A review by aprilyang1
Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake

adventurous emotional funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As expected, this was such a good book! I mean, Kendare Blake does not let me down. I can't stop thinking about Reed and the other Aristene even though it’s been days after I finished it. Although the start felt a bit slow, the whole premise alone kept me going and could’ve kept me going regardless of how I felt. The descriptions, the plot, the suspense, the fighting… it was all so *chefs kiss*. Honestly, I thought the slower beginning helped build up the story really well, so I did not mind it and appreciated it so much as I kept reading. 

I really loved the friendship between Reed, Lyonene, and Gretchen. They had each other's backs while balancing what's right for themselves and the greater good. It was heartwarming to see. Reading this book made me realize that not every nice girl in a story has to turn out to be a backstabber lol It’s truly crazy how many books and movies show girls backstabbing other girls after being nice or pretending to be nice. Of course, none of the girls were perfect and had their humaness, but in the end they stuck by each other. 

Without spoiling the ending, I do want to say, I love the ending even though it’s not the choice I found myself wanting Reed to choose in the moment. That is to say, I’m not sure I would’ve really been happy had Reed gone towards the direction I was rooting for 🤷🏻‍♀️ ? All this vague beating around the bush to say, when I compare to Blake’s Three Dark Crown series, I find it so interesting how she can make us understand and fleshes out choices that might’ve been different from what we would’ve chosen.