I have read a few books by this author and I looking forward to seeing what this book would be about. It definitely wasn’t what I expected!

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Reed. She became an orphan at the beginning and fought for her the life she wanted while those in the Aristene order saw her worth. I thought that she was an interesting character, but there was a lack of connection for me when it came to her. I do think that she was flawed in a lot of ways which made me like her. She also had a lot of spunk!

There are a lot of other characters in the book ranging from the order to the heroes that are given an initiate like Reed being there for Hestion. They both grow through their experiences together especially with war looming over them. Their bond becomes more at times but it does tend to lean towards insta-love which didn’t work for me. I also thought the ending wasn’t satisfying enough to continue on with the next book. I don’t like how their plotline went.

The book does feel like an arthurian story which was well done. I liked learning about the order and the people in it. I do wish there would have been more development for a couple of them but I am they will back in book two. I will say that I felt like the book was a bit too long and there were a lot of lull moments where it made it hard for me to want to continue reading. The action parts were as climatic as I would have liked either.

Overall, this was good but at the same time a lot just didn’t work for me. I can see a lot of people enjoying this one as it does have potential for the right audience.

Three Dark Crowns series is one of my all time favorites. Champion of Fate feels like a return to that style but with an all new story and world.

After Reed's village is massacred by raiders, she and a colt are saved by two warrior women who belong to a near-immortal order of hero supporters. Years of training later, Reed is assigned her first hero to officially join the order. Now she's going to war to deliver glory.

I love everything Kendare Blake has written, and this new fantasy series is no exception! Reed is fierce and loyal, and the women surrounding her are strong and capable and also sweet and loving. I know this is just barely about to be released, but I need the next book ASAP!

Blake showcases her world-class world-building yet again in her latest book Champion of Fate. Get ready for swords, horses, and fast-paced action in this new fantasy world steeped in magic. As I've come to expect from Blake, this book has well-crafted character backstories, kingdom politics, collective history, and in this case, mythos surrounding the Aristene. All without info-dumping the reader, so it’s easy to get immersed.

Reed, our main character, is an initiate for the Aristene, an all-female warrior cult worshipping a goddess of glory. The immortal members of the Aristene order are sent out into the world to make heroes of mortal men and women. Through their heroes' guided actions, the Aristene create glory that honors and sustains their goddess, Kleia Gloria. Reed's last test as an initiate? Her first hero. As she and her fellow initiates embark on their trials, relationships both old and new are put to the test. And as Reed starts to grow feelings for her mortal hero, she also realizes her soon-to-be-family of warrior women are keeping secrets from her. This trial's outcome doesn't just impact Reed's future, her failure could endanger the entire Aristene order.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic start to the series, and I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy magic and medieval fantasy worlds.

What I liked:
Champion of Fate tells the story of Reed, an Aristene who has a bitey horse and who is destined to make a hero no matter how much she might doubt that. Aristene are mythical female warriors, part of a legendary order. Though heroes might be immortalized in stories, the Aristene guides them to victory. They are the Heromakers. As the story unfolds and Reed begins to understand and know more about Hestion, her destined hero, the more she struggles with her path.
Final Verdict:
Champion of Fate is part of a two-part story that will share with you the path Reed takes as she navigates the course she accepts. She questions her place, she asks her quest to make Hestion a hero, and she questions what is in her heart. Champion of Fate has a diverse set of characters and fantastic world-building.

Since I've enjoyed Kendare Blake's writing in the past I was hoping for this to be a fantastic start to a YA fantasy series, and it was even more than I was hoping for. The worldbuilding this book, as well as some of the unique portions of the world itself, were very well done and definitely kept me interesting. The book itself is very fast paced, but never to the point that I felt like it was going too fast. Overall I really enjoyed the characters, plot and the world that she had set up. This is a solid start to what looks to be an action packed and fantastic series.

Myth: 3.5/5

The story of the hero makers, the Aristene, an order of female warriors that help guide heroes to their victory and their glory. We dive into an orphan girl’s adoption into training and through her first hero’s quest. I have a hard time with stories that spend a great deal of time on the origin of the character as opposed to the character as they are in the story (and give us glimpses of who they were). This story did the former, and it made the first ~30-40% of the book a bit slow.

Magic: 4/5

An immortal order of warriors, magical portals, sensing the shape of destiny and glory, I will say that the magic felt unique to this story and characters. I thought it was pretty well delivered, especially with some of the order-specific plot points that are unveiled through this first book.

Overall: 3.5/5

I certainly recommend it for those that enjoy a bit deeper world-building. Though not a specific callout from the author or publisher, I couldn’t help but get Greek mythological hero vibes from the book. A unique concept and story in YA fantasy.

Orphaned as a young child and rescued by the magical Aristene, Reed has dreamed of the day when she would become the newest initiate amongst the order. Those who long to become Aristene train constantly to become the fearless, immortal warriors, so they can fulfill their duty–coming to the aid of a mortal warrior in order to turn the mortal warrior into a legendary hero. For Reed, being a warrior comes naturally, and she quickly excels through the trials. When she is finally chosen as an initiate and is matched with her first hero, the storyline takes off. Much ground is covered in this fantastical tale, one that readers won’t be able to put down until the end.

Reed is an initiate to an immortal order of Lady knights. To complete her task she must find her appointed hero and give him glory and fame, making him a legendary figure.

This was an intriguing quest with very interesting world building. It was fast paced, and had a lot of action. It also had the feels a lot like The Eye of The World, King Arthur, and Joan of ARC got a mashup.

Unfortunately for me, the doomed love/star crossed lovers trope landed in a way that made me very uncomfortable. I know there will be a continuation, but honestly they way this book ended didn't leave me with enough resolution to satisfy OR with enough hope at the end that I wanted to see where it goes in the next volume.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars. Reed, orphaned by violence, is taken in by the Order of the Aristene, a sacred female warrior group committed to the glorification of the world's heroes. As she prepares for her Hero's Trial to become a full member of the Order, it's clear that the elders are favoring her and expecting above average things from her. Reed's hero Hestion is soon to be engaged in a massive holy war, and it's up to her not only to convince him to fight in the first place, but to make sure he achieves glory and to keep him from harm at the same time. A large ask, even before factoring in all the odds stacked against them when they come face to face with a foe that even the eldest Aristene don't dare to fight.

This was a really fun fantasy novel with Valkyrie-like women and immortal horses with seriously sassy attitudes! It's definitely a young adult novel, as the themes and writing structure are solidly within the bounds of that genre. I found the story a bit slow at first, but I had expected that since this is book one of a planned fantasy series, and there's usually a lot of set up for the later books. It picks up pretty rapidly after the first third or so! Reed is a strong teenage character, though I think I liked her friend Lyonene best, and I found the romance aspect to be a bit too contrived and "insta love" for my personal taste.

You could definitely read this book and stop, there's not a massive cliffhanger, but I'm too interested in how the storylines will continue so I'll be grabbing the second book when it comes out. If you like YA fantasy and have a soft spot for horses and/or female warriors, this is definitely the book for you!

Thank you to Kendare Blake, HarperCollins/Quill Tree, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books (Quill Tree Books) for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinion expressed here are my own.
This is my first Kendare Blake book so I really had no idea what to expect. The premise of the book sounded interesting with warriors who become immortal. The blurb gave me the Nordic Valkyrie vibes.
The book is about Reed, an orphan who falls in with two of the Artisene order's warriors and is raised to become one herself. But when the time comes for her to have her challenge that will help her become an Artisene, she begins to question everything she was ever taught about the order.
Reed is a strong enough character and I can see where she is relatable. She has many flaws, which was nice to see. She wasn't just this suddenly strong warrior who could win all her battles. She's well developed and fleshed out. I appreciated the growth she had as she came to terms with questioning all she was brought up to know. Of all the characters, she is the most well developed. I really didn't get enough for the other characters to form solid opinions of them. Hestion, her hero, really doesn't have much personality. Lyonene was hard to pin down. At times I felt like she and Reed were not friends, at least in the way she treated Reed. But at other times I felt they had a strong bond.
The plot of the book follows Reed's progression to becoming an Artisene. At times the pacing was very slow. There were times I put the book down because I felt like I was a bit bored. The author did a fair job with the world building. I liked the idea of the Veil and how it lead to this other realm. I enjoyed the strong female characters.
If you're looking for romance, you're not really going to get it with this book. It's there but it is not developed. And what was there almost felt a bit like insta-love as it happened immediately upon the characters being introduced.
Overall, this book was just ok for me. The ending felt a bit rushed. I'm not sure I will pick up the next book in the series.

I really loved this one! Kendare Blake is one of my favourite authors and this was so good!!! The world was captivating, I loved the characters, and could not get enough of the magic. I liked the plot though I was concerned slightly with her motivations near the end. I don't think she was going to risk her future for a boy, I think her story beginning with the death of her entire village is important to note and I don't think she wants a future covered in death, but still. I'm looking forward to book two!

Orphaned at a young age after her village was wiped out by a violent tribe, Reed was taken in by the infamous Aristene, a sect of warrior women that guides famous heroes to their glory. After training for years as an initiate, she is finally ready to go out into the world and nurture her first hero, the test which will make, or break her as a fully-fledged Aristene.

Reed’s first Hero test will not only challenge her ability to nurture a budding hero through their trials, but her own resolve through hardship, betrayal, and even love.

Well known for her Three Dark Crowns series amongst many others!), Champion of Fate is the first of Kendare Blake’s new Heromaker duology, which is set in a varied and at times brutal world where anyone can be a hero and the magical sect of Aristene women help bring them to glory.

This book has the overall feeling of an epic Greek myth with heavy emphasis on female strength. Some might think this is a just a feminist tale (or even the opposite), but instead, it shows powerful male and female characters side by side without diminishing each other. Anyone in this tale has the potential for glory, and in fact, it might make you question your definition of what glory can be.

The first third of Champion of Fate richly sets the scene of the world and introduces most of the main characters in the book. While at times I was impatient to meet some of the other players hinted at in the beginning, the worldbuilding sets a good pace and manages to go through quite a lot in a short span of time.

I really loved how Blake built and developed the characters in the world. Reed’s journey from half-feral orphan to sister initiate, to Heromaker is masterfully written and as she progresses, your heart bleeds for her when she’s faced with heartbreak and it soars when she triumphs. You can see a clear difference between the Reed you’re introduced to and the one you leave on the last page.

Not only did the main character go through her own arc of growth, you can see the main side characters go through their own journeys. There was one minor character whose progression was a bit sudden, but for the most part Blake leads the readers subtly through their own feelings and realisations about each character as new elements are revealed. Some of the arcs are so nuanced that they make you wonder if you like or don’t like someone, and don’t really know until the end. Somehow, you end up loving a cranky horse, a cheeky enemy, and a young brat and you have no idea how it happened.

The technique of showing and not telling was expertly utilised in this book. Blake uses dialogue and character actions efficiently to perform the character development mentioned above, while also building anticipation and suspense in the plot. The anticipation specifically was the perfect balance to keep you turning the page to find out more, while providing enough information to progress the story. She shows just enough information to keep your interest piqued and wondering how things will play out, but keeps the reveals for the most impactful timing.

In a book about heroes and their glory, you can be assured that there will be plenty of battle scenes. What is refreshing, however, is that they are by no means gratuitous or tedious. The various fight scenes are masterfully described with enough detail to ensure you know what’s doing on, but not so much that you’re left bored, or confused about the movement of the various characters.

While there are some adult themes hinted at, this book is quite friendly to younger readers. Anything of a romantic nature is quite chaste and the action mentioned above was engaging rather than graphic or uncomfortable. Champion of Fate can be suited for young teenager readers and above, or anyone wanting an easy-to-read fantasy book.

Champion of Fate literally made me laugh, and then it had the audacity to make me cry. It made me obsessively read when I really should have been doing other things, and it also made me stop and pause when I’d read something shocking or thought-provoking.

At its core, Champion of Fate is a compelling story of feminine strength over adversity and heartbreak and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

oh my god. this is just. fantastic. amazing.

thank you to quill tree books and netgalley for the egalley!

I ended up DNFing this book unfortunately. I don't actually think this was a bad book. It is action packed and fast paced and I think a lot of teens will have fun with this book. I simply didn't care about how the story would end and decided not to waste my time on what I assume would have been a perfectly fine story. I'll still be purchasing this for my library's teen section, I think this may have just been a case of not being for me personally.

There is nothing that Reed wants more than to be an Aristene. Finally, her time has come to guide her chosen Hero, pass her Trial, and officially become part of the order. However, she will discover that there is more at stake than just her Trial. Her home, her friends, her dreams, and even her heart will be put beyond the test.

As someone who has never read Kendare Blake, I went to his story blind about her writing. First off, it was an extremely interesting and entertaining story. While this heavily spells out YA in its story and execution, the narrative and dialogues were very pleasant to read and had a rather unique and slightly mature aspect to them. There was a very nice pacing of both development, action, and interactions. While the story progressed at a engaging level, it didn't sacrifice the building relationships between the different characters.

One thing I loved was that there was no petty rivalry, no betrayals, no malice, and definitely no love triangles. Despite the war setting, different princes collaborating together, and characters interacting with one another, it was refreshing to see that among them what slowly built up was friendship and trust between them. I especially loved that Belden and Hestion had such a loving relationship, and that Alsander grew from a immature boy to a reliable leader.

One thing I didn't like was the lack of descriptions in characters. I feel maybe I missed them in their initial introduction, but after a while they all looked like blurred faceless blobs in my head except Reed and Hestion. I was lost on how the others were supposed to look. In addition, the part focused on the war was a bit lack luster in a more action and military sense. While this part was more focused on the character's individual and collective growth, there was a lack of actual strategic situations and war-like scenarios.

The ending I hated. My hope was for Reed to forgo the order and discover she did have the choice of another life. The fact that she still accepted to become an Aristene because she had nowhere else to truly go was disappointed. I'll look forward to the sequel and see if this little situation is fixed.

3.5/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Champion of Fate is the first book in the new Heromaker duology by Kendare Blake. Layered and complex, Reed’s story starts when she is young and witnesses unimaginable horror when her entire village is massacred. Her backstory is a defining moment in her life, as is being rescued by two female warriors. Now an initiate for a group of warrior women called Aristene, Reed wants nothing more than to prove herself and become an official, immortal member. I really enjoyed her story as she fights to complete her challenge and lead her first hero to victory.

Blake has created a strong, intelligent, and passionate female protagonist in Reed, and I like that the story explores her friendships, her personal journey, and her growing feelings for Hestion, the man she’s charged with helping. She’s had such clear goals before this challenge, but her feelings begin to waver as new relationships and revelations develop. Her journey is messy, and her character is flawed, yet she is so easy to root for, and I totally did.

The world-building is really interesting too with well-crafted politics, history, mythology, and more. It’s very easy to become immersed in this unique world and reed’s journey. And as developed as the world is, it never felt like an info-dump. It weaves seamlessly into the story. I’m also really intrigued by the Aristene and their roles in bringing glory to others.

Overall, I thought this was a great start to the series, and I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy slow-building and immersive YA fantasy. I’m thankful to NetGalley and Harper Collins Childrens Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Eight years ago, Reed was orphaned and taken in by a group of immortal warrior women called the Aristene. They help those marked as heroes achieve glory and in turn this bolsters goodwill with the goddess they serve. After passing her trials, Reed is ready to become a full-fledged member, but she has one final test. She must help her assigned hero to glory in a fight against two warring nations. If she wins, she can join her sisters-in-arms, if she fails, she potentially loses her home and family...again.

The order is all Reed has known for so long and she's determined to succeed at all costs, but she's unprepared for her hero - Hestion. He makes her question everything she thought she knows and believes in and forces her to confront what she truly wants her life to be.

When an evil more powerful than thought possible threatens to upend all they're fighting for, Reed will be faced with a choice.

I have read a lot of Kendare Blake's previous books (though by no means all of them), and I appreciated that Champion of Fate could have such high stakes and serious tone, yet feel light. Somehow feeling like it's not going to take an emotional toll on me like I've felt in previous books of hers (and that might just be a "me" thing).

I felt like this story goes a long way in developing the world. Kendare Blake does a great job with this. By the end, I knew who the Aristene were and everything that was at stake. I wasn't left with questions about their purpose or their power.

Clearly this is Reed's story so understanding everything she's been working toward and the family she's brought into is essential, but there were definitely moments where the story felt a bit stagnant. Like it needed a push to get going again. And eventually that happened, but it took a lot of build up to get to the actual point of the story I think.

Knowing that this is a duology, I can almost forgive this as I expect the next book to take off running from where things have been left and we won't need a lot of that backstory.

I will say, by the end of the book, I'm invested in seeing how Reed's story continues to unfold. There's a lot of uncertainty I think in regards to Reed's hardwon loyalty to her goddess and the Aristene. She's seen a version of life that she never thought existed for herself and, naturally, this makes her question everything.

A lot happens in the end that is too spoilery to really talk about but suffice it to say I like the way that things are left so uncertain and even broken in places. I think it'll make the redemption in the next book all the better.

Champion of Fate is Kendare Blake at her absolute best. An exquisite study of trauma, power, and sacrifice, the novel is a stunning addition to the legacy of YA Fantasy. Reed is the type of heroine that is both flawed and easy to root for. What I enjoyed most was Blake's worldbuilding skill and how she was skillfully able to write a protagonist faced with difficult choices. On a personal note, I loved that Reed was tall and described herself as "large"; it's a rarity in this genre and so refreshing. I cannot wait for Book 2.

I loved the Three Dark Crowns series so I went into Champion of Fate with high hopes, and maybe they were a bit too high.

This is a very different story than Three Dark Crowns, the hallmarks are still there that Kendare Blake does very well: complex love stories, impactful female friendships, and a lot of action. But for some reason, it took me a very long time to actually complete the book. It kept dragging for me when I kept hoping that it would pick up the pace and I never fully bought into the story. I wanted to feel strongly one way or another about the Aristene and the love story with Hestion but both fell a little flat for me.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will update the review with the link to on our blog closer to publication date. I'd like to thank the publisher HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.