Review: Review for The Chemistry of Fate by Meradeth Houston
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2013
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***The Chemistry of Fate by Meradeth HoustonBook Two (companion novel) of the Sary Society seriesPublisher: MuseItUp PublishingPublication Date: April 25, 2013Rating: 3 starsSource: eARC provided by the authorSummary (from Goodreads):"They are everywhere, can be anyone, and are always the last person you'd expect." When Tom stumbles across his grandfather's journal, he's convinced the old man was crazier than he thought. The book contains references to beings called the Sary, immortals who are assigned to save humans on the verge of suicide. They certainly aren't allowed to fall in love with mortals. Which the journal claims Tom's grandfather did, resulting in his expulsion from the Sary. As strange as the journal seems, Tom can't get the stories out of his head; especially when he finds the photo of his grandfather's wings.Tom's only distraction is Ari, the girl he studies with for their chemistry class.Ari has one goal when she arrives in town: see how much Tom knows about the Sary and neutralize the situation. This isn't a normal job, but protecting the secrecy of the Sary is vital. If Tom is a threat to exposing the Sary to the public, fate has a way of taking care of the situation, usually ending with the mortal's death. While Ari spends time with Tom, he becomes more than just an assignment, but how far can a relationship go when she can't tell him who she really is? When she finds out just how much Tom actually knows about the Sary, Ari is forced to choose between her wings, and her heart.What I Liked:This book was a quick read, which was refreshing for me, as I have recently been reading a ton of long historical fiction novels. And then an AMAZING YA fantasy novel. I liked how fast I read this book, because it gave me time to digest the book, and reflect on what I had read.I loved that this book was in dual point-of-views. I enjoyed reading from Tom's point-of-view much more than reading from Ari's point-of-view. Tom is so sweet and honest and courageous - and half the time he doesn't realize it. I didn't really get the whole hot-male-vibe from him, which could be a good thing or a not-so-good thing, because I feel like the author was trying to give him that quality.The story itself was okay. The ending is good. Predictable, but good. No love triangle! People looking for a nice, simple romance will definitely fall for Tom and Ari!Also, I LOVE the cover. Like, a lot. I think the pink and the shimmers are beautiful!What I Did Not Like:I had a couple of big problems with this book. For one, the plot. It was predictable, and really, it amounted to a few events. I didn't like how the entire book was focused on solely the romance. At least try and and have some other dynamic to the book! It would have cut down on the more boring parts, and added more dimension to the plot.Also, I did not like Ari. She's not a heroine I enjoyed following. She has no spine.I didn't understand the supernatural beings - the Sary. I feel like they weren't explained very well. And I wish we could have had a scene with the Sary in action, you know, fulfilling their purpose. Doing what they are supposed to do, not babysitting a mortal. Instead, we get Ari, the girl with no backbone, who does not know what she wants.I did not like Ari. Wings, no wings. Boy, no boy. PICK ONE. Life is hard. Decisions are hard. I feel like she did not deserve her ending with Tom. For a Sary, she is not very tough. I feel bad for Tom. He deserves better.The Sary beings sound like the Revenants from Amy Plum's books. But with wings. Just saying.Despite all of that, I enjoyed the book. I may not read it again, but it was worth the read.Would I Recommend It:If you read the first book, Colors Like Memories, then I think this is a great companion novel. I did not read Colors Like Memories before reading The Chemistry of Fate. Otherwise, it is not a must-read.Rating:3 stars. I enjoyed this book when I was reading it, but it probably is not the right book for me.