parts of this were really interesting (the necromancy) and then parts of it had me just rolling my eyes (the romances). still if you like a lot of those YA romance fantasys than you'll probably like this too. like... uh.. sarah maas, for example.

Yes yes YESSSSSS! This was absolutely amazing. I meant to post this up sooner but moving put all of my pending reviews on hold. The author was imaginative and the whole book just rose off the pages!

Oh my word! Reign of the Fallen is so good. I don't know why the book community is sleeping on this series. Necromancy, two girls in love, and characters I'd die to protect. You'd think they'd eat this up. Yet I've barely heard anything about it all year. It's slipped through the cracks of our bookish radars and I'm here to tell you why you should pick it up today.

First all of all the plot line is awesome. A world where people are continuously raised from the dead so that they can continue on forever. Our MC is a necromancy who can go to the shadowlands and find dead souls and bring them back with her. But someone is out there purposefully turning souls into shades. Shades are demon like creatures that souls can turn into who then terrorize and feed on the alive people. There was a lot of action packed into this story and I can honestly say I was never bored.

Next, these characters. They are precious, they are flawed, they are human. I love how Marsh developes these characters from the beginning of the novel to the end. This is a fantasy novel that takes the characters on a journey both literally and just within themselves. I wanted to reach out and hug them, protect them, and fight for them. Our MC is badass without being invincible. Her love interest is her own person and not just "the girl she loves". And the side characters have such great personalities. These characters are basically my new babies.

Also, I personally read the audio book which is narrated by Alex McKenna. Oh Em Gee her voice is like smooth sugar. It's deep and husky and just perfect for voicing Odessa. She uses different voices for each character so you're never bored, distracted, or wondering who is talking. I couldn't stop listening to the audio. Like I had to force myself to pull my ear buds out and do things like work and talk to my husband.

I just really loved this book and don't understand why no one else is raving about it. I feel like I won't shut up about Reign of the Fallen for quite a while. I am in desperate need for the sequel, which sadly I have to wait many months for. Please pick this one up and don't miss this great YA fantasy.

My breakdown

Characters 5/5
Plot 4.5
Writing Style 5/5
World Building 4.75
Narration 5/5
Personal Enjoyment 5/5

Overall 4.875

This is a great book for readers who are fans of the Walking Dead. People can raise from the dead but there is always a risk of becoming a monster or a zombie! It is not always a good thing to be raised.

The thing was this book didn’t start off conventional to regular books. And I loved that! There was a lot of support characters and I loved seeing a vulnerable side to Odessa. Her friends had her back no matter what and that was lovely to see. I’m so excited for the next book even though this one is barely coming out haha.
Thank you to netgalley for a ARC of this lovely book 😍

I love the idea of necromancers since reading another series and this author has done a great take on it.



This book started off on a great pace and full of details without overdoing it. Odessa “Sparrow” and her partner are getting ready to raise the dead king just like any other time. It’s nothing knew, the royals have been raised countless times before and just as they finish up they can go have dinner. Yep, totally normal.



Things are going well for everyone, that is until they see one of their masters’ dead in the deadlands and shades start appearing. A shade is never a good thing and they don’t kill that easily unless you’ve had experience in killing them before. While Sparrow and Evander are in the deadlands with the rest of their crew, things go south as they split up. Evander faces off a shade and doesn’t win.



While Sparrow is mopping about, the book had turned and become annoying. It was like any other book that had a death. Sparrow was lost and hurt. Drinking, needing potions to be able to see Evander, not wanting to ever see the deadlands again or work. For those few chapters, the book will bore you until Sparrow finally starts getting herself together.



The ending wasn’t what I had expected and it certainly left me wanting more. I can’t wait for the next book to be released!

The premise of the book is interesting - the noble class kept "alive" by constant resurrection at the hands of necromancers. The book is reminiscent of "Three Dark Crowns" and "Carve the Mark"; supernaturally abled people contending with positions of power and what their abilities mean for their own complicity in keeping the status quo.

The writing style was colorful and interesting, but the plot and the final reveal seemed too predictable, which meant I eventually felt like I was finishing the book more because I needed to finish it and less because I was interested in how it ended.

AMAZING. NO WORDS.
I love dark stories about dark magic and dark characters and I love unexpected romances.

I absolutely love the premise of this book. The worldbuilding was good and well thought out. The characters had real depth. But it was so overhyped to become the next big thing. And too much was crammed into one book. It was a jumping off point, but it was like a massive preview and not its own thing.

It was nice not to have the King be the antagonist for a change. All the deaths were heartbreaking, but in the best possible way. I wish the book would have been a bit more unpredictable, but overall I still really enjoyed it. This book wrapped up nicely, but Im anticipating some piraty stuff in the second book and its getting me real excited to get my hands on it.

I was so incredibly excited for this book and just so let down. Every major point, relationship, everything was breezed past in writing and never allowed the reader to sink any emotional hooks into. Marshall spent so much time focusing on points that she didn't build up to well enough and so then the reader just didn't care. Her whole addiction and recovery was predicated on a completely out of character reaction, to me it was out of character because we were only TOLD about how we should feel about the relationship but never given a chance to feel it and be drawn in.

This book suffers greatly from being told and not shown. It was a quick read because it read like an outline.

Marshall has the potential to be a great author, there were chunks of this book that were gorgeous, I just really think the editing and development process let this book down which was heartbreaking for me because a book with this representation could be so important, and instead it was left to flounder under what they thought would make up for the underdevelopment.

It took me a little while to get into Reign of the Fallen, but once I did, I was hooked. I was so excited to see a YA fantasy novel with an LGBTQ relationship and it had a satisfying slow burn that kept me reading. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but perhaps it's situated for a sequel so I can see more of how things turn out. The plot was really creative, a society built around dead leaders who must be raised by necromancers periodically. I've never read anything like that and I read a lot. I've since recommended this book to a co-worker who also enjoyed it. Overall, an clever, engaging YA fantasy that I'll gladly add to my shelves.

In the land of Karthia, death isn't always final. Necromancers cater to the Dead, bringing their souls back from the Deadlands and allowing them to move among society, even rule their lands. They must, however, remain shrouded; if their shrouds should fall off, they will become Shades - essentially, ravening zombies - and have to be put down before they can cause harm. Odessa is a master necromancer, as is her lover, Evander; they work together to discover the death of their mentor at the hands of a Shade until another Shade attacks leaves Evander dead and Odessa grieving. In the midst of her grief, Odessa and one of Evander's sisters stumble onto a plot to overthrow the kingdom of the Dead; it's a conspiracy that will leave her home in chaos. As Odessa works with Evander's sister to untangle the mystery, she finds herself drawn to this young woman - as she was to Evander.

There's a lot going on in Reign of the Fallen, and Sarah Glenn Marsh puts some nice worldbuilding into her story. She's created a society where the dead can still be as productive as they were in life, but this causes strife among those who feel that it's time for the dead to step aside and let the living rule. She's created a world where sexuality and gender are fluid; it's a part of the fabric of their society. To refer to this an LGBT novel is, however, a bit premature, at least to me; the main character spends a good part of the storyline in love with or mourning her lost, cis-male, love, and only just starts to notice and act on her attraction for another female fairly late in the book. Other same-sex relationships are referred to, but this is a society where love is love, and neither gender nor sexuality changes the rules. There are sex-positive LGBT themes; I'm just not sure that having a bisexual character who only seems to discover her bisexuality 2/3 through the novel qualifies it as an LGBT book, rather than a well-written, immersive fantasy.

Overall, Reign of the Fallen is a nice add to fantasy collections and will satisfy fantasy readers that enjoy intrigue and worldbuilding. The book has a starred review from School Library Journal.

If I’d have to choose only one word to describe Reign of the Fallen, I’d choose the word unique.
In my life, I’ve read many books (almost 500), but I’ve never read anything similar to this story.

Reign of the Fallen is a novel set in a world where people after their death can come alive, with the help of people who’s job is to take them out of the Deadland into their real world.
As you can imagine, most people that rule this world have already died many times.
However cool that might sound, there is one catch: if a dead person stays “alive” for too long, there’s a chance for her to become a Shadow, which is basically some sort of evil zombie that eats and kills everything and everyone.
So therefore, after some time, a person who is Undead (that’s the word for a person who was brought back to life) should be killed and then brought back to life again.
As you can imagine, the circle goes on and on and on…

As I already stated, reading Reign of the Fallen was a pleasant surprise since I have never read anything like that.
It took me some time to figure out how this world really works, but I thing that the world building was done great and I really enjoyed all the elements of it (also, I couldn’t help but think how this world must smell really bad!).

The story follows Sparrow who is the best in bringing Dead people back to life. She works for the king and she lives and breathes her job. She wouldn’t know who she’d be without it.

Sparrow was an interesting character, to say the least. She made some decisions that really left me confused, but I have to stress out that after everything that has happened to her, she was very lost and confused herself.
She was pretty selfish and self centered, and even though that is a turn off in a way, it is also a very realistic thing, because it is in human nature to centre the world around your own self.

There was one situation in the book that I just have to mention.
We got to see how a character got herself addicted to drugs, and how painful it was to take herself off it, and I have never saw anything similar in ya fantasy.
It was kind of silly, to be honest, but in the same time, I welcome it.

I also have to emphasize that this novel has a great diversity representation.

When I look at Reign of the Fallen as a whole, I honestly think it would have been a better book if it was an adult fantasy novel.

Overall, I am glad I gave this book a chance because it was like a breathe of fresh air, but when I look at the whole picture, it was a solid read.
I would still recommend it, though!

Three and a half stars: A solid YA book with an interesting premise, but it stumbles with a lengthy introspection section that drags down the story.

Odessa is a necromancer. As a necromancer it is her responsibility to watch over the raised dead. Whenever a noble dies, it is the job of the necromancer to cross into the dangerous Deadlands in order to retrieve a soul and bring it back to the body. The Dead live amongst the living, but they must remain shrouded at all times, even a tiny peek at exposed flesh will cause a horrible transformation into a Shade. A Shade is a zombie like creature that feasts on humans. Odessa loves her life and her partner and best friend, Evander. On a routine trip into the Deadlands, everything goes horribly wrong. The master Necromancer comes stumbling out, mortally wounded by a Shade. Suddenly there are murderous Shades attacking everyone, and everyone is pointing fingers at the Necromancers. Who is behind the deadly attacks and why?

What I Liked
*Reign of the Fallen is a book with a lot to like. It has interesting characters, excellent world building, fascinating concepts, lots of action, magic, and a hint of romance. If you want a different type of YA, this is one to try.
*I enjoyed the world building. The book is set in a world where the souls of the nobles are retrieved and returned to their bodies, allowing the Dead to continue to live and rule among the humans. There are drawbacks to being a living dead. The Dead cannot expose any flesh, if they do they transform into grotesque monsters known as Shades. Shades devour the living. It is the job of the Necromancers to watch over the Dead, and also to retrieve their souls from the Deadlands. The Deadlands are the world of the Dead. I was drawn into this strange world of magic, monsters and the Dead. I thought the author did a terrific job with the world building.
*Once the book gets going, there is plenty of action and danger. I loved venturing into the Deadlands with Odessa, Meredy and her grizzly bear. I also enjoyed the betrayal and the fight to save the kingdom.
*Odessa is a character who requires a great deal of patience. At first, she is the formidable Sparrow. A talented Necromancer, one of the best. She is fearless. Then something happens, and Odessa spirals downward. I have to admit, during this portion of the book, I almost gave up because she irritated me so much. Thankfully, she gets it together. I was glad when she did the turn around. By the end, she is a force to be reckoned with.
*Meredy saves the book in my opinion. She doesn’t make her appearance until the midway portion of the book. I loved Meredy. She should be the heroine of the book. She is the one that saves the day time and time again. Not to mention, she is a talented Beastmaster, and her animal of choice is a huge grizzly bear. The grizzly bear is kick butt awesome. I also enjoyed the rest of the secondary characters, Jax, Simeon, Danial, Valoria and Kasmira. The author brings forth a diverse cast of characters, and there are a couple of LBGT characters.
*The romance, I don’t want to give much away. Don’t read the synopsis if you don’t want to ruin it. I took out some spoilers in the synopsis on my post. The book starts out with Odessa in love and committed to someone, and then things happen. Something unexpected happens in the final third of the book. A surprising romantic relationship blossoms. I loved that the relationship starts out antagonistic, the two hate each other. Things happen and a shaky trust forms, and then it changes. One of the things that I liked the most was that the romance was more focused on friendship and trust. When the relationship changes, it develops slowly with bonding and gentle, comforting touches. I loved that there was so much heat, emotion and tenderness in a simple touch. I also loved that the romance is subtle, it isn’t the main part of the story. It is done just right.
*After a dramatic climax and finale, the dust settles and all ends well. I was so surprised to find that the book didn’t end with a cliffhanger. In fact, all of the main story lines are concluded, and I thought this was a stand alone. However there were story lines laid down for future expansion and exploration. I cannot tell you how nice it was to pick up a YA book and not get a cliffhanger. This could work as a stand alone.
*I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Alex McKenna. This was my first book narrated by Ms. McKenna. I thought she was outstanding. Her male voices were great, and I especially enjoyed her voices for the female characters. I will definitely listen to her narration again.
And The Not So Much:
*I have one huge complaint with this book. There is a lengthy, drawn out section where Odessa becomes a potion addict after a horrible catastrophe. I got sick and tired of reading about Odessa’s drug addiction and her hallucinations. I was so bored by her behavior and irritated that I almost put the book down. If Meredy hadn’t arrived and shaken things up, I would have quit. This portion of the book dragged down the pace.
*The other problem I had was that I never felt the connection between Odessa and Evander because not much time is spent on the relationship, so I was disconnected emotionally later in the book.
Meredy was what saved the book, and after I finished, I found myself wondering on her backstory. I wish there had been more on Meredy.
*There are two villains in the book, and the first one is done away with rather quickly before learning all of his secrets. I wanted a better understanding on this character, his motives and his powers.
*I think too much is revealed in the synopsis. It is better to let the reader discover the relationships for themselves without giving it away. Do not read the synopsis before going into this one.

Reign of the Fallen is one of the better YA books I have read in awhile. I enjoyed the interesting world build and the concept of the Shades and the Dead. The characters were fascinating, and I appreciated the diversity. The one thing that held this book back for me was a lengthy section dealing with the heroine’s emotional upheaval and drug addiction. This caused the pace to drag. Thankfully, Meredy comes in and saves the day and the book. This was definitely worth the read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Reign of the Fallen is a beautifully written YA fantasy about a necromancer. The concept is unique making this a fresh plot among the sea of unoriginal YA fantasy. There is excellent LGBTQ representation. The characters are complex. The world-building is wonderful. The theme of grief was beautifully done in a raw, very real way. Reign of Fallen is a great read for anyone looking for something different in YA fantasy.

This book was only ok. There wasn't really anything special about it. I never really felt invested in the characters. The story was kind of dragged out. The topic/story line seemed interesting but never had the umph it needed to get me really into the story. The middle especially slowed down. I think teens who are really into grief fantasy might enjoy this book though, so I give it 3 stars.

I should have loved this book more. When I read the description, I thought, "Is this the queer Abhorsen story I've been waiting ten years for?" Alas, it didn't really live up to my expectations.

The good: There are multiple queer characters, POC, different gender expressions, etc. I loved that this was a diverse cast, but it never felt like the author was saying, "Look! This is a diverse cast!" It just was, and people didn't bat an eye at queer love. I'm so over stories of gay oppression, so this was refreshing. The world was complicated, but I got a grasp on it pretty quickly and was genuinely interested in the story.

The bad: The story fell away to focus on the MC's grief. I think grief is something that should be explored more often in YA, but it felt wrong in this book. The MC basically fell apart with grief for what felt like half of the book, while the main story line was put on the back burner. This section was so tedious, I almost didn't make it through.

Luckily, I slugged through the middle section and made it to the end, which I enjoyed. I absolutely adored the queer love interest, and even though my feelings about this book were mixed, I would love to see a sequel with her featured more. For a character who is a main love interest and HAS A FREAKING BEAR, you'd think she would get more screen time!

Overall a mixed bag, but I'll definitely check out a sequel. Also, the cover is so dreamy that even though I didn't love the book, I would consider buying it just to stare at that beautiful hardback.

I really enjoyed this book. It has excellent LGBT rep (a bi main character) and a pretty cool magic system. Though it has a little bit of shallowness at times, that doesn't distract from the point of the thing. I want to read more in this world that focuses on the various forms of magic.

Gorgeous cover. I guess that’s what appealed to me. The story held so much potential, but for me it fell very flat. I never felt connected to any of the characters and in fact the lead character fustrated me. I don’t know what it was about her. The idea about the dead being brought back in spirt form through necromancers was seriously interesting but the direction the story was going to was a major turn off. I give this book 2 stars.