I liked this one a little better than Carve the Mark. I think maybe because the world was more established and the complicated relationship between each character was more set. Also opening up the universe to new planets made and introducing more characters with darker skin as more than just warriors or brutal dictators also helped. That doesn’t make some of the character development any less problematic but I do think that Veronica Roth listened to the criticism of the first one and took that into account while writing this one. I’m also grateful that this is only a duology and not a trilogy. Knowing that this was the last book, I felt the pacing was better, the story more concise loose ends tied up. That being said, she did leave an opening to return to this world if she wanted to but I’m happy with how it ended.
The Fates Divide picks up right after the end of Carve the Mark. Cyra and Akos, along with Ryzek, Cisi and Isea and Eijeh have fled the arena and leaving the Shotet in chaos. With Ryzek presumed dead and Cyra leaving their is a power vacuum in Shotet that unfortunately gets filled by her once presumed dead Dad, who makes Ryzek look tame. If that wasn’t enough, Isea is grieving for her lost sister and using her Chancellor position to take revenge with the help of the Assembly. They also have those pesky little fates to contend with. They must all overcome all these obstacles and succumb to their fates but at the same time create their own. It’s tug of war. Cyra really comes into her own in this one. She has been told her whole life that she wasn’t worth it. She had a gift that could only bring pain and for that reason she pushed people away and expected people to disappoint her. Akos is rattled with guilt because he promised his dad to save his brother and that is almost impossible now. They both are way to earnest and way to self-sacrificing for my liking but it is who they are. In this one, we also get the point of view of Akos’ sister, Cisi and Eijeh. Eijeh who is destined to be an oracle but after years of torture by Ryzek has changed him but through him we see how the oracles work and how unreliable they can be. Cisi’s point of view gives us a glimpse of the other side of the Thuve and Shotet fight. The first book was only of Cyra and Akos and the Shotet. The Shotet are not well liked by and seen as pest because of their militaristic ways and constant scavenging. We can see how quickly things can escalate when you stop looking at the other side as less then they are. Our own hurt and pain blinds us to the hurt and pain of others and forces us to make rash decisions. Cisi tries to be that moderating voice before real a catastrophe happens.
Overall it was a good series that I enjoyed. I’m glad that the problems of the first book didn’t carry over to this one.
The kingdom of of Orleans is obsessed with beauty because their people were cursed with grey skin and brittle straw hair. The Belles are the blessed few who were born with color and the ability to make others beautiful too. They can change a person’s skin color, bone structure, hair and make-up and because of this they have a privileged place in the kingdom. Camille is one of six new Belles and she wants to be the Favorite. The Favorite lives in the Palace with the Queen and the Royal family. She gets to help create the laws of beauty and sets the standard. She will do anything to be the favorite even if it means getting it over her best friend. However Palace life isn’t what she imagined. For one thing, the Princess is a nightmare and a psycho. She’s the technically the second in line for the throne but her older sister has been in a coma so she’s about to named regent. Camille is smart and ambitions but at times she is so slow I want to scream at her to pay more attention to wants going on! She at times is so wrapped up in being the best Belle and impressing others that she fails to see that she is falling right into their trap. It was a good set up to an intriguing series. It had a lot of world building in the this one so now that is out of the way, I think the rest of series will move at a better pace.
2 Women, So Many Books 