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Bound to the Fate of Kings
In the beginning, there is no known year, no known location. There is only Aisa and her two sisters, three witches whose lives are tied to Fate.
She is awakened one night and drawn outside to witness a portent of things to come. Events she and her sisters are expected to bring to pass: to find a king who is not yet king and crown him.
What finds them is Beolin, a lord in service to King Duncan and the king's brother, Malcolm, a man who is marked by blood and the breath of the dragon he wishes he was.
As Aisa leads Beolin along the path that will lead to the crown she believes Malcolm will bear in his brother's place, she will have to choose whether to fight an unstoppable force or follow the only trail she's ever known to take.
She is awakened one night and drawn outside to witness a portent of things to come. Events she and her sisters are expected to bring to pass: to find a king who is not yet king and crown him.
What finds them is Beolin, a lord in service to King Duncan and the king's brother, Malcolm, a man who is marked by blood and the breath of the dragon he wishes he was.
As Aisa leads Beolin along the path that will lead to the crown she believes Malcolm will bear in his brother's place, she will have to choose whether to fight an unstoppable force or follow the only trail she's ever known to take.
439 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2023
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 28, 2023
Much like the lead character, Bound to the Fate of Kings sets forth with one goal in mind, and it does so exceptionally well. And that goal is to break you. While applying a little spice for seasoning.
But just when you think you've been broken enough, the hammer comes right back out.
Jackson showcases her mastery of tone to artfully adapt to the alternating POVs - the major characters never sound the same, and I found it quite easy to tell who was speaking without the need of dialogue tags. Her characters grow and change throughout, while still forging on to their fated objectives. I believe an effort was made to show character growth despite them being fated to follow one path.
Jackson's pacing serves the novel well, too - with deliberate slow-downs and speed-ups, depending on the in-universe situation. I never felt like beats progressed too quickly or slow. Each happened precisely as they were meant to.
Whether Bound to the Fate of Kings is your fourth or first Jackson novel, it will feel fresh, unique, and engaging.
I was given an ARC of Bound to the Fate of Kings in exchange for an honest review.
But just when you think you've been broken enough, the hammer comes right back out.
Jackson showcases her mastery of tone to artfully adapt to the alternating POVs - the major characters never sound the same, and I found it quite easy to tell who was speaking without the need of dialogue tags. Her characters grow and change throughout, while still forging on to their fated objectives. I believe an effort was made to show character growth despite them being fated to follow one path.
Jackson's pacing serves the novel well, too - with deliberate slow-downs and speed-ups, depending on the in-universe situation. I never felt like beats progressed too quickly or slow. Each happened precisely as they were meant to.
Whether Bound to the Fate of Kings is your fourth or first Jackson novel, it will feel fresh, unique, and engaging.
I was given an ARC of Bound to the Fate of Kings in exchange for an honest review.
September 23, 2024
Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.
I’m going to start this review with something of a disclaimer:
I am not intimately familiar with Shakespeare. Because of this, I can’t speak confidently on how well Jamie Jackson’s Bound to the Fate of Kings stands up to its Shakespearean inspiration. So, instead, I will be approaching this story solely on its own merits. I can speak more confidently on how this story holds up on its own and as its own thing.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to the summary!
Summary
The story opens with witches Aisa, Moira, and Nona looking to find and crown a future king. When they accidentally stumble upon the current king, they find themselves roped into the war his army is fighting against another kingdom and they are separated to help fight. As this happens, Aisa learns that one of the king’s brothers, Malcolm, seeks the crown for himself.
Meanwhile, Malcolm’s brother Beolin finds himself struggling with growing feelings for Aisa. As the two get to know each other, Beolin finds himself harboring a strong desire to be with her. When he and Aisa find themselves confronted with the consequences of Malcolm’s dark aspirations, however, they realize that they must work to stop him before he takes the throne for good.
Thoughts
I have always enjoyed the idea of a story being told from the villain’s perspective. To me, it turns things around and forces the reader to consider different questions. This allows for interesting narratives, intriguing conflicts, and sometimes even for said villain to become sympathetic. With this story, I like that the narrative goes in two distinct directions: Aisa’s struggle with fate and Beolin’s involvement in the wider military conflict. I’ll discuss both of their characters in more detail in a bit!
The other thing I want to discuss is the setup of this story. I feel like the main Shakespearean component of this story is subtle enough to create mystery and tension, but also ties into the plot beautifully. For me, this subtlety helped build suspense because I had an idea of some things that could happen, but I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen. This made it so I was excited to see what would unfold as the plot progressed.
Now that I’ve covered my general thoughts, let’s talk about the characters!
Characters
Aisa
So, I admit that I didn’t know what to expect from the Aisa when I learned the premise of this story. However, as it went on, I grew to like her a lot. Her connection with her sisters Moira and Nona is touching and her personal character arc is captivating! This is because her story considers interesting questions that kept me invested. While it is obvious that she is not entirely good, she is sympathetic. She has feelings, desires, and is unsure about the role she plays in the conflict. This makes her compelling as a character.
Her actions not being entirely good made her particularly intriguing, as she feels her place is to crown a king at whatever cost. What motivates her to do so is interesting as well, as she treats this goal like a predestined task that she hesitates to leave incomplete. Seeing the consequences her goals have made me want to know more and how her actions would further affect others.
That said, she is not the only interesting character in this story. Let’s discuss the soldier Beolin next!
Beolin
I find this character fascinating! I like that, similarly to Aisa, he is also not entirely good. However, the negative aspects of his character are presented differently, and this allows his character to appear mostly good because his actions do not entirely match up with his story. This makes the reader aware of his more complex nature while uncovering the role he will play in the narrative bit by bit. And once said role is uncovered, the conflict driving him is gripping and the reasons for his actions are easy to get behind.
I also love how he is not afraid to express genuine emotion. Quite a few soldiers in this story fail to think about the implications of the wider conflict, but he shows obvious concern for the people affected in a way that moved me. Seeing him become more emotionally invested in the conflict ended up being captivating!
Well, I think that’s all I have on the characters. Let’s move on to the structure.
Structure
I found the structure of this story interesting. I like that the main events driving the story to occur more in the background. This made me aware of what was happening and anxiously waiting to see how it would affect the characters’ lives. The dramatic irony involved in this left me on the edge of my seat even in the seemingly normal moments.
However, I admit that it wasn’t perfect. I honestly wish this story had been separated into two parts. I say this because the opening conflict of the story feels very different from where it ends at the conclusion. There is something of a shift once the story gets toward the end and splitting it into different parts could have acknowledged that change.
Now that I’ve covered the structure, let’s move on to the writing!
Writing
Despite the fascinating premise, I do see issues with the prose. While Jackson does a great job building the world and the suspense the story will follow, the sentence structure is too flowery. Run-on sentences are prevalent throughout the novel. There are blocks of text that looked like paragraphs at first glance, only for me to realize while reading them that sometimes they could be one sentence. While this wasn’t enough to take me out of the story, it was too big of an issue for me to entirely dismiss.
I also must admit that there were certain words in the prose that felt out of place when I first came across them in Aisa’s sections. The prose does sound rather formal when she speaks, but she will occasionally swear. At first, whenever she would speak like that, it felt jarring to me because the rest of her language came across as refined. As the story went on, it didn’t bother me as much, but I wanted to acknowledge that it took some getting used to in the beginning. Once I adjusted to it, it wasn’t as much of an issue.
With all that laid out, I think I’ve covered everything I wanted to talk about. Let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun with this! The characters are intriguing, the story is suspenseful, and the scale of the narrative is epic! Aisa and Beolin are compelling characters that were a joy to follow, and I loved seeing where their journeys would go.
While I did see some issues with the execution of the narrative, I don’t think they detract from the overall impact it had on me. I can’t deny how much I enjoyed this and for that reason I will be giving it four stars.
I’m going to start this review with something of a disclaimer:
I am not intimately familiar with Shakespeare. Because of this, I can’t speak confidently on how well Jamie Jackson’s Bound to the Fate of Kings stands up to its Shakespearean inspiration. So, instead, I will be approaching this story solely on its own merits. I can speak more confidently on how this story holds up on its own and as its own thing.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to the summary!
Summary
The story opens with witches Aisa, Moira, and Nona looking to find and crown a future king. When they accidentally stumble upon the current king, they find themselves roped into the war his army is fighting against another kingdom and they are separated to help fight. As this happens, Aisa learns that one of the king’s brothers, Malcolm, seeks the crown for himself.
Meanwhile, Malcolm’s brother Beolin finds himself struggling with growing feelings for Aisa. As the two get to know each other, Beolin finds himself harboring a strong desire to be with her. When he and Aisa find themselves confronted with the consequences of Malcolm’s dark aspirations, however, they realize that they must work to stop him before he takes the throne for good.
Thoughts
I have always enjoyed the idea of a story being told from the villain’s perspective. To me, it turns things around and forces the reader to consider different questions. This allows for interesting narratives, intriguing conflicts, and sometimes even for said villain to become sympathetic. With this story, I like that the narrative goes in two distinct directions: Aisa’s struggle with fate and Beolin’s involvement in the wider military conflict. I’ll discuss both of their characters in more detail in a bit!
The other thing I want to discuss is the setup of this story. I feel like the main Shakespearean component of this story is subtle enough to create mystery and tension, but also ties into the plot beautifully. For me, this subtlety helped build suspense because I had an idea of some things that could happen, but I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen. This made it so I was excited to see what would unfold as the plot progressed.
Now that I’ve covered my general thoughts, let’s talk about the characters!
Characters
Aisa
So, I admit that I didn’t know what to expect from the Aisa when I learned the premise of this story. However, as it went on, I grew to like her a lot. Her connection with her sisters Moira and Nona is touching and her personal character arc is captivating! This is because her story considers interesting questions that kept me invested. While it is obvious that she is not entirely good, she is sympathetic. She has feelings, desires, and is unsure about the role she plays in the conflict. This makes her compelling as a character.
Her actions not being entirely good made her particularly intriguing, as she feels her place is to crown a king at whatever cost. What motivates her to do so is interesting as well, as she treats this goal like a predestined task that she hesitates to leave incomplete. Seeing the consequences her goals have made me want to know more and how her actions would further affect others.
That said, she is not the only interesting character in this story. Let’s discuss the soldier Beolin next!
Beolin
I find this character fascinating! I like that, similarly to Aisa, he is also not entirely good. However, the negative aspects of his character are presented differently, and this allows his character to appear mostly good because his actions do not entirely match up with his story. This makes the reader aware of his more complex nature while uncovering the role he will play in the narrative bit by bit. And once said role is uncovered, the conflict driving him is gripping and the reasons for his actions are easy to get behind.
I also love how he is not afraid to express genuine emotion. Quite a few soldiers in this story fail to think about the implications of the wider conflict, but he shows obvious concern for the people affected in a way that moved me. Seeing him become more emotionally invested in the conflict ended up being captivating!
Well, I think that’s all I have on the characters. Let’s move on to the structure.
Structure
I found the structure of this story interesting. I like that the main events driving the story to occur more in the background. This made me aware of what was happening and anxiously waiting to see how it would affect the characters’ lives. The dramatic irony involved in this left me on the edge of my seat even in the seemingly normal moments.
However, I admit that it wasn’t perfect. I honestly wish this story had been separated into two parts. I say this because the opening conflict of the story feels very different from where it ends at the conclusion. There is something of a shift once the story gets toward the end and splitting it into different parts could have acknowledged that change.
Now that I’ve covered the structure, let’s move on to the writing!
Writing
Despite the fascinating premise, I do see issues with the prose. While Jackson does a great job building the world and the suspense the story will follow, the sentence structure is too flowery. Run-on sentences are prevalent throughout the novel. There are blocks of text that looked like paragraphs at first glance, only for me to realize while reading them that sometimes they could be one sentence. While this wasn’t enough to take me out of the story, it was too big of an issue for me to entirely dismiss.
I also must admit that there were certain words in the prose that felt out of place when I first came across them in Aisa’s sections. The prose does sound rather formal when she speaks, but she will occasionally swear. At first, whenever she would speak like that, it felt jarring to me because the rest of her language came across as refined. As the story went on, it didn’t bother me as much, but I wanted to acknowledge that it took some getting used to in the beginning. Once I adjusted to it, it wasn’t as much of an issue.
With all that laid out, I think I’ve covered everything I wanted to talk about. Let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun with this! The characters are intriguing, the story is suspenseful, and the scale of the narrative is epic! Aisa and Beolin are compelling characters that were a joy to follow, and I loved seeing where their journeys would go.
While I did see some issues with the execution of the narrative, I don’t think they detract from the overall impact it had on me. I can’t deny how much I enjoyed this and for that reason I will be giving it four stars.
March 18, 2024
The book was very good. Well written and an interesting take on the original story. I liked seeing from the viewpoint of one of the witches, but I would have preferred to have gotten them all. I didn't enjoy the romance element (although that was also well written and delivered in much the same way many other romance sub-plots are) partly because the witch was so much more interesting outside of the male gaze. I hated every aspect of him wanting to protect her, lusting after her, and what it led to. I think the story might have been slightly better if Beolin and Aisa had formed a comradery and comforted each other as friends without getting tangled up in lust or anything of the sort. I didn't mind that Aisa was young and beautiful, I found this to be a refreshing change of pace from the original source where all the witches are ugly.
I read this book over the course of several months, so I may be misremembering, but I could have sworn that Aisa claimed that Fate always must have three, and so I was expecting two new witches to greet her when she finally returned home, perhaps to act like they'd always been there. The most heartrending moment of the whole story was the deaths of Aisa's sisters. I wondered why she began to forget them for a moment, I thought there was going to be more to this, like perhaps that fate had called their replacements or something and that's why they had begun to fade from her mind. I would not have liked them to have been resurrected though, as I hate it when authors break my heart killing someone off and then bring them back.
One highlight of the story was Aisa learning to ride a horse. I found this adorable. I liked Aisa as a character, hated Baolin with a passion, didn't feel strongly about the villain (possibly because being familiar with the source material I already knew the outcome of his story and how far he would go to achieve it) was only slightly interested in the difference between Catherine as she's described in this story, and the Lady Macbeth as she exists in the play, and the only other characters I really liked were the other witches and a few of the horses.
It feels well researched, or at least well enough that I couldn't spot the historical inaccuracies if there were any with the way they dressed and what the ladies used for make-up or the way they traveled and fought. Anyway. I enjoyed the book overall, and if you like Macbeth or historical romances with morally grey characters then you should check it out.
I read this book over the course of several months, so I may be misremembering, but I could have sworn that Aisa claimed that Fate always must have three, and so I was expecting two new witches to greet her when she finally returned home, perhaps to act like they'd always been there. The most heartrending moment of the whole story was the deaths of Aisa's sisters. I wondered why she began to forget them for a moment, I thought there was going to be more to this, like perhaps that fate had called their replacements or something and that's why they had begun to fade from her mind. I would not have liked them to have been resurrected though, as I hate it when authors break my heart killing someone off and then bring them back.
One highlight of the story was Aisa learning to ride a horse. I found this adorable. I liked Aisa as a character, hated Baolin with a passion, didn't feel strongly about the villain (possibly because being familiar with the source material I already knew the outcome of his story and how far he would go to achieve it) was only slightly interested in the difference between Catherine as she's described in this story, and the Lady Macbeth as she exists in the play, and the only other characters I really liked were the other witches and a few of the horses.
It feels well researched, or at least well enough that I couldn't spot the historical inaccuracies if there were any with the way they dressed and what the ladies used for make-up or the way they traveled and fought. Anyway. I enjoyed the book overall, and if you like Macbeth or historical romances with morally grey characters then you should check it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2024
4.5 stars
Okay, I would like to read more Shakespeare retellings please!
I’ve been a fan of Jamie Jackson’s writing for some time, and she always manages to surprise me with her take on a new genre. I’m a big Shakespeare fan - although it’s many years since I read Macbeth - and this retelling manages to feel both familiar and new at the same time. There are obvious links to the original story, but bringing the three witches to the forefront was a fascinating new angle, and it worked well.
I really enjoyed the uneasy romance building between the two main characters, and the murky morals throughout were interesting to watch play out. I loved seeing our reincarnation of Macduff brought to life a lot more in this telling, whereas - despite being the ‘hero’ in the end - he feels like a side character in the original text.
This was a great read for spooky season, and I would definitely recommend it to any Shakespeare fan interested in fresh versions of the bard’s work
Okay, I would like to read more Shakespeare retellings please!
I’ve been a fan of Jamie Jackson’s writing for some time, and she always manages to surprise me with her take on a new genre. I’m a big Shakespeare fan - although it’s many years since I read Macbeth - and this retelling manages to feel both familiar and new at the same time. There are obvious links to the original story, but bringing the three witches to the forefront was a fascinating new angle, and it worked well.
I really enjoyed the uneasy romance building between the two main characters, and the murky morals throughout were interesting to watch play out. I loved seeing our reincarnation of Macduff brought to life a lot more in this telling, whereas - despite being the ‘hero’ in the end - he feels like a side character in the original text.
This was a great read for spooky season, and I would definitely recommend it to any Shakespeare fan interested in fresh versions of the bard’s work
September 28, 2023
I received a free ARC of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Oh, I love the story of MacBeth so when I heard that this would be a dark fantasy reimagining, I couldn’t wait to dive into it. It was so much better than anything I could have imagined. Unique, with characters given the room to grow and flourish, yet you can see the root of them in the original story.
The way this author twists and plays with the concept of fate and magic is such a fun version. There’s things our characters don’t even know which gives the concept an allure of mystery throughout the entire story. You both love and hate Fate.
Aisa, one of the three witches, has such a wonderful character journey here. I dare not spoil it but the author crafts a lovely story of love, loyalty, loss and, of course, fate.
Oh, I love the story of MacBeth so when I heard that this would be a dark fantasy reimagining, I couldn’t wait to dive into it. It was so much better than anything I could have imagined. Unique, with characters given the room to grow and flourish, yet you can see the root of them in the original story.
The way this author twists and plays with the concept of fate and magic is such a fun version. There’s things our characters don’t even know which gives the concept an allure of mystery throughout the entire story. You both love and hate Fate.
Aisa, one of the three witches, has such a wonderful character journey here. I dare not spoil it but the author crafts a lovely story of love, loyalty, loss and, of course, fate.
October 10, 2023
Bound to the Fate of Kings is the second Jamie Jackson novel I have read, the first being The Sparrow and the Oak Tree. I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of this latest book. It is a more sober and darker story than Sparrow and I would have been disappointed in a reimagining of Macbeth if it hadn't been. The three sister witches trapped in time, fettered to Fate, are sent forth into the world of man to accomplish her goals. Bound to the Fate of Kings is a wonderful story filled with romance, magic, battles, and intrigue. The lives of the witches and the cost of their magic is a riveting tale and the ending will linger with me for a while. excellent read and I highly recommend it.
November 1, 2023
The story and characters are both complexly layered. It's a dark retelling, but it isn't all doom and gloom, there are spots of bright sprinkled throughout. Which makes the darkness even darker.
The descriptions in the book are beautiful without being overdone. You can see what's happening, but even the fight scenes don't get tedious
Extra points for the realistic description of the horses and time on horseback, because a lot of fantasy writers want to add that in, but have no idea what they're talking about.
I was given an ARC of Bound to the Fate of Kings, and this is my honest review.
The descriptions in the book are beautiful without being overdone. You can see what's happening, but even the fight scenes don't get tedious
Extra points for the realistic description of the horses and time on horseback, because a lot of fantasy writers want to add that in, but have no idea what they're talking about.
I was given an ARC of Bound to the Fate of Kings, and this is my honest review.
October 31, 2023
This is my first time reading one of Jamie Jackson's books, and likely won't be the last.
This is a book told from the perspectives of its two main characters, alternating between the two. It is chock full of atmosphere, different types of tension, and so many evocative little details which will stimulate all of your senses.
Well worth a read, I really enjoyed it!
This is a book told from the perspectives of its two main characters, alternating between the two. It is chock full of atmosphere, different types of tension, and so many evocative little details which will stimulate all of your senses.
Well worth a read, I really enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews