Book Review #63: Fated to Live by C. Phillip

Hello Dear Reader!

Welcome to an indie book review by the lovely C. Phillip! This wonderful person does a lot for the indie author community on Instagram, so go and check her out @cphillipwrites if you get the chance!

I’d also like to add that Phillip has added a trigger warning at the beginning of the book, warning that it contains scenes of violence, blood, suicide, sexual assault, death, mental illness, and self-injurious behavior that may be upsetting and triggering for some readers. If you’re uncomfortable reading one or more of the above, you may want to be cautious going into this book. I’ve personally seen more detailed and vivid descriptions of the above, but that’s just my personal experience.

Fated to Live, the first book of Princess Amodini, follows the story of Princess Amodini as she lives her new life as the best female medical student at Satvikshila University under the false name of Satya. During a traumatic experience, she comes face-to-face with the young general who conquered her fallen kingdom of Amritambu, and her peaceful life as a medical student takes an adventurous change.

But before I get deeper into that, here’s the back-cover summary (from Goodreads):

A fugitive princess in an enemy kingdom.

18-year-old Satya is the best female medical student at Satvikshila University in the kingdom of Satayu. Her dream is to become a doctor and spend her life treating patients. Unknown to all, she secretly uses healing magic to administer miraculous cures. Born with the gift, her powers are also the sole proof of her true identity - Princess Amodini, the last remaining survivor of the royal family of the fallen kingdom of Amritambu.

A chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Veerata, the great general of Satayu who conquered Amritambu. Seeing him suffer from an old battle wound, she heals him using her powers in the hopes that he will save Satvikshila from the clutches of a corrupt feudal lord. Failing to recognise the princess, missing for the last three years, Veerata is attracted to the beautiful and intelligent young maiden who saves his life. Determined to guard her secret, Satya and her two trusted companions, Madhav and Sulochana, intend to leave Satvikshila and find refuge elsewhere. But their plans are thwarted when Veerata seeks her aid in treating a dancer from the kingdom of Videha, who is slowly being poisoned to death.

Will Satya be able to save the poisoned dancer while still keeping her powers and her identity a secret from her sworn enemy?

Time for the review!

Before I start commenting on the story, I’d like to say Fated to Live is a great introduction to the culture of India. At the beginning of the book is a preface of sorts, describing the clothes and the terms associated with them because of their importance to the story. There are also a lot of terms applied to people in different levels of power as well as actions of respect towards said people scattered throughout the book. So, long story short, I absolutely loved the world-building in this book. I also found the magic system in this book to be fascinating and fun. With healing powers, the power to control fire, and creating a fire portal to travel from one place to the next in a few minutes? It has me wondering what else exists.

I absolutely loved Princess Amodini, or Satya as she is commonly called due to her situation. While she does show a tad of immaturity and stubbornness that you typically see in teenagers her age, she is also very mature and thoughtful, not to mention brave. She’s very resourceful and has a heart of gold. She’s also very smart and loves studying, which is another thing I loved about this book. The main character is a very successful woman studying in STEM. I also enjoyed the characters surrounding Satya, such as her head maid and undercover aunt Sulochana, her kingdom’s head warrior and undercover uncle, Madhava, and her enemy-turned-love-interest, Veerata, which brings me to the plot.

The story jumps right into the tragic fall of Amritambu, forcing Satya to flee from her home to a small hamlet to hopefully live out the rest of her life as a normal civilian of the kingdom of Satayu as a medical student and an eventual doctor. The plot was full of twists. For example, I wasn’t expecting what was basically human trafficking. Fortunately, the system going on in Satya’s little hamlet was shut down rather quickly, but still. I also wasn’t expecting a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story. Overall, it was a great story that tied up the loose ends featured in this book while also setting up the next one.

While I enjoyed this book, there was one main thing that stuck out to me. I personally found it to be a little monotone. Even through the fight scenes and events full of tension, I didn’t find myself emotionally rising and falling with the incidents in the book. It was a rather calm experience for me personally. It was also a bit quick for my personal taste, but again that’s a very subjective thing.

So, Fated to Live rating:

3.5/5 and recommend if you like a refreshing short read full of great world-building, magic, and a slow-burn romance!

Thanks for reading!