Paula Ottoni | The Destined

The Destined

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SYNOPSIS: Eliza Stewart has an unusual gift: she can see the future. It has always been part of her life to save the people she cares about, preventing accidents and inconveniences she previewed in her mind. But nothing compares to the type of visions she starts having at eighteen, on a night in which she “sees” a guy being kidnapped in a train. They start to have “meetings” in dreams – totally real ones –, occasions in which he says he will be killed soon and she is the only one who can stop this tragedy. Now Eliza must gather courage to leave home and go on an uncertain journey trying to save that life and perhaps regain her one true love.

Original title: A Destinada
Language: Portuguese (BR)
Year: 2012
Pages: 397
ISBN: 9788591406104

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A Destinada

LITTLE PREVIEW…

“The only thing I could see clearly was the man a few steps away from me, my target… if I still had any strength. Everything else seemed to be nothing but a blur of colors and shapes around me.

Of course there had to remain some strength in me, or everything I’d been through would be for nothing. I knew exactly what to do, but it all seemed so unreal and so painful that at every heartbeat I felt weaker and more vulnerable.

Heroism is for heroes; I always knew that. And the problem is that I was never a hero. Despite all that seemed prudent though, I was there, fighting until the last spark of hope, using every shred of strength my weak and unprepared body had to offer, breaking the natural flow of the world… Saving the life of the person I loved. Or rather – trying to.

It was the second time I was watching this scene. Although I had seen it before in my mind with the same sharpness, now it was real, devastatingly real. And in that moment I was there as a spectator, hoping to gather enough courage to act.

The booming noise came from the gun. The most disgusting sound in the whole universe. At that second, my world collapsed.

There were many things I could have said to express the pain that struck my chest and had nothing to do with physical pain. But at the minute I knew I would hear that explosive and nauseating sound, all I could send though my dry lips was a long and desperate scream.” (Prologue)

REVIEWS AND COMMENTS FROM READERS:

“What can I say? A wonderful read, amazing characters, well-written narrative with a pretty good pace to read… I just loved the book… I’m addicted to it… It held me in a way that I could no longer drop it. It was three days in a lovely journey between the US and Bologna (Italy). Millions of congratulations to Paula, who happens to be a sweetie.” – Tais Bonomi, from the blog “Mundo LMF”.

“The investigation leaves us extremely glued to the book to be able to follow Eliza’s adventure. We can track all her feelings about herself and how she overcame her weaknesses and her fear. Honestly, she went through things that really made me nervous for her, showing an imperfect character, as we all are, a human being endowed with fragilities.” – Sandy Vianna, from the blog “Lady of the Books”.

“There was a part of the book that I was like, “OMG, no! What will happen now?” And that made me want to read more and more, and so it ended up with a night’s sleep. (haha) […] It is a very light read, you engage in the story and can’t get out of it.” – Caroline Evans, from the blog “Some Fantastic Books”.

“An amazing book with a fascinating story. Paula knew how to develop a tale of love and wisdom. […] It is a book that engages the reader from beginning to end. I could not stop reading; at every page turned I wanted more and more. I wondered who could be the characters. I loved Joe and Eliza. They are a perfect couple.” – Bruna Alves, from the blog “Amantes de Livros”.

“Her grandfather’s farm made me miss the country side. If there’s one thing I super love is farm sites and anything with lots of green. Moreover, the scenarios in general used by the author are pretty damn good. Eliza wanders through places that left my head spinning. […] I was delighted with Paula Ottoni’s writing style. I had never read anything by the author before, and I’m very happy when I read something from a so young and so talented writer. I think this is her first work, and she came putting hot. Her storytelling skills are not behind any from American bestsellers.” – Carol, from the blog “Irreparável”.

“The characters are also well structured and very real. Eliza is fearless, courageous, strong, confident, and fights for what she wants. ‘The Destined’ is a well-based novel, entertaining and well-written; a quick and different novel that will win you over.” – Nathália Risso, from the blog “Books in Wonderland”.

“Joe and Will, each in their own way, won me over. I finished The Destined’ without knowing which of them I wanted for myself. Joe is the childhood friend and first love that you don’t forget – sweet and loving. Will is more intense, immediate, caring and fun. Aside from the romance, the book also has suspense and fun parts, so my recommendation is guaranteed!” – Camila Araújo, from the blog “Colecionadores de Histórias”.

“I enjoyed the book, and my congratulations to Paula Ottoni. I had never read anything by her, but after this book, be sure I want to read! The book is in first person, with a flowing and engaging narrative. […] I also liked the main character very much, her friends and family too! I thought the characters were well constructed, and it was very difficult to detach from them.” – Giovanna Milanez, from the blog “Sonhando com Livros”.

“The story is very well thought out, rich in details and descriptions but without becoming too descriptive. I also enjoyed Eliza (she is quite determined!) and I fell in love with Joe and Will. […] In certain parts I cried reading! It’s been a while since I last cried while reading. This book has some very emotional scenes. […] Another thing I can’t help commenting about this book is that no Brazilian publisher has published it. I’m sure that if she were an international author several publishers would be running after the rights to publish this book here, but we are tired of knowing that our authors don’t receive enough attention from our publishing houses, right? One thing that I believe should change, and fast!” – Jessie Fernandes, from the blog “Lendo e Comentando”.

“The narrative of the book was surprising, the story was very well written. The author has to be congratulated on her work, and I thought it could have a sequel.” – Ili Bandeira, from the blog “O Clube da Meia-Noite”.

“With a rich vocabulary and fluid writing, the story runs beautifully, and the reader’s cheer so that everything goes right is uncontrollable. I loved Paula’s way of writing and developing her thoughts, deepening into what was most important and letting aside some superfluous things. […] The characters were well constructed in their essence, physically and psychologically. I especially loved Grandpa Robert and Vicky, which recall details of my own life.” – Julia Goulart, from the blog “Conjunto da Obra”.

“I enjoyed the story of the book. Ok, this is a common theme – gifted girl who must save the boy. But something in this book captivated me. I liked how the author wrote, I was not lost and I really liked how their story ended up getting tied. I wasn’t expecting this.” – Vanessa, from the blog “This Adorable Thing”.

“With fluid writing in first person, Paula Ottoni’s narrative won me over and it was very difficult to put the book down without imagining what would happen in the next pages.” – Tais Bruna, from the blog “Leitora Fashion”.

“Paula joined pinches of suspense, supernatural, adventure and a good dose of romance to create the story, and was successful in that mix.” – Aione Simões, from the blog “Minha Vida Literária”.

“I was enchanted by the story of ‘The Destined’, and the book certainly entered to my favorites list!” – Letícia Kartalian, from the blog “Literature Diary”.