All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace brings a satisfying ending to a creative duology. Taking place six months after the end of the first novel, Ms. Grace adequately captures the struggles Amora faces as the new queen after implementing life-altering changes for her people. As Amora works to gain necessary support, what follows is an adventure that remains honest and in keeping with what we know of the characters.
The one aspect of All the Tides of Fate I appreciate is how well Ms. Grace captures and uses Amora’s grief and trauma from the previous story’s events. Some of Amora’s choices are aggravating to a rational reader. However, when seen in the light of someone still struggling to deal with the violence and loss she experienced, her choices make sense. Amora’s trauma is a large part of the story which makes sense since it is such a large part of her mental psyche at the opening of the story. To ignore the shock, grief, and mental trauma from those previous events would be to ignore what has become a large part of Amora’s personality and would feel disingenuous to the character.
The other element I feel Ms. Grace handles well is the precarious balance between duty and heart Amora must determine. To someone still adjusting to the changes to her life and her magic, it again makes sense that Amora would grab on to any potential option that would reverse those changes. Yet, Amora would not be who she is if she did not consider her duty as her highest priority. This inner battle becomes the heart of the story. More importantly, Ms. Grace does such an excellent job of highlighting Amora’s seesaw battle that you have no idea what she will ultimately decide.
I like All the Tides of Fate as it brings Amora’s unique story to a satisfying close. The decisions she makes feel right given everything she experiences and her new responsibilities. Plus, they set the story apart from every other princess-made-queen-struggling-to-keep-her-throne story that exists. Combine that with the inclusion of magic and magical beings as well as acknowledgment of character trauma and grief, and this story of a monarchy has a modern feel to it.
