Review: Shattered Fate (Zodiac #3) by Azshure Raine

Synopsis:

War is on the horizon after the devastation wrought by the wayward power of death.

The Wicked King’s blood remains unchecked. A new Titan walks Gaea and a Clock buried deep beneath the sands of a city lost to time counts down.

Eternity sleeps. Fate remains locked away.

And the thirteenth cycle edges ever closer to ReBirth.

The end of time is in the hands of Fate.

Review:

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review by saying I really enjoyed the first two books in the series (ReBirth and Dreamtaker.) There is a lot of unique and pretty cool worldbuilding featured between the Zodiac, the titans, the keepers, and all the shared history and mythology that goes along with them. Most of that worldbuilding was put in place during the first two books, so this one is really just a continuation (and conclusion) of the main storylines.

When compared with the first two books, this one felt a little rushed to me and bounced between POV arcs a little more frequently. I also felt there was a disconnect with the primary villain (Damien). When he was introduced in Dreamtaker, his focus and goals seemed pretty clear. He was a great villain in that book, but there was something different about him in Shattered Fate that wasn’t quite the same. I can’t put my finger on just what that was, but the end result was that Damien fell a little flat for me in this one.

But don’t get me wrong; this was a solid conclusion to the series and had some really great moments. Crow and Moth, Tokei and his family, and Jase finally getting to eat a whole apple without something happening to it (I had to mention that last one because it was long overdue.)

And the end was not what I was anticipating. It was poignant and bittersweet, but worked perfectly with the overall story—and even brought some aspects full circle from where they started in ReBirth.

So if you’re looking for a fast-paced fantasy with some definite Final Fantasy vibes, check out the Zodiac series.

Shattered Fate is currently available for preorder and will publish on March 26, 2024.