m3l89's review against another edition
3.0
Eve has lived thousands of lives and remembers them all. This reimagining of Adam and Eve through the ages was such a good idea. Thor and the Norse Gods were woven in, along with Ra and the Egyptian Gods and the Olympians through the Covenant of Peace. Initially I thought this would be a bit much, but they gelled together perfectly.
The plot felt a little slow, and just when I was getting used to one plot line / time period, it changed to another. I spent a lot of time googling while reading, and there were some inaccuracies, but I don’t know if these were intentional or not.
The plot felt a little slow, and just when I was getting used to one plot line / time period, it changed to another. I spent a lot of time googling while reading, and there were some inaccuracies, but I don’t know if these were intentional or not.
jessnwoods's review
5.0
The what-ifs intertwined throughout this book are spell-binding. It's one of those books where you think "just one more chapter and I'll be able to stop for the night," except you get to the next chapter and realize you MUST read that one as well. The characters are beautifully developed and relateable. The plot is intriguing and layered. I will definitely be finishing this series.
wellington299's review
3.0
Because of the goodread reviews, I had lofty expectations for this book. In fact, I even bought the nook version of this book because I had such a hard time finding it.
The book took on three story lines: Eve's creation, Thor's wanderings in ancient times, and present day Eve/Abby. Eve's creation was at times fascinating and brilliant. From Thor's wanderings, I really enjoyed the juxtapositions of the world's mythologies together in one room, literally. I can't say I enjoyed Thor's lovesick puppy dog antics ..... and reading the present day story was laborious for me.
I can't place my finger why. Maybe too similar to an evil paranormal romance.
Overall I like the book, and I have a mild interest to see where the author takes this story.
The book took on three story lines: Eve's creation, Thor's wanderings in ancient times, and present day Eve/Abby. Eve's creation was at times fascinating and brilliant. From Thor's wanderings, I really enjoyed the juxtapositions of the world's mythologies together in one room, literally. I can't say I enjoyed Thor's lovesick puppy dog antics ..... and reading the present day story was laborious for me.
I can't place my finger why. Maybe too similar to an evil paranormal romance.
Overall I like the book, and I have a mild interest to see where the author takes this story.
traceyroberts's review
5.0
This author is fast becoming a favourite of mine and I absolutely loved this refreshing twist on the story of Adam and Eve.
Amalia Dillin builds a world where ALL Gods exist and interact with each other. The story follows the constantly reborn, Eve and flicks around between present day and creation with an additional thread told through the eyes of Thor as he protects her through her many lifetimes.
Forged by Fate is the first in the trilogy and I can't wait to read more.
Amalia Dillin builds a world where ALL Gods exist and interact with each other. The story follows the constantly reborn, Eve and flicks around between present day and creation with an additional thread told through the eyes of Thor as he protects her through her many lifetimes.
Forged by Fate is the first in the trilogy and I can't wait to read more.
sonshinelibrarian's review
5.0
I loved this book.
I met Amalia on Twitter via the lovely Mia Hayson some time ago. And is the case with all of my online friends and their books I'm always a little nervous to read it because there is always the fear that for whatever reason the book just won't click with me and it will be kind of awkward for me to say I don't really like it or to review it.
So it was such a relief. Within a chapter I was completely hooked and the only ONLY reason it took me so long to read it was because I have a billion things going on in my life. There were countless times that I just wanted to drop all of my responsibilities so I could finish it.
I have a review going up on the Booksellers Without Borders blog tomorrow (I'll link it them), but just know that this is an amazing book and Amalia does a masterful job of weaving all of the pieces together and making you really care about all these characters. So go read it.
I met Amalia on Twitter via the lovely Mia Hayson some time ago. And is the case with all of my online friends and their books I'm always a little nervous to read it because there is always the fear that for whatever reason the book just won't click with me and it will be kind of awkward for me to say I don't really like it or to review it.
So it was such a relief. Within a chapter I was completely hooked and the only ONLY reason it took me so long to read it was because I have a billion things going on in my life. There were countless times that I just wanted to drop all of my responsibilities so I could finish it.
I have a review going up on the Booksellers Without Borders blog tomorrow (I'll link it them), but just know that this is an amazing book and Amalia does a masterful job of weaving all of the pieces together and making you really care about all these characters. So go read it.
themily394's review
3.0
If you're looking for something with a really good twist on the original story, this would be a good series to read.
There are all different Gods/religions involved in this story and they're all aware of each other and even interact - even the angels, Adam, and Eve. I really enjoyed that take on it, since most times when I read stories involving Gods they don't acknowledge the existence of any others outside their religion. Stories of Gods aside, I really like the plot of this. It peaked my interest from the very beginning and had me guessing the whole way about what was happening and why.
The style of flipping between different times worked for this story and I'm glad she didn't write it in chronological order because I think it would have been a bit slow. It also allowed Dillin to introduce different aspects about what happened in each time at just the right moment for what's going on in the present and kept a bit of mystery going on.
Dillin's writing style confused me quite a few times, though. That's what keeps this a three star for me because there were times when I found myself thinking, "Wait, now I'm confused." and it would take me a few pages to get back on track. I think it was the way she just threw out information at times without any explanation and if it was explained, sometimes it wasn't done well. There were also a few sentences that were just worded oddly.
I do have to say that if you're not familiar with the Gods of differenty mythologies - such as Greek, Egyptian, Hindu - then this might be harder for you to follow. Dillin mentions all of these, but writes with the assumption that you're fairly familiar with the different Gods and even some history. I didn't find this to be a con, especially since I am generally familiar with these, but some might if they end up confused by it all.
The three main characters, Thor, Adam, and Eve, were all written very well. They had good and bad traits, and Adam was especially complex towards the end. The others, though, seemed to get left behind. Mia, Reu, Garrit - none of them were developed much and I only wish she had shown us more of them.
I'm excited for the next book and I love that by the end, Dillin left me with different feelings about Thor, Adam, and Eve than what I felt at the beginning. A few tweaks to the writing and this would have gotten at least one more star from me.
There are all different Gods/religions involved in this story and they're all aware of each other and even interact - even the angels, Adam, and Eve. I really enjoyed that take on it, since most times when I read stories involving Gods they don't acknowledge the existence of any others outside their religion. Stories of Gods aside, I really like the plot of this. It peaked my interest from the very beginning and had me guessing the whole way about what was happening and why.
The style of flipping between different times worked for this story and I'm glad she didn't write it in chronological order because I think it would have been a bit slow. It also allowed Dillin to introduce different aspects about what happened in each time at just the right moment for what's going on in the present and kept a bit of mystery going on.
Dillin's writing style confused me quite a few times, though. That's what keeps this a three star for me because there were times when I found myself thinking, "Wait, now I'm confused." and it would take me a few pages to get back on track. I think it was the way she just threw out information at times without any explanation and if it was explained, sometimes it wasn't done well. There were also a few sentences that were just worded oddly.
I do have to say that if you're not familiar with the Gods of differenty mythologies - such as Greek, Egyptian, Hindu - then this might be harder for you to follow. Dillin mentions all of these, but writes with the assumption that you're fairly familiar with the different Gods and even some history. I didn't find this to be a con, especially since I am generally familiar with these, but some might if they end up confused by it all.
The three main characters, Thor, Adam, and Eve, were all written very well. They had good and bad traits, and Adam was especially complex towards the end. The others, though, seemed to get left behind. Mia, Reu, Garrit - none of them were developed much and I only wish she had shown us more of them.
I'm excited for the next book and I love that by the end, Dillin left me with different feelings about Thor, Adam, and Eve than what I felt at the beginning. A few tweaks to the writing and this would have gotten at least one more star from me.
jckang's review
5.0
Forged by Fate was a beautifully crafted story which follows two point-of-view characters in three timelines. Usually, stories which jump back and forth through time can feel very disjointed; but in this case, each timeline added intrigue to the next. The world building is spectacular, with a unique take on biblical stories and other mythologies.
jdlbrosz's review
3.0
Intriguing world and interesting characters. I would have rated this higher but this book had a total non-ending. The book was clearly marked as part of a trilogy but this book felt like it stopped in the middle of a sentence.