Series: Granton University

*Leaning towards 4.5 Stars*

Half of a moon dangled among the glittering stars, just like half a man stood next to the most dazzling female he’d ever know.

I don’t know….this totally wasn’t what I expected. In more ways than one, I was completely prepared to dub this ‘meh’ and move on. And let me tell you why: reviews. People’s reviews, whether glowing or not so fond of, littered the board with explanations that lead me to believe that my earlier impression of what the story would be was entirely false and that this would be some kind of, I don’t know, insta-love and that there would be very little progression from I hate you to I love you. But, and I’m going to be very diplomatic when I say this, that, my beautiful GR friends, is why I no longer trust reviews.

She hated him more than she thought it was possible to hate, because for a brief moment, he’d actually made her feel sorry for him. He’d actually made her respect him.

I had bought this thinking I’d love it, then started to look at reviews, and alas, the descriptions of this relationship started to deter me from wanting to read the story. I’m really glad I did, though.

But she didn’t want to feel awe or respect for him. She wanted to keep hating him. Blaming him.

While not an entirely realistic story, I found that I enjoyed the plot and how the author decided to play it out. The beginning was hard for me to like because I’m on a serious paranormal and dystopian run, but when I really and truly committed to these characters and their story, I began to really
love
what was going on in front of me.

“What do I want?” When a sad smile flittered across Logan’s lips, Paige shuddered, practically tasting his misery. Closing his eyes, he confessed, “Everything I know I shouldn’t, I guess.”

Paige…sigh, what to say about Paige? Paige was a pretty decent character. She tucked tail and ran a lot, but other than that, I can understand a little of the blame she puts on Logan. People need an outlet for their grief, and the boy who was in a fight with her brother as he died is a pretty good place to put the blame. She was a tad vindictive at times, yes I understand why, and even a bit harsh, but as she started to grow and see that Logan was only trying to move on with his life and forget that fateful night, the story began to take off for me. Seeing her hate turn to curiosity, to tentative understanding, to a heartbreaking compassion helped me to admire her as a character and to like the story more.

She groaned to herself and wrapped an arm over her closed eyes, hoping to dispel the image of him sitting on the floor by Mariah’s bed a few nights before. He’d looked so vulnerable, so touchable. Lost and alone. Why did she always feel compelled to comfort tortured souls? She wanted Logan Xander to be tortured, to stay tortured.

Logan was a tortured soul. For three years he has been harboring guilt, resentment (both for himself and from others), blame, and the loss of familial support. He doesn’t believe he deserves to be happy, no matter how many people he tries to save by being a DD at all times, and no matter how much he does to resolve his mistake. It was heartbreaking to see his torment and his less than stellar impression of himself, but even more heartbreaking when the sister of the guy he killed is at the same college as he, and everywhere he turns he sees her. Talk about torture.

“But I do.” Misery filled his eyes. “And I don’t regret it. I’ve fallen in love with you, Paige.”

A shockingly tender, sweet love story about second chances and forgiveness, Fighting Fate shows a journey from self loathing to the desire to be apart of the normal world again and how one person’s forgiveness makes a world of difference on this young man’s life. I was so skeptical at first as to how this story could possibly progress, but all at once it became addictive and impossible to put down. I adored the way their relationship came to be and it wasn’t at all how I expected it to begin. I’m glad that at 5% they weren’t all mooney-eyed and falling in love-that’s flippin’ stupid and not at all how it would happen. I’m glad it took most of the book for them to realize what they meant to one another-that fragile tether they have that separates them from the rest of the college campus-that knowledge of tragedy and what it’s like to feel alone and afraid with no one who understands…until they find one another.

He sniffed and tilted his face slightly away in a hopeless effort to hide the fact he was still crying. But in doing so, he only slid his cheek alongside hers. Their flesh brushed and one of his tears sealed their skin together, compressing it as someone would press a sentimental flower petal between the pages of a book.

Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of just going with your gut when you see a book that calls to you. This book almost sat untouched on my app due to other people’s opinions, and that really makes me think twice about how many books I have passed up on the chance that no one else liked them. I don’t know. I guess I’ve always been the black sheep liking those stories that not many others do…and while this was well received, some people found this less than impressive. I loved it. Baaaa

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