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A review by umairah
Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade
4.0
3.5 stars
Fate of the Fallen was a fantasy book that subverted the 'chosen one' trope and managed to strike a balance between end-of-the-world bleakness and light-heartedness. At the start, the writing and plot felt a bit immature but the story strengthened as it progressed and more characters were introduced.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Aaslo was a forester (a person tasked with caring for the forests) and all he wanted was to save the trees- but he ended up trying to save the world. One fateful day, his friend and brother in all things, Mathias, discovered he was chosen. According to prophecy, he was the only one capable of saving the world from evil. It wasn't that much of a surprise, he was skilled and much loved by all, so of course he was destined for greatness... right? Wrong. When he met his untimely end, the very distraught Aaslo decided to take up Mathias' mantle and give their world a fighting chance.
When there wasn't a 'chosen one' anymore, everyone gave up and prepared for doom. Aaslo, however, thought if he was fated to die he might as well do so fighting for the greater good- not hiding away. Generally, I thought that was a good message because in real life so many things don't go to plan but it's not an excuse to give up but more of a reason to move forward with resilience, tenacity and hope for the future- like Aaslo.
As a character, Aaslo was solemn and serious but also extremely genuine in a likeable way- there was not an ounce of deception in him. Some of the other characters were quite endearing too, most notably the two thieves Peck and Mory and an ex-mage called Teza. However, there were a few different points of view, some of which I didn't care about at all (like that of the reaper called Myropa) which made my progression through the book quite forced at times.
The plot was just... a lot. I think if it just focused on Aaslo it would have been fine but the meddling gods kept making appearances and they made the plot more confusing. There was magic, mages, prophecies, fae, zombies and a dragon arm (yes, just an arm) and while it sounds fun, it would have been more fun if the plot was better developed and there was less of what felt like seemingly unnecessary filler.
In conclusion, Fate of the Fallen was a rather humorous read that had a nice twist on a well-known trope. It wasn't spectacular but would make a refreshing read for someone tired of the same old, same old.
Thank you to Tor Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Fate of the Fallen was a fantasy book that subverted the 'chosen one' trope and managed to strike a balance between end-of-the-world bleakness and light-heartedness. At the start, the writing and plot felt a bit immature but the story strengthened as it progressed and more characters were introduced.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Aaslo was a forester (a person tasked with caring for the forests) and all he wanted was to save the trees- but he ended up trying to save the world. One fateful day, his friend and brother in all things, Mathias, discovered he was chosen. According to prophecy, he was the only one capable of saving the world from evil. It wasn't that much of a surprise, he was skilled and much loved by all, so of course he was destined for greatness... right? Wrong. When he met his untimely end, the very distraught Aaslo decided to take up Mathias' mantle and give their world a fighting chance.
When there wasn't a 'chosen one' anymore, everyone gave up and prepared for doom. Aaslo, however, thought if he was fated to die he might as well do so fighting for the greater good- not hiding away. Generally, I thought that was a good message because in real life so many things don't go to plan but it's not an excuse to give up but more of a reason to move forward with resilience, tenacity and hope for the future- like Aaslo.
As a character, Aaslo was solemn and serious but also extremely genuine in a likeable way- there was not an ounce of deception in him. Some of the other characters were quite endearing too, most notably the two thieves Peck and Mory and an ex-mage called Teza. However, there were a few different points of view, some of which I didn't care about at all (like that of the reaper called Myropa) which made my progression through the book quite forced at times.
The plot was just... a lot. I think if it just focused on Aaslo it would have been fine but the meddling gods kept making appearances and they made the plot more confusing. There was magic, mages, prophecies, fae, zombies and a dragon arm (yes, just an arm) and while it sounds fun, it would have been more fun if the plot was better developed and there was less of what felt like seemingly unnecessary filler.
In conclusion, Fate of the Fallen was a rather humorous read that had a nice twist on a well-known trope. It wasn't spectacular but would make a refreshing read for someone tired of the same old, same old.
Thank you to Tor Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.