Chloe's life is a carefully planned out. Every detail from her schooling to her career, from birth she's been told what she will do, who she will be. She is told it is in Fate's hands. Now she's being told who she loves has also been carefully planned out, but her heart isn't so sure about Fate's choice.Chloe met Jonah at a young age, in her dreams. She has spent years growing up with him and loving him, but never believing he is real. A year after he abruptly disappears from her dreamworld, he walks into her math class. She can't believe he is real and she is terrified of the pain of losing him all over again. The idea of him not knowing her scares her into distance and silence.Jonah didn't come to town unaccompanied though, he brought his twin brother Kellan with him. Chloe feels a strange connection with both boys and does not have the same fears where Kellan is involved. Jonah doesn't attempt to speak to Chloe either, but Kellan does, unleashing a complicated and heated love triangle.Chloe's distress over the love cards Fate has dealt her is only one of her problems. She's slated to become the most powerful magical creature on the Council, the people that run the world. It's her unique powers that make her the main target for a group determined to take their revenge on all magical creatures. A Matter of Fate is a modern day twist of magical powers, star crossed love and a dash of mythology. I'm not talking magic the likes of newts eyes and bat wings brewing in a cauldron. I'm talking X-Men type powers. Mystical fireballs, creating lightening storms or earthquakes, inflicting debilitating viruses or emotions; all in the name of taking down your enemies. The fight scenes Lyons wrote were action packed excitement and quite stunning.On the flip side of all these powers is the good that balances them out. Those that can inflict you with the plague can also heal your wounds. Those that can inflect deep depression can also make you fell pure bliss. If you can destroy you can create. You get the picture. The building of these powers and the world they belong too was enthralling. I love a good dose of paranormal and fantasy and A Matter of Fate has both.There are so many characters introduced here that some were all together underdeveloped, I'm hoping some of them will take more of a center stage in future titles. However, some were very well developed and I loved them. Kellan and Karl were favorites of mine.Now, I should probably comment on the love triangle as some of you love them and others loathe them. I am not usually a huge fan of them. I hate love conflicts just for the sake of there being a conflict. I can say that though not all of the aspects of this impossible situation worked for me, other aspects truly did. At the beginning of it I was mentally screaming at Chloe for being so silly and scared but the deeper the story got, the more invested I became in it, the more heartbreaking it became. This is not conflict for the sake of conflict. Even though I saw the true reason for the strife coming pretty early on, it didn't matter, I was knee deep into wondering how it would be hashed out and honestly was pleased that there was not contrite happy ending. It wouldn't have done the story justice.I'm pleased I had a chance to read A Matter of Fate and look forward to finding out what happens with these characters in A Matter of Heart, due June 2013.
