Fateful by Claudia Gray is a Titanic retelling with the paranormal twist of Werewolves. I thought the concept of the book was really great, Titanic is a great story to add a paranormal romance too, it has all the things you need to have a great story. I have been a fan of Claudia Gray's since I read her Evernight series a couple of years ago, she has a very interesting writing style that sucks you in until you finish the last page on the book. I thought the characters of Fateful were great, Tess was a very strong willed character and even though she gets treated bad from her employers she tries to make the best of things. Alec was a great love interest to the book, he and Tess were a great match for each other. Overall I thought this was a great book and anyone that has read Claudia Gray's books I would highly recommend it to them.

Admittedly, Fateful brings forward quite the awkward sounding premise, does it not? The mention of a tale taking place in the early 1900's involving a unique spin of events with werewolves and the R.M.S Titanic had me pondering about it's success. I wasn't sure if the idea could be pulled off, especially as I have never read any titles by Claudia Gray in the past, but I do admit that I was curious of the outcome. I enjoyed it but it failed to captivate me as I had hoped. Protagonist Tess is a servant girl to a very rich and prosperous English family. The story begins prior to their boarding of the R.M.S Titanic, specifically at night, where Tess has a terrifying encounter with a wolf and a handsome boy. What she doesn't expect is to run into the boy once again on the Titanic and become involved in a fight with creatures that she didn't believe existed. I was immediately pulled in by that very first scene, as mentioned above. It had me wondering how the events would unfurl and where the story would head. I found that Claudia Gray presented quite an interesting series of events and plot twists, ones that I very much enjoyed. One of the things I most enjoyed in Fateful was the Brotherhood's involvement. It was by far more enjoyable than Tess' immediate attraction for Alec, though luckily his attraction for her wasn't as instant. I also enjoyed Tess' character. She was a very simple and down to earth girl though I found myself having quite a difficult time sympathizing with her lifestyle. Alec, on the other hand, was quite the interesting character. I found myself desperately hoping to know more about him as the story moved to a close and sympathized greatly with his curse. Unfortunately, I can't say I enjoyed the secondary characters all that much. They were quite essential to the movement of the story but I found myself lacking much knowing of who they were. Fateful kept true to it's setting in the 1900's by providing proper terms and character interaction. I found myself really enjoying the pace as well, though it did stagger quite a bit at the beginning. The ending, though quite obvious, had me grasping onto the pages hoping for the characters. Claudia Gray's Fateful provides a paranormal romance with the unique twist of werewolves and the Titanic that readers will find both interesting and enjoyable.

The Good Stuff • Seriously its about Werewolves and the Titanic - what's not to like • I would have adored this when I was a teen, it would have been right up my alley • Strong willed and compassionate heroine • Sorta like a paranormal version of James Cameron's Titanic (in a good way of course) • Storyline is nicely fast paced and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down • Quite a few nice historical Titanic facts interspersed within the story for this Titanic geek to appreciate • Nice sweet ending • Some fun dialogue, especially with Myriam (whom I adored and would have liked more scenes with) • Just a nice escapist tale for the romantic YA reader • Nice passion between the Hero and Heroine The Not so Good Stuff • a wee bit hokey at times • Also quite predictable, you knew what was going to happen, but it was still a nice ride • Would have liked a bit more development of the Brotherhood • Not enough Myriam • Many of the secondary characters were stereotypical archetypes Favorite Quotes/Passages "Only gentlemen leading a life of leisure would need to go someplace special to build muscles. After spending four years toting buckets of water up multiple flights of stairs, I bet I could successfully arm-wrestle most of the first-class male passengers on this ship." "At that point Myriam proudly told the doctors that if I was strong enough to be rude, I was strong enough to live." "Smaller than New York, but larger than the village I was born in, and there's a softness to the late afternoon sky that I like. Like someone poured cream into the blue." (about Halifax) Who should/shouldn't read • For teens who like more romance than sex - not for the more cynical YA reader • Obviously if you like books on the Titanic, you will enjoy • Fans of YA paranormal fiction will also like 3.75 Dewey's Natasha asked me to review this for a guest post on her blog

This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books -- http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-fateful-by-claudia-gray.html What to say about Fateful by Claudia Gray...Quite honestly when I heard it was about werewolves on the Titanic I was instantly determined that I must read this book. And I'm pretty sure that, for many people, that's all it's going to take for them as well. For those of you who aren't intrigued by the synopsis of this book, well you're probably not going to like it. It won't be for everybody BUT if you're one of those people who though “Werewolves? Titanic? Sign me up!” then here's what I have to say to you. Read this book and enjoy! Werewolves aside, Claudia Gray has written a wonderfully descriptive historical fiction novel. I really don't think there are enough novels written about the Titanic. It's an incredibly interesting piece of history, just sitting there, waiting to be written about. I for one am very happy that Claudia Gray chose to take it on. In addition to the history, there is of course the werewolves. I am not the biggest fan of werewolves but I did love Alec. Friendly, thoughtful, caring (he reminded me of Alcide on the television version of True Blood). Tall, dark, handsome and a nice guy! How can you go wrong with that combinations? He really is a charmer and I think that he is one of the best parts of the book. Like I said before, this book is one to be simply read and enjoyed. It's a lot of fun and Claudia Gray is most definitely a talented and creative writer. If the sound of werewolves on the Titanic appeals to you than I highly recommend this book. Go forth and see what all the fuss is about!

More of my reviews at http://dazzlingreads.blogspot.com/ My Thoughts Claudia Gray has the uncanny ability to make readers turn pages with no stop until the last page. Suspense, romance and action are some of the great elements we can find in Fateful along with lovably and sexy characters! Sounds good! doesn't it? oh! and did I mention something about werewolves? well yeah, that's not very new. But did I mention they were werewolves on board of the Titanic? Ah! Surprised? you should be! Werewolves and the Titanic actually get along really well! Claudia Gray always manages to take something unusual (if you read Evernight - which I love-, and halfway through it you had this WTF moment, then you know what I mean) and turns it into an enjoyable and fast-passed read. This is the kind of read you can easily swallow in one seat and grabs you from the very firsts few pages. The characters get an strong connection from the beginning and that's what it kept me reading with no stop until the end. In just one book Gray created a whole new werewolves organization, The Brotherhood, that I would be more than happy to read in her upcoming books (I really wish I would have seen more about it in this book though). I am just very intrigued by this organization and the werewolf culture behind it. The romance was intense! This was the kind of love-at-first-sign that some people is skeptical to read about, but Claudia Gray develops it in such a credible and beautiful way that you long for it to continue forever. I am glad that the sink of the Titanic wasn't the most important thing in the book (contrary to the popular film where the sinking takes a big part of the movie) but the Titanic itself before sinking. We get to see and enjoy those previous days on board before the tragedy as well as we witness the growing relationship between Tess and Alec. Fateful was a good read and I enjoyed all the aspect this book provided me. From the supernatural aspects to the differences in social status, and from the splendor of the Titanic to the tragic sinking. I need to mention that I loved the resolution of the book. After the sinking, there were so many different emotions and so many scenarios I believed possible, but Claudia Gray really surprised me!

Two words: Werewolves. Titanic. It was those two words, my friends, which convinced me that I absolutely needed to read Fateful. And you know what? Fateful didn’t disappoint at all! I stayed up until the middle of the night, unable to put the novel down for even a moment and completely lost in such an amazing storyline. I was ever so nervous to find out what would happen! Fateful is one of those novels that completely sweep you away! Claudia Gray has perfectly balanced the rich details of the RMS Titanic along with romance and the supernatural. You’re immediately pulled into the year 1912, caught up in the grandeur of the Titanic about to set off on its maiden voyage… and where class distinctions between the rich and poor become all the more apparent. And for Tess Davies, a servant in the Lisle family’s household, it’s her only chance of escape from her employers in search of a better life in America. Normally, I tend to roll my eyes at love stories where couples fall for each other quickly… but I couldn’t question it this time because I fell for Alec just as hard as Tess did. It’s just one of those all-consuming romances which warm your heart and make you believe anything can happen. Tess understood the unlikelihood she could ever be with Alec because he was a young privileged man… but she was willing to make the most of the time she had with him while on board the ship. I loved her loyalty and courage in the face of danger too! And the dashing Alec Marlowe may have had his secrets but he immediately joined my good books when he treated Tess as an equal instead of looking down on her due to her social status. He treated her with utter respect… and his overall good personality and protective nature to stand up for Tess when she couldn’t do it herself left me sighing happily in delight. While I enjoyed Claudia Gray’s Evernight series, Fateful has instantly become a new favourite of mine by her! The novel may be a standalone, but I can easily see the possibility of a sequel… and if there was one, I would welcome it with open arms. Of course, there was the inevitable goodbye to some characters who I had become attached to... and my heart broke for those souls lost to the ill-fated Titanic. But there’s also hope to be found still as the novel reached a conclusion that tugged at my heartstrings while still keeping up the suspense until the very end. With captivating romance and the danger of werewolves all set against the beautiful backdrop of the RMS Titanic, Fateful will prove to be a perfect read! I hope you love it as much as I did! You can also read this review at: http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.com/2011/09/fateful-by-claudia-gray.html