Destiny: Path of the Marked

by Shafi Williams

Most believe they are only beloved characters from long-told bedtime stories, but some, a rare few, believe they hold the power to change the course of the future in a world on the brink of teetering into darkness. When chosen sisters, Savii and Nessa, are offered a choice by a mythical unicorn to leave their dismal lives and enter a magical land, their reality is turned upside down. They have spent their lives in and out of group homes, outcasts, unwanted, never knowing the love of a real family. But as they embark on their journey into this new world, they begin to understand, they have a destiny far beyond what either of them imagined possible. With friendships and enemies forged in the wake of discovering their unique powers, Savii and Nessa must find the strength to face the darkness that threatens to consume the land of Yundala. If you enjoyed the thrilling adventure of Eragon by Christopher Paolini, you'll love the breathtaking fantasy epic of Savii and Nessa.

Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy

568 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2024

Reviews

[Shayy]

I am a sucker for a good slow burn romantasy!
SPOILERS AHEAD! GO NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK!🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨



🚨
Savii and Nessa were used to only having each other with having to move around from group home to group home. It was so nice to see them relaxing, being cared for knowing the background they came from. I was holding my breath the ENTIRE time Savii was away hoping that the BEAST version did no harm. I finally relaxed a bit after she left.
I loved the budding romance of Savii and Alec. The spark thing was so cute when they first met! I cannot wait to hear more about the king and the cursed son. Given what we saw in book 1, I am hoping for an action packed book 2 as they come together and drive out dark forces. I hope that Shay abba Ak’sai are doing quick so we can jump right into action! Great work Fi!

[Sarah]

2.75 ⭐️

I really love the idea around this book, but I think the execution wasn’t great unfortunately.

We are following two orphaned sisters Savii and Nessa who are taken to another land by a blue Unicorn named Phyllis. They learn that the new land that are in has a cursed prince that they have elemental magic. Sounds so cool right? BECAUSE IT IS.

There we have a wide cast of characters. Everyone(well not everyone) but so many of our characters have magic and they are so neat. I really enjoyed the magical elements of this story and I always love a sisters trope.

Sadly the rest of the book was so chaotic and it felt like there was no real flow to the book. The pacing was off from the beginning. Too fast and then too slow. It made it hard to keep up with who we were with and what was going on.

The cursed prince feels like an afterthought and the situations we find our characters in are easily resolved.

Too many plot lines going on. It made it hard for me to love this book.

[DevBev]

3.5 ⭐️ - fun, fast paced, YA fantasy. Found family, elemental magic, lusting, and teenage angst. The writing in third person but jumping POV’s constantly in one chapter was a bit dizzying. Check trigger warnings.

[Marcey Pierce]

I adored this story with some unknown part of my soul. Fi has touched something in me that I haven't felt in so dang long when reading a book, and I cant even explain it to you. I'm so hyped to read the second one because this series is going on the TOP SHELF, I can already tell.
Nessa and Savii have been scooped up by a blue unicorn and deposited with these two boys who tote them around to understand why they've been marked and what that means for their future.
The story telling is engaging and honestly so cozy you cant help but curl up and just BINGE!!! I even braved my CERTAIN demise by reading this in the car (obviously as a passenger... and thats saying something because I was double fisting the book and a bag because I simply couldn't put it down).

*please forgive my obscenely late review. >_<

[Amber Gill]

AMAZING!

This book was incredible Shafi touched on so many important and hard topics and it did so with care and compassion. This book is jam packed with big feelings, adventures, love, and adventure. When I say love I mean emotional love that hits you like a brick where people make mistakes because they are people and more so they are young people who are dealing with so much and are going through so much physically and mentally and emotionally. I spent every free moment that I had reading this book. I stayed up well past the time I should have to keep reading and it was worth it. This book should be studied it should be in libraries it deserves to win awards. If you are a fan of fantasy and don't mind a coming of age story I highly recommend suggest you pick this book up and give it a try.

[Anniya]

I found Shafi on TikTok first and loved her whole vibe from her videos, so that alone made me want to read her book and I’m so glad I did. I did not expect to get this invested in Nessa and Savii. Going from bouncing around group homes with nobody but each other to getting pulled into this whole magical world by a BLUE UNICORN?? I was in. I loved their sister bond, them finally finding people who genuinely cared about them, and learning why they were marked and what their elemental magic actually meant. And Savii and Alec had me hooked too, I love a good slow burn. There are a lot of characters and POVs to keep up with, but I honestly didn’t care because I was having too much fun with the story. Definitely glad TikTok put this author on my radar.

[Shanice’s Reading Corner]

Two Sisters. One Mark. Bounded not by Blood but by Destiny.
I love thick books because that means longer adventures and this book didn’t disappoint. The author did well with world building and presenting back stories of characters without info dumping and that’s hard to do. Williams has created a world that is intriguing and makes me want to read book two. I’m excited to continue the adventure with the characters and find out what happens next. If you like elemental magic and new worlds then this book is for you.

[Christy Skidmore]

This book had me hooked from page one. The characters, and there are many, are all lovable and relatable in their own ways. I found myself really getting attached to all of them as the book went on. The author does an amazing job of making you care about them and worry over them when things go awry. She even had me getting attached to characters that had me question my morals a little (Verivan... phew). The prose is beautiful, and the writing really draws you into the lovely fantasy world that Williams created. I am so excited to see where this story goes, and I can't wait for book two!

[Nina Rosalina De León]

Oh how I enjoyed this book! Whenever I would go to sleep I would just see the world Shafi has created! I just couldn’t get over One Love (got me kicking my feet and giggling). It may be crazy but I read this slowly to savor the story (and maybe because I didn’t want it to end…) and it’s been making me want to LIVE in the book. Definitely worth the read!! The long chapters threw me off at first but it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker because the story is WORTH it!!!

[nichole]

First of all, loved it!
Elemental magic, slow burn, innocent caresses and intense looks. This book was an easy to read, easy to follow and a quick paced, despite it being so thick it. I enjoyed the building of the world and the simplicity in the detail given. I was really able to bring this world to life in my mind. I love when a book can take me into its world and this one did that. I can’t wait to start the second book which yes I already have. Def 5 stars.

[Risa]

The chapters are broken up in a very bizarre way. They are incredibly long and the pacing is off. We linger on moments we shouldn’t and breeze past ones that should breathe a bit longer.

This book is written in third person however there is a ton of head hopping with no warning. One second you’re in character 1’s POV then it jumps to character 2, or 3 or 4 and continues to bounce around all through out the chapter with no scene breaks or indicators before it happens.

I did find the characters interesting and the plot intriguing.

[Nette Camus]

This book was so good! I am so happy I got this one and the second book. I am about to read it now. I am slower at reading but I couldn’t put it down when I did read it. You will not be disappointed the characters are well written and the world building is 🤌

[Lee Ann Morgan]

An absolute must read!

Slow to start with plenty of typos, but the story sucks you into a wonderful new world that I truly can't wait to learn more about. Slow burn love interests, with no real spicy scenes (ya friendly). Left me wanting more!

[Aspen]

This book pulled me out of a long reading slump. I loved it so much. There was so much detail & world building, but I was never confused. It was easy to follow.

[Rachel Clements]

This was a lovely book! I had a hard time putting it down.
It focuses heavily on the emotions of the characters as they go through their journey which makes it so wonderfully heartfelt.

[Hailey]

Why isn’t this book more popular??? I’m very picky with romantasy and I literally devoured this book in less than 12 hours??!! Will be starting the next one immediately

[Lauryn Facey (Nelson)]

I had such a fun time and read this in less than 48 hours. The background depth of the characters had me, and I was intrigued to watch their story develop. Wondering about WHO the characters were and would turn out to be, made it a page turner. I look forward to the next book. 🥰

[Spring Baxter]

If you’re new to fantasy this is a great entry! The craft in which the author intertwines mystical lands, magical creatures, and romance feels is magnetic! It was hard to put down. I’m not one who typically reads large books, I prefer to listen to them, but this one was worth the ride.

My heart warmed at the themes of the outcasted and unwanted sisters finding a way to enter a new reality. To make that happen by way of a unicorn . . . Hell ya!! Give me all the fantasy creatures.

I look forward to book 2.