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whatyoutolkienabout's review against another edition
4.0
Introduction
I was given an arc copy to review by Harper360ya. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. I will always try to avoid spoilers in all reviews as well. #FracturingFate #BreakingTimeDuology #SashaAlsberg #Harper360uk #Harper360ya #ARCReview #AD #BookReview
Review
Fracturing Fate is the second book in the Breaking Time Duology. It’s perfect for fans of time travel stories like Outlander and romantasy (romance Fantasy) fans and while it does have a couple of flaws, to my opinion at least, it was an enjoyable duology.
Taking place where Breaking Time (book one) left off Klara, while in a devastating battle with the demigod Llaw is catapulted back five hundred years into the past. She is suddenly very alone and distraught that she and her fated love Callum have killed the demigod but at the expense of Callum’s life. As the last remaining Pillar of Time, an anchor point in the timeline of the world, it is left to Klara to navigate dangerous magic, confusing visions and powerful enemies to determine the fate of the world and get revenge for the life of her love. But there are enemies both human and magical alike chasing Klara in 1500s Scotland and she has no idea what she actually left behind in 2022. In a battle across time, history and the present, life and death in the balance Klara must fight to choose her own fate.
I have to say I think I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first (review coming for the first one eventually!). The plot is generally well fleshed out and moves at a good pace. The characters are likable and since I have been pushing my boundaries and trying to read more novels with a bit of romance in it does work well and I did enjoy it. That said, without spoilers, a few little bits and pieces did lower this from a five to a four for me.
As mentioned the characters are generally fleshed out and well developed but there are few pit falls that I have found are easy to fall in with time travel fiction. For example the way Klara acts to certain people (it’s hard without spoiling things) back in the 1500’s is bordering on rude. While she is right by modern day standards the way she reacts seems to contradict her character and supposed relationship with Callum. It didn’t fully break immersion for me but for someone who is a Pillar of Time, even in training/learning, I feel like she could have taken a moment to assess. Speaking of the Pillar of Time and legacy I did wish there was more of this peppered throughout the duology as a whole. It tends to come towards the end of Fracturing Fate and while welcome I feel like little bits and pieces might have been weaved or at least foreshadowed a little more throughout the novel. There are few other bits and pieces such as language and words used in the past but these are really nit-picky on my part and don’t overly detract from the novel as a whole.
Now with those little bits in mind this is by no means a bad novel or one I didn’t enjoy, far from it. I really enjoyed following Klara and Callum and their story over time. The plot and premise interesting and while it has elements of Outlander Alsberg has managed to create her own solid universe and magic system as well. I am sure I will pick this duology back up in the future and will definitely recommend to romantasy fans and those who enjoy a good time travel story.
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#FracturingFate #BreakingTimeDuology #SashaAlsberg #Harper360uk #Harper360ya #ARCReview #AD #BookReview #BookReview #BookReviewer #BookBlogger #BookHoader #FantasticRead #BookDragon #BookShark #BookReader #Bookstagram #BookNerd #BookReader #BookLover #BooksBooksBooks #BookAddict #Book
I was given an arc copy to review by Harper360ya. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. I will always try to avoid spoilers in all reviews as well. #FracturingFate #BreakingTimeDuology #SashaAlsberg #Harper360uk #Harper360ya #ARCReview #AD #BookReview
Review
Fracturing Fate is the second book in the Breaking Time Duology. It’s perfect for fans of time travel stories like Outlander and romantasy (romance Fantasy) fans and while it does have a couple of flaws, to my opinion at least, it was an enjoyable duology.
Taking place where Breaking Time (book one) left off Klara, while in a devastating battle with the demigod Llaw is catapulted back five hundred years into the past. She is suddenly very alone and distraught that she and her fated love Callum have killed the demigod but at the expense of Callum’s life. As the last remaining Pillar of Time, an anchor point in the timeline of the world, it is left to Klara to navigate dangerous magic, confusing visions and powerful enemies to determine the fate of the world and get revenge for the life of her love. But there are enemies both human and magical alike chasing Klara in 1500s Scotland and she has no idea what she actually left behind in 2022. In a battle across time, history and the present, life and death in the balance Klara must fight to choose her own fate.
I have to say I think I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first (review coming for the first one eventually!). The plot is generally well fleshed out and moves at a good pace. The characters are likable and since I have been pushing my boundaries and trying to read more novels with a bit of romance in it does work well and I did enjoy it. That said, without spoilers, a few little bits and pieces did lower this from a five to a four for me.
As mentioned the characters are generally fleshed out and well developed but there are few pit falls that I have found are easy to fall in with time travel fiction. For example the way Klara acts to certain people (it’s hard without spoiling things) back in the 1500’s is bordering on rude. While she is right by modern day standards the way she reacts seems to contradict her character and supposed relationship with Callum. It didn’t fully break immersion for me but for someone who is a Pillar of Time, even in training/learning, I feel like she could have taken a moment to assess. Speaking of the Pillar of Time and legacy I did wish there was more of this peppered throughout the duology as a whole. It tends to come towards the end of Fracturing Fate and while welcome I feel like little bits and pieces might have been weaved or at least foreshadowed a little more throughout the novel. There are few other bits and pieces such as language and words used in the past but these are really nit-picky on my part and don’t overly detract from the novel as a whole.
Now with those little bits in mind this is by no means a bad novel or one I didn’t enjoy, far from it. I really enjoyed following Klara and Callum and their story over time. The plot and premise interesting and while it has elements of Outlander Alsberg has managed to create her own solid universe and magic system as well. I am sure I will pick this duology back up in the future and will definitely recommend to romantasy fans and those who enjoy a good time travel story.
Hashtags
#FracturingFate #BreakingTimeDuology #SashaAlsberg #Harper360uk #Harper360ya #ARCReview #AD #BookReview #BookReview #BookReviewer #BookBlogger #BookHoader #FantasticRead #BookDragon #BookShark #BookReader #Bookstagram #BookNerd #BookReader #BookLover #BooksBooksBooks #BookAddict #Book
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to pick this up because I have been a fan of Sasha Alsberg for years, and I wanted to see the conclusion to this duet.
"Fracturing Fate" resumes immediately following the ending of " Breaking Time". Klara has found herself 500 years in the past, back to the time Callum had originally come from. Klara believes that Callum was murdered, and all she wants is to finish what she started and get back to when she is supposed to be. Callum will stop at nothing to figure out what happened to Klara and be reunited with his love. But when forces greater than the both of them challenge them, everything is put to the test and Klara and Callum will have to decide what they really want to fight for.
This was a fine conclusion to this duet, nothing that blew me away, but I had a fine time reading it. Time travel is a very lofty concept to write about because it is very difficult to execute well. There are a lot of plot holes that can easily arise from time travel, and I think this series does suffer from that. When Klara finds herself 500 years in the past, I do not think she is nearly as shocked as she would realistically be. She comes from a time of every convenience at her fingertips, and was sent to a very brutal, difficult time to simply live. She should have been shell shocked and probably more terrified about learning how to live.
In this second book, Klara gets to meet and work with Thomas, Callum's best friend. I felt like Klara was way too trusting of Thomas right off the bat merely because he is Callum's best friend. Klara and Callum had a very quick, very insta-lovey relationship, and just because Callum trusts and knows Thomas, does not mean Klara should put all faith into him. There were several moments that I think Thomas raised series red flags, and no one questioned him, which I found unbelievable.
I am still not a huge fan of Klara and Callum's romantic relationship. I love a good love story, but they really do not have anything in common, and if they were of the same time period, I do not think they realistically would cross paths. I would have enjoyed this story ten times more if they remained friends and just figured out the saving the world thing together, as friends. They are both far too committed to each other after only a few days and it got under my skin.
I did enjoy the setting and getting to see Scotland in two different time periods. The atmosphere was engaging, and the writing was vivid for me. I especially enjoyed seeing Klara's family inn closer to its conception and how it has remained untouched for so many years.
Overall, this book was fine. I will likely recommend it in the future to someone with specific interest in the plot, and I will likely continue to pick up books by Sasha Alsberg out of curiosity in the future.
"Fracturing Fate" resumes immediately following the ending of " Breaking Time". Klara has found herself 500 years in the past, back to the time Callum had originally come from. Klara believes that Callum was murdered, and all she wants is to finish what she started and get back to when she is supposed to be. Callum will stop at nothing to figure out what happened to Klara and be reunited with his love. But when forces greater than the both of them challenge them, everything is put to the test and Klara and Callum will have to decide what they really want to fight for.
This was a fine conclusion to this duet, nothing that blew me away, but I had a fine time reading it. Time travel is a very lofty concept to write about because it is very difficult to execute well. There are a lot of plot holes that can easily arise from time travel, and I think this series does suffer from that. When Klara finds herself 500 years in the past, I do not think she is nearly as shocked as she would realistically be. She comes from a time of every convenience at her fingertips, and was sent to a very brutal, difficult time to simply live. She should have been shell shocked and probably more terrified about learning how to live.
In this second book, Klara gets to meet and work with Thomas, Callum's best friend. I felt like Klara was way too trusting of Thomas right off the bat merely because he is Callum's best friend. Klara and Callum had a very quick, very insta-lovey relationship, and just because Callum trusts and knows Thomas, does not mean Klara should put all faith into him. There were several moments that I think Thomas raised series red flags, and no one questioned him, which I found unbelievable.
I am still not a huge fan of Klara and Callum's romantic relationship. I love a good love story, but they really do not have anything in common, and if they were of the same time period, I do not think they realistically would cross paths. I would have enjoyed this story ten times more if they remained friends and just figured out the saving the world thing together, as friends. They are both far too committed to each other after only a few days and it got under my skin.
I did enjoy the setting and getting to see Scotland in two different time periods. The atmosphere was engaging, and the writing was vivid for me. I especially enjoyed seeing Klara's family inn closer to its conception and how it has remained untouched for so many years.
Overall, this book was fine. I will likely recommend it in the future to someone with specific interest in the plot, and I will likely continue to pick up books by Sasha Alsberg out of curiosity in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
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