As a sleepyhead that I am, it had been longer than I remember since the last time I purposely delayed my bedtime schedule just for the sake of finishing a good book. Two months of being forced to stay at home have slightly messed up my sleep schedule, though I don't often sleep at one past midnight let alone two. That being said, I'm calling yesterday an exception: it's approximately 01:40 in the morning and I was still wide awake much to my surprise. With only about 100 pages left to read, I found it very hard to resist (when the need to reach the ending is greater than the need to sleep, you know what to do) hence I finally managed to finish Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton not long after.
This dark paranormal fantasy book follows the story of a Nightmare called Fortuna Sworn who lives among humans while tries to blend in by working in a bar called Bea's. Nightmare is a creature that can taste fear with a single touch and Fortuna is unfortunately the last of her kind. Much to her dismay the latter case occurs as her brother has gone missing for about two years, which explains why Fortuna instantly jumps on the opportunity when a mysterious Fae called Collith promises her that he will bring her to her brother in return for something big.
From the beginning, I had found Fortuna admirable ever since she proved herself a badass as well as witty. In addition to that, she's also bold, brave, powerful, and thus very interesting to get to know (even her thought alone was a wonder). Since I always have a thing for strong female leads with unique approaches in terms of handling their vulnerability, I considered Fortuna exactly whom I hoped she would be. Though to be honest, I was hoping that she could at least make a friend or two in the Unseelie Court, preferably female ones.
Unlike the fact that Fortuna's personality progressed believably in this book, other characters left me with mixed feelings instead. But don't get me wrong, I actually adored Collith, Laurie, Oliver, and even Lyari. It's just that all along I was very eager to find out something more about them, which was why I was beyond grateful that there's a sequel to this book. Sutton skilfully painted Laurie as grey and complex which was quite intoxicating as a combination—it's clear why he came out as a personal favorite of mine. As for Fortuna's brother Damon, he was portrayed unexpectedly though I still wasn't a big fan. Still and all, I had been swooning over the chemistry between Fortuna and Collith the whole time. Their slow-burn romance was killing me all through the book and I couldn't help but recite my hope so they could end up together sooner or later.
Fortuna Sworn was overall a fast-paced book and thereby very gripping and quite action-packed. With seemingly thousands of faeries living in the court, the plot was dark and the conflict appeared to progress significantly and more challenging throughout the end. I especially loved the twist that took time in the last few chapters: it was unlooked for but quite a revelation. I won't say who or which, but it made me even more excited to dive into the sequel just to get to know a particular character more.
My review almost comes to its end but I still have some unanswered questions in the hope to know this book better (I would probably find out the answers in the sequel or instead I missed a certain explanation in this book—no matter what, skip this part if you haven't read Fortuna Sworn yet):
Question number 1: Beginning, it was mentioned that Laurie helped Fortuna dress and put on some makeups. He even went as far as to give her a bone-something dress and brush her face orange for an early meeting with Damon. Major spoiler alert, Laurie turned out to be visible only to Fortuna. Why didn't Collith find it strange that Fortuna managed to dress and look like a Fae with no one he knew helping her?
Question number 2: When the second trial began, Fortuna was ordered to find a door to the outside world without the help of any creature. However, Fortuna ended up getting some help from a human named Shameek. Shameek was later punished not only for his betrayal but also for his once attempt to poison a Fae. Considering this as cheating, why didn't Fortuna face any consequence? I believe seeing him tortured was already quite a punishment for her, but shouldn't The Tounge do something more considering how she had consciously broken the trial's only rule?
Despite my thirst for answers, I would say that I enjoyed this book so much. Sutton's writing style was very beautiful in addition to easy to visualize. I could easily talk about Fortuna Sworn all day because regardless of the fact that it's dark it fit my longing for a good fantasy book really well. I was also impressed by the concept of Fallen Angels and the mentions of some other mystical creatures such as Death Bringer, Werewolf, and Leviathan (which reminded me of Voyage of The Frostheart by Jamie Littler).
If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses or a big fan of Faes in general, I think Fortuna Sworn is made for you too. Last but not least, I want to thank Kelsey for sending me a copy of this wonderful book along with the sequel. Believe me I'm more than grateful for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful work of hers.
