Ruin

The Fate of Crowns #0.5

by Rebecca L. Garcia

This is a standalone novella, and is the spin-off story of a historical event mentioned in The Fate of Crowns. It does not need to be read before book one in the series.

Only the beautiful can love, the graceful thrive, and the powerful reign… and I am none of those things
Fated to be the ugly princess, I was locked away behind castle doors. My father reigned with immortal power, and brothers and sisters were adored and loved by our people, and the throne that was supposed to belong to me would go my brother instead.

I wanted it all...

I turned to a darker magic, one without limits that would set me free... but love had other plans. My powers demanded sacrifice, but little did I know the greatest would be my heart

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Fae

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Rebecca writes dark fantasy romance, usually with gothic elements and always with morally gray characters. Originally from England, she lives in Texas with her husband, and two sons. She loves anything with enemies to lovers, slow burn, and lots of angst.

Find out more about Rebecca and check out her books here:
Website: www.rebeccagarciabooks.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rebeccalgarciabooks

Reviews

[Sophie Koufes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruin (The Fate of Crowns Book 0.5) is a young adult high fantasy novella prequel to Fate Of Crowns fantasy series. A wickedly supereminent fairytale with magical creatures and dark magic. A highly creative and descriptive history of this fantasy realm. I absolutely loved it. I'm so ecstatic about this series as its written by such a talented author and cannot wait to read whats next in this series.

[Julie Rainforth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever, great writing from Rebecca L Garcia. I can't wait for the next book. Surely Evangeline's story doesn't end this way! You just have to read it!

[Linda Hamonou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the prequel to The Fate of Crowns.
Evangeline was mentioned in book 1 though I didn't really see her in the same way as she appears in the book. I guess we can put than on her story being narrated way after her death in book 1 by someone who wasn't present though at the same time, I wonder how Blaise's mother knew Evangeline since she wasn't mentioned in this book.
The story was nice even though it was dark and not very hopeful.
There was however something really weird going on with Evangeline being locked up in her tower while at the same time being able to walk out almost whenever she pleased. I also wonder why everyone was treating her as if she was ugly when she is supposed to have been the only one seeing herself that way.
The love story had also a flavor of love at first side that might have worked better if Evangeline had really been unable to have human contact while locked up. I was really expecting something else in this relationship and certainly not for it to end so abruptly.

[Have Coffee Need Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruin took a while to get started, it was exposition burdened in the beginning, and it made for tough reading. However, once it picked up the pace, it was more enjoyable to read, and the story became exciting to follow.



Evangeline is a cursed princess practicing dark magic to gain more power from her necromancer master. She wishes to see that her disregarding and vengeful family pays for all their cruelty towards her. But all her scheming with her nefarious master is becoming eviler and eviler, and her ruin is near.

All in all, this is a good prequel to a full book, and I will be interested to see what Ruin leads into and whether or not Evangeline's actions are worthy of a prequel story.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

[Milly Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this short Novella to find out whether I liked the authors writing style and should I add her upcoming Jan 2021 book to my never ending TBR. Well, let me tell you, I have added her to my list because as soon as I started reading Ruin I was captivated. It is a rare thing for my interest in a book to be piqued at less than 20 pages, so needless to say, I read it in less than an hour and I'm so looking forward to her next book The Fate Of Crowns.

The mc internal struggle, wanting to be good but also wanting revenge for all her misery had me hooked. Not to mention I loved the magic element to the story....oh I cannot wait until January.

[Kassandra Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover intrigued me so I wanted to know more. The summary being attractive, I decided to apply to the ARC.

I didn't understand right away that this was a prequel to a series to be released in 2021. Only after seeing the author's note, but I didn't mind.

We enter a universe where there are immortals and magic. We follow Evangeline in her quest for revenge that will put her on the path to truth and love.

I read this prequel quickly but the end left me very sad. My reading was pleasant and I hope that the rest will be just as exciting.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

https://www.englishparadisebook.com/2...

[Mandi D Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Start to a series

This is a prequel to Fate of Crowns which is an upcoming series. I thought it set the stage nicely for what is to come and I am definitely interested to read more. It was a little heavy on the exposition, especially for a shorter book like a novella. I still really enjoyed it :)

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Ruin. I thought this was a good novella to start The Fate of Crowns series. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. Very well written and I would recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donna Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ❤

This was such an amazing book
I felt drawn in and didn't want it to end
A 5 star must read
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This prequel has done its job and I cannot wait to read this series. I loved everything about this story - the mystery, suspense, intrigue, and characters.

[_all_by_my_shelf_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sooo intrigued! This writing style is gorgeous and I think I’m really gonna love the next books!

[Veronica LaRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short read that had me intrigued. Definitely can’t wait to read more of this series.

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruin

Intriguing! A magical tale full of curses, lies, love and darkness. I enjoyed the beginning novella to what promises to be an exciting series full of magic and mayhem!

[Valerie Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tissues! Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast combined. A story of hate, curse and true love. How a father could curse his own child is beyond me. Then to add to the child’s misery, have that child locked away for nobody to see. I’m not sure who I hated more, the father or the necromancer. But true love will prevail in the end and so will freedom. Absolutely awesome book!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited for the series.

Ruin is a good prequel, it was short but had so much information and I believe it has set the pace for the series well.

Magic, royalty, fae and objects of power, all the beginnings of a good story. I plan on reading the series when it's released

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting...

Rebecca L Garcia is a fantastic writer. This storyline was easy to follow and had twist and turns. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Kellyann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this novella. Tells a story of a princess who is locked away in her castle. It’s a love story like no other. Easy to read and very well written.

[Barb]

An exciting new series from Rebecca, I enjoyed the backstory to the new series. I am really looking forward to following this series.

[Amelia Pluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning world

In every way this book is stunning. The story has so much in it that it feels so real. Pain, love, misery, passion, murder, and more. I'm looking forward to this series immensely!!!!!

[TaniaRina Valdespino]

Included in the "Of Storms and Stardust" charity anthology for victims of Hurricane Helene.

[The Lusty Literarians · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this novella slightly disappointing, but only after I had finished it and understood what it truly was. Confused? Yeah I was too, so allow me to explain. I read Ruin in preparation for book one, The Fate of Crowns, this way I could get a little background on the characters and see what made them tick. Seeing as how this is labeled as book 0.5 and a novella I figured that was the right thing to do. However, the main mistake I made while reading this was figuring that novella & 0.5 were synonymous with "prequel".

Ruin isn't a prequel by any stretch of the imagination. While I enjoyed the story overall, I actually felt like I wasted my time when I finished reading this as these characters won't be in TFoC. A small blurb after "The End" in Ruin mentions that Evangeline's story is "briefly mentioned" in TFoC. Well color me surprised and disappointed when I read that little tidbit after finishing the entire novella. This book would have been better labeled as 1.5 and is better suited for a reader who wants more of an after the fact type of background knowledge of the TFoC world.

Combine all of that with a few editing errors in this short novella and I was left disappointed.

[Dawn Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequel to an upcoming series so has a cliff hanger! It does set up the world perfectly and I can not wait to see more!!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction!
Why did this have to be a novella??? Not because it was missing anything I just want more!!! The Characters, the magic systems, the world. Everything in this book is addictive.

If you love High Fantasy you are in for a treat. I am so excited for this journey. I can't wait to get lost in this world! This author builds a beautiful picture with her words bringing everything right off the page. Definitely recommend this series!

[CG · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!

Wow! This book is AMAZING!!!! It has all kinds of twists and turns! My emotions were all over the place. It's well written and it was done in less than 60 pages!!!! (Kindle edition) Can't wait to read The Fate of Crowns!

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 STARS

Ruin by Rebecca L. Garcia is a spin-off novella and prequel to the Fate of Crowns series, and after reading I’m even more excited to read the main books. I can’t say too much about the plot without risking spoilers (since the novella is only 57 pages), but if you love the main series (or any of Ms. Garcia’s other books) you should definitely take the time to read Ruin.

This novella takes characters (and readers) through a lot of different emotions in a very short time period. Rage, indignation, shame, loneliness, and love are just a subset. I became invested in Evangeline’s story very quickly and was cheering for everything to work out in the end. The journey of morally grey characters usually ends up being the most compelling for me when I read. The author did a great job in creating the world for the Fate of Crowns series - I found myself utterly enchanted by the magic and the fae vs. sorcerer dynamic.

Ms. Garcia explains in her author’s note that this novella provides a backstory to some of the references mentioned in the main books. I really love how authors have started to use novellas as a method to provide more world-building and history for series - I hope more authors do this in the future! I highly recommend the novella and the series to new adult/ adult fantasy and paranormal readers. It’s well worth the read!

Thank you to the author for my free copy of the book. I received a copy of the Ruin novella by subscribing to her newsletter.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5

This novella was too fast to my liking but I wasn't bored reading Princess Evangeline's struggle between the darkness that lives inside of her and the good her heart wants her to do. She's ugly and that's her crime. Her perfect locks her away where darkness grows within her.

What I liked:
🔸 Evangeline's struggle between the urge to do good but is forced to do bad.
🔸She's badass.
🔸 Her powers and her character's conclusion. Had it been a detailed novel, I'm sure I would've loved her.

What I didn't like :
🔸 Romance (Too fast and too shallow for me)
🔸Evangeline's sisters

Conclusion :
There's some nice world building in this one. Can't wait to start the series itself.

[Allison Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so intrigued from the start about the main character, who has been locked away by her own family, can do magic, and talks to a strange voice in her head.
And then the fae were introduced and I loved it even more. The romance of it kind of felt rushed, but it was a short book.
The ending was something I wasn’t expecting, which is always awesome for me!
I’m glad there is a whole series (The Fate of Crowns) coming after this because I want to explore this world of fae and sorcerers more!

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the plot line of this novella. Since it was so short I am just wondering how it will connect to the first book of the series. I loved how we got an insight into the main character of this book, even if I am not sure how it ties in, I know it will. It was such a fun, cute, and insightful read into this new YA Fantasy world. The writing was quirky and enjoyable and the pacing was perfect. It did feel a little insta-love like; however, due to the length of the book it would make sense.

[Tegan Brinkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story interesting but a little light on the world building
By the end I had many questions that I don’t feel I’ll get answered in the series that this serves as a prequel novella for

Writing was engaging and well done

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Val Forness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book a so good! I don’t usually read YA but, when Rebecca Weeks Garcia writes it. You read it. It is mesmerizing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.