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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I loved this book! a very different kind of story but reminded me of Tolkien quite a bit. Kade's created world is not so wildly different from our own but there's enough wizardry, dragons, and other fantasy elements to make it incredibly bingeable. Can't wait for the next installment of the Shroud of Prophecy!!
ALL THE FEELS!!!!
I don't know who Kel Kade thinks she is but I have a bone to pick with her. How are you just going to make me wait for the next book like that? It is rude and I demand retribution!
Okay, let me start from the beginning. I got this book as an add-on to my Book of the Month box and decided to give it a read. When I tell you that I couldn't put it down, wow. The novel takes place on a fantasy world and the whole concept of the novel is basically this:
What is left for the world to do when it's only chance of survival is dead?
Two best friends soon learn that one of them is the prophesied Chosen One and the other is really of no importance but when the Chosen One dies on the first night of his would-be adventure and the High Sorceress of the country says there is no hope, what is there to do? Aaslo is a forester, he cares for the land and makes sure it's healthy, replanting the trees and forest as man cuts it down and as natural disasters harm it. He has no experience fighting and he has never before wanted to leave his forest but he refuses to give up hope.
Little does he know that he is the only one who will.
This is an amazing novel. All of the characters are so unique and thought out, I could imagine them clearly. Furthermore, Kade does a magnificent job of worldbuilding. I can see each location from the realm of the gods to even the dirty river that Aaslo bathes in. Honestly, I am one of those readers who appreciates a simple "this is all there is" kind of book. Kade doesn't get over the top nor does she add unnecessary info. She gives us just enough to go on to keep us interested and I was very interested.
I don't know who Kel Kade thinks she is but I have a bone to pick with her. How are you just going to make me wait for the next book like that? It is rude and I demand retribution!
Okay, let me start from the beginning. I got this book as an add-on to my Book of the Month box and decided to give it a read. When I tell you that I couldn't put it down, wow. The novel takes place on a fantasy world and the whole concept of the novel is basically this:
What is left for the world to do when it's only chance of survival is dead?
Two best friends soon learn that one of them is the prophesied Chosen One and the other is really of no importance but when the Chosen One dies on the first night of his would-be adventure and the High Sorceress of the country says there is no hope, what is there to do? Aaslo is a forester, he cares for the land and makes sure it's healthy, replanting the trees and forest as man cuts it down and as natural disasters harm it. He has no experience fighting and he has never before wanted to leave his forest but he refuses to give up hope.
Little does he know that he is the only one who will.
This is an amazing novel. All of the characters are so unique and thought out, I could imagine them clearly. Furthermore, Kade does a magnificent job of worldbuilding. I can see each location from the realm of the gods to even the dirty river that Aaslo bathes in. Honestly, I am one of those readers who appreciates a simple "this is all there is" kind of book. Kade doesn't get over the top nor does she add unnecessary info. She gives us just enough to go on to keep us interested and I was very interested.
A Book of the Month selection for October 2019…Yeah, I’m slightly behind.
3.5 stars
Fate of the Fallen is a refreshing new take on the story of a chosen one who has to fulfill a prophecy. The story takes you down an unexpected path and sprinkles in some humor along the way…mostly thanks to Aaslo and a stupid horse. That ending gave me goosebumps. Worth reading.
3.5 stars
Fate of the Fallen is a refreshing new take on the story of a chosen one who has to fulfill a prophecy. The story takes you down an unexpected path and sprinkles in some humor along the way…mostly thanks to Aaslo and a stupid horse. That ending gave me goosebumps. Worth reading.
The writing style is dramatically flowery with very stiff dialogue. The characters are bland, and the female characters are terribly written. Aaslo is the most interesting, and his characterization is already inconsistent 20% of the way into the book. I like the premise, but it’s not well written.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
This was a fun fantasy book that just hit all the right notes for me. I really enjoyed each character and the growing challenge that Aaslo and his companions face. This is about a classic fantasy trope that gets thrown out the window in about the first 50 pages, and done so tastefully. The book was a fairly quick read, which isn't a bad thing. Some books I read this year seemed to add as much as possible to bolster the final page count without really adding much to the plot (*cough*Dark Age*cough*). Fate of the Fallen is lean in the best way possible; focused on the story it wants to tell and doesn't faff about by going overkill on the world-building.
I’m like so completely confused. Why did it end like that? You literally could’ve just made it end better. The story got better but it was almost like just lacking to push itself over the finish line and the ending kind of screwed it up. I don’t think I liked it enough to read the next one but dammit I want to know how it ends now
You can read this and more of my reviews at https://fanfiaddict.com/david-ss-reviews/
This arc was won in a giveaway by Tor books. This does not affect my review in any way.
3.5 stars. I came into the Fate of the Fallen not knowing what to expect. With a synopsis that promised flipping the chosen one trope on its head and an author that I had faith in having previously enjoyed the Kings Dark Tidings series, I had high expectations. Although I can’t say that Fate of the Fallen lived up to my lofty expectations, I can say that this unorthodox tale was thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable.
The biggest strength of Fate of the Fallen was the characters. We follow the two main POV’s of Aaslo and Myropa. Aaslo is a forester, caretaker of the forest, and best friend of the chosen one Mathias. Aaslo starts out as a recluse at the beginning of the book. Quiet and unassuming, he would rather be taking care of his beloved forest alone than dealing with the village and people that live near it (Introverts everywhere relate instantly). Throughout the story however, we see Aaslo grow into a more deep character. Although at times he would still rather be back in his forest, he grows and comes to care more for the wide world and the people in it, especially the friends he makes along the way.
Myropa is a reaper, one of many that collect and ferry souls to the afterlife. Although I can’t really say much without spoilers, I can say that I really enjoyed getting to know Myropa’s personality, her back story, and seeing her character growth throughout this story. Through Myropa’s perspective we get to see the machinations of several gods that are either benevolent, malevolent, or indifferent in regards to the plight of humanity. Her perspective gives us a ton of insight into the history and shape of the world in which we find ourselves.
The narrative in this one felt quite meandering at times. Our heroes are journeying for most of the story, but there was never a true goal in the journey except the vague notion to “save the world.” This wouldn’t bother me typically, but there were so many different things going on and so many new characters showing up that I was sometimes left thinking “what was the point of that?” This is the first book in a series though and I believe a lot of the things that bothered me about the plot will be answered or addressed in the coming books.
Now back to some positive things. Kel Kade writes sword fights beautifully, full of great descriptions and wonderful suspense. I feel like a broken record saying this as I’ve mentioned it in my last couple reviews, but I love it when the main characters do not feel safe to make it to the end and I felt that with Aaslo. Every time there was a fight there was no guarantee he would make it out alive. This built up the tension and connected me to the story even more.
Kel Kade toed the line between upending longstanding tropes and satire in this one. There were moments where I laughed out loud at some absurdity spoken by a character and those were some of the best parts of the story. There were also a few emotional moments of deep grief, sadness, and loss that I found touching and genuine.
Overall, this was a fast, original, and fun read. If you want a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, that the author specifically wrote to be different from most fantasy of today and succeeded, pick this one up. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see where the story goes next.
This arc was won in a giveaway by Tor books. This does not affect my review in any way.
3.5 stars. I came into the Fate of the Fallen not knowing what to expect. With a synopsis that promised flipping the chosen one trope on its head and an author that I had faith in having previously enjoyed the Kings Dark Tidings series, I had high expectations. Although I can’t say that Fate of the Fallen lived up to my lofty expectations, I can say that this unorthodox tale was thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable.
The biggest strength of Fate of the Fallen was the characters. We follow the two main POV’s of Aaslo and Myropa. Aaslo is a forester, caretaker of the forest, and best friend of the chosen one Mathias. Aaslo starts out as a recluse at the beginning of the book. Quiet and unassuming, he would rather be taking care of his beloved forest alone than dealing with the village and people that live near it (Introverts everywhere relate instantly). Throughout the story however, we see Aaslo grow into a more deep character. Although at times he would still rather be back in his forest, he grows and comes to care more for the wide world and the people in it, especially the friends he makes along the way.
Myropa is a reaper, one of many that collect and ferry souls to the afterlife. Although I can’t really say much without spoilers, I can say that I really enjoyed getting to know Myropa’s personality, her back story, and seeing her character growth throughout this story. Through Myropa’s perspective we get to see the machinations of several gods that are either benevolent, malevolent, or indifferent in regards to the plight of humanity. Her perspective gives us a ton of insight into the history and shape of the world in which we find ourselves.
The narrative in this one felt quite meandering at times. Our heroes are journeying for most of the story, but there was never a true goal in the journey except the vague notion to “save the world.” This wouldn’t bother me typically, but there were so many different things going on and so many new characters showing up that I was sometimes left thinking “what was the point of that?” This is the first book in a series though and I believe a lot of the things that bothered me about the plot will be answered or addressed in the coming books.
Now back to some positive things. Kel Kade writes sword fights beautifully, full of great descriptions and wonderful suspense. I feel like a broken record saying this as I’ve mentioned it in my last couple reviews, but I love it when the main characters do not feel safe to make it to the end and I felt that with Aaslo. Every time there was a fight there was no guarantee he would make it out alive. This built up the tension and connected me to the story even more.
Kel Kade toed the line between upending longstanding tropes and satire in this one. There were moments where I laughed out loud at some absurdity spoken by a character and those were some of the best parts of the story. There were also a few emotional moments of deep grief, sadness, and loss that I found touching and genuine.
Overall, this was a fast, original, and fun read. If you want a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, that the author specifically wrote to be different from most fantasy of today and succeeded, pick this one up. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see where the story goes next.