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karlation's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
kiso's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
theoutdoorlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC to read early!
Fate of the Fallen is the perfect high fantasy for those who want to read one but are not sure they can commit to the 1000 pages a story like this typically is. The story moves quickly and has great descriptions that immerse the reader into the pages. The characters are well thought out with many layers, particularly the main character. The trials he faces and what he feels afterwards shape who he is and where he goes next. Due to spoilers I won't say much more about the story. Nicely done Kel Kade for an amazing story!
Fate of the Fallen is the perfect high fantasy for those who want to read one but are not sure they can commit to the 1000 pages a story like this typically is. The story moves quickly and has great descriptions that immerse the reader into the pages. The characters are well thought out with many layers, particularly the main character. The trials he faces and what he feels afterwards shape who he is and where he goes next. Due to spoilers I won't say much more about the story. Nicely done Kel Kade for an amazing story!
acdidsbury's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
arlena_priscilla's review against another edition
3.0
Slow start to this book but a strong ending and I definitely feel like I need to know what happens next. The dialogue does feel a bit clunky and out of touch in certain places but I really enjoyed this once the secondary cast of characters joined the story.
queens_flame's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this last year at the ALA conference and I’ve *finally* gotten around to reading it. I remember it being super hyped up at the time and everyone was trying to get a copy. Thanks to the folks at Macmillan/Tor for letting me snag a copy
Anyways – so I have quite the mixed feelings on this book. Like a part of me was really wowed, and enjoyed this. It’s been a really long time since a book has made me laugh out loud. The way this was written, it was as if Rick Riordan decided to write adult high fantasy. The remarks, the little jokes, the quirkiness of the characters – it was just so much fun.
Despite that, I feel like overall the way the plot line and overall conflict flowed was a big….jaggedy. It wasn’t consistent, new things were being thrown in at random times. So in a way, I found the book confusing and I wasn’t sure exactly what the overall plot and conflict even WAS. Yeah the chosen one is dead and his best friend takes up his task to rule the world….but like I still don’t understand what is happening. One of the gods wants to destroy the world just because he can?
The mythology and the gods needs SO much more exploring, and I wish it was more touched upon in the books. It felt like there were two different worlds and stories going on, which again, ties into the inconsistency.
Regardless of all of this, I kept reading until the end just because the characters were so enjoyable. Aaslo is hilariously relatable. He is like every millennial ever if they were put in an adventure story. I am looking forward to seeing how the next books in the series go, if there will be any.
Anyways – so I have quite the mixed feelings on this book. Like a part of me was really wowed, and enjoyed this. It’s been a really long time since a book has made me laugh out loud. The way this was written, it was as if Rick Riordan decided to write adult high fantasy. The remarks, the little jokes, the quirkiness of the characters – it was just so much fun.
Despite that, I feel like overall the way the plot line and overall conflict flowed was a big….jaggedy. It wasn’t consistent, new things were being thrown in at random times. So in a way, I found the book confusing and I wasn’t sure exactly what the overall plot and conflict even WAS. Yeah the chosen one is dead and his best friend takes up his task to rule the world….but like I still don’t understand what is happening. One of the gods wants to destroy the world just because he can?
The mythology and the gods needs SO much more exploring, and I wish it was more touched upon in the books. It felt like there were two different worlds and stories going on, which again, ties into the inconsistency.
Regardless of all of this, I kept reading until the end just because the characters were so enjoyable. Aaslo is hilariously relatable. He is like every millennial ever if they were put in an adventure story. I am looking forward to seeing how the next books in the series go, if there will be any.
veronica87's review against another edition
2.0
The idea for this is a good one. It's basically a spoof on the "Chosen One" trope common to the fantasy genre. Sadly, for me, the execution lacked charm and the attempts at humor were middling, at best. I can't help but think that the story would have been more fun with the actual Chosen One in the starring role.
catpewk's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
_thunderhead_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jolietjane's review against another edition
This is one of the most bizarre chop shops I've ever read. DNF @ about 2/3rds complete.
Fate of the Fallen is an incredible missed opportunity. The concept is so cool. What if the chosen one dies- and his friend- the side character needs to complete his mission.
BUT WAIT..what if that side character had to carry his best friend's head around with him, and that head wouldn't stop talking to him.
Hold on, what if this impending doom is actually a bunch of asshole gods and goddesses controlling a multiverse who seem to just be sick of this world.
Fate of the Fallen is an absolute crack infested fever dream. Every plot thread is so exceptionally strange that you can't help but read a little further to see what happens next. Kel Kade deserves points for originality, of that there is no doubt.
Unfortunately, this book needed editors. A whole team of them. Reading Fate of the Fallen kind of feels like watching someone play a videogame.
The beginning of the book does a good enough job justifying this. Aarlo and Matthias are hanging out together talking about going to a dance (?) like they are on an episode of The Vampire Diaries. You then find out that his lifelong love actually isn't that into him and wants to marry Matthias. Then BOOM, they find out he's the chosen one. His grandma stole him from his parents to raise him because shes the only person strong enough...but she never trained in him anything. Also, something is destroying the world, but nobody knows about it or feels its effects. The kickoff is super strange, really fast, and instantly will give you whiplash. I wish I had the Ebook so I could drop some of the utterly bizarre, fast-moving, super strange dialogue that you get within the first 50 pages of the story.
Aarlo, the main character, keeps running into people on his vague mission, and they all feel like soulless NPCs meant to exhaust out dialogue options with them. It feels like this book is wearing the mask of what it thinks an epic fantasy should be with none of the personality of one. Aarlo's journey is diced into small sections where he runs into wealthy folks, thieves, kings, sorcerers, etc, and then...leaves. And that's it. It's so hard to put the whole picture together to understand what it all actually means because none of these characters truly leave their mark on him. None of his adventures change who he is or make him feel he is more deserving of his quest. There's no theme, no character growth, just a ton of extremely strange character introductions.
The gods and reapers side of the story also works awkwardly with the rest of the book, and the short POVs you get with them feel super jarring, like perhaps they were meant for another book.
I was determined to finish this because I think its subversive exploration of fantasy tropes was too cool not to honor, but the farther I got in the book, the more it felt clear to me that the clumsy writing and bullet train pace of the novel wasn't an accident- and I found it harder and harder to give a shit about Aarlo and his quest.
I think if you like weird stuff, this could be a great book for you. It's very weird and very readable. It's also short (Goodreads says 400 pages, but its only 344) Personally though, this one ain't for me.
Fate of the Fallen is an incredible missed opportunity. The concept is so cool. What if the chosen one dies- and his friend- the side character needs to complete his mission.
BUT WAIT..what if that side character had to carry his best friend's head around with him, and that head wouldn't stop talking to him.
Hold on, what if this impending doom is actually a bunch of asshole gods and goddesses controlling a multiverse who seem to just be sick of this world.
Fate of the Fallen is an absolute crack infested fever dream. Every plot thread is so exceptionally strange that you can't help but read a little further to see what happens next. Kel Kade deserves points for originality, of that there is no doubt.
Unfortunately, this book needed editors. A whole team of them. Reading Fate of the Fallen kind of feels like watching someone play a videogame.
The beginning of the book does a good enough job justifying this. Aarlo and Matthias are hanging out together talking about going to a dance (?) like they are on an episode of The Vampire Diaries. You then find out that his lifelong love actually isn't that into him and wants to marry Matthias. Then BOOM, they find out he's the chosen one. His grandma stole him from his parents to raise him because shes the only person strong enough...but she never trained in him anything. Also, something is destroying the world, but nobody knows about it or feels its effects. The kickoff is super strange, really fast, and instantly will give you whiplash. I wish I had the Ebook so I could drop some of the utterly bizarre, fast-moving, super strange dialogue that you get within the first 50 pages of the story.
Aarlo, the main character, keeps running into people on his vague mission, and they all feel like soulless NPCs meant to exhaust out dialogue options with them. It feels like this book is wearing the mask of what it thinks an epic fantasy should be with none of the personality of one. Aarlo's journey is diced into small sections where he runs into wealthy folks, thieves, kings, sorcerers, etc, and then...leaves. And that's it. It's so hard to put the whole picture together to understand what it all actually means because none of these characters truly leave their mark on him. None of his adventures change who he is or make him feel he is more deserving of his quest. There's no theme, no character growth, just a ton of extremely strange character introductions.
The gods and reapers side of the story also works awkwardly with the rest of the book, and the short POVs you get with them feel super jarring, like perhaps they were meant for another book.
I was determined to finish this because I think its subversive exploration of fantasy tropes was too cool not to honor, but the farther I got in the book, the more it felt clear to me that the clumsy writing and bullet train pace of the novel wasn't an accident- and I found it harder and harder to give a shit about Aarlo and his quest.
I think if you like weird stuff, this could be a great book for you. It's very weird and very readable. It's also short (Goodreads says 400 pages, but its only 344) Personally though, this one ain't for me.