Fated by Sarah Alderson

For Review: Simon & Schuster
Published: 5 January 2012

From Goodreads: What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.

But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it?

I picked this one up with very high expectations - I absolutely loved Alderson's previous novel Hunting Lila - and I am very please to say it lived up to them all.  The story has a very different feel to Hunting Lila but I think if you enjoyed Hunting Lila you will love this too.

The story follows Evie Tremain as she discovers she is actually the last in a family tree of Demon Hunters.  Of course, she only learns the truth because a band of assassins  - consisting of every monster you could (but may not) wish to think of - comes to kill her.  One of them being Lucas Gray - a half human, half-Shadow Warrior.  But when he is sent to spy on her and kill her before she can fulfil her destiny he starts to question everything he has ever known...

I officially love Sarah Alderson.  I don't know how she does it but she manages to create a world and characters I find myself completely invested in.  I loved Evie - she strong and likeable and is just someone who is very easy to relate to.  Lucas - who we could have really disliked - actually became someone I was really rooting for.  And I loved the two of them together - great chemistry!  Really great chemistry!

The story is full of action and is obviously very well thought out - I loved all the different demons and their histories - and both back stories for Lucas and Evie -  I'm really hoping this is going to be a series!  But having said that if that doesn't turn out to be the case there is enough of a finish to this one.  I just want more Evie and Lucas!

Fast paced and totally addictive - I can't wait for more by this author.