bookperson
Written on Jan 4, 2020
"This edgy fantasy doesn't just blur boundaries of genre, of gender, of past and present, life and death--it explodes them." --Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Realms and The Shattered Realms
Without the dead, she'd be no one.
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 soul from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised: the Dead must remain shrouded. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, a grotesque transformation begins, turning the Dead into terrifying, bloodthirsty Shades.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears around the kingdom. Soon, a crushing loss of one of her closest companions leaves Odessa shattered, and reveals a disturbing conspiracy in Karthia: Someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead--and training them to attack. Odessa is forced to contemplate a terrifying question: What if her magic is the weapon that brings the kingdom to its knees?
Fighting alongside her fellow mages--and a powerful girl as enthralling as she is infuriating--Odessa must untangle the gruesome plot to destroy Karthia before the Shades take everything she loves.
Perfect for fans of Three Dark Crowns and Red Queen, Reign of the Fallen is a gutsy, unpredictable read with a surprising and breathtaking LGBT romance at its core.
- ISBN10 0448494396
- ISBN13 9780448494395
- Publish Date 1 February 2018 (first published 23 January 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 29 June 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Razorbill
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 384
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780448494395
Reviews
readingwithwrin
Written on Aug 12, 2018
Oh, fantasy books why can't more of you be like this one?
Reign of the Fallen is full of fantasy elements, friendships, family drama, and real-life problems as well.
Odessa is a necromancer who loves her job, or at least she thinks she does. Of course, there are times when she doesn’t love it, but with her love by her side, she knows this is exactly what she wants to do.
This all starts changing though as weird things start happening to Nobles and others that have died. Add in that something happens to her love which leads to more problems for Odessa and then a princess who is bound and determined to help her in order to save the ‘world’.
Overall I couldn’t get enough of this book. I absolutely loved it and this world and how it was built. No overload of information ever happened, it was dispersed throughout the story so we were constantly learning how things worked. This book did also deal with addiction, and loss and broken friendships and betrayal in very real life ways, while also making sure to keep the fantastical elements intact.
I did find myself get some of the characters confused at times, because of how many different ones seemed to appear at the same time. This could have just been because I listened to it on audio.
The friendships and romances of this book were lovely as well. I couldn’t get enough of them, I did find myself having favorites and I really hope they end up being in the second book!
The ending of this one was so so nice to see in a YA fantasy. There was no major cliffhanger that left you feeling broken. Yet it was also able to have you wanting to continue to be with these characters and to see what adventures they get up to next!
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Feb 21, 2018
I also cannot care about characters who die at the start of the book.
And forget love triangles. Is there some mutual attraction between the protagonist and nearly everyone she meets?
Quirky Cat
Written on Jan 23, 2018
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Jan 6, 2018
This book was an absolute delight.
For those who haven’t heard me squeeing and squirming about it for the last 6-8 months, Reign of the Fallen was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I’m a sucker for a good necromancer story, and there just aren’t many of them. Reign of the Fallen gave me everything I want in a fantasy world: hierarchies, necromancers, mages, pirates, non-traditional princesses… be still my beating heart, this book was friggin’ magnificent.
Odessa is a Master Necromancer. She’s new to the trade, freshly graduated. The story opens with the raising of their king. See, in Karthia, the dead rule the kingdom. No one could be older and wiser than the Eldest Grandfather and Eldest Grandmother, and nobody could love their people so much that they are willing to be killed and brought back over and over again.
The people of Karthia don’t know what happens to the dead if they remove their shrouds. When members of the royal family begin to go missing and Shades stalk the land, it is up to the Master Necromancers to save Karthia, before all is lost.
What this book doesn’t tell you in the description is how raw and real Odessa is. How amazingly flawed the characters are. Sick of overconfident heroines who never ask for help and are succeeding beyond all odds? Then you’ll love Odessa. Odessa is broken to her core (and I won’t tell you why because SPOILERS). In a land ruled by the dead, it is perfectly sensible that death affects so many of the characters so deeply. I loved this aspect of the character and I wanted to hug Odessa.
But it’s not just Odessa that’s great. With a couple small exceptions, I loved every single character in Reign of the Fallen. They’re so well developed and passionate in different ways… each with their own quirks, strengths, and flaws. I latched on to Kasmira immediately, as well as Meredy… you will love this cast, I promise.
As far as world building goes, Marsh is a genius. Karthia feels like something feudal, but also like something that reached the industrial revolution and broke. It’s a world stuck in time and ruled by plague. Nothing is simple for the characters and the rules are strictly followed (I hate it when characters make bad decisions and there are no consequences? Not true here).
I just… I’m blabbering, guys.
I really loved this book. I was engrossed. I couldn’t wait to get home and end my night reading it. I can’t wait to get my preordered copy so I can actually hold it and stare at the beautiful cover.
Just add it to your TBR. Preorder it. Put a reserve in at your library. This is a must-read for any fantasy fan, anyone with a love of good storytelling, and anyone who likes a strong but flawed protagonist.