Review – Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton

**Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Title Fortuna Sworn

Author K.J. Sutton

Description from Amazon

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.

Initial Thoughts

I really loved Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton and when I was contacted about reviewing a new project written by Kelsey, I was super excited.  Full disclosure, this is not a YA book.  It is an adult title and it’s quite different from her other works.  But, I was eager to see her versatility as a writer.

Reading Time

As you might have seen from my other reviews and from some of my round-up posts, I have a tendency to ready pretty quickly.  Fortuna Sworn however, was an exception to my usual practice.  I read this book over the course of about three weeks and I’m so glad I did.  There is so much detail and meaning in each page that I didn’t want to miss anything by reading too fast.

Some Things I Liked

• Versatility in the writing style — While I am familiar with some of Kelsey’s other works, I was delighted to see that Fortuna Sworn, her first adult novel, has a totally different vibe.  I think adult fans of YA books would definitely enjoy this book as it has some familiar elements of YA but, it also captures more adult themes.
• World Building — certain magical creatures, faeries, for example, are dime a dozen in books these days.  But, that being said, I felt that Fortuna Sworn’s take on the magical creatures detailed was absolutely unique.  I loved the idea of warring courts of faeries as well as the hierarchy of the Fallen described in the book.  Additionally, I thought Nightmares, in general, were a fascinating species that I had never seen before.
• The setting — I really enjoyed the contrast between Fortuna’s modern life and her new life in the Unseelie Court.  Also, I thought her old life reminded me of Suki’s from True Blood (and she was always my favorite character on that show).

Favorite Character

Laurie — he gave me all kinds of Silas feels from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson and I loved that.  I need more background on Laurie and his motives because he was just the best.

Series Value

I would definitely continue with this series.  That ending!  I didn’t need any more motivation, but that ending left me desperate for the next book.  Fortuna Sworn left me with so many questions and infinitely curious about the world K.J. Sutton created.  I can’t wait to read more about it.

Final Thoughts

This book was a bit out of my comfort zone and I’m so glad I took the plunge and read it.  There are elements that my inner YA-loving-self really enjoyed as well as parts that I appreciated as an adult.  It also made me appreciate a slow read.  This book is rich with detail and soaking up every page made respect it so much more.  (Not that I don’t appreciate books I read faster.)  With every book I read, I learn more about my likes and dislikes as a reader.  Fortuna Sworn was no exception.

Thank you to K.J. Sutton for providing me a copy of this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton — if you are like me, and you appreciate diversity in an author’s writing style, definitely check out this book by Kelsey Sutton.  It’s quite different, but I really enjoyed both books for different reasons.
• The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter — if you liked the magical creatures and the main character’s quest to save a sibling, check out The Evil Queen.  There are similar contrasts between a modern setting and a fantasy setting and while the main characters are younger in The Evil Queen, there are many similar themes.
• Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson — as mentioned above, Laurie = Silas.  If you liked Laurie’s character, you will LOVE Silas.  So, give Sorcery of Thorns a try.