Fated Dreams by Christina Smith

By: Anonymous on Friday, January 25, 2013

Title:  Fated Dreams

Author:  Christina Smith

Series:  The Affinity Series #1

Published:  July 30th 2012 by Createspace (first published March 1st 2012)

Page Count:  370

Genre:  Young adult romance

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Do you believe in true love? Sarah Samson doesn't until she meets hers. But for Sarah, meeting the guy of her dreams comes with a price.

On the outside Sarah looks like she has it all--friends, a loving family, and a hobby she's really good at. But if you look closer, Sarah's keeping secrets from everyone in her life, even...Lucas. From the very first time they bumped into one another, she has felt drawn to him. He makes her feel like she's found something she never realized was missing. Life would be perfect if it wasn't for the constant feeling that someone is following her. She feels a presence everywhere she goes, work, home, even...in her dreams.

Sarah suddenly finds herself wrapped up in a dangerous mystery that started eighty years ago involving two tragic deaths. After several attempts on her life, she and Lucas realize they must solve it before history repeats itself. 

My Review:

One thing that I absolutely love about Smith’s writing is how personal it is. Everything that is written is so realistic that you cannot help but be drawn into it. Nothing has to be set up to make you believe in the story, you believe in the story because of everything that is put into it.

Smith has a way with words that allow you to picture exactly what she is seeing while writing. Some of the scenery is breathtaking, and you can just imagine line dancing with the characters in a small town diner. There is such realism in everything. Even though this story is paranormal in essence, the characters and scenes are very real. Some of the scene breaks are a little jumpy, but then you feel like you’re in a high school cafeteria where 12 things are going on all at once and you’re trying to be in on all of them.

It was very nice to see a teenage character that was able to balance school and a part time job. It helped make you realise that these characters were real. They weren’t from the top strata of society, yet still managed their lives and were able to find happiness within the insanity of life. I also loved that he parents in the novel cared. They ensured the safety of their children and held them accountable for their own actions. It was a novelty that I so rarely find in current novels.

The introduction of sex into relationships was masterfully done as well. The two main characters walk a fine line while waiting for both parties to be ready to take the leap. Their relationship is built on trust. Intimacy comes second. Even though they are both very committed to one another, no one assumes that sex is a requirement of the early relationship.

One thing that I would have enjoyed was a bit more character development. Each of the main characters fits their role quite well; however, I feel that I do not know very much about them. Some of the minor characters have a much stronger back-story than the two main characters do. The main character, for example, always sticks to her guns, sometimes to the point of pigheadedness, which you can relate to. However, we never find out why she is this way. It is in no way detrimental to the storyline, but it is always easier to connect to a character that you know.

As a whole, this novel was able to grab me and didn’t let go throughout the entire story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It even evoked a few girlie giggles from me while I was reading, to the enjoyment of my coworkers in the lunchroom.

Buy your copy online here today!!!