Fortune and Fate

The Twelve Houses, Book 5

By: Sharon Shinn

Narrated by: Lindsay Ellison, Sharon Shinn

Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

National best-selling author Sharon Shinn's "lyrical and entertaining" (Kirkus Reviews) Twelve Houses books have captivated readers and critics alike with their irresistible cocktail of fantasy, romance, and adventure.

Now Shinn returns with a new novel set in the same world, where a troubled Warrior Rider named Wen faces her greatest challenge in the last place she ever expected: behind the walls of a great family estate known as Fortune, where Wen has been hired to guard the young heiress. Once there, she will find that fate has other plans for her.

Bonus Audio: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Sharon Shinn.

©2008 Sharon Shinn (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Plenty of action for a fun adventure" (Locus magazine)

One of my favorites. Exceptional narration.

This is a very sweet story. It's part adventure, part love story. Sharon Shinn is a gifted writer, capable of surprises even in such a familiar genre.

Another captivating book by Sharon Shinn

This was another excellent listen. Based around one character but the regulars are still there also in parts. Sharon Shinn has done an excellent job with the whole series. I have enjoyed each book more and more and just love all of the characters. Sad to have the series ended but will defiantly be readomg the books again. A truly delightful series.

A slow start but a strong finish

Initially, I was disappointed for the first few chapters of this book, in comparison to the other four books. But it redeemed itself in the last segments. I loved the twists and turns at the very end. The narrator was OK, but not great, and it unfortunately portrayed the main character poorly. Once you get past that, and make it to the fourth quarter, the story really takes off. I hope you enjoy it.

Best of the lot.

This whole series has been one of my all-time favorites. However, Fortune and Fate ended up being my favorite of the lot. Maybe its because so many novels are severly lacking in the story-after-the-story, and this one fulfills that need in spades. It lowers you gently into saying goodbye to the 6 stars of the series by letting you know how they end up.
Maybe it's because Wen's character is so well crafted. Maybe it's because the story is so well woven. Maybe it's all of these and more.
Do yourself a favor and listen to the Twelve Houses series. Utterly enjoyable.

sorry line sequence was excellent , clear .

and understandably not far fetched. Great read and narrator kept action and suspense balanced throughout story.

Oh what fun...

I am an avid fan of Sharon Shinn, reading everything she writes. I am thrilled to see that some of her work has finally been produced for audio. I only hope that her novels of Samaria receive the same excellent treatment.
If you are yearning for some quality escapist, fantasy storytelling/ romance I highly recommend reading and/or listening to all of her novels. It is best to do The Twelve Houses in order.

In love

Just totally in love with all of the characters...no more books??? Arrghhh, what am i going to do!!???
They are my friends now!

Another narrator??

I really hate when narrators change, since it disrupts my view of the characters, however generally is something easily overcome. In book 5, the narrator mis-pronounces the name of several key characters! You want to talk about impacting your read, every time a characters name is mis-pronounced, I find myself yelling at the book with the correct pronunciation. Do they not check with the author on pronunciation? It seems to really hurt the flow of a 5 book series. At least when the narrator changed from book 2 to 3, they narrator pronounce character names consistently with the first narrator.

Over all, all five books are good and I would purchase again, just be prepared for some issues with flow.

great series

This is the last of the books from this series. It focused on a new person rather than the 6 main people of the other books. I was sad to see this series end. It will be definately be a series I will listen to again in a year. Worth the credits. I hesitated getting into this series and now wish I had listened sooner.

I enjoyed it

I did struggle to finish this book. but only because that one moment where he confronted willa I got so nervous about what would happen I didn't finish the book for another month!