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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
It started out alright but it quickly revealed that there would be tons of exposition and unnatural dialogue, and it tried to do many things, but I didn't feel like it succeeded.
I wanted to like it, but I quickly found myself disappointed in both writing, plot and characters, and the short version is just: I don't think it was good in any of those aspects.
I wanted to like it, but I quickly found myself disappointed in both writing, plot and characters, and the short version is just: I don't think it was good in any of those aspects.
Just a genuinely fun book. It wasn’t perfect sure, but I had a great time reading it. It’s a cheeky fantasy story of extremes, with a bunch of likable characters that felt consistent and several plot lines that I’m actually interested in seeing where they go, even though I’m usually not a fan of series. It was just what I wanted from a book that’s sold as “what if the standard absolute hero of prophecy saves the world story, doesn’t go how it’s supposed to?”. Go in looking for fun and laughs, and for a main character that’s honestly great, and you’ll probably be satisfied.
this book was trying very hard to be funny and it just...wasn’t. the writing didn’t flow very well for me, especially during battle. lots of characters are introduced constantly (even towards the end!) and i didn’t particularly like anyone. the gods in were confusing and weren’t really covered enough for me to care about them.
i like the idea of subverting a trope, but Aaslo might as well be the chosen one with the way he attracts strays. a big deal is made about how everyone loves Mathias but he is only ever insufferable and annoying, meanwhile people are just SO DRAWN to Aaslo and his being a forester. foresters might as well be a group of heroes with how they’re treated in this world.
i like the idea of subverting a trope, but Aaslo might as well be the chosen one with the way he attracts strays. a big deal is made about how everyone loves Mathias but he is only ever insufferable and annoying, meanwhile people are just SO DRAWN to Aaslo and his being a forester. foresters might as well be a group of heroes with how they’re treated in this world.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence
This is my first introduction to Kel Kade and I have to say, well done. I had a blast reading through this book and it was an exciting twist on the popular story structure of the "chosen one" fantasy trope. As most chosen one stories begin, we meet our protagonist's and are quickly introduced to the beginning of a story we've read time and time again, the simple forester that lives a rather uneventful life is meant to become the savior of all humanity, as part of the prophecy to save the world from certain doom. Rather than saving Earth, this is about saving the world of Aldrea. Except, Fate of the Fallen is different and it explores a much different story of what would the world do if the prophecy failed? What chance does humanity have if the chosen one were to fall and all hope is lost? This book dives into these questions and explores how the various characters would approach what seems to be certain doom and constantly tests our protagonists with ever-mounting odds.
This book did a brilliant job of setting up a typical fantasy-trope and as soon as you think you know where the story would go, almost immediately, you are proven to be wrong. As soon as I realized that this wasn't just another chosen one tale, I was hooked. Character introductions were done well and Kade did a great job of giving me enough information to know who these characters were without over explaining or exposition dumping. I enjoyed our main cast of characters and am eager to see who else we meet on this journey and how our characters grow in the next book.
The world of Aldrea is easy to imagine as it reminds me a lot of the landscape of something such as Middle Earth. This book does not spend too much time going into pages and chapters of detailing every inch of the terrain, but does enough to show the reader an image of their surroundings. Fate of the Fallen also not only takes place in the world of Aldrea, but in other realms or dimensions as well. That's all I will say for the sake of spoiling anything.
As far as magic goes in this story, it seems to be more of a fluid / soft magic system with a few familiar variations. There are mages, sorcerers, prophets, healers, and a few other types of magic users in this world. Each one comes from one of the 12 bloodlines, such as Sereshian or Etrieli. Each of these bloodlines are explained to be magic-wielders and have different approaches to how magic should be used. This magic is not directly explained in great detail but I would assume we will learn more in book 2.
Without getting into much more detail about Fate of the Fallen, I want to end with the pacing of this book. I think the pacing was pretty spot on. This really does flow from chapter to chapter without too many POV switches or constantly bouncing between too many topics or locations. Kel Kade has done a great job with creating a page-turner of a book and I am excited to see where this story goes next.
This book did a brilliant job of setting up a typical fantasy-trope and as soon as you think you know where the story would go, almost immediately, you are proven to be wrong. As soon as I realized that this wasn't just another chosen one tale, I was hooked. Character introductions were done well and Kade did a great job of giving me enough information to know who these characters were without over explaining or exposition dumping. I enjoyed our main cast of characters and am eager to see who else we meet on this journey and how our characters grow in the next book.
The world of Aldrea is easy to imagine as it reminds me a lot of the landscape of something such as Middle Earth. This book does not spend too much time going into pages and chapters of detailing every inch of the terrain, but does enough to show the reader an image of their surroundings. Fate of the Fallen also not only takes place in the world of Aldrea, but in other realms or dimensions as well. That's all I will say for the sake of spoiling anything.
As far as magic goes in this story, it seems to be more of a fluid / soft magic system with a few familiar variations. There are mages, sorcerers, prophets, healers, and a few other types of magic users in this world. Each one comes from one of the 12 bloodlines, such as Sereshian or Etrieli. Each of these bloodlines are explained to be magic-wielders and have different approaches to how magic should be used. This magic is not directly explained in great detail but I would assume we will learn more in book 2.
Without getting into much more detail about Fate of the Fallen, I want to end with the pacing of this book. I think the pacing was pretty spot on. This really does flow from chapter to chapter without too many POV switches or constantly bouncing between too many topics or locations. Kel Kade has done a great job with creating a page-turner of a book and I am excited to see where this story goes next.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First off, I need to get this off my chest. The cover says, "For men to rise, heroes must fall." And seeing as I just read Invisible Women, I can't help but wonder if women will also rise, or do we just not really care what they're up to? Ok, *end rant.*
I was surprised how comforted I was to read the beginning of this book, as it lulled me into a false sense of tropes. Small town best friends who know little of the world à la The Wheel of Time must acknowledge rising danger to their cozy world. Beyond that, they must accept the responsibility of facing this danger down.
Of course, anyone who's read the synopsis knows that these tropes are headed for uncharted territory: loss of the chosen one and hope for humanity. I appreciated Kade's humor despite this ominous premise. Aaslo was a truly enjoyable protagonist with a full cast of promising companions.
My only gripe is that the world-building came in fits and starts, leaving me to flounder around. Once I had a grasp on aspects of the magic and pantheon, I could see that this book is merely setting up what I anticipate will be a truly enjoyable trilogy once it hits its stride.
I was surprised how comforted I was to read the beginning of this book, as it lulled me into a false sense of tropes. Small town best friends who know little of the world à la The Wheel of Time must acknowledge rising danger to their cozy world. Beyond that, they must accept the responsibility of facing this danger down.
Of course, anyone who's read the synopsis knows that these tropes are headed for uncharted territory: loss of the chosen one and hope for humanity. I appreciated Kade's humor despite this ominous premise. Aaslo was a truly enjoyable protagonist with a full cast of promising companions.
My only gripe is that the world-building came in fits and starts, leaving me to flounder around. Once I had a grasp on aspects of the magic and pantheon, I could see that this book is merely setting up what I anticipate will be a truly enjoyable trilogy once it hits its stride.
DNF'd at 66%
This is the kind of book that's not confusing but also very confusing at the same time - meaning everything actually written is very easy to understand but none of it makes sense in the bigger picture because the context for everything seems to be missing. The world, the magic, the prophesy, the baddies, the gods etc. are all very mysterious and underdeveloped in my opinion.
I couldn't get interested in what was happening because I didn't understand the implications of what all this stuff would actually mean for the story or what most of the characters motivations were. Everything just felt so random! Definitely recommend going into this with the mindset of not having things explained and just expecting to go along for the ride.
This is the kind of book that's not confusing but also very confusing at the same time - meaning everything actually written is very easy to understand but none of it makes sense in the bigger picture because the context for everything seems to be missing. The world, the magic, the prophesy, the baddies, the gods etc. are all very mysterious and underdeveloped in my opinion.
I couldn't get interested in what was happening because I didn't understand the implications of what all this stuff would actually mean for the story or what most of the characters motivations were. Everything just felt so random! Definitely recommend going into this with the mindset of not having things explained and just expecting to go along for the ride.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes