The Fated
2025 Book Review: #5
Happy Monday, dear friends! I hope you had a wonderful day today. I was excited to write this review, as I can support a fellow Substack author. , thank you for the opportunity to read your novel and review it!
I received a free copy in advance, and here are my honest thoughts in a review I’m writing voluntarily.
Book: The Fated
Author: Katelynsam
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
Spoilers for The Fated…
Every sixteen years a luxurious ocean liner known as The Fated appears at the docks to carry a few lucky passengers to paradise. Yet when people onboard begin disappearing, one woman soon discovers their destination might not be paradise after all.
Have you ever had a dream that you’ve clung to? Despite everything else, no matter the odds, you hold to that dream, praying that one day, it could come true. Has that dream faded in your memory, leaving behind times of sadness and a longing for the past to have changed?
Amarra Obrel is a young woman with such a dream. A talented pianist, she’s rejected from her dream university and surrounded by those who are better off than her in wealth, status, and connections. Amarra works hard to make a life for herself in a dystopian world. She’s finally given a chance for change when she is given a ticket onboard The Fated, a luxury ocean liner that docks once in a few years to take its passengers to a location only speculated by others.
Once aboard this ship, Amarra is surrounded by opulence and everything she could ever wish for. Delicious goodies are around every corner, her clothing is extravagant and beautiful, and she could lounge and relax all day if she wanted to.
But things don’t seem to add up the longer she’s on The Fated. The passengers aboard the ship don’t have to pay a dime for clothing, food, or activities. Some passengers are dressed in older styles of clothing, while others are wearing modern styles. Amarra’s cousin disappears, only to return different than before, seeming to forget things that once previously meant the world to her. Her dreams are gone, and she only lives to lounge and party aboard The Fated.
Katelynsam does a fantastic job at introducing bits and pieces of the story that excite the reader to put the mystery pieces together. She balances writing the decadence and opulence well with the mystery of everything. Additionally, she introduces worldbuilding well, which makes it feel like you’re in the world without feeling like you’re drowning in information.
Katelynsam also writes her characters well. Each one is intriguing, with different factors that make them unique from the next. I appreciated reading the interactions between each of the characters and the different races they represented within the story. Kye-Shin and Miyuni were a fun brother-sister duo and while I initially didn’t like Kye-Shin because of his attitude, the author works to show that while he struggles with initial impressions, he’s a great character filled with thoughtfulness and deliberation. The romance between him and Amarra didn’t feel rushed or forced. They were characters that helped each other with the mystery of The Fated first and love interests second, which was a refreshing thing to see!
The paranormal aspect of the book was intriguing to read. I couldn’t help but theorize about who owned The Fated as I was reading about the book. When it was revealed that several passengers on the ship had been passengers for many years, I wondered if someone had engineered robots to captain the ship. But then the cargo hold was found empty, devoid of anyone, and Amarra reflected on the fact that she’d never actually seen any of the wait staff, just spotted them out of the corner of her eye. I then thought of ghosts that could only become corporeal for a limited amount of time.
The Fated is actually owned by a being that feasts on dreams. It lures the passengers in with a promise of luxury and ease, only to ensnare them by taking the thing that they treasured most, whether it be a picture of a lover, a necklace given by a father, or a prized possession. Once this possession is given, it can never be returned, and the user must remain on The Fated for the rest of their lives until the being sees fit for the passenger to die.
When it was revealed that the owner of The Fated was a being that fed on the desires and dreams of its desperate passengers, I was genuinely impressed. It made me curious to know if there were other beings like the one that owned The Fated. Did they all feed off of dreams? Were they all hungry like this one? Perhaps there are more that live on the edge of small towns, feasting on the dreams of young townsfolk who desire to leave their small town for something greater. Such an interesting premise!
The ending was what grabbed me the most. Amarra leaves The Fated. She could have given up her dream, forgetting the pain that surrounded her rejection. But within the bitterness of her dream of playing the piano at the university, there is also sweet joy from the memories of her mother dancing to the music she played.
Our dreams make us who we are. They define us, shaping us to be our unique selves. Though those dreams can have bitter aspects, they can bring sweet joy to ourselves and the lives of others.
Overall, this was a great read, and I definitely recommend you check out Katelynsam’s book for yourself. I know I will be rereading it for myself to see all of the lovingly placed foreshadowing once again.
Thank you for the lovely review, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!