so amazing. It had everything you could ask for: action, magic, adventure, drama and some romance (though I will say they seemed a little too young for that). I loved how the twins had their own personalities and them fighting made it seem a little more realistic. I mean, all kids have fights every once in awhile and if not, well, I'm sure they did at one point and time. Right??? Anyways, my point is is that I enjoyed this book and am ready for the next adventure!
Ugh. This had so much promise, and I wanted so much to like it, but while the world is compelling, the magic does not make any sense and the characters are whiney and flat. The only good thinf about this series is I got it from Barnes & Noble for free.
Firemancer Collection (Fate Sage Box Set Book 1 - 3)
The story of Colin and Meghan. Twin Colin and Meghan have secrets, they can hear each other and real big one. Their world change one they meet Jeo and lost their uncle. Great story for all Henry Pottery's fans.
Blah. Too much left hanging. 1 was total cliffhanger, 2 better, but by end of 3 so many unanswered questions and too many vague hints to be satisfying. Also editing needed, esp lessons in possessives! 2*
Teen life is hard enough in our world, what if you found magic was real
Magic is real and the twins, our main characters, were completely unaware of magic or their one real birth parents. Who were able to do magic also, and were part of the community called Svoda gypsies now but they were not always gypsies and they yearn to go home to their hidden island. The reason is hidden deep as Colin and his sister Meghan discover that magic is real and they have it too. Turning 13 flipped their world upside down. Their uncle who raised them may have died in an attack by flying, unkillable creatures called scratchers attack and drive them and the svoda away. And that’s when things really go sideways as they suddenly find themselves in a magical community where they are expected to learn and use magic as well as work to become full members of the splintered gypsy clan Svoda. Oh and there’s a magic book called the magicante that really starts it all when Colin buys from an odd merchant who disappears shortly after. They travel to a ghost town, as well as other locations that are fantastic but always the Svoda watch for the scratchers to find them again, before they run! The twins join a family and make friends and enemies as well as become embroiled in a political situation that pulls them apart, which is sad as a different dead uncle finds them and he implores them to always be open and honest with each and hold no secrets from the other. This immediately backfired as 13 year olds are not mature and get on each other’s nerves…. Now just imagine that you could talk and hear each other’s kinds, talk about an invasive sibling, but they do learn to control that in time… Read on for a great 3 book adventure!
I got this book for free, and it really looked promising. While the plot and world were super unique and interesting, the characters just felt so shallow and underdeveloped. I found lots of grammar mistakes too, which made it really hard to be immersed in the story. The whole writing style just made me feel like it was the unedited first draft of a book, and I found myself rolling my eyes each page at either the characters or the dialogue. Stopped at the first book :(
Great book great story great character if like Harry potter you will love this book. The story is truly great and I can't wait to be able to get the next book and I truly hope the author continues to right books this good and when I get the money I will be purchasing the next book in this series.
To begin with I thought it was a teenage book but wow there were so many developments revealing hidden magical communities. Overcoming control to find magical freedom was a big theme as well as uncovering wickedness and facing the dark side. As you can see, this series of books kept me going for over 3 months!
The storyline was incredible. Nothing but pure enjoyment from cover to cover. Couldn't imagine the depth of the characters ability to draw you into the story. Would recommend to all if given the chance to read.
Could not put this book down! I had so many questions about the characters and stories I went straight ahead and bought the next book! I'm not saying there possibly weren't a few things very looked.
I enjoyed the characters, the world that the author built, and the story premise. I still have a number of unanswered questions, which makes me want to dive into the next book in the series. I would recommend this to people who like YA and fantasy/magic combinations.
Good story. Two young children befriend an unusual neighbor to discover a life of magic. They discover themselves to be powerful in magic. It’s cool to see them discovering things about themselves like this.
I feel this is suitable for younger readers, and is action packed with high adventure, overflowing with lovely details of every kind to keep you on your toes, and full of excitement!
I love it when animals are part of an intricate story and one where I wasn’t able to guess the next move. Plenty of fast paced action and intrigue for basically a tale about witches, ghosts and magic and having very believable characters.
A excellent written set of books. It was a little concerning that there were no numbered chapter. After figuring the breaks it was easier to be able to pause reading.
A tale involving twin teens, magic, and life issues within that magic. Cute story so far. Obviously there's more to come and I believe certain adults will be in for a well-deserved exposure. Looking forward to the next offering!
The first three books of this series combine to make one book that just stops mid story with no resolution of any kind. The storyline is entirely predictable, and the writing is non-inspired. There is better fantasy to read at this YA reading level.
I really enjoyed this book combination. The brother - sister rivalry and affection really made this series interesting. Looking forward. to reading on this. Thank you.
Although long winded. Characters were a bit complicated because they didn't have an idea who to trust and the adults didn't inform them as they were growing up
Easy to read coming of age story with twins, Colin and Meghan, discovering their magical powers. Along their journey they meet many other characters with their own journeys, good and bad.
I liked this book. I enjoyed it enough to purchase the next 2 boxed sets and read through them. Any critique I have should be prefaced with the fact that I did enjoy the series. There is a reason I have read all 7 books and fully intend to read the next 2 when they come out this summer.
The story is enjoyable and you can identify with them. My critique is more with how the story moves along. I feel that there is "lazy" story telling. The example that comes to mind is the phrase, "so-and-so went to work." This was used extensively through the first 3 books. This "work" was alluded to, but never really seemed to make a difference in the narrative. When a parent gets a promotion there is no emotion behind it. It is merely stated and we are expected to be happy for the mere sake that a promotion happened, not because it happened to a character we care about.
This type of progression weaves itself through all 7 books. Events occur and it appears that readers are expected to identify with the characters despite a lack of connection with them.
There is also the "have the eagles destroy it" situation. This is a world where magic is practiced and there have been only a handful of magical rules set in place to govern the use of magic. It feels like magic is so incredibly powerful, yet that power is only demonstrated when it furthers the plot or is convenient to the narrative.
While I may have questions about the writing style, that should not diminish the fact that this is an enjoyable series of books. They are short, quick reads. The story progresses quickly. If you are looking for a quick, YA book to read you will not go wrong here.