For those unfamiliar with me, Reign of the Fallen was my most anticipated book of 2018 and had been since I took part in a Twitter chat that not only gave us a few previews but allowed me to speak to Sarah herself. Reign of the Fallen is a YA Fantasy novel that focuses on Odessa, a necromancer working for the royal family of her home country. Her job, along with her friends, was to track down the spirits of the rich in the afterlife and return them to life safely. It’s a risky job but one they had been training all their lives for. But when something happens and Odessa’s partner and boyfriend dies, her life begins to unravel. For its pretty pastel cover, Reign of the Fallen is an incredibly dark book. Sarah has crafted this world where death is ever present and yet, or maybe even because of this, some people cannot handle it. Odessa suffers from addiction as a coping mechanism for her grief and yet it’s written in such a way that even as you’re mentally screaming at her, your heart is breaking too. The grief in this book was dealt with beautifully and at a good pace. Even at the end, it’s still felt but she’s slowly starting to heal and that is what I wanted to see. Not a truly happy ending but the glimpse of it in the future. This book has an amazing cast of characters. Seriously, I’m glad Odessa was bi, as I really don’t know who I ship her with. I like her with Jax, with Meredy and hey, I could even do her with Valoria or her brother until…well. But the chemistry and relationships in this book are so good. There’s not a single character who felt flat which could have easily been possible during points of Odessa’s narration. I’d also like to add that though I was slightly uncomfortable with the Meredy stuff at first, what with her being Evander’s sister but Sarah still made it work. She didn’t push the relationship so it doesn’t feel too much like a rebound thing for either Meredy or Odessa and I look forward to reading more about them. As well as that the use of language and world building in this? Just perfect. I could pull so many quotes out of this book but I wouldn’t know where to place them right now. This book was completely amazing and it’s one that I’m sure I’ll be recommending for years to come. 5/5 Stars |
Lace and Dagger Books 