Rating: 
Summary: Full of cliches and too much power.
Review: I picked up this book looking for a nice novel, and though it had potential, in the end, it was not what I was hoping for. I can deal with few predictions, or some, but when I could predict most of the path of the book based upon the first fifty pages there is something wrong- namely:1) The heroine is given way too much power, and though she has a few struggles, mostly everything fixes itself out perfectly with no consequences. 2) There is too much romance in what is primarily an adventure tale, almost as if the author was afraid to leave anybody alone. 3) Any obstacles are easily overcome with few if any problems. 4) All emotional problems are fixed easily with resolve and some words- betrayal, love, rape, dislike, hatred, war... to simply name a few. 5) More than once points are hammered in- the author tells us something, and then repeats it, and repeats it again, and again.... 6) There are no gray characters- all are either black or white; very unsatisfying in any case. 7) The politics are way too simplistic- war-torn peoples and countries are just not that willing to make changes that fast (this was supposedly one of the themes of the book, but like all else wrong it is painlessly corrected by the end) 8) Gods are a very handy way to solve any problem 9) There is no real opposition to the main characters- yes, there is a task to be done, and enemies to defeat, but no difficult decisions and no lasting consequences I could continue, adding the fact that everyone is attractive, the animal-partners have no personality or initiative, the fact that the heroine becomes the most powerful, courageous, full of faith, optimistic person in the world (let us not forget a tragic past-life) whom everyone should supposedly not want to get close to (but she lives her life as she always did, adored almost by all), and so on. I will not be buying the sequels- they are just too predictable, and nothing in the world has half as many nice fixed plot-lines when finished... and this is supposedly just beginning. Still... a good effort for a first-time author, had some potential, too bad it died out really fast.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good
Review: I read Path of Fate very recently and enjoyed it alot. Its about a girl named Reisel who grew up as an orphane; always taunted by the children. She finaly feels like she fits in as a tark until the day she is chosen to be an Ahalad-kaaslane. She refuses as long as she can, not wanting to lose her place and lover. Then something terrible happens, and she has to make her choice. I did think that at times, Reisel got to much power; but it was an overall good book. I hope you enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: I was going to review this, but someone else already said what I was going to say. So, bear in mind that I'm not repeating this because I'm lazy, but because I'd repeat the same points "gdlos" said about the book anyway! "gdlos from United States
...but when I could predict most of the path of the book based upon the first fifty pages there is something wrong- namely: 1) The heroine is given way too much power, and though she has a few struggles, mostly everything fixes itself out perfectly with no consequences. 2) There is too much romance in what is primarily an adventure tale, almost as if the author was afraid to leave anybody alone. 3) Any obstacles are easily overcome with few if any problems. 4) All emotional problems are fixed easily with resolve and some words- betrayal, love, rape, dislike, hatred, war... to simply name a few. 5) More than once points are hammered in- the author tells us something, and then repeats it, and repeats it again, and again.... 6) There are no gray characters- all are either black or white; very unsatisfying in any case. 7) The politics are way too simplistic- war-torn peoples and countries are just not that willing to make changes that fast (this was supposedly one of the themes of the book, but like all else wrong it is painlessly corrected by the end) 8) Gods are a very handy way to solve any problem 9) There is no real opposition to the main characters- yes, there is a task to be done, and enemies to defeat, but no difficult decisions and no lasting consequences"
*** Basically, everything is too pat. There's attempts to make the heroine 3D were shallow...ie, the 'bad past' didn't really reflect on the character's personality. I'm a nerdy type of girl myself, and I had some pretty bad name calling and torment during middle school, and I can only think in a medieval setting where there were probably less human rights it'd be even worse, and this character's 'dark past' didn't hit a note of sympathy with my experiences. Anyway, gods came to help, the world aligned itself to her path, and the animals some of the characters were bonded to were uninteresting. Sometimes I can see a spark of real creativity that makes up for all the other bad writing, but I'm really sorry to say I didn't even see that here. It was in general a pretty bad book. :( I'm hoping if the author reads this, she focues on the things gdlos said (and I've seconded). I'm sure in time she could be a good author, especially if she works on things a bit. After all, just finishing the novel is a major part of it. If you know you can finish a novel, you can certainly go back and edit the heck out of it to make it better.
Rating: 
Summary: Let me reiterate, because it's fair, and it's true.
Review: I was going to review this, but someone else already said what I was going to say. So, bear in mind that I'm not repeating this because I'm lazy, but because I'd repeat the same points "gdlos" said about the book anyway! "gdlos from United States
...but when I could predict most of the path of the book based upon the first fifty pages there is something wrong- namely: 1) The heroine is given way too much power, and though she has a few struggles, mostly everything fixes itself out perfectly with no consequences. 2) There is too much romance in what is primarily an adventure tale, almost as if the author was afraid to leave anybody alone. 3) Any obstacles are easily overcome with few if any problems. 4) All emotional problems are fixed easily with resolve and some words- betrayal, love, rape, dislike, hatred, war... to simply name a few. 5) More than once points are hammered in- the author tells us something, and then repeats it, and repeats it again, and again.... 6) There are no gray characters- all are either black or white; very unsatisfying in any case. 7) The politics are way too simplistic- war-torn peoples and countries are just not that willing to make changes that fast (this was supposedly one of the themes of the book, but like all else wrong it is painlessly corrected by the end) 8) Gods are a very handy way to solve any problem 9) There is no real opposition to the main characters- yes, there is a task to be done, and enemies to defeat, but no difficult decisions and no lasting consequences"
*** Basically, everything is too pat. There's attempts to make the heroine 3D were shallow...ie, the 'bad past' didn't really reflect on the character's personality. I'm a nerdy type of girl myself, and I had some pretty bad name calling and torment during middle school, and I can only think in a medieval setting where there were probably less human rights it'd be even worse, and this character's 'dark past' didn't hit a note of sympathy with my experiences. Anyway, gods came to help, the world aligned itself to her path, and the animals some of the characters were bonded to were uninteresting. Sometimes I can see a spark of real creativity that makes up for all the other bad writing, but I'm really sorry to say I didn't even see that here. It was in general a pretty bad book. :( I'm hoping if the author reads this, she focues on the things gdlos said (and I've seconded). I'm sure in time she could be a good author, especially if she works on things a bit. After all, just finishing the novel is a major part of it. If you know you can finish a novel, you can certainly go back and edit the heck out of it to make it better.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: If you are looking for an author like Tolkein, then is not a book you would enjoy, and quite frankly, although his story lines and characters are excellent, I find Tolkein's writing style cumbersome and enough to put me to sleep in the midst of a tale that should be exciting and interesting enough to keep me awake reading all night. However, this is not a review of Tolkein, and I should get back to the point. I happened to purchase this while on layover in the Newark airport, and as exhausted as I was, I wanted to keep reading. I only gave four stars becuase there were a few sections that I thought needed a little more development. However I am also one of those people that always sees room for improvment, and I don't think I've ever given any book five stars. Anyway, if you enjoy authors like Mercedes Lackey and Tamora Peirce, I think you will enjoy this book. It is a light read with a writing style that draws you in, and an interesting story. However, if you are looking for something like Tolkein or even Orson Scott Card (whose writing style I find more conducive to drawing you into the story), then save us all your complaints and don't buy it, becuase you won't enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good First Effort
Review: In a nutshell, "Path of Fate" is what would happen if Gayle Greeno's "Ghatti's Tale" series met and married Joanne Bertin's "Dragonlord" series. There are mind-melding animal partners, a reluctant heroine who doesn't want to leave a career she loves, and evil, evil mages. I won't say the plot was original, but the book was decently written--although I did catch a few awkward sentences and grammatical errors. The pace and language were good, and the plot twists were well executed. And even though the characters were more "types" than fully realized individuals, they were written fairly well. I liked that Resil, our heroine, had to pay for a big mistake right at the beginning--that of refusing Saljane the goshawk as her divinely sent "ahalad-kaaslane". I also liked that Reisil was a poor judge of character from time to time, as well as unsure of herself. It made her seem more like a real person. I have a feeling that as Ms. Francis' career progresses, we will see great things from her. As it is, "Path of Fate" was a good first effort.
Rating:
Summary: A Good First Effort
Review: In a nutshell, "Path of Fate" is what would happen if Gayle Greeno's "Ghatti's Tale" series met and married Joanne Bertin's "Dragonlord" series. There are mind-melding animal partners, a reluctant heroine who doesn't want to leave a career she loves, and evil, evil mages. I won't say the plot was original, but the book was decently written--although I did catch a few awkward sentences and grammatical errors. The pace and language were good, and the plot twists were well executed. And even though the characters were more "types" than fully realized individuals, they were written fairly well. I liked that Resil, our heroine, had to pay for a big mistake right at the beginning--that of refusing Saljane the goshawk as her divinely sent "ahalad-kaaslane". I also liked that Reisil was a poor judge of character from time to time, as well as unsure of herself. It made her seem more like a real person. I have a feeling that as Ms. Francis' career progresses, we will see great things from her. As it is, "Path of Fate" was a good first effort.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD SOLID FANTASY
Review: PATH OF FATE follows a young woman, Reisil, on her reluctant journey from being a humble village healer to becoming an ahalad-kaaslane (quite a mouthful isn't it?), an avatar for one of the gods. Forced by circumstances to assume these duties she is caught up in a whirlwind of betrayal, intrigue and kidnapping, with the fate of two countries at the brink of war in the balance. As far a fantasy goes this isn't too bad. The plot is a little obvious but that doesn't detract from the story as much as you might think. Strong characters and the relationships between them draw you in and overshadow what could be considered a weak plot. Romance is there but kept to a relatively minor subplot. I like a bit of romance and would have liked to see more but what there was fit well with the storyline. So to with the magical aspect of the fantasy, with one or two very large exceptions the use and powers associated with magic, or godly powers, is minimally used and not a considerable burden to the plot. Although average in just about every aspect I must admit I enjoyed reading PATH and will certainly be on the lookout for either it's sequel or another by this author. I would RECOMMEND this one for those who like a quick reading bit of light fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: Path of Fate is a wonderful tale of a strong female character who is destined to become great. Diana Francis is a writer to watch as she will only get better with time.
The only problem with this book is having to wait for the sequel.
I encourage everyone to read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Unwanted Glory
Review: Reisil didn't want to be ahalad-kaslane, but when the daughter of the Patversemese ambasador is kidnapped, she sees that she has no choice. She sets out with her goshawk, Saljane, on a journey to find both the kidnapped woman and herself. Along the way she learns what it means to be ahalad-kaslane and just how important Saljane is to her.
Although this novel seems complete by itself with its solid ending, I can't wait for the next book. There is so much more than can happen as Reisil and Saljane embark on the journey to becoming trained ahalad-kaslane.
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