“Fateful”

Author: Claudia Gray

So, I'm probably the biggest "Titanic" fan ever, and finding a fantasy fiction novel that takes place on the doomed, maiden voyage of the "Titanic", couldn't come closer to heaven for me. If it has something to  do with the '"Titanic" I'm all over it. There's just something about the tragedy and the people aboard that has me hooked. "Fateful" was obviously fantasy by its mention of werewolves, but since the setting is on the Titanic, it should definitely have that true reality twist weaved throughout the plotline. It sounds weird to have werewolves aboard the great ship, I know, but I was totally interested to see just what the author does with such an...interesting combination. 

Tess Davies is 18 years old and she has been working as a servant for the 1st class Viscount Lisles family for years. But now, things are about to change. The family decides to take a trip to the Americas, and with Tess in tow, the travel on a steam ship called the Titanic. Maybe this is Tess's chance to get away from her exhausting life as a 3rd class servant and create a new future in America. The only thing standing in her way now, are the days it will take to get there. All the pieces were coming together, that is, until Tess ran into Alexander Marlowe. He is a 1st class, handsome young man, with a dangerous secret that's made him hunted. Now, Tess  too has been put under the radar of someone...or something. Although, it's the Lisles family that possesses what "they" are looking for, Tess has found herself suddenly caught in-between it all. Alexander feels responsible for getting her involved and decides to help protect her from "them"...  or himself! With multiple twists, sharp turns and ugly secrets, Tess's adventure on the famous Titanic will end up being far more than she bargained for. 

Everyone knows how the Titanic ends, but with this story things are a tad bit different. And it doesn't just end with the sinking, the experience continues with some of the characters, even after the tragedy. I must give the author credit for all the research she put into making it as close to the real thing as her fantasy writings would allow. But it did have some disappointments, like the things I found to be too unrealistic or even silly, because of cheesy writing in a scene or conversation.  Also, sometimes I felt that the "drama" part of the story was too overdramatic;  There's nothing worse than a corny over dramatic scene in a book or movie. Although, there were only a few of those disappointing pages, for the most part, the plot and characters were really interesting and kept me reading. But, it really was super weird to have werewolves involved with the Titanic. This was definitely something different and unusual...you just can't be afraid to give it a try.