A Reckless Oath by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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A Reckless Oath is the sequel to Kaylie Smith’s 2023-YA Fantasy release, A Ruinous Fate.
I had so much fun with that 1st-book, becoming extremely invested in the characters. I couldn’t wait to find out where the story was going after the jaw-dropping conclusion.
This story drops you right back, smack dab into the middle of this vast and complex world. The author doesn’t provide much of a refresher regarding the events of the 1st-book, so you better come prepared.
Sadly, I wasn’t prepared. It had been about 13-months since I read A Ruinous Fate, and while I did remember the gist of the story, a lot of the finer details were lost to time.
Because of that, it did take me a little while to find my bearings with this one.
The Heartless Fates series features lots of different magical beings, including Witches, Valkyries and Sirens. There’s a magic system that I’m still not 100% clear on, and there’s a fairly large cast of characters.
Somehow though, it all works. The characters are endearing, the world is vast and interesting, as is the overarching plot. Even though I’m slightly confused half the time, I still really enjoy these books.
It’s got a magical-Epic Fantasy feel that’s just addicting.
After the events of the first book, our main cast of characters has been torn apart. This book features each of them trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and progress forward in preparation for the oncoming war.
It’s like a game of chess, each character is a piece, moving step-by-step across the board, calculating, but are they all still on the same side?
Out of all the different perspectives, I think I loved Delphine’s the most. She’s a Siren and has returned to her home for the first time after an extended absence.
I found the Siren community to be fascinating. Their politics, interactions, etc., I almost wish that whole perspective could have been its own book.
I did still really enjoy Calla’s perspective though, as well. Amina in the land of the Valkyrie’s was also exciting. Together though, at times, with the back-and-forth, it did feel a little jarring.
There’s new revelations in this book that definitely help to progress the overall plot of the series. Relationships have developed further and the intensity has increased. You can feel something building. War is imminent.
Overall, while I found this to be a bit chaotic and occasionally hard to follow, I still am really, really enjoying these characters and this world.
I’m excited to see where it goes next.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Hyperion, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I truly enjoy Kaylie Smith’s writing and will continue picking these books up!