A Fate Unwoven coming October 14th, 2025 from Peachtree Teen; 416 pages
Content Warning: Violence, gore, self-harm, death
About the Author: “Rachael A. Edwards first discovered her love of storytelling at a young age, when she got lost in tales of witches, fairies and magical realms. Hailing from England, she spends most of her days writing fantasy novels about morally grey characters in worlds filled with mythology, corruption and magic. Her debut novel, A FATE UNWOVEN, will be published in Fall 2025 by Peachtree Teen” (Bio from author’s Goodreads profile).
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A Fate Unwoven follows Lenora “Lena” Vesthir and Dimas Ehmar as they learn to change and control their fates under the crumbling empire of Wyrecia. Lena has obtained the Fateweaver’s power, created by the goddess of fate, Næbya, and her sisters to protect the Ehmar bloodline and control the fates of the royals. After Dimas’ father passes, it is time for him to push aside the shadows plaguing his mind and take his place as the new emperor of Wyrecia with his Fateweaver by his side. Lena, opposed to everything the empire stands for, is forced to join Dimas and become the next Fateweaver. While Dimas attempts to strengthen their sacred bond, Lena tries to escape the fate designed for her. With a heretical cult threatening to take over the empire, Lena and Dimas must find a way to stop them—without compromising their own freedom in the process.
I found this story to be a refreshing addition to the YA fantasy genre. Both Lena and Dimas are incredibly distinct characters, which made it easy to connect with them. I liked that Lena and Dimas both had ulterior motives throughout the book, and I found them to be true depictions of morally-gray characters. One thing that frustrated me, however, was that Lena and Dimas never became friends. The bond between an emperor and a Fateweaver is meant to be special, but Lena never lets her guard down long enough for Dimas to prove himself trustworthy. I understand her motives, but I wanted more from their relationship, and I think I would’ve been more distraught if they had become best friends who hurt each other. It felt too easy for them to betray each other, and I wanted more complexity. Also, I thought the concept of a Fateweaver and the magic system as a whole was really interesting, although I wish there had been more description of it. Lena can see someone’s threads of fate hanging over them, and I wanted to know more about her experiences and what it felt like to manipulate the threads of another. When Lena arrives at the palace, it’s said that she goes through rigorous training for a few weeks, but that isn’t shown more than a handful of times throughout the story. Overall, this book was exciting, and I hope that the next one expands upon the magic system as Lena grows into her power.
A Fate Unwoven releases on October 14th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Emersen Cooper, Pine Reads Review Writer and Editor