I was really hoping to love this book, but I struggled to get through it. My main issue was that I couldn't connect to the main character, Reed, which made it hard to root for her and make my way through the book. I really liked the premise and the plot was promising, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarpersCollins for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

I missed the Anna Dressed in Blood craze back in 2011 and 2012. But I did read Three Dark Crowns and One Dark Throne. I liked the synopsis, but the execution of these books fell flat for me. I decided to DNF the series after book 2. With that said, I went into Champion of Fate hesitantly. After series like Throne of Glass or Fourth Wing or shoot even The Hunger Games and Divergent, the synopsis behind this book had a lot to live up to as well. I was nervous that the execution would fall short with this book as well.

Champion of Fate had a slow start with the three girls training. Reed and her two friends are as close as sisters. Of course, it's easy to be that way when they are the only ones around to be friends. Reed has this spark that's somehow visible to some of the Airestne warriors. She was chosen at an early age to train. Lyonene is the most natural of the three girls. She is fierce. Gretchen is perhaps the nicest. They are all working towards becoming Aristene Warriors.

The concept of the Aristene tripped me up at times. They are the force behind many men and women destined to be great throughout history. But the Aristene themselves are not to be remembered. I didn't see how this concept was possible. Reed connects with so many other people besides Hestion. I can't think of any specific examples at the moment, but as I was reading this book, I kept thinking that there were holes in the concept of the Aristene.

Hestion and Reed have been fated since Reed was young, and she saw his face in the well when she wasn't supposed to. He's been in her dreams ever since. Because of this, she feels a connection to him. She feels like she knows him. And while it isn't forbidden for an Aristene and her warrior to have a relationship, the relationship can't last. The Aristene always move on. Mortal as they are, the warriors will eventually die. Hestion is all about trying to have a relationship with Reed, but Reed fights it. I think because she knows that if she allows herself to go there, she will fall and fall hard.

Just as I was getting interested in the story and the characters, things started taking a turn in a direction that I wasn't excited about. And the ending left me feeling uninterested in continuing the series.

Favorite quotes:
-...you are so afraid to fail. But if you don't fail here then your first failure will be real--and you will be dead.

-"If you fight only for glory I will tell you now: the glory isn't worth it."

Ultimately, Champion of Fate fell a little flat for me. The beginning was slow. I was driven for a while by the potential romance. But the ended left me wanting...not in a good way. And I felt like the concept of the Aristene had some holes that didn't make sense. All of that left me uninterested in continuing the series. Champion of Fate gets 3 Stars. Have you read Champion of Fate? What did you think? Let me know!

Love me some Kendare Blake! Loved the Three Crowns series, so I'm hopeful for this one as well. I'll be ordering the next one too.

I’m a big fan of this author, and I’ll read anything she cares to write. Discovering this was the start of a new series thrilled me.

What a fantastic premise. Immortal female warriors, the Aristene, who are the guiding force behind heroes. Throughout their lives, they’re assigned one hero after another to lead to glory on the battlefield. Reed has trained nearly her whole life to join the order and is finally assigned her first hero. If she succeeds with him, she becomes an Aristene. If she fails, she loses the only home she’s known.

Reed is an easy character to like and root for. She witnessed horrific events as a young child and still carries the memories of those atrocities, but is tough enough to move on with her life. I loved her strong friendships with her Aristene sisters. I also have to give a shoutout to Silco, her feisty, snarky horse. I’d consider it an honor to be bitten by him. Reed’s hero, Hestion, initially has doubts about her, but after witnessing her abilities on the battleground, he’s the first to defend her with other skeptics. His loyalty to his men and his brother, the crown prince, is admirable.

Becoming an Aristene is Reed’s dream, but it involves more than she’d expected. She’s put in an impossible situation that forces her to make choices resulting in devastating consequences. It’s a heartbreaking scene, and I’m anxious to see how these characters move on from here.

With complex world-building, strong friendships, and a dynamic characters, this novel held my attention from beginning to end. It certainly didn’t feel like 400+ pages, and the sequel is on my list of most anticipated reads.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake is a fantasy novel following the story of a young orphan named Reed who witnesses the barbaric murder of her family during a raid. On the brink of being sacrificed by the raider’s deity, her fate changes when some female warriors called the Aristene save and raise her to be a warrior herself. The Aristene guide heroes on their paths to glory and victory to worship their God, Kleia Gloria. Their heroes are the type of people whose stories get told around a campfire: rebel leaders, princes, pirates, etc. It’s the Aristene that are the reason for their success though. As Reed prepares to become an Aristene, feelings for her first hero arise and complicate everything.

I have mixed feelings concerning this book. Initially, I had high hopes because the blurb was really interesting but I am left disappointed. The whole concept is quite invigorating but it could have been executed better by delving into the fantasy world in depth. The plot is drawn out and confusing at times to follow because of the pacing. In my opinion, if it is a little more fast paced it would feel less tedious.


The worldbuilding was very complex and intriguing, but I think it should have been further explained to make it more comprehensible. Champion of Fate takes place in a fantasy world. The Aristene have a complex magic system. Since Reed isn’t a full member of the Aristene, she has to borrow magic through a complex ritual and only has limited power. The Aristene live in a city called Atropa, that is separated from the rest of the world by a mystical barrier. As you can imagine, the worldbuilding is quite complicated. This isn’t inherently a bad thing. However, it makes the story rather confusing since the world and magic system isn’t explained in enough detail to fully understand it. The mystical city of Atropa was confusing and I didn’t really understand why it existed or how it fit into the rest of the world. Also I had trouble understanding the limits of Aristene's magic as it was never really explained.


The characters in this book played a crucial part in making the story more entertaining. The main characters, Reed and Hestion’s relationship was essential to the progression of the plot; However, it lacked proper development. Their relationship and supposed love for one another drives the plot. It was hard to understand what motivated the choices Reed made throughout the book, because their relationship really didn’t feel that deep. Their relationship seemed very surface level and superficial. They didn’t know each other very well and their attraction seemed to be mainly physical. If their relationship had been better fleshed out, by showing their emotional connection instead of just physical attraction the story could have been much more beautiful to read.


The connection Reed had with her mentor, Aster, is something I truly appreciate. They are very close and Reed sees Aster as a mother figure. I think their relationship greatly enhanced both of their characters and substantially enriched the reading experience. Reed and Aster were very different, strong characters on their own. Aster is a very powerful Aristene but doesn’t blindly follow the order. For example, she’s in a relationship with Veridian, who used to be an Aristene but has since turned her back on the order. Reed has a very close relationship with her horse, Silco and finds family within the order. Reed and Aster’s personalities complimented each other very well and as we got more insight into their relationship, I found myself relating to each of them more.


In my opinion, other characters, like Hestion, her friend Lyonene, and Aristene elders Tiern and Ferreh, would have strengthened the story more if their personalities and backstories had been further explored. Lyonene is another girl preparing to become a member of the Aristene, and we don’t learn much more about her other than that. Tiern and Ferreh are the elders of the Aristene, but we never really learn how they got that position or what that even means.
To conclude I’ll say though the plot initially seems intriguing, it loses its potential. Though the concept of a young orphan turning into a warrior amidst danger seems enthralling, the story leaves room for improvement. The plot suffers from moments of confusion making it difficult to fully engage with the story.

While this story has such great promise, in the end I felt the execution was poor. My main issue is that the main character, Reed, isn't likeable at all. She gets every advantage and doesn't acknowledge that rules are constantly being broken for her. It would have been better to have a different focal point character.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I loved all of Kendare Blake’s previous books but I just couldn’t get into this one. I would still recommend it though if the synopsis sounds good to you, because you might like it!

The Aristene are mighty warriors, servants of the gods and guides to legend's brightest and more glorious heroes and Reed, orphaned after a raiding party destroyed her village and everyone in it, has been raised by them to become one of them. When it is her turn to take her first trial and become one of the mighty hero makers, she is assigned to Hestion. As battles wage and their relationship changes, Reed realizes that maybe what she thought she always wanted wasn't actually enough and her world is turned upside down.

I really like this one. It had shades of mythology but also reminded me of Viking legend. The world building was classic Kendare Blake, which is to say, in a word, brilliant. I really liked the characters, especially Reed and Hestion but also some of the more peripheral characters. I felt like all of them were well rounded and I especially liked that there wasn't a lot of inner monologue even as they struggled with internal issues .

This was about the story and the story was good.

Read if you like:
*strong female warriors
*found family
*sisterhood
*a little bit of romance as a side plot
*sentient horses (they were fantastic)
*some war (although surprisingly less gore than Kendare Blake is known for)
*a magical secret order where everything isn't as it appears
*a truly creepy villain

I'll be ready for the next instalment in the series for sure.

Thank you Harper Collins for an EARC of this book in exhange for my honest review

I really liked this book. I loved the world building and the concept of how it all works. I really liked the main character and could connect with her. I do feel like the end was rushed a little and I wish there was more but I am excited to read the next book!

Reed is an initiate to the Aristene - a mythical order of female warriors who assist humans on their journeys to glory by war, fights, marraige, or death. Their legacies live on once their bodies no longer thrive and the immortal Aristene move on. Reed must complte her first hero quest, helping her human achieve glory, in order to become a full Aristene but her path is different from others - she has been gifted the blood of the gods to bring glory in death.

* This book was hard to explain and talk about when people asked, I didn't want to give too much away, but also the concept seemed odd then spoken aloud. However, it was a good book!*

Reed is simple, angry, but normal in light of her training to be immortal. She was emotional and aggressive where needed, and not overly stubborn, like most would be in her position. I thought that the world was interesting - an in between for the Aristene and then the 'real world' that was still fiction. I think we could have popped them into our world w/ similar effect, pre-tech maybe. (just a random thought).

Reed struggled with her plans to become an Aristene and her drive to 'keep' her charge - Hestion. She saw him in the Aristene mirror pool so early that she formed a connection long before meeting him as her hero and the aspect lends well to her overall struggle.

I though it was a horrible move to also not tell her that for some Aristene, their heros gain glory in death - that would have been a good thing to share with the class pre-plan. 'Hey, BTW before you essentially kill yourseld to be reborn, immortal... did you know...?'

Rant incoming...

I like miscommunication in book but I HATE when info is purposefully withheld 'to protect' someone. They are the judge of that. Reed already survived the death of all her village then being an offering and then extensive training too... arrrrg. She was young, but cabable and if she can make this life choice as a child, she can make ones for herself now too.

End Rant.

Anywho, overall this was a good book. I as invested in Reed's sense of duty and her turmoil over her love for Hestion. I liked the timeline presentated and am interested ot see what happens in the next book of the series.

DNF @36%

Although the idea was great, unfortunately, I couldn't connect with the characters or storyline as I progressed through the story.

Overall, not for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Kendare Blake, HarperCollins Children's Books, and Quill Tree Books for graciously sending me the E-Book to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I am not finished with this book, but I am pretty far through it. The book started a bit slowly, but then it picked up. Reed is an interesting character. I thought that the way Gretchen left the trials was a bit abrupt. I think that this book will appeal to fantasy readers, especially if they like strong female characters.

Ooh, this was SO cool! You know when you pick up a YA fantasy and it reminds you why you love YA fantasy?

This had such a unique premise and main character. If you're sick of reading tiny little Mary-Sue's doing enemies to lovers, this is what you need! The vibes remind me of Ancient Greece but also the Amazons, but honestly neither of those is a helpful comparison because like I said it's so unique.

Will definitely continue the series!
(FYI the horse gets injured but does not die and is a happy baby forever)

The Aristene are female warriors who are assigned to guide a hero to greatness. They help their charge in his pursuits and ensure his status as a hero of renown. Reed has trained for years and is awaiting her assignment so she can pass the test and become a full-fledged Aristene. Her hero is Hestion, a second son who will not become king but will demonstrate his bravery and prove his worth to his kingdom.

Hestion’s brother is the future king and he is preparing for battle. Reed’s good friend and fellow novitiate, is assigned to help another king. The girls’ two potential heroes are on the same side and they are all aligned to defeat the enemy and gain glory.

What Reed didn’t count on was getting emotionally attached to her hero. She knows she must help him prove himself, but feelings can cause complications. If she fails, she knows she will not earn the Aristene designation she has trained so hard and so long to achieve.

Blake conjures characters that are driven by a higher purpose. When human sentiments interfere, the best laid plans can go awry. Reed and Hestion are likeable and admirable. They are the ones we root for, the ones we want to succeed. The role of fate comes into play as circumstances place the two in a difficult position where options are limited. Reed must choose the path forward and live with the consequences.

The cover art is spectacular and the story will captivate readers and leave them breathless, with high expectations for the next installment.

Champion of Fate is a pretty solid book one in a new fantasy series by Kendare Blake. The premise is interesting with an Arthurian feel. I'm a big fan of a strong female lead, and this book is filled with an entire order of strong females called the Aristene. The is told from one point of view, Reed. She is an initiate in the order and working her way to being a full fledged member. The order is made up of women who are great warriors and have the ability to turn others into heroes. They are assigned to a hero with whom they spend their entire immortal life. For Reed, this hero is Hestion.

Overall I liked the book. The characters were interesting and I felt like Blake's command of the story and writing was in such a way that readers new to the genre would enjoy it. That being said, the pacing is a bit slow in the beginning; however, once the war starts there is plenty of action to keep the story flowing. As a book 1 in a new fantasy series, this is something not unexpected. There is plenty of world building, but in places the 'rules' and the characters' actions are in conflict. Despite that, it is a fully enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next books and seeing how Reed's story develops.

Champion of Fate take place in a fantasy world where a select few girls are trained to become Aristene-warriors who bring heros to glory. Reed has trained her whole life to become one of the Aristene and is gifted a hero to protect and raise to glory in order to pass the Aristene trials. But when she learns that becoming an Aristene may be more than she bargained for, will she continue her trial or run from the destiny that she has been promised?

I enjoyed Champion of Fate a lot! Though it was almost 500 pages, it was fast paced and flew by. I was able to finish it within a few days. I really liked the sisterly bond that Reed had between the other Aristene initiates, and the bond she had with her mentor, Aster. I felt like this book really portrayed friendship and love between women in a positive light(often times women are pitted against each other, and I felt it was refreshing to see how much the Aristene cared for each other). I especially liked the bond between Reed and her horse Silco; they care so much for each other.

Something I felt lacked was the character development. One minute Reed is this girl who has never been interested in romance, and the next moment she is in love. I felt like the time table for this romance was really short. In general I felt like events were flying by, like they took a lot shorter than they should have. This however, did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

The biggest mystery of this book to me was what Reed would do when she found out about her destiny-I was wondering if she would end up accepting it, or going AWOL and becoming an antihero-I guess if you're reading this review you'll have to check out the book to find out ;) While I didn't love every part of the plot, I am hoping things end up working out in the next book. I can't wait to continue the series!

I think you would like this novel if you are a fan of YA fantasy, especially political/war based fantasy. It kind of reminds me of wonder woman, and if you like that you will love the female warriors that the plot focuses on.

4/5 Stars

Thank you so much to netgalley and Harper Collins for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Lets get one thing straight: this is for the horse queers, the people who think that the island of Themyscira would be their ideal living situation, and those who would love to be a Valkyrie but hate heights....I think that sums things up pretty well.
I love Kendare Blake and this is a seriously promising start to a new series!

Champion begins with the massacre of a river village and the bloodshed and chaos that ensues. From the ruins emerges our main character Reed, who is freshly orphaned and full of hatred. But beneath her ire, a pair of Aristenes named Aster and Veridian can see something in Reed: a mark by the goddess herself—signaling to them that Reed is destined to be much more than an angry orphan. Aster decides to bring Reed and her colt Silco to Atropa, the city of Aristenes, and the story really begins from there.

Champion of Fate piqued my interest in multiple ways. It presents a unique angle on heroes, fate, and glory that I haven’t seen in young adult fantasy. It features an entire cast of female main characters and even the primary deity of this book is a goddess named Kleia Gloria.

Eight years pass after the initial introduction to Reed and a considerable amount of time is spent catching the readers up on what has happened in that time. We learn that Reed is joined by two other girls named Lyonene and Gretchen, and together, the three of them are now Initiates who are posed to become full Aristenes if they can pass their first Hero’s Trial. While there is no shortage of uncertainty and anxiety circulating between the girls as their journeys begin, one thing is certain: to Reed, there is nothing more important than passing this trial.

There are things that I both like and dislike about Champion of Fate. I enjoyed the spin on heroes being “shepherded” to their glory by almost-goddesses. It was nice to see the cooperation and trust form between Initiate and Aristene. I appreciated the found family trope between Aster and Reed as mentor and mentee that was more akin to mother and daughter, as well as the found sisterhood between Reed, Gretchen, and Lyonene. I especially adored the importance of the bond between Aristenes and their Areions—horses with enhanced strength, stamina, and intelligence. In short, I appreciated Champion of Fate because it featured many of my favorite tropes, brought female strength to the forefront of fiction, and introduced a new twist on fate.

With that being said, I find that my feelings about this title are overall lukewarm. It didn’t completely turn me off at any point, but it also didn’t capture my attention the way I hoped it would. I have three primary criticisms of this installment of the Heromaker series.

The first is that the pacing is so variable. Moments that should have been drawn out and dissected were very sped up; whereas moments that felt unessential to the plot went into excruciating detail. This is especially unfortunate when it comes to the relationship between the Initiates and their Heros. For example, the relationship between Reed and Hestion is arguably the most important relationship of the novel, because if things go wrong Reed fails her trial and the kingdom of Glaucia stands no chance in the impending war. Despite this, it seems like Reed and Hestion just clicked with almost no foundational moments to support the connection. Before we know it, their quick allyship turns into an even quicker, even less substantiated romance.

Call it teenage angst and hormones; chalk it up to invisible string theory and natural chemistry—sure. But in the end, I wanted more from the main relationship of the title. By the end, it felt like romance was largely unneeded and misplaced in this title. The story would have been fine without it.

My other two criticisms of this title are intertwined: #1: Reed is given some major main-character advantages, and #2: that leads to an “unstoppable force” trope that diminishes any stakes. At every turn, we are reminded of a rule that Initiates and Aristenes must follow lest they jeopardize the outcome of the trial. Yet at those same turns, Reed is somehow able to bend or outright break said rules. She is undoubtedly the favorite Initiate of both her mentor and the Elders, and she is given advantage after advantage after advantage. Lyonene even calls her out multiple times for taking unfair advantages, and though Reed internally feels guilty about it, she ultimately accepts them every time.

Granted, there is an explanation for the advantages revealed towards the end of the book (that is a spoiler), but in my opinion, it was unsatisfactory. I often find in fantasy that there is a threshold at which it becomes counterproductive to give a main character too much power. Once that threshold is crossed, all stakes become dampened and the reader’s attention isn’t captured the same because they know the main character is going to be okay. For a book whose whole premise is high stakes, Champion quickly crosses that threshold with Reed once the trial begins and even then some. It even goes so far as endangering other primary characters for Reed’s sake—and even they come out fine in the end despite being faced with nearly insurmountable circumstances.

In all, I wanted more stakes from Champion that I feel was deadened by an unstoppable main character with too many advantages. I also wanted deeper connections between Heroes and Initiates that were supported by more than just the abstract concept of fate or invisible string theory.

Those are my thoughts on the first installment of Kendare Blake’s newest fantasy series called HEROMAKER. Though I have my qualms about this title, I will happily be following the progression of the series and jumping back in with the next installment when it is released!

Happy publishing day to Kendare/CHAMPION OF FATE!

I really enjoyed this book! I actually didn't realize that this was the same author as Anna Dressed in Blood until I was almost finished with this one, but I'm so glad that I read it. This author has a way of creating worlds that is so interesting. I pretty much read this one in one day because I couldn't put it down. I liked the characters and the plot. I enjoyed the world building, and I'm excited to read the next one in this series! If you enjoy YA Fantasy, then definitely check this one out.