As I said in my review of the first book, this is a YA book, and while it isn’t my favorite genre, this has been a great duology despite that aversion. Miles and Gabriel are very different characters but so well suited for each other, and I love how their romance progressed. Add in the other interesting characters, and I had a great time reading this. In fact, I could barely put this down. One other thing: I was quite surprised at how this turned out, and I wish I could talk about it, but I can’t since it would spoil at least one major surprise at the end when they entered…well, read this and see what I mean. I really enjoyed this, and if you love an engaging, YA book, look no further than this. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I thought that this book was an excellent conclusion to the duology. It's one of those books that I just tore through and had a lot of fun reading and I think will appeal really well to the teenagers that it's aimed at. I will definitely be getting it for my library.

I really loved this; I think it was just as good as The Hollow and the Haunted.

The plot was sometimes a little too predictable, but it was such a fun ride I genuinely didn't care. I've had a hunch about a certain character from the very first time they appeared in book 1, and I was right!! I felt very vindicated about that lol.

The relationships in the book were definitely a highlight, especially the familial ones. It was really refreshing to see such good conflict resolution in a YA book when it would've been so easy to just throw in typical teenage angst to add spice to the story instead. Even Gabriel and Miles honestly acted very mature for their age when they faced communication problems.

It was such a comfort read (despite, you know, all the ghosts, cemeteries, evil magic curses, and death premonitions), and I see myself rereading the duology in the future. It's a sweet coming-of-age story with an adorable queer relationship and a spooky horror atmosphere. What more could you want?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read the book early in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Well, this was fun. This is the finale to this duology, and it picks up right where book one's cliffhanger left off. The magic is interesting, and the different dynamics are intriguing. The only reason this one isn't quite 5 stars is because it takes a minute to get going at first, which was surprising since it picks up after a cliffhanger. It also managed to somwhow be predictable and unpredictable at the same time for me, which was odd. I still had a good time, though. Miles and Gabriel are amazingly written and unique characters that help keep you hooked and add the necessary humanity for us to relate to. We see them, Miles especially, balance this life in the supernatural alongside life at a public high school, which was interesting and oddly relatable at times. All in all, this is great, and I fell in love with this series. I would absolutely love to see more from this universe, and I am excited to read more from Camilla Raines in the future.

This was the second book.
I didn't read the first one but definitely will.
I loved the parts about the curse .

I flew through this .
Parts were really dark and creepy.
A really good spooky read.

Since this is the second in a series, I won't spoil the overall plot. I really enjoyed the author's delightful writing—in my mind, it's much better. Plus, the way the protagonist propels this plot is insane. It was a really enjoyable story to follow.
I thank the author and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Forsaken and the Fated by Camilla Raines is such a good story. 5 stars from me. This author is a genious! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

Fantastically ghostly and wonderfully sweet, this sequel reminded me just how much I loved The Hollow and the Haunted. What a pleasure it was to spend time again with this cast of characters—I only wish we got even more of all the wonderful side characters! That's how much I loved them. Miles & Gabriel are both lovely protagonists, and I do appreciate that many of the typical trappings of YA conflict (miscommunication, withholding information, etc.) were avoided here. YA love interests who have complicated feelings but communicate them & move forward together? Brilliant, I loved it, yes please, etc. Adored the balance between sweet, normal teenage life and absolutely bonkers paranormal adventure!

(thanks to titan books & netgalley for the eARC! <3)

I loved the first book, and I came very close to loving this one just as much. It didn't top the mystery or the atmosphere of the first book, but I very much enjoyed my time spent with it. I love all the characters, and especially the resolution that you get with Miles and his mother, as well as the greater inclusion of Emily. Miles and Gabriel are delights, and I love Gabriel to pieces.

The sequel definitely tries to up the ante with more action and multiple set pieces, and it somewhat succeeds (the graveyard scene in particular) but I do feel like the final chunk of the book was slightly rushed. Starting from the Homecoming dance to the final showdown, it seemed to fly by and was over in the blink of an eye. There is an interesting piece there near the end, but it didn't seem to lead to much other than an excuse to get all the pieces in the right place for the ending and I feel as if it was foreshadowed even slightly it would have been more rewarding.

Ultimately, I felt the beginning was a bit of a rug pull and not a worthy payoff from the superb cliffhanger of the first book, and found the ending to be slightly rushed, but I enjoyed the hell out of everything in the middle.

That was fast …

I adored The Hollow and the Haunted, and after that ending, I couldn’t wait to be with Miles and Gabriel again.

But then I started reading The Forsaken and the Fated, and apparently, I need to remember everything (sorry, I’m far from a teen, and I blame my aging brain) or reread the first installment. Since I’m pretty busy right now and have several other ARCs waiting for me, I don’t have time to read the first one, so I decided to DNF instead of dragging myself through this story and giving it a bad rating in the end. I might come back to it in the future, though, because I’d love to read the ending of this story!

Disaster gays with no survival instincts dealing with ghosts, a curse, death premonitions, and first crushes.

This duology is just a feel-good, sweet time with non-scary haunting.
Miles has anxiety and Gabriel has no idea how to act like a normal teenage boy. Sunshine and grumpy.

Trust is such a key aspect of this book in all of the relationships present. Between our disaster boys, but also with Miles’s family and friends. Everything felt so authentic, everyone’s feelings and expectations were expressed, and it felt like the most normal occult family possible.

Charlee is badass just like book one and I would love to read a spin off on her.

I do think that the plot wasn’t quite as strong as book one, and the ending used a plot device I always consider a cheat, but this was perfect for getting me in the cosy autumnal, spooky mood (even if I’m still holding onto the sun).

Arc gifted by Titan.

<b>The Hollow and the Haunted was the first book of this duology and as a pretty solid queer YA paranormal mystery, I loved it and was looking forward to the sequel. So the rating I’m giving here breaks my heart, but let me explain myself.

I definitely expected to enjoy it at least as much as I did the first book, and let me assure you that I tried very hard to enjoy myself, but ultimately I couldn’t. It took me a while to get into the story (I recommend either rereading the first installment or simply reading both books back to back), and I struggled to reestablish the connection to both Miles and Gabriel. But I managed, and I was glad to be back with the boys, seeing them grow closer and work together as a team to uncover the Hawthorne curse mystery and, preferably, save their own lives as well.

Something didn’t feel quite right, though. Because in comparison to The Hollow and the Haunted, this sequel reads much younger on the YA scale, especially in terms of the plot progression. Especially the last 30 % read like I was seeing the author painstakingly taking all the threads and weaving them together so everything fits perfectly. Conveniently, so everything could make sense in the most obvious way possible, though in reality, it led to some questionable decision-making on the characters’ part over and over again.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean a negative thing. It just makes for a much easier read than I anticipated, and made me think I’m suddenly not the right target audience.

Unfortunately, I also don’t think the romance and the mystery-solving meshed very well, not as seamlessly as in the first book. It felt like two separate little stories - when one was in focus, the other fell completely into the background.

Miles and Gabriel are still (mostly) lovely together, no worries there. And Miles was still such a relatable character I sympathized with (mostly). But honestly, the side characters absolutely shone, especially Charlee and Emily; those two girls could easily rule the world while our boys just watch and hold hands.
Though don’t get me started on all the adult characters and their shitty parenting, they were useless at best.

So, do I recommend picking the sequel up? YES, yes I do. Do so with slightly adjusted expectations, though, especially if you don’t usually love books in the younger scale of YA.

Many thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

(My review on GR will be posted on the publication month per the publisher's request)

While I loved The Hollow and the Haunted, I sadly didn't vibe with the sequel.

The Forsaken and the Fated skews much younger than its prequel, almost infuriatingly so. It didn't feel like the continuation of a book I honestly really enjoyed but rather like one I had to force myself through at times.

I'm really bummed The Forsaken and the Fated didn't live up to its prequel since I've excitedly waited a year for the continuation of Miles's and Gabriel's story. There were a few good scenes but overallI I didn't much like it.

I buddy read this book with Teru which was probably the best part of this reading experience.

Thanks to Titan Books for the eARC.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for the eARC!!!

(this review will have mild spoilers)

wow. so, any person even mildly close to me knows that i have been BEGGING to read this story early (as in submitting multiple times to titan books asking them to send me a physical copy for review) for fear of spontaneous combustion if i did not get my grimy hands on it soon, because i absolutely adored the hollow and the haunted. after devouring this arc in record time, it did not disappoint! it may be because im a little dim in the brain department, but i genuinely could not figure out the mystery on my own and therefore was indeed surprised by the reveal.

okay who cares about plot. gabriel and miles. gabriel and miles!!!!!! GABRIEL AND MILESSSSSSSS OH MY DAYS. i love them. so dearly. their relationship was the kind of slow burn that was slow but didn't make me want to simultaneously rip my hair out of frustration, and felt right for two teenagers who are emotionally constipated in their own ways (i say about the empath unironically). i loved how supportive miles family was of everything after they found out about gabriel and his situation, it really did give the vibes of the ladies of 3oo fox way from the raven cycle. charlie you are still my goat i love you queen

as a debut duology from this author, it was absolutely a hit for me!!! extremely excited for what camilla raines will come out with next!!!

“You’re showing up for me even though you’re scared. You’re not making me do this alone. Those things all matter.”

This one was a lot slower paced then the first. Still it's a good story with a great conclusion. I enjoyed seeing Gabriel and Miles relationship grow.

I loved The Hollow and the Haunted and was eagerly waiting for the conclusion of this duology. Overall, it was well done – the addition of new characters was great and the finale was spectacular. I think I slightly preferred the first book though in terms of pacing.

This sequal was delightfully Spooky, magical and adorably sweet.

Book 2 jumps right in where we left off in book 1. We have two death prophecies, a missing Gabriel and an evil curse to break.
With the help of some ghosts, bad decisions (they accidentally created zombies) and trust everything comes together in the end.

What works most in this book is the trust and communication between characters. After Gabriel returns he and Miles talk things over they put trust at the forefront of their budding new relationship. There is no pressure from either party to out themselves only sweet understanding and support.
When Miles does come out to his mom it to complete love and support. He shares every that has been going on - this may be the first book I've read where telling an adult has actually worked.
Of course its not all roses as Gabriel's mother unsurprisingly continues to be her selfish self and even Miles Aunt Robin makes some exceptionally bad decisions.

I absolutely loved this book. Raines manages to mix the innocence and awkwardness of dating for the first time with actual undiluted horror.

"The hollow and the haunted" had been a very nice read, with an entertaining plot, great character and nice spooky vibes. This second installment in the series follows neatly in its steps, with an agreeable prose and satisfying plot.

In "The forsaken and the fates", we find Miles and Gavriel again, just after the events of book 1. It means the tension is high from the first page, falling and rising throughout the book as our duo work to untangle themselves from fate and curses. Their romance is slowly making its way into their lives, hindered and pushed by fear and want.

I enjoyed my read a lot! Seeing them navigate their lives, both as teenagers and as psychics was nicely gripping. I was invested in them and their desire to succeed, as well as in the secondary characters, all well fleshed out and with a good sense of presence on the page, even when we don't see them. If I sometimes felt like the parents were very out of the story, it makes sense, especially after we see Miles coming clean with his parents and what Gabriel's mother is up to.

Very good end of the duology with the ending I had hoped for, with a a balance of mystery, romance and spooky vibes I enjoyed a lot. The queer representation is diverse and well done, as is Miles"s anxiety. Definitely recommend !

Ahhhhhhhh, my fragile can't handle all of this. This book kept me glued to the page, more than the first one did! I need more book by Raines.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

Following on from The Hollow and the Haunted, this second novel follows Miles and Gabriel as they work to untangle the web of the mystery of the Hawthorne curse, whilst trying to save each other along the way.

This was a really exciting and tense read. The mystery kept me gripped, whilst the softer moments of Miles and Gabriel getting to be normal teenagers and do normal teenager things made me love their characters even more. Whilst reading, I had no idea how the novel was going to end, and I was somewhat ramping myself up for heartache. Luckily that didn't happen.

The side characters really make this series something special. They're all really well fleshed-out, with their own backstories and motivations, and really enhance the narrative.

Miles coming out to his parents was really special - it was so sweet and I was so relieved that they had a good reaction.

This was a really satisfying book to wrap up the duology; both Gabriel and Miles have their whole futures ahead of them, and it was a very sweet ending.

4.5 stars rounded down.