Genres: New Adult, NA Fantasy, Dark Fantasy | Release Date: 16 February 2023 | Series: The Cursed Blood | Series Book: #2 | Pages: 426 | Indie Author | Review
“I will follow you into darkness, or I will burn in your fire.”
Chloe Hodge
Overview:
As soon as I knew The Fated and the Damned by Chloe Hodge needed ARC readers? I put *both* of my hands up in the air! And I’m so grateful to Chloe for letting me read this finale to The Cursed Blood duology early, because the wait for this steamy dark fantasy was excruciating for this bookworm…
Kitarni has survived the events of The Cursed and the Broken, but the Dark Queen is now living flesh, with powers beyond comprehension. To have any hope of saving those she loves best, Kitarni must not only become leader of the coven, but also lady of Mistvellen. This means marrying Dante, the man she cannot forgive for offering her up to torture beyond reckoning. Can Kitarni and Dante put aside their heartache, to unite against the spreading evil? Will Death’s crown be their salvation or their doom? Power comes at a cost, and the price might be too high for Kitarni to bear…
Happiness Boost:
I said that I would need to block out two days of my life to read this tale, way back when I reviewed the first book (and you can read that review here). But I read The Fated and the Damned overnight, because there’s no way I was going to let myself leave this story halfway through! Kitarni and Dante are such a testament to Chloe’s writing. They’re complicated individuals and their story arc is one of setbacks, triumphs and the worst kind of heartache. I *love* that this dark fantasy offers us a heart pounding rollercoaster of a ride.
Chloe has this ability of writing the perfect words to describe a scene or character. She shows us the *essence* of them, and how this manifests in the physical realm… It’s honestly like a masterclass. ‘The spider shrank back, her limbs twitching’ is just one example of this! But I have to show you this one, because it highlights how something can resonate with characteristics of deceit and evil, without resorting to the simplicity of a phrase like ‘her black heart’. Fangirling about this is perfectly acceptable, right? It was such a treat to read The Fated and the Damned with descriptions like this!
As much as I want to say we’re guaranteed a HEA for everyone involved, it’s never promised. Just like in the real world here, there’s going to be sadness. There’s going to be pain. And all I can say is that at a certain point, my heart cracked a little bit and I cried a *lot*. Full disclosure, I may have been messaging Chloe at this point and saying I was not okay. This book will make you ache. But it’s a happiness boost for sure, because we want to feel when we read, right?
Downside:
It’s over and I don’t want it to be… But if you want to know what there is to dislike about this dark fantasy? I can’t help you with that. I love all of it.
Final Thoughts:
The Fated and the Damned by indie author Chloe Hodge is a masterful, emotional dark fantasy to conclude The Cursed Blood duology. If you feel like you want your heart ripped out and then stuck back together? Well, this one is for you! I’m not sadistic I promise, it’s just a really, *really* great tale of witches, magic and the consequences of love and betrayal. Love what you’ve heard from my review? Click on any of the links below to pre-order a copy of this beauty! Happy reading, glitterbugs!
You can pre-order The Fated and the Damned via these links:
