Fortuna Sworn
by K.J. Sutton
Published by Once Upon a Books
Book 1 in the Fortuna Sworn series
We were meant to be seductive. We were designed to lure humans in.
Fortuna Sworn is the last of her kind.
Her brother disappeared two years ago, leaving her with no family or species to speak of. She hides among humans, spending her days working at a bar and her nights searching for him. The bleak pattern goes on and on... until she catches the eye of a powerful faerie.
He makes no attempt to hide that he desires Fortuna. And in exchange for her, he offers something irresistible. So Fortuna reluctantly leaves her safe existence behind to step back into a world of creatures and power.
It soon becomes clear that she may not have bargained with her heart, but her very life.
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
Romance
Fortuna Sworn is the first book in K.J. Sutton's Fortuna Sworn series. It centers around twenty-something year old Fortuna Sworn, and the last of her kind after her brother went missing two year prior. Living and hiding amongst humans, she searches for her brother whenever she can, never finding a lead. That is, until she catches the eye of a handsome, powerful fae. He makes it clear he wants her, and he makes her a deal she can't resist in exchange for her. Fortuna is forced to leave her home amongst the humans behind, and enter the dark and merciless world of the Unseelie Fae. And Fortuna soon realizes that she didn't just bargain away her heart, but maybe her life too.
Fortuna Sworn is another series that was brought to my attention through the Bookish Box. Knowing that they were releasing a luxe edition of this series, I needed to know if it was something I would later regret missing out on, so I read it. I was left ... underwhelmed? Perhaps that is the best word for it. I liked the story. I enjoyed just how dark and terrifying the fae were. But I was left frustrated with Fortuna. The decisions she makes, the things she says, I just felt like she was very juvenile for her age. There are situations and characters that don't make sense (specifically her dream world, and Oliver). I know its most likely explained in future books, but the way its written doesn't leave me curious and wanting more. It leaves me frustrated. And while I liked the book in general, there is one thing that stands out to me, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned it. The trials Fortuna goes through at the end of the book are almost exactly the same that Feyre goes through in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Like, too similar to get away with. Spoiler warning below for both books:
Fortuna/Fortuna Sworn Feyre/ACOTAR
Task 1: Large beast Large beast (wyrm)
Task 2: Puzzle (riddle) Puzzle (Maze)
Task 3: Has to "kill" Tamlin, Kills someone enchanted
but it's a ruse to look like her brother
It's too similar, and it really irks me.
I liked this book enough to start the next one. Even though it frustrated me. Who is the main love interest in this series? What will happen between her and her brother now that she has killed his lover/master (which, good for her, because he was a shitty person)? Will she be able to escape the consequences of becoming queen? Diving in to the next book to find out.
Fortuna: “Do you get punched a lot? You seem like the kind of faerie who gets punched a lot.” Fortuna: “I’ve seen you vanish into thin air,”
I managed to say, my lungs burning.
Fortuna: “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
Collith: “’Til death do us part, remember?”
Collith gasped back.
Fortuna: “Looks like that’s going to be a lot sooner than either of us expected.” Fortuna: “Go to hell.”
Jassin: “Haven’t you heard?”
Jassin leaned close. He smelled like everything tempting and addictive. Like chocolate. Like sex.
Jassin: “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”
Though he didn’t touch me, it felt like someone had run their finger along the ridges of my spine. He had power, there was no denying it. I retaliated with false bravado.
Fortuna: “Satan came to my christening, little boy. Stay out of my way, or I’ll make you piss in your fancy clothes.” Oliver: “I was terrified that you, Fortuna Sworn, would forget or outgrow me. That someday, you wouldn’t come back. I didn’t care about fading into nothing or not existing. No, what haunted me most was the thought of losing you.” Laurie: “The Queen of the Unseelie Court must possess extraordinary strength, for the crown is heavy. She must be as cunning as the Dark Prince, for she will defend our doors. She must be devoted to the people, for not all have power or wisdom to do so themselves. Fortuna; “Let this be a lesson to all of you. If you fuck with me and mine, I will return the favor tenfold.”