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Soul of Fractured Fate
I really do have the worst taste in men.
My best friend and I have been kidnapped by the fae straight into a plot out of a romance novel, and it’s all my fault. I finally escaped my abusive marriage and now I’m expected to participate in a fae knockoff of a reality dating show, minus the cameras.
Lost in the magic and affections of three smolderingly hot men, I'm torn between the magnetic draw I feel towards them and my past mistakes.
The kicker, the damn kingdom is cursed. Something sinister is brewing under the surface of this romantic atmosphere. A dark cloud threatens to destroy everything.
This is no fairytale.
My best friend and I have been kidnapped by the fae straight into a plot out of a romance novel, and it’s all my fault. I finally escaped my abusive marriage and now I’m expected to participate in a fae knockoff of a reality dating show, minus the cameras.
Lost in the magic and affections of three smolderingly hot men, I'm torn between the magnetic draw I feel towards them and my past mistakes.
The kicker, the damn kingdom is cursed. Something sinister is brewing under the surface of this romantic atmosphere. A dark cloud threatens to destroy everything.
This is no fairytale.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 25, 2024
About the author
J. Grenz
3 books6 followersJ. Grenz is a self-published author living in the Pacific Northwest, where she hopes to one day fall into a fairy realm or bump into a vampire. Her love of romance, fantasy, and whimsical places led to her debut book, Soul of Fractured Fate. Her husband and teenager help keep her grounded in reality, while her dog and five cats pretend they don't understand English.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 30, 2024
This was a fun book for the most part with good world building and some compelling characters. The romance scenes are well done and I think this author really captures the chemistry between characters well. The lead character is likeable, charming, and delightfully sarcastic. Unfortunately she lacks for development or growth over time which was a disappointment.
SPOILERS BELOW:
Past this point I am going to give massive spoilers as I reference specific scenes including twists, so if you have yet to read the book and intend to, I recommend stopping here.
Why Choose/RH Trope: This book is listed on Why-Choose .com and as you read the book you will get the impression it is building to RH but it doesn't really deliver. I believe it is building to it in the series, but I thought it would be more present here.
Trigger Warnings: The trigger warnings at the beginning of the book are a considerate addition. However, it states "This book contains mentions of sexual assault, however, there is no on-page assault." This is absolutely not the case. I believe the author may mean to say there are no on-page instances of rape, but there is most certainly sexual assault. Rodan's cornering Jade in the hallway, keeping her pinned after she verbally tells him no; nearly all of Jade's memories of past abusers; Bravos' assault on Jade in her bedroom towards the end of the book where he gropes her and strips off her clothes. In one of these cases the main character is pinned on a bed naked and her legs are forced open before we fade to black. That is absolutely sexual assault and the idea that someone that may be triggered by these instances will be going in with a different expectation is a serious concern.
Story:
First, the things I really enjoyed about this story. The chemistry between the main characters is great, you can really feel their desire through the page. This is especially true for Rodan and Jade which makes the romance scenes really work. Killian less so but it looks like that relationship is intended to develop more in book two. I like the ongoing humor of the book, Jade's sarcasm and the playfulness between characters makes for a fun read. The world is interesting and fun, leaving me wanting to know more about it. Beautiful pieces of lore like the story of the Fates really draw you into the universe. The magic system is fun with lots of unique details that are revealed as the story goes on, and the shapeshifting is just delightful. Who doesn't love otters and giant cats? The creatures of the world like the ice dragon and the horrifying constructs were great. I also like how the author is playing with the tropes of the genre. Shadowy bad boy, Golden retriever prince, and all the fun reality show energy for the early court games were hilarious. The big villain reveal later on is great, and you can see hints of it looking back which I think really worked.
The things that did not work for me in this book:
Jade: Jade is likeable and funny, but she's a disappointing main character. Especially in the case of a female led story. Throughout the entire book, she never makes a decision, she only goes along with what others want. That is a place to start, certainly, characters need to grow from somewhere, but she never grows. The only moment where she makes a decision for herself, is when she tries to seduce Killian in the library and is denied. That scene worked fine, but in the aggregate it shows just how little this character does in her own life and what little happens if she even makes an attempt. The most egregious example of this is the attack by Bravos towards the end of the book. There is a perfect moment for this character to come into her own and be the hero in her own life, and it just does not happen. She has been taking defense training, the author even emphasizes a throw during that training if someone grabs her from behind, and when Bravos grabs her from behind she... turns into an otter. Then, as things are most dire, she doesn't figure out a way out of the situation, Rodan comes in and saves her. I think there is a version of that scene that could really work. Use the defensive throw to get him off of her, still have him stab her with the knife throw, and maybe have her come into her own ice powers as a reaction and kill him herself but then the frost just gets out of control as she's bleeding out. Rodan can still have the Void reveal, he can still come to her aid. You can still have her transported to the tower for safety, him using his body heat to warm her, all of it. All while we can finally see this character become something more. Instead of a culminating moment for the character, she's just a victim once again, who was lucky there was a man there to save her. At every turn in this character's story, she only responds to the will of others, she never gets to assert herself in her own life.
Rodan: I like a lot about Rodan, and he has a lot of great scenes, but there are some upsettingly glaring moments. The way he speaks to the main character is wild, including outright calling her stupid completely unprovoked. I understand the character is trying to distance himself from her. But there is a difference between being standoffish and being verbally abusive. The worst of his behavior is when he corners her in the hall. She verbally tells him "Get off me" and "No" and she consistently struggles to escape his grasp. The justification for this is that he can smell that she is turned on. Arousal is far from consent and this behavior lines up more with what would be expected of a villain like Bravos over a love interest like Rodan. Rodan does not even see the error of his ways until learning of Jade's history of abuse. So it's only wrong for him to assault her once he knows the she has been assaulted before? Instead of playful and sexy, it comes off as an ick.
Killian: Killian, though meant to be a love interest, reads a lot like a sheltered teen. His energy is really fun but the writing for him might need to age up if any sex scenes will come off as anything but weird. He did make me smile the most though.
Character Distinction: An ongoing challenge with this book can be telling one character from another. With the exception of the main three characters it can be difficult to tell who is who and how they are important. It would help if the characters were described in greater detail and those details were reiterated as the book goes on. There are more than twenty named characters in this book who are part of multiple scenes, and it can be such a struggle to know who is who that when two characters died I had no idea who they were.
This is two books awkwardly slammed into one: The first three quarters of the book is a fun romance with elements of some danger. There are two instances of danger, the dragon at the beach and the flesh constructs in the forest. In both cases, the violence took place largely at a distance and the only deaths happened off page. Then, 3/4 of the way through the tone shifts drastically. We go from a dating show to eldritch horrors violently killing speaking role characters, consuming those characters, then incorporating their tear filled eyes and screaming mouths into their disgusting bodies. This sequence is great, genuinely I think these are cool monsters, but they do not fit the tone of the larger book. To the point that after they emerge, and the heroes defeat them, everyone goes back to normal. Everyone, with the exception of a couple minor characters, continue to stay for the dating show. The sequence so does not fit in the narrative that the characters and story need to largely ignore that it happened to keep going. Even Lyra, whose best friend is murdered in front of her, not only sticks around but within a few weeks is complaining that not enough dating is happening.
Editing: I agree with another reviewer, this book reads like a first draft. It either went through limited editing or none at all. There are grammar issues, problems with the flow of the story, lack of distinction between characters, and the list goes on. The author didn't follow their own rules established at earlier points (like reverting back to human from otter form when she was most scared instead of being calm). Most of the issues with this book would have been found by using a skilled editor or at least utilizing more alpha readers.
The final twist: Amnesia stories are tough to make work because too often it is a device that allows a writer to rehash previously solved issues rather than coming up with something new. That is exactly my fear with this final turn. Also, is Ace really to be feared anymore? The last thing she remembers is divorcing him! If she doesn't tell him to GTFO in the first scene of book 2, I might scream because what was the point of the whole first book if there is zero character growth?
Final Thoughts: I went really hard on the things I didn't like because I really care about the things I did like and I think this could be a really good series with some fine tuning.
SPOILERS BELOW:
Past this point I am going to give massive spoilers as I reference specific scenes including twists, so if you have yet to read the book and intend to, I recommend stopping here.
Why Choose/RH Trope: This book is listed on Why-Choose .com and as you read the book you will get the impression it is building to RH but it doesn't really deliver. I believe it is building to it in the series, but I thought it would be more present here.
Trigger Warnings: The trigger warnings at the beginning of the book are a considerate addition. However, it states "This book contains mentions of sexual assault, however, there is no on-page assault." This is absolutely not the case. I believe the author may mean to say there are no on-page instances of rape, but there is most certainly sexual assault. Rodan's cornering Jade in the hallway, keeping her pinned after she verbally tells him no; nearly all of Jade's memories of past abusers; Bravos' assault on Jade in her bedroom towards the end of the book where he gropes her and strips off her clothes. In one of these cases the main character is pinned on a bed naked and her legs are forced open before we fade to black. That is absolutely sexual assault and the idea that someone that may be triggered by these instances will be going in with a different expectation is a serious concern.
Story:
First, the things I really enjoyed about this story. The chemistry between the main characters is great, you can really feel their desire through the page. This is especially true for Rodan and Jade which makes the romance scenes really work. Killian less so but it looks like that relationship is intended to develop more in book two. I like the ongoing humor of the book, Jade's sarcasm and the playfulness between characters makes for a fun read. The world is interesting and fun, leaving me wanting to know more about it. Beautiful pieces of lore like the story of the Fates really draw you into the universe. The magic system is fun with lots of unique details that are revealed as the story goes on, and the shapeshifting is just delightful. Who doesn't love otters and giant cats? The creatures of the world like the ice dragon and the horrifying constructs were great. I also like how the author is playing with the tropes of the genre. Shadowy bad boy, Golden retriever prince, and all the fun reality show energy for the early court games were hilarious. The big villain reveal later on is great, and you can see hints of it looking back which I think really worked.
The things that did not work for me in this book:
Jade: Jade is likeable and funny, but she's a disappointing main character. Especially in the case of a female led story. Throughout the entire book, she never makes a decision, she only goes along with what others want. That is a place to start, certainly, characters need to grow from somewhere, but she never grows. The only moment where she makes a decision for herself, is when she tries to seduce Killian in the library and is denied. That scene worked fine, but in the aggregate it shows just how little this character does in her own life and what little happens if she even makes an attempt. The most egregious example of this is the attack by Bravos towards the end of the book. There is a perfect moment for this character to come into her own and be the hero in her own life, and it just does not happen. She has been taking defense training, the author even emphasizes a throw during that training if someone grabs her from behind, and when Bravos grabs her from behind she... turns into an otter. Then, as things are most dire, she doesn't figure out a way out of the situation, Rodan comes in and saves her. I think there is a version of that scene that could really work. Use the defensive throw to get him off of her, still have him stab her with the knife throw, and maybe have her come into her own ice powers as a reaction and kill him herself but then the frost just gets out of control as she's bleeding out. Rodan can still have the Void reveal, he can still come to her aid. You can still have her transported to the tower for safety, him using his body heat to warm her, all of it. All while we can finally see this character become something more. Instead of a culminating moment for the character, she's just a victim once again, who was lucky there was a man there to save her. At every turn in this character's story, she only responds to the will of others, she never gets to assert herself in her own life.
Rodan: I like a lot about Rodan, and he has a lot of great scenes, but there are some upsettingly glaring moments. The way he speaks to the main character is wild, including outright calling her stupid completely unprovoked. I understand the character is trying to distance himself from her. But there is a difference between being standoffish and being verbally abusive. The worst of his behavior is when he corners her in the hall. She verbally tells him "Get off me" and "No" and she consistently struggles to escape his grasp. The justification for this is that he can smell that she is turned on. Arousal is far from consent and this behavior lines up more with what would be expected of a villain like Bravos over a love interest like Rodan. Rodan does not even see the error of his ways until learning of Jade's history of abuse. So it's only wrong for him to assault her once he knows the she has been assaulted before? Instead of playful and sexy, it comes off as an ick.
Killian: Killian, though meant to be a love interest, reads a lot like a sheltered teen. His energy is really fun but the writing for him might need to age up if any sex scenes will come off as anything but weird. He did make me smile the most though.
Character Distinction: An ongoing challenge with this book can be telling one character from another. With the exception of the main three characters it can be difficult to tell who is who and how they are important. It would help if the characters were described in greater detail and those details were reiterated as the book goes on. There are more than twenty named characters in this book who are part of multiple scenes, and it can be such a struggle to know who is who that when two characters died I had no idea who they were.
This is two books awkwardly slammed into one: The first three quarters of the book is a fun romance with elements of some danger. There are two instances of danger, the dragon at the beach and the flesh constructs in the forest. In both cases, the violence took place largely at a distance and the only deaths happened off page. Then, 3/4 of the way through the tone shifts drastically. We go from a dating show to eldritch horrors violently killing speaking role characters, consuming those characters, then incorporating their tear filled eyes and screaming mouths into their disgusting bodies. This sequence is great, genuinely I think these are cool monsters, but they do not fit the tone of the larger book. To the point that after they emerge, and the heroes defeat them, everyone goes back to normal. Everyone, with the exception of a couple minor characters, continue to stay for the dating show. The sequence so does not fit in the narrative that the characters and story need to largely ignore that it happened to keep going. Even Lyra, whose best friend is murdered in front of her, not only sticks around but within a few weeks is complaining that not enough dating is happening.
Editing: I agree with another reviewer, this book reads like a first draft. It either went through limited editing or none at all. There are grammar issues, problems with the flow of the story, lack of distinction between characters, and the list goes on. The author didn't follow their own rules established at earlier points (like reverting back to human from otter form when she was most scared instead of being calm). Most of the issues with this book would have been found by using a skilled editor or at least utilizing more alpha readers.
The final twist: Amnesia stories are tough to make work because too often it is a device that allows a writer to rehash previously solved issues rather than coming up with something new. That is exactly my fear with this final turn. Also, is Ace really to be feared anymore? The last thing she remembers is divorcing him! If she doesn't tell him to GTFO in the first scene of book 2, I might scream because what was the point of the whole first book if there is zero character growth?
Final Thoughts: I went really hard on the things I didn't like because I really care about the things I did like and I think this could be a really good series with some fine tuning.
February 23, 2025
………….wow
i did not like this
i did not like this
March 1, 2024
Amazing
I need book 2!!!!! The character development is outstanding! A totally different take on the Fae and it rocks. The whole story just rocks!! Read it!
I need book 2!!!!! The character development is outstanding! A totally different take on the Fae and it rocks. The whole story just rocks!! Read it!
July 1, 2025
I saw this listed as why choose and so far, it doesn't seem to be, so that's disappointing. This book severely needed editors. There were spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, punctuation mistakes, the works. It was also in dire need of a developmental editor, as a lot of things just didn't quite make sense. Spoilers ahead.
The part that was most confusing for me was all the men involved in this match-making project took a potion to forget whether or not they were the prince, but there's no mention of any of the women taking such a potion. The point of this potion was so that the women wouldn't all flock to a prince and all the men would get a fair shot. But... Most of the women involved were from this same world as the prince. And it's not mentioned anywhere that Killian changed his name for this little experiment. There's no mention he was hidden his whole life. So you're telling me none of these women had ever heard mention of Prince Killian of whatever realm he was the prince of??
But let's say the women are just kept exceptionally sheltered or have no interest in current events and had somehow never heard of the kingdom's only prince and heir (and his half-brother, the bastard son of the King). You're telling me not a single woman was able to look at the King and Queen--who made multiple appearances at various events--and then look at the assembled men and begin to piece together which one might look like them, and thus be their son? At no point do the women even seem to be *trying* to figure out which one is the prince, and it seems like even if you weren't there specifically for a prince, someone would be curious for curiosity's sake.
And what about the men? They *were* curious, all hoping they were the prince, but none of them thought to look at the King and Queen and be like, you know what, they share a lot of resemblance to only one man here, and it isn't me. At one point Kilian even mentions he looks like one of them, so it doesn't seem like it should have been too difficult to put together.
I'm unsure if I'll read the next book, as I just didn't really like the writing style of this one. It was a little too rambly, too stream-of-consciousness, with every thought that crossed the character's mind vomited onto the page.
The part that was most confusing for me was all the men involved in this match-making project took a potion to forget whether or not they were the prince, but there's no mention of any of the women taking such a potion. The point of this potion was so that the women wouldn't all flock to a prince and all the men would get a fair shot. But... Most of the women involved were from this same world as the prince. And it's not mentioned anywhere that Killian changed his name for this little experiment. There's no mention he was hidden his whole life. So you're telling me none of these women had ever heard mention of Prince Killian of whatever realm he was the prince of??
But let's say the women are just kept exceptionally sheltered or have no interest in current events and had somehow never heard of the kingdom's only prince and heir (and his half-brother, the bastard son of the King). You're telling me not a single woman was able to look at the King and Queen--who made multiple appearances at various events--and then look at the assembled men and begin to piece together which one might look like them, and thus be their son? At no point do the women even seem to be *trying* to figure out which one is the prince, and it seems like even if you weren't there specifically for a prince, someone would be curious for curiosity's sake.
And what about the men? They *were* curious, all hoping they were the prince, but none of them thought to look at the King and Queen and be like, you know what, they share a lot of resemblance to only one man here, and it isn't me. At one point Kilian even mentions he looks like one of them, so it doesn't seem like it should have been too difficult to put together.
I'm unsure if I'll read the next book, as I just didn't really like the writing style of this one. It was a little too rambly, too stream-of-consciousness, with every thought that crossed the character's mind vomited onto the page.
March 28, 2024
The only reason I stumbled across this book because it was listed on why-choose.com as a reverse harem book. I want to state this to anyone that reads it. It does not end in a way that would lead you to believe it is a why choose. I am sure this changes over time.
I will say this book is almost a 2.5 stars for me. I still give it a 3 because most of the world building and plot devices worked.
What brings it down for me though is the way Jade handles things in the beginning of the story I don't think are the best. I really think she shouldn't have left her home the way it was and go off with Cat to celebrate. After learning more about her I think I understand why she didn't get the cops involved, although I still think she should have since there was no legal reason for him to be there at all since they had been separated for a year and the divorce was now finalized. If not that I think before taking off with Cat she should have at least cleaned some. After all, she had no clue at this point she was going to be kidnapped and not return.
The other dropping point is the fact that I found eight easily fixable grammar errors in the book.
I would also like to add that personally I had a hard time keeping track of who's who with the other characters. Regarding the females I think it might have helped if their fae type might have been mentioned a bit more often.
I do still plan on continuing this series and reading the next, especially due to the cliffhanger and liking other characters in the book.
I will say this book is almost a 2.5 stars for me. I still give it a 3 because most of the world building and plot devices worked.
What brings it down for me though is the way Jade handles things in the beginning of the story I don't think are the best. I really think she shouldn't have left her home the way it was and go off with Cat to celebrate. After learning more about her I think I understand why she didn't get the cops involved, although I still think she should have since there was no legal reason for him to be there at all since they had been separated for a year and the divorce was now finalized. If not that I think before taking off with Cat she should have at least cleaned some. After all, she had no clue at this point she was going to be kidnapped and not return.
The other dropping point is the fact that I found eight easily fixable grammar errors in the book.
I would also like to add that personally I had a hard time keeping track of who's who with the other characters. Regarding the females I think it might have helped if their fae type might have been mentioned a bit more often.
I do still plan on continuing this series and reading the next, especially due to the cliffhanger and liking other characters in the book.
April 14, 2024
This debut is by a fellow PNW indie author. It was such a fun, spicy and original read! I don’t normally go for fantasy or romance novels… or any novel over 300 pages… but this story had me very intrigued.
A woman celebrates her divorce at a bar with her bestie- just for the both of them to be kidnapped by a fae, and forced into a dating competition inside of a cursed kingdom from another realm. I was entertained from the get-go!
Nothing was ever boring or predictable. There was ample world building and character development. The rotating POVs and multiple flashbacks never threw me off. Instead, they added necessary layers to the story.
Some may find the main character’s healing journey from an abusive marriage triggering. There are thorough trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel.
Don’t look to me for a spice rating. I haven’t read enough of the genre to confidently do such a thing. My 6 (and I’m just spitballing a number) could easily be another person’s 2. I can confidently say, however, this is NOT closed door. Lots of twitching, insertion and minds in the gutter.
I really, really loved this debut. I tried my best to tune out the world, so I could inhale it faster. The ending was such a gut punch. I can’t wait for the next book!
A woman celebrates her divorce at a bar with her bestie- just for the both of them to be kidnapped by a fae, and forced into a dating competition inside of a cursed kingdom from another realm. I was entertained from the get-go!
Nothing was ever boring or predictable. There was ample world building and character development. The rotating POVs and multiple flashbacks never threw me off. Instead, they added necessary layers to the story.
Some may find the main character’s healing journey from an abusive marriage triggering. There are thorough trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel.
Don’t look to me for a spice rating. I haven’t read enough of the genre to confidently do such a thing. My 6 (and I’m just spitballing a number) could easily be another person’s 2. I can confidently say, however, this is NOT closed door. Lots of twitching, insertion and minds in the gutter.
I really, really loved this debut. I tried my best to tune out the world, so I could inhale it faster. The ending was such a gut punch. I can’t wait for the next book!
September 5, 2025
Hard to enjoy. Killian was very annoying and hard to tolerate. The writing was hard to read. The writing was chopping and did not feel fluid. The story just felt like it was happening not being experienced. The story did not hold my attention and I was bored just trying to push through to the end. I did not connect with any of the characters. The story was predictable.
April 5, 2026
The writing is too juvenile for the story - it reads like a YA novel, which it most certainly is not (not to mention the numerous grammatical errors). The trigger warning at the beginning states that there are no on-page depictions of sexual assault but this is absolutely not true. There are no descriptions of rape, but Jade is very explicitly assaulted in other ways.
The world building and plot were decent, but it started falling apart for me in the last 50 pages. Kind of seemed like the author was throwing in twists just for the hell of it. And what on earth was that ending?
The world building and plot were decent, but it started falling apart for me in the last 50 pages. Kind of seemed like the author was throwing in twists just for the hell of it. And what on earth was that ending?
February 16, 2025
This book hooked me from the start. I love all the characters, except maybe one. Such a great twist on fantasy. The entire book was entertaining and I couldn't put it down. I was never able to guess what would happen next. I loved every second. Going to read book 2 now!
May 26, 2025
Not your typical romantasy!
I was looking for something light and fun to read...this book sucked me right in and took me to a new realm and a story full of twists and turns! I was very pleasantly surprised! Next, please!
I was looking for something light and fun to read...this book sucked me right in and took me to a new realm and a story full of twists and turns! I was very pleasantly surprised! Next, please!
March 1, 2025
3.5 stars. I was HERE for the vibes but not for the writing. I HATED the ending, need to read the second book asap😂
March 21, 2026
It's complicated... I really gave this a solid shot!
It's like a bastardization of ACOTAR (but Tam is not TAM, and he is besties with Rhys), but modern world meets The Bachelor?
The premise is the FMC and her bff get swept away to fae-world, the day her divorce papers from a massively abusive ex are finalized where they are to take part in a dating/mate-finding experiment? This is all hosted by a golden retriever MMC and his broody "brother" figure.
Shit goes sideways, there's a curse, and a crapton of random characters to represent the realms in this alternate fae-verse...? So far, only a few really stood out- maybe they'll be more important in the second book?
There's much more, and there are ties between the mortal realm and the fae. Trying to bridge the gap of fantasy and reality.
It ends in a huge cliffhanger, but I'm not compelled to read on. The only real reason I gave this two stars instead of one is the depiction of trauma and panic attacks. Those sections are very well done.
Just not my cup of tea... 🤷♀️
It's like a bastardization of ACOTAR (but Tam is not TAM, and he is besties with Rhys), but modern world meets The Bachelor?
The premise is the FMC and her bff get swept away to fae-world, the day her divorce papers from a massively abusive ex are finalized where they are to take part in a dating/mate-finding experiment? This is all hosted by a golden retriever MMC and his broody "brother" figure.
Shit goes sideways, there's a curse, and a crapton of random characters to represent the realms in this alternate fae-verse...? So far, only a few really stood out- maybe they'll be more important in the second book?
There's much more, and there are ties between the mortal realm and the fae. Trying to bridge the gap of fantasy and reality.
It ends in a huge cliffhanger, but I'm not compelled to read on. The only real reason I gave this two stars instead of one is the depiction of trauma and panic attacks. Those sections are very well done.
Just not my cup of tea... 🤷♀️
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews