Don’t get me wrong: I love me some dark, brooding, and dramatic romantasy books. But sometimes, something sweet and full of fluff is great too. Enter Rings of Fate by Melissa De La Cruz: A spicy booktok romantasy-meets-Princess Bride vibes read that, simply put, feels like a fun and silly warm hug in a sea of shadow daddies and drama. Feel like taking a break from your latest bully romance? Then hang out with Aren and Dietan instead!
Quality of Writing
Rating: 4/5
Although Rings of Fate has some phenomenal writing and great flow, my Deluxe Edition from Book of The Month is riddled with typos and missing words. I’ve mentioned this before: if I’m paying extra, I expect extra, so this was incredibly disappointing and means I needed to take point off from my rating – sad 🙁
Plot Development
Rating: 4/5
Rings of Fate is essentially a love letter to a Princess Bride-meets-Lord of The Rings brainchild, which naturally means I’m obsessed. I loved the lighthearted fellowship adventure vibe of this book, and while there is a lot of travelling for most of the plot, it felt well paced and made sense for the storyline. Most of the major action happened toward the end of the book, but it felt like a nice buildup to a crescendo, not a race to the finish line. That being said, if slower paced action isn’t your jam, this plot may not be as engaging for you.
Characters
Rating: 5/5
Once again, Rings of Fate delivers on its Princess Bride vibes with Dietan’s wit and humor. I love his “as my lady commands” schtick, (as you wish, anyone?), and I really appreciated the softness and lighter humor from this MMC.
Aren was a delightful breath of fresh air for an FMC – she’s not a naive 18 year old who is somehow completely innocent, yet a weapons expert. In fact, she’s older and uses a frying pan to fight her way out of her problems.
Although the side characters weren’t overly detailed in this book, I actually preferred this since the plot is entirely centered around the relationship between Aren and Dietan. Creating deeper backstories for other characters ultimately would’ve detracted from the plot, not added to it.
Ease of Reading
Rating: 4/5
Personally, I prefer the debut book in a series to contain most of the lore as a setup for future books. Unfortunately, Rings of Fate was not lore heavy, and therefore created some confusion on my end. I admittedly got tripped up with some of the Kilandrar and Usurper lore, but I did begin to understand better toward the end of the book and am hopeful these concepts will receive more attention in the future.
Ending
Rating: 4/5
The ending for Rings of Fate felt complete, yet did still have an air of ambiguity, which makes sense for a series. I am mildly suspicious that the future of the series will be more interconnected versus continuing to focus on Dietan and Aren. While this wouldn’t be my first choice, I am still very much invested in this series nonetheless.
Would I Recommend This Book
Yes, definitely. Rings of Fate is a really fun and upbeat change of pace with a great inverse grumpy/sunshine dynamic. As mentioned above, if you’re a Princess Bride or LOTR fan, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!
Overall Rating
Rings of Fate features a fun and bubbly plot with a refreshing romance dynamic. Although the severity of typos and lack of lore was frustrating, this book managed to captivate me with its fellowship adventure vibes and exciting, well paced action toward the end.
Book Rating: 4/5 (TW: Torture, Kidnapping, Imprisonment)
Spice Rating: 2/5
Curious about how I rate my reads? Check out my Rating System Blog Post for more!
Let’s Talk
What qualities do your favorite female main characters have that draws you to them?
Reading Stack
Previous Book: Blood of Hercules
Current Book: From Blood and Ash
Next Book: Dance of The Phoenix
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