Reign of the Fallen
by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Pages: 384
Published on January 23rd 2018
by Razorbill
Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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Odessa is one of Karthia's master necromancers, catering to the kingdom's ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it's Odessa's job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised--the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa's necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer's magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?
I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Reign of the Fallen was one of my most anticipated 2018 reads. Necromancers have always been a point of fascination for me, and the mention of a bisexual main character as well as other representation of the LGBTQIA community piqued my excitement.
Right from the start, the world of Karthia is nuanced with different ways of honoring the dead. Flowers used in ceremonies in different parts of the world are mentioned here. The Deadlands, a world that exists side by side with Karthia, are a beautiful yet surreal place. Its landscape always changes and, while a place for the spirits to live, is a midway point to some other realm beyond. The book is a beautiful acknowledgement of death. In some cultures, death is feared because it’s the unknown. The dead are buried and sometimes forgotten. In Karthia, the mystical city in the book, the dead are raised and live side by side with the living. There’s no fear or prejudice to those who are dead. I loved this.
The world is one I want to explore, but I also felt like the world building wasn’t as strong as it could be. It seemed that for every new detail, another would come in to take its place without giving the previous items time to evolve. Eye color plays a major role with a person’s magic. Before this can be thought out, we’re introduced to something else. A new character would be introduced with their back story, followed by another character right after that. It makes the plot thin with all that set up in a short span of time. Meanwhile, someone is turning the dead into monsters called Shades. The necromancers are left reeling after tragedy finds them. The book could have stood tall if it had stayed on track with these two plots.
Odessa has a romance with a fellow necromancer named Evander; I couldn’t buy them as a couple. I never got to know them well to become emotionally invested. But here’s also another love interest for her as well. I am all for bisexual romance–this one, however, is uncomfortable. View Spoiler »
While Reign of the Fallen is not what I thought it would be, the creativity and potential are very present. My interest guarantees I’ll be reading the next one.
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Twitter: Liza
I didn’t read the spoiler because I have this one in audio and I hope to get to it soon Leah. I love fantasy, but for it to work the world building needs really strong, so I guess we shall see 😉
Hope you like the world, Liza, because there’s a lot to like!
Hmm I’m not sure I would be a fan of this romance as well, just because sibling love triangle things just aren’t for me! For me it would have worked better if Meredy was a close friend and THEN romantic interest rather than the sister of dead other love interest. But I DO like how this book explores death and necromancy. Great review!
The romance is just so creepy and unnecessary. If it had been with another girl, I would have been on board! I wonder why that choice was made.