Destined

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There are a few things that cannot be explained, and then there are a few things that would not make sense even if I tried to put them into words.

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Destined Synopsis

When a journalist is found dead in his house, a lack of sufficient evidence conceals the truth behind a well-planned murder. The cops dismiss it as a burglary attempt gone wrong.

After struggling with foster care, Samantha Reed finds a home with the Abbot family and a trustworthy connection with their neighbour’s son, Maximillian Turner. Their friendship and fondness increase as they grow up.

Years later, Max and Sam join the PACERS, a special division under the FBI. The team’s investigation leads them to a connection between the man hiding in the darkness, who goes by the name ‘Ben’, and the journalist who was killed years ago.

Their life takes a different turn and they struggle to cope with Max’s newfound job as a Protector. Ben’s darkness creeps into their personal zone and shows them that a lot more than their jobs are at stake. The world changes right in front of their eyes and gives a whole new meaning to their relationship. They realize that their lives are entwined in more ways than they can imagine and Ben threatens to destroy everything they built together.

Ben agrees to stop the chaos and spare the team if he is given the one thing he wants the most.
Sam.

The only person powerful enough to fight Ben is the one man she has loved her entire life.
Max.

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Destined Review

Destined is the debut novel of Milla Stellan, and I have to say for a series start it does not disappoint. Destiend is the first book in The Protectors Chronicles. It tells the story through two different eras, the New Era and the Golden Era. The story also rotates between two worlds. Caelumgard is the mystical world that is seemingly connected to ours but is more like our historical times (swords, princesses, kings and queens), and our near-present day world. The novel does span quite a bit of time and there are some time jumps within the eras and worlds.

We first meet the main characters, Samantha Reed (p.s. love this name since its literally my sister’s name) and Maximillian Turner, as children. Sam at 10 years old in thrust into a new life as her parents died and she is brought into the foster care system. During this time she is shy, quiet, and tries to make herself as small as possible. Max is a joyous, outgoing, happy 10 year old that notices the sad girl in the yellow dress next door and makes it his mission to be friends and make her happy. The book follows as Sam and Max grow from friends to first loves to adults in a committed relationship and how their career choices affect their love for each other.

Milla writes an amazing combination of suspense, thriller and fantasy that lays the foundation for an amazing series. There is not a lot I can write about this book without giving things away. The writing style is simple but the plot is steeped in enough mystery and puzzles that it keeps you engaged. The book does cover a lot in the 300 pages, however it feels natural and evenly paced.

I would definitely recommend this for people who are interested in a book that has some mystery and thrilling events, with all the love of the friends-to-lovers trope and a coming-of-age story wrapped into one. I really enjoyed this book because while it was a puzzle to fit the two worlds together and piece together the crime scene investigation aspects of this novel, I didn’t fell like I needed to keep notes on what was going on. Definitely will be recommending this book to science fiction and fantasy lovers who want to dip their toes into urban fantasy.

I would like to thank Milla Stellan for sending me a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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About Milla Stellan

Milla Stellan is a Software Engineer by profession, who is also a fiction and poetry writer. She embraces the long winters of the Northern Hemisphere with a mug of hot chocolate and her laptop. She is one of the few who does not binge watch shows on Netflix.

When she is not working or writing, she likes to read and travel. Her love for travel has helped her adapt to life in three different continents. Her flash fiction and poems have been published on Medium.

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The Protector Chronicles

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