A trope-heavy dark romantasy with moments of real strength, but a story that struggles to stand on its own.

Thank you to the author for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. A Deceitful Fate releases 30th April 2026.

I’ll be honest from the outset. I didn’t enjoy this book. I wanted to, I wanted to be able to celebrate this debut author and give the big thumbs up but it wasn’t meant to be. This didn’t quite work for me, though I can see where other readers might enjoy it. 

This review is about the book, not the author. Publishing a debut takes real courage, and I respect the work that went into getting it out into the world. So you know what TT Hanna, honestly bravo. 

A Deceitful Fate

A Deceitful Fate is a classic trope-heavy, dark-romantasy. Bar worker Adelia, a 25 year old with a traumatic past and an obsessive need to protect her sister finds herself in the claws of the power-hungry ruler of the realm. Only she has the power to unlock ancient magic that could save the world from its long and blood hungry war. Enter the love interest, Shade, linked to Adelia by blood magic, their relationship blooms over time as if fated by the Gods. Mild spice. Big decisions. Adventure ensues.

A lesson in tropes

Does that all sound familiar? 

Well, it follows a very familiar romantasy structure, often without adding a distinct twist of its own. The characters stick so religiously to their tropes that there is little character progression across the book. The plot sticks so closely to the expected classical romantasy arc that there is no room for speculation. There is no ‘will she, won’t she’, it’s all ‘when will she, where is the…’. 

I have no doubt that the author is very well read in dark romantasy. That familiarity shows, but it also limits the characters, keeping them one dimensional. This made the book even more frustrating because we all like the tropes, it is what keeps us coming back, but we want to see what the tropes do in their own story. What makes these characters original from others?

Well, there was one thing…

The panic attacks

The single strongest literary feature of A Deceitful Fate was the realistic descriptions of panic attacks by the main character. The helplessness, the breath, the racing thoughts, the lost time- it was excellently done. As in real life these happened at the most inopportune times for Adelia and caused her to make some truly awful decisions. These are described with nuance, respect and realism that is seldom found. 

My issue was not with the inclusion of panic attacks, but with their frequency. Because they occur so often, they repeatedly stall the narrative and reduce the protagonist’s agency, making it harder to stay invested in her choices. At times, the story feels as though it would benefit from shifting focus away from her, as her lack of agency limits the momentum of the plot.

Used more selectively, this would have had a much stronger impact.

The Spice?

There’s some spice. It’s well written. However, it’s difficult to feel invested in the romantic moments when the character development hasn’t fully earned them.

The consent between the 2 lovers of the book, Adelia and Shade, is well done, particularly in the aftermath of an experienced assault. There were a lot of lessons some readers could take from the consensual conversations in this book.

The End.

I’ll need to sort of plot-spoil without giving details here. Be warned.

This book does one of my most hated things in literature. It ends on a violent crescendo and a major cliffhanger.

After words on words, chapters on chapters of very little happening suddenly the villain reveals all it becomes very dramatic. Decisions need to be made. Characters’ fates are decided. And it becomes very clear this was all just a giant set up for a second book. 

Now I’ve seen cliffhanger endings. I’m big into Dungeon Crawler Carl right now (click here for post) and it was clear at the end of book 1 that it was going to be a series. But right at the start of the book it’s mentioned how the dungeon is over multiple floors, a floor a book sort of. The book is set up as a series.

A Deceitful Fate wasn’t a book within its own right with its own ending. I enjoy a book series as much as the next reader (2025 I read the majority of the Dune series, click here for proof), but this doesn’t mean that the first book should have some sort of resolution within itself. This made the story confusing and the ending feel abrupt rather than satisfying.

Overall

I wouldn’t recommend A Deceitful Fate unless you were looking for really niche examples of things done well, chiefly the mental health in the panic attacks. The characters feel too derivative of other stories in the genre and the plot isn’t anything vastly different from the norm. 

This said, if you like a predictable and clearly well researched dark romantasy then maybe this is for you.

Despite what the ending tried, I won’t be going back for book 2.

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