Books of Destinies Vol. 1 by Martha Kowalski
What's It About?
In this YA paranormal romance, Dimitri falls in love with his classmate, Katya. Only problem is, she's the one girl Destiny won't let him have, and Dimitri holds secrets he can't reveal to anyone — least of all, Katya.How much control do we have over our own choices? If you knew in advance that a particular choice would lead to heartbreak, would you still choose it? Is love worth the risk? These profound questions underpin Books of Destinies Vol. 1, a young adult paranormal romance by Martha Kowalski.
Seventeen-year-old Dimitri Rhanalrik has a terrible secret. He can see people’s auras, hear people’s thoughts, know the future. He wears thick glasses to hide the fact that his eye color changes according to his emotions. He manages to blend in with the other kids in his high school but is wary of getting too close to anyone.
Katya Melvina is struggling to stay afloat in school — particularly in physics. Her grueling figure skating training takes up nearly every minute of her free time, and she’s being pressured from all sides to quit: by her father, who never approved of her “prancing around on the ice” to begin with, and by her boyfriend, who wants her to spend more time with him and less time at the rink. But skating isn’t just a hobby to Katya — it’s life itself.
Drawn Together Like Magnet and Metal
So when Dimitri and Katya are teamed up for a physics project, she jumps at the chance to work with him. Math and science are a breeze for Dimitri; surely, this project will get her grades out of the danger zone, even though her dad has already decided: no more skating. How brilliant, then, is their project idea — the physics of figure skating? She’ll be able to buy more time.
But there’s more to Dimitri than his intelligence. Much more. Katya is drawn to his aura of mystery, his lanky frame, his dark curly hair, his eyes … what color are they, anyway? He’s prompt and polite and takes an interest in the things that matter most to Katya. His presence is magnetic. But he’s also aloof in ways that make Katya unsure of where she stands.
When he first set eyes on her, Dimitri knew that Katya was the one. The one written in his Book of Destiny. The one he can never have.
Books Shelved in a Secret Library
You see, everyone has a Book in the infinite stacks of the Secret Library. Should a regular person ever come across their Book (nevermind the Library), they wouldn’t be able to read it — the pages will all be as blank as a sketchbook. The future remains completely unknown to them.
Psychics are different. They can read their own Books. But there’s a catch: Destiny adjusts for this by forbidding psychics from living the lives chronicled in those pages. The life in Dimitri’s Book could have been, should have been, but it never will be. It’s a life Dimitri and Katya share together.
As he and Katya grow closer, how much longer can Dimitri resist what his heart wants? Destiny is a cruel mistress; any touch from Katya creates searing physical pain and psychic foreboding — he’s already lost so many people close to him. He can’t bear another.
Complex Characters and Profound Insight
Kowalski hits all the right story beats in this teen-angst romance. There are moments of elation and moments of despair. Our protagonists take one step forward together and stumble apart. Dimitri and Katya are well-developed, complex characters that readers can really care about.
We get alternating chapters from each of their viewpoints; Kowalski makes good use of this technique to show stark contrasts between what is happening in each character’s mind and how their actions are interpreted externally. Katya’s insecurity and Dimitri’s deep-seated fear create tension between them, though neither recognizes the cause. And for all the paranormal backdrop, they struggle with the same things we all did in high school (and, frankly, many of us still do): fighting for autonomy, navigating thorny social lives, discovering what love is … and isn’t.
For those who don’t want this story to end, there is a sequel: Books of Destinies Vol. 2. Wherever Dimitri and Katya go from here, whether it ends in joy or sorrow or some of both, readers will be invested in their future — one they will rewrite for themselves if they can.
Martha Kowalski is a Ph.D. student of economics. In her spare time, she likes to draw and come up with ideas for her next novel. She’s an avid figure skating fan, though not quite as graceful on the ice herself.
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