Sarah Glenn Marsh

The launch of an LGBT fantasy duology that follows a talented necromancer who must face down a deadly nemesis who has learned how to turn her magic into a weapon.

Reign of the Fallen

Jamieson

Yet as long as I'm alive, I have to keep going. One step after another through this tunnel until I'm back in Grenwyr City to rejoin the battle, a little more broken than before. .. For my friends and the Dead and the helpless. For me. 
All I can do is keep fighting


FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED

Reign of the Fallen was one of my most highly anticipated 2018 releases and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. While it wasn't the perfect book, it had so so so many things I like - and set up the series in such a way I just KNOW I'm going to be so invested in the next books. 

Reign of the Fallen is a high fantasy featuring necromancers, magic and a whole lot of living dead people. Basically, our main character Odessa is a necromancer - this means she can go into the Deadlands, find the souls of the deceased and bring them back to life. The catch? Anyone who's come back to life must never been looked at by a living person. If they are, they turn into a deadly and uncontrollable shade who can never be resurrected again. 

The world of this book had some really interesting elements. The idea that change was considered a bad thing (hence the constant resurrection of the dead) was so interesting. I also liked how the magic worked, especially the magic. Seeing beast masters, weather mages, healers, necromancers and more all in one book was also really fun. I would love to see some of the worldbuilding elements expanded in book two though. I think sometimes the geography of the world was a little unclear and it was missing some atmospheric/descriptive work in the setting that made it hard for me to always picture the setting - especially in the final scenes in the heart of the city. 

MY FAVOURITE PART OF THIS BOOK WAS THE CHARACTERS THOUGH I literally adored the characters !! You know books where you instantly get invested in all the characters and could just like, read an entire book of them hanging out doing nothing. Thats how I feel about this. The things that happened to these characters definitely managed to tug A LOT at my heart strings. I was so nervous about what would happen to them all and that constant stress over their wellbeing kept me reading. 

Odessa is the main character and she is so incredibly cool and badass. She's based off of Korra from The Legend of Korra, so it makes sense. Odessa is highly capable and badass, but I also liked she was flawed and was shown to have a personality that existed outside of her capabilities. Some reviews say odessa is weak due to events in the middle of the book, but I think her strength to persevere despite setbacks truly highlights her capabilities and I LOVE HER. Also, she's black and bisexual is which THE BEST. 

Evander, Jax and Simeon were such an awesome friend group and I loved their banter and dynamic with eachother. I literally love books with an ensemble cast so this made me so happy. I loved the scenes with them all together most and I really really would love more of those in book two. LIKE JUST GIVE ME THEM HAVING OUT BEING FRIENDS. I am so invested in all these characters. I also love that Simeon was gay and was dating Danial THEY WERE SO CUTE (view spoiler)[ at the end when they were gonna get married jfghkjsf (hide spoiler)]

Kasmira, Meredy and Valoria were all really interesting and I liked that they were there to weight out how many of the Necromancers were men. Valoria is a princess and inventor, which I thought was so cool. Definitely something we don't see much. Kasmira is a pirate who wasn't given as much page-time, but is set to appear more in the sequel. She's a weather mage, and also a black woman. I hope her magic is explored more. However, when she did appear her banter with Odessa was always fun and honestly flirty and if I didn't ship the actual canon ship I'd ship this. Meredy is Evander's sister and a beast master with a massive grizzly bear called Lysander and honestly? she's the best. I just wish she'd appeared earlier, because my slow burn loving ass wasn't fully invested in the Odessa/Meredy thing when it started happening. (DON'T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE THEM), I just wish it'd been ... more

Which is essentially my issue (?) with all these characters. I love them, but I wanted more from them. I would love to see every character and relationship explored more heavily. Danial didn't get much development beside being Simeon's boyfriend, Kasmira didn't appear enough, and Meredy needed more page time. I am hoping in the sequels we get to see much much more from everyone because I think thats what this book needs to really BUMP IT UP THE STAR

Romance and Representation 

So as I've said earlier, Odessa is bisexual (which is ownvoices) and in this book dates a man, and then a woman. Although this isn't necessary for depicting bi people, I LIKED that Odessa was shown in a relationship with a man and a woman. It was really nice to see how explicit this book was in showing Odessa's attraction to multiple genders - I especially liked this line about Odessa: "Simeon only liked kissing boys, but I liked kissing both girls and boys"

So I loved the depiction of bisexuality, and it's amazing to get some ov bi rep in fantasy. Romance wise, I really enjoyed the romance between Evander and Odessa (mostly because I'm a sucker for the 'we've been friends forever and then started dating' trope.) But I would have liked the second romance to have been developed for a longer period of time, or to have had more page time. I think introducing the LI in the second half of the book was a bit of a waste because we lost lots of relationship development time. But I definitely still liked the ship and I can't wait to see more of it in book two

But one thing I did want to say is I love how sex positive this book is. Odessa sleeps with multiple people but it's a non-issue and I thought that was so freakin cool. 

Other representation wise: this book features an ensemble cast of different ethnicities and sexualities. Daniel and Simeon are both gay, Odessa is bi. Kasmira is black and so is Odessa. Meredy is a lesbian and had a girlfriend. 




PLOT

Reign of the Fallen definitely does cover the necromancer, magic business we were promised. But a chunk in the middle is also about dealing with grief and focusses on addiction and loss. This aspect was unexpected and I can see why people were disappointed not knowing it'd be such a large focus. I actually really liked this part of the book. I think it was an issue this book actually handled really well, and it helped to show the development of Odessa's character. 

I did guess the plot twist of this book loong before it came around, which was a shame, but also didn't ruin it. The plot twist isn't .. that twisty. It's not revealed as a massive shock, so it didn't feel like I'd missed out on something. Despite the reveal being clear to me, I still really enjoyed the progression of the reveal and how the characters reacted to the events. 

Also, this book is written in first person point of view, which isn't my favourite for fantasy, but I think it really worked with this story, since so much of it focussed on Odessa's thoughts and struggles. 


  I knew living with the Dead was impossible. Death is an ending, not a new beginning.




To sum up: I really enjoyed Reign of the Fallen. It had an interesting premise and a cast of loveable characters that made me instantly invested in the outcome of the events. The characters really compelled me to finish this book because I HAD TO KNOW IF THEY'D BE OKAY, which, actually happens to me the most important aspect of a story for me. Most my favourites books are ones where the wellbeing of the characters was the most important thing to me. 

This book was missing some elements and finesse that would have made it perfect - some more in depth worldbuilding, a more drawn out romance and more development of the side characters, but overall I really enjoyed everything in this book. AND I NEED THE NEXT ONE NOW. I can just tell this is going to be such a good, complex and well written series with the BEST characters and I'm so excited for this series to expand. 




oh my god I literally loved this so much ?! It would have been five stars except I had a fewww minor issues (and most of them are related to personal preference) BUT OVERALL I LOVE THIS SO MUCH OH MY GOD

also a massive shout out to the author Sarah Glen Marsh for sending me some signed bookmarks and character cards I AM FOREVER APPRECIATIVE

ANYWAY, if you're looking to start an epic new fantasy series with incredible characters and magic and necromancers and a diverse cast and an f/f relationship START THIS


me thinking about Odessa, Jax, Simeon, Danial and Evander

jess

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I had heard so so much good about it. I wasn't disappointed or let down by it, but I was expecting something far different from the majority of YA because of all the buzz about it, but I got a plot that - while very cool and unique, really struck me as no different than a lot of YA fantasy in regards to general story beats. 

I did like Odessa, some of the time, but she struck me as very similar to a lot of other YA main characters. One of the biggest aspects advertised about this book was that she was bisexual, and yes, she was - and this is more about the marketing than the book itself - but bisexuality wasn't discussed as much as I wanted it to be. Apart from a female love interest, there was one or two comments about how Odessa liked both. If I had read it without knowing she was bisexual, I would have been delighted, but as a selling point of the book, necromancy itself would have sufficed to make me want to read it, and be less disappointed in the outcome. 

Speaking of necromancy - this was something I really loved, because it was a concept that I'd never seen before - a society ruled by reanimated corpses. The worldbuilding around magic was strong, and the world of Karthia was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. It gets you to think about death and ethics around it. The magic system was very unique, which I loved - the beast maters were ... incredibly cool. Meredy was amazing - though I did feel like it was kind of weird for her to fall for her dead boyfriend's sister? I was honestly rooting for Odessa and Princess Valoria to get together. 

Even though a bisexual protagonist was nice, the unique magic system and necromancy was what really shone about the book.

Sarahi

Bi MC with wlw romance? Hell yeah. Gotta say, I thought there might be a triangle at one point but there wasn't. Really nice exploration of grief.

Candyce Kirk

This story was amazing! I haven't read many stories about necromancers, but this one was amazing. Sarah Glenn Marsh created such an interesting world. This is one of the first books I have read that really gets into grief and addiction in a very realistic way. Not something I have really read in a fantasy book! The only reason this book didn't get five stars is because I feel like some relationships and events were rushed near the end. All in all, an amazing book! I will be reading the second book.

Full review to follow soon on thebookdutchesses.com

Jessica Williamson

4.25

This book was definitely different than what I was expecting. The cover, despite having a skull on it, is still kind of bright and happy. This book is definitely not.

While clearly a fantasy that deals with magic and political issues within their society, it also heavily deals with addiction and depression. Two things I was not expecting to get with this story but were done SO WELL. There's a death very early on in the book that didn't really have an impact on me because I wasn't attached to the character. But seeing Odessa struggle with the loss and what it costs her was heartbreaking. I cried. 

I love this cast of characters, they're so much fun to follow! I definitely want to read the second book and see what everyone is up to.

The part of this book that I wasn't completely sold on is the romance. I'm not really sure how I feel about how everything happened and who it happened with. It just felt kinda icky. But, then again it wasn't a hard-core romance so much as just feelings? It's hard to explain. I'd definitely like to revisit this in the second book as well. 

Characters 4; Cover 3; Plot 4; Pace 5; Writing 4; Enjoyment 4; Cry 1.

laura

*I give this book 4.5* 
I really loved the diversity of this book. I felt like I really enjoyed all the characters and the world. I really enjoyed how complex the world building was. It was such a unique novel that really caught me off guard with it plot twists. I def. enjoyed the various romances in the book. I thought the pacing could be slow at points but the mystery kept me engaged!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this on my birthday last year! No disclaimer, just bragging.

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: January 23, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, undead, death, and facing one’s fears).

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 375

Amazon Link

Synopsis: 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?	

Review: So I bought this book originally because it had a skull on it and mentioned necromancy. I’ve been in love with necromancy since I read Sabriel by Garth Nix and I’ll say that while both concepts are totally different, I’m in love with both books. This book was well written and the plot was intriguing. I was intrigued in the book throughout its entirety. The characters were all complex and I loved that the book wasn’t predictable and the book didn’t have such a simple ending. The book also introduced a terrifying concept in which by burning all books and halting the advancement of technology they were literally stuck in their past… the point is kinda driven home with all the undead lol. Also, amazing LGBT representation in this book!

The only issue I had was that I wanted Odessa to have a happy ending and I wanted so much for her. But that’s what the second book is for!

Verdict: Undead rocks!

Samantha Bass

The first chapter immediately drew me in but overall the beginning of the book was a bit slow. I love the idea and the world, but thought the beginning stretched a bit too long. After that things really pick up! I love how Marsh portrays grief and makes it real: heartbreaking and difficult. Seeing accurate representation of grief was refreshing, and of course sad. 

I was also excited to see LGTBQ+ characters in this book! The fact that she makes it an obvious, normal thing is so lovely to see. It doesn’t have to be discussed, it just is. 

Overall I loved the plot line, the characters, and the main themes discussed. My biggest problem was pacing, beginning was a bit slow as well as some sections in the middle, while other parts felt a bit rushed.

If you like fantasy, necromancy, and romance - you’re gonna love this book.

Leelynn Brady

Find this review and more on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads.


  “Your mother brought you into this world as a whole person,” the princess huffs, pulling so hard that I slide to the edge of the bed. “And last I checked, you still are one. No matter what or who you’ve lost. Now get”—she jerks on my arms—“up!”


OKAY.

This book was honestly one of my all time favorite books this year. I don't think I'm being biased because I got to listen to the author's live Q&A in one of my Facebook groups or anything like that at all. I hadn't had a chance to read it by the time the Q&A happened and I thankfully forgot any spoilers that were sort of mentioned during the chat. Although I will say that Sarah did an amazing job at not spoiling anything for those of us that didn't read it yet, so thank you for that! But after hearing her talk about it and seeing all of my book friends rave about the book, I knew that I had to read it.

So thank gosh I had the opportunity to do so when another book club that I'm running ended up choosing it for this month. Yay me! I jumped on this book so fast it was a miracle I didn't stop going to work to read it all in one sitting. Honestly, I wish I could have, but I gotta make money to buy more books, ya know what I mean?

Fast forward to now, the aftermath of me finishing this book and staying up all night to finally find out what happened. I am so amazed. I think it's possible that this book was even better than what everyone told me. They hyped me up so much, but by the time I finished it, I was even more hyped up, if that's even possible! Odessa was such a great unreliable narrator, and I could feel for her throughout all of it. Going through such terrible loss and pain, and dealing with it by resorting to addiction was so relatable for me that I couldn't help but love her. Meridy was also one of my all-time favorite characters. She was so commanding of her station of a Master Beast-Master, with her "pet" being a huge grizzly bear named Lysander. She could hold her own against Odessa. In fact, all of the women in this book could hold their own as characters and didn't have to depend on any man to rescue them or weren't merely love interests.

Speaking of love interests.

Can I just say that I love it when an author is able to incorporate so many different kinds of people into a book without it being problematic or "special", if that makes sense? Odessa is bisexual - her first love is Evander and her second in the book is... well not Evander but also not a boy. I swear I think she was even checking out Valoria, our resident princess who I absolutely fell in love with, and I was down with that! I think even I was like "hmm yeah Valoria is pretty hot, I bet" but that's beside the point. There are Simeon and Danial who are romantic partners and nobody gives them grief about it. The idea that people have to be wary about who they love because others will mistreat them is nowhere in this book and I absolutely appreciate Sarah for doing it this way. It's how it's supposed to be, and if the fictional world of Karthia can get behind this message, then the rest of the world needs to catch up.

Ugh, I just really loved this book. I already preordered the second one because I need to find out what's going to happen next, and whether some characters will end up coming back. Necromancy has been given a new meaning with this book, and I love it so much. I just love it. Go read it, seriously. Best decision this month.

Georgiana.aysha

I didn’t expect to like this book , but I did .
But the romance between Odessa and the other girl is a little weird, not bc they are lesbians, it’s because you know, the of who the other girl is. And I don’t like this thing where when the main character loses someone but then at the end of the book she is with someone else.
But I like the story , can’t wait to read vol 2 
<3

Belle Ellrich

When I picked up this book, I went into it blind. I joined the tour knowing that this book would be good because of how many people had blurbed it, one of them being this tour host, Brittany. I can't thank her enough for allowing me to be apart of this tour, and I am so excited for this book to finally release!

Let's begin with Odessa. During a Twitter chat with the author, I asked her some questions about the chapters I had been reading at the time. We somehow got into talking about Legend of Korra, and I found out that the main character, Odessa, will be played by Alex McKenna (otherwise known as Korra's mom Senna in the series) in the audiobook. I find the voice actor perfect for the job, for I did imagine Odessa having a bit of a raspy voice that was lower than normal women's standards.

Odessa's lover/boyfriend Evander, who is nothing but supporting and caring toward her, and he has to be one of my most liked characters. Though they have to keep their relationship a secret because of the fact that his mother does not want him marrying another Necromancer. Tragic, I know, but it really helps build the story into something great.

Then an attack occurs. One of the Necromancers is killed by a shade, disrupting whatever peace they thought they had amongst the deadlands and Karthia. Everyone is scared of what might happen if they were to continue going about the world the way they are, and this is where the princess steps in.

This book took me down a spiraling staircase and continued to take different turns as I read. I was not expecting half of what happened, and I may have shed a tear or two while reading. Sarah Glenn Marsh is definitely an author worth reading from, and I highly suggest this book once it releases. For this, I give the book 5/5 stars.

Shelby Tippett

claire

amy screechfield

Callisone Dozier

ayah ♡

"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.

Reign of the Fallen

Reviews