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Tethered By Kismet
There’s something achingly familiar about Vinny Amato.
Charming and mysterious, he captures Kamila’s attention from the moment she sees him. Through what seems like a chance encounter, they fall head over heels for each other in a short time. As things progress quickly between them, bouts of dread begin to assault Kamila. She can’t help but feel like she’s lived this before. Has she?
While she’s swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous, she can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. But what, and to who?
Charming and mysterious, he captures Kamila’s attention from the moment she sees him. Through what seems like a chance encounter, they fall head over heels for each other in a short time. As things progress quickly between them, bouts of dread begin to assault Kamila. She can’t help but feel like she’s lived this before. Has she?
While she’s swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous, she can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. But what, and to who?
86 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2025
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23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 23, 2025
Tethered By Kismet is a haunting psychological thriller about a young woman that finds herself falling head over heels for an older man. Kamila has only just met Vinny Amato, yet she feels like she’s loved and lost him in the past. The novella accurately captures that feeling of déjà vu that happens sometimes with relationships. This is something I’ve experienced in my own romantic life with a partner that felt like we’d known each other our entire lives, even though we’d only known each other a few months.
There’s commentary here as well about the uneven power balance with age gap relationships. I appreciated that Kamila’s insecurity, thanks to her youth and inexperience, was explored with sympathy and I found it to be true to life. The narrative spirals into a dizzying stream of consciousness as the binds that tie Kamila to her lover begin to fray. The horror of this story is saved for the very end, and while good I would have liked for there to be more tension.
I’m not sure if the version of the story I read was edited or not but I felt that it could have used one more round to clean up some of the awkwardly phrased sentences or condense some of the repetition (i.e. two side by side sentences that say the same thing or repeating metaphors). Knowing how the story ends, some repetition is necessary and makes sense for the plot, but there was a point where it dragged down the pace. Despite the rough parts, Danciu expertly crafts beautiful passages throughout the story, and I look forward to reading more of her work as she develops her craft over time.
There’s commentary here as well about the uneven power balance with age gap relationships. I appreciated that Kamila’s insecurity, thanks to her youth and inexperience, was explored with sympathy and I found it to be true to life. The narrative spirals into a dizzying stream of consciousness as the binds that tie Kamila to her lover begin to fray. The horror of this story is saved for the very end, and while good I would have liked for there to be more tension.
I’m not sure if the version of the story I read was edited or not but I felt that it could have used one more round to clean up some of the awkwardly phrased sentences or condense some of the repetition (i.e. two side by side sentences that say the same thing or repeating metaphors). Knowing how the story ends, some repetition is necessary and makes sense for the plot, but there was a point where it dragged down the pace. Despite the rough parts, Danciu expertly crafts beautiful passages throughout the story, and I look forward to reading more of her work as she develops her craft over time.
June 10, 2025
I can relate from the opposite perspective about the careless abandon with love and separation from reality the Karmila had. I can also relate to the huge let down that comes from realizing the person you're with isn't the person you thought they were. this was a new psychocoligically thrilling perspective. a little short but still worth the read.
June 8, 2025
Okay so I think Kamila killed herself and came back again and fell in love with someone she thought shes been hooked to in previous lives. this was a really cool "soul recycling" story and it had some really eerie parts that made me unsettled
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
As always Camille does it again. In “Tethered by Kismet,” the reader follows along with the main character as she reflects on a love she once felt. As suspicion catches her attention the reader is pulled into detective mode trying to figure out who is at fault and what happened to her lost love. Camille’s poetic language and chilling suspense keeps you turning the pages.
I have read all of her work and this one is my favorite thus far!!!
I have read all of her work and this one is my favorite thus far!!!
February 23, 2025
Haunting and unexpected
September 29, 2025
Honestly, maybe the worst book I’ve ever read. The writing had me laughing out loud, shaking my head and facepalming a lot. I can’t believe this is real.
Why are there so many similes!!! Some of them.. cough cough, all of them, don’t even go with the story!
But I will say, besides a few punctuation errors, I didn’t notice any spelling mistakes until the end and I have to give big props for that 👏🏻
An interesting idea and portrayal to say the least. And it did trigger some thinking about abusive relationships, so that Part wasn’t too badly written. A short read, thank goodness, and at least it was a fairly good time.
February 27, 2025
Read this and other lady authors from a group online. Taking chances pays off sometimes and this is an example.
The good:
This was a unique story. I have not read anything like this before. The first person perspective is difficult to execute. I didn't see the ending coming at all, I was wondering what is going to happen to Vinny and Karmila the whole time.
The bad:
It is very short, I struggle to find longer books and this author has short books too. its only 81 pages.
The good:
This was a unique story. I have not read anything like this before. The first person perspective is difficult to execute. I didn't see the ending coming at all, I was wondering what is going to happen to Vinny and Karmila the whole time.
The bad:
It is very short, I struggle to find longer books and this author has short books too. its only 81 pages.
April 29, 2025
Romance is normally not my jam, but this had something... extra. It feels like the sort of insanity you get with your first real, terrible, true love sort of relationship. One that borders on psychotic. And this book sums up that feeling perfectly. I really enjoyed how the author played up the psychological aspect, keeping us guessing with a phenomenal unreliable narrator. Highly recommend this book!
July 15, 2025
I don't want to confuse people and say *ROMANCE,* because this is NOT romance. Does it start this way? Maybe kinda? The MC is super unreliable but I think in a way that we can all (all humans regardless of gender identity) can relate too. The rumination and crazy thoughts. But this ends really SINISTER. I mean I can see why people would be confused about the ending but I think it's pretty clear. I won't spoil it - just need to read for yourself *Insert cheeky little GIF here*
May 30, 2025
terribly underrated wtf - read in less than an hour I had to know what happened
June 24, 2025
Bought based on a review saying Limerence meets quantum immortality and I love tragic horror infused thrillers. I was not disappointed. Very quick and thrilling read.
June 22, 2025
Quantum Immortality Meets Limerence on a Cosmic Scale in Tethered by Kismet
Book Review: Tethered by Kismet – Camille Danciu - Author
My Verdict: Immersive and Haunting Emotional Horror
Ok, I will try again to keep this brief.
I usually feel compelled to tell a story about how I discovered the book in question, but this time that story is simple. I had read Danciu’s On Behalf of All Women and quite enjoyed it, so when I saw the author’s next book come out and had the opportunity to snatch up the eBook at a killer price, I jumped on it. (The gorgeous, intriguing cover art by Rooster Republic Press definitely didn't hurt either.) That next book was Tethered by Kismet, and like On Behalf, I really enjoyed it.
First things first, Danciu has a breezy and uncomplicated prose style that totally pulls you in and keeps you reading at a hypnotic pace. It is a tone that I aim for in my own work, though I don’t think I do it quite as well. Like On Behalf, Tethered focuses heavily on relationships, romance, and the ways love can scar us. Where Behalf comes at the subject from a darker, more cynical, and comedic place, Tethered gets under your skin with its full-on earnestness and sincerity.
This book asks the question: What if you were fated, tied by destiny, tethered by kismet, to be deeply in love with a person that would inevitably break your heart? What if, no matter what you tried, you kept encountering that person and falling for them again and again and again…? Could you break the cycle? Or would you face an eternity of emotional torment for your love?
The basic story follows our FMC, Kamila, who meets a handsome stranger at her work. He flirts. He shows her courtesy and respect. He shows a genuine interest. Kamila feels a familiarity in this man that both comforts and unsettles. Before long, they are dating, and things just seem too good to be true. Of course they are. That is when things take a wild turn into the supernatural.
I don’t want to give too much away, because Tethered is a short read that packs a lot of emotional punch, and I feel like I’ve already said too much plot-wise. Though it has elements of romance and is very love-focused, this is not a romance story; this is a tragedy. Danciu captures that feeling of longing, that feeling of another person slowly eating up your whole world. As a young man, I was very inclined to intense and passionate crushes, nearly to the point of obsession. Later I learned the term limerence and realized that was what I had been experiencing. I think Danciu captures that feeling here, effortlessly.
While tragedy is where the story ultimately lands, it was Danciu’s excellent build of emotional investment in the relationship that made this story work and that makes the ending so haunting. I don’t usually read romance because, while I am a softy at heart, I find that I am too pessimistic to really enjoy traditional romance writing where everything works out for the lovers in question. However, the tone of this story captures something that I think is universal when it comes to falling for someone. A certain tender, nervous vulnerability.
Sometimes I like to listen to my eBooks by turning on the Kindle assistive reader option while I go about my day. I happened to be at my local grocery store while listening to Tethered. There was a certain scene, a love scene, that captured this feeling of tender vulnerability that had me feeling some type of way when I was in the supplement aisle. The scene was not terribly graphic, but there was a raw and sweet emotionality to it. Ok, so this is a weird comparison, but one of the first times I watched Steven Universe and I saw two of the gems do their fusion dance… Again, there was nothing graphic in the show, but the raw sincerity and intimacy made me blush and feel warm butterflies. I was feeling the same type of way listening to the scene in Tethered by Kismet, so much so that an older lady looked at me concerned when she asked me to get out of the way so she could see the fiber supplements. I had to stop myself from asking her on a date.
Mild spoilers ahead, so if an earnest romance that turns dark is the kind of thing for you, go check out Tethered by Kismet.
So, yeah, I knew the cheating part was inevitable. This was a horror story after all, so something must go wrong. But where it did go was really cool. I don’t even want to say it outright, because Danciu never completely says it either, but instead shows us and lets us come to our own conclusions. I may not even have it exactly right. But if you have ever heard of or understand the concept of quantum immortality, I think that might be at play here. Or is it simply reincarnation? Or is it something much darker? The exact mechanics were left ambiguous, but what will stay with me concretely is the suffering. The terrible, sweet suffering of love unrequited.
“After all, a love like ours would transcend time and universes. I think true love does.”
Book Review: Tethered by Kismet – Camille Danciu - Author
My Verdict: Immersive and Haunting Emotional Horror
Ok, I will try again to keep this brief.
I usually feel compelled to tell a story about how I discovered the book in question, but this time that story is simple. I had read Danciu’s On Behalf of All Women and quite enjoyed it, so when I saw the author’s next book come out and had the opportunity to snatch up the eBook at a killer price, I jumped on it. (The gorgeous, intriguing cover art by Rooster Republic Press definitely didn't hurt either.) That next book was Tethered by Kismet, and like On Behalf, I really enjoyed it.
First things first, Danciu has a breezy and uncomplicated prose style that totally pulls you in and keeps you reading at a hypnotic pace. It is a tone that I aim for in my own work, though I don’t think I do it quite as well. Like On Behalf, Tethered focuses heavily on relationships, romance, and the ways love can scar us. Where Behalf comes at the subject from a darker, more cynical, and comedic place, Tethered gets under your skin with its full-on earnestness and sincerity.
This book asks the question: What if you were fated, tied by destiny, tethered by kismet, to be deeply in love with a person that would inevitably break your heart? What if, no matter what you tried, you kept encountering that person and falling for them again and again and again…? Could you break the cycle? Or would you face an eternity of emotional torment for your love?
The basic story follows our FMC, Kamila, who meets a handsome stranger at her work. He flirts. He shows her courtesy and respect. He shows a genuine interest. Kamila feels a familiarity in this man that both comforts and unsettles. Before long, they are dating, and things just seem too good to be true. Of course they are. That is when things take a wild turn into the supernatural.
I don’t want to give too much away, because Tethered is a short read that packs a lot of emotional punch, and I feel like I’ve already said too much plot-wise. Though it has elements of romance and is very love-focused, this is not a romance story; this is a tragedy. Danciu captures that feeling of longing, that feeling of another person slowly eating up your whole world. As a young man, I was very inclined to intense and passionate crushes, nearly to the point of obsession. Later I learned the term limerence and realized that was what I had been experiencing. I think Danciu captures that feeling here, effortlessly.
While tragedy is where the story ultimately lands, it was Danciu’s excellent build of emotional investment in the relationship that made this story work and that makes the ending so haunting. I don’t usually read romance because, while I am a softy at heart, I find that I am too pessimistic to really enjoy traditional romance writing where everything works out for the lovers in question. However, the tone of this story captures something that I think is universal when it comes to falling for someone. A certain tender, nervous vulnerability.
Sometimes I like to listen to my eBooks by turning on the Kindle assistive reader option while I go about my day. I happened to be at my local grocery store while listening to Tethered. There was a certain scene, a love scene, that captured this feeling of tender vulnerability that had me feeling some type of way when I was in the supplement aisle. The scene was not terribly graphic, but there was a raw and sweet emotionality to it. Ok, so this is a weird comparison, but one of the first times I watched Steven Universe and I saw two of the gems do their fusion dance… Again, there was nothing graphic in the show, but the raw sincerity and intimacy made me blush and feel warm butterflies. I was feeling the same type of way listening to the scene in Tethered by Kismet, so much so that an older lady looked at me concerned when she asked me to get out of the way so she could see the fiber supplements. I had to stop myself from asking her on a date.
Mild spoilers ahead, so if an earnest romance that turns dark is the kind of thing for you, go check out Tethered by Kismet.
So, yeah, I knew the cheating part was inevitable. This was a horror story after all, so something must go wrong. But where it did go was really cool. I don’t even want to say it outright, because Danciu never completely says it either, but instead shows us and lets us come to our own conclusions. I may not even have it exactly right. But if you have ever heard of or understand the concept of quantum immortality, I think that might be at play here. Or is it simply reincarnation? Or is it something much darker? The exact mechanics were left ambiguous, but what will stay with me concretely is the suffering. The terrible, sweet suffering of love unrequited.
“After all, a love like ours would transcend time and universes. I think true love does.”
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews