I received an e-galley of Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake from Frenzy Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Female warriors trained to guide their heroes to glory. Yes.
Adventure and battles. Yes.
Complicated female relationships that are filled with friendship, love, forgiveness, and emotion. Yes.

It's been awhile since I picked up a Kendare Blake book but Champion of Fate is everything that I remember loving about her writing. I have absolutely no idea where book 2 is taking this storyline and I love that - looking forward to it.

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙚
Heromaker 1
by Kendare Blake
480 pages
Published September 19, 2023

Thank you @harpercollins Quill Tree Books for the @netgalley ARC in exchange for my review.

This novel reminded me a little bit of Mary Pearson’s phenomenal His Fair Assassins series in all of the best ways. Authors should take note that these are the fantasy novels with fierce females & found family that we want!
Reed loses her family and is rescued by the Aristene order. Thus begins her journey to become a heromaker. Besides the obvious found family trope, this novel has many bright spots – Reed is a naïve teenager and is a frustrating character at first, but she does grow in maturity throughout the novel as she must lead her hero into the glory of battle. Reed must help Hestion become the hero she knows he is, but Hestion has a different fate in mind for them. Reed is torn between what she must do for her sisterhood and her feelings for Hestion. This dynamic leads us to fast paced action and adventure as we thunder to the conclusion of this story and are left breathless to know what happens next in the sequel. I was slightly frustrated by Reed’s naivete and immaturity at the beginning and middle of this story, and she did develop into a better main character by the end – so I am hoping that the sequel will bring Reed exactly what she wants. (Please let it happen).
This fantasy was extremely well structured, the world and magic system are thoroughly described. The author keeps us in suspense about what may happen, and we are left a little infuriated wanting the sequel to be published immediately.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.5/5 due to my frustration at times with the MC early on in the story.

I did receive a physical advanced reading copy of this book for review so I will read that and then update with my own personal thoughts on the book.

I'm not gonna lie...I went into this one blind. Having just known that I loved the Three Dark Crowns series and wanted more from Blake. Not sure what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it. Its a completely different type of book than the Crowns series.

I really loved the new magic system and the tie ins to gods of old and a time of heroes. As well as the premise that behind of every great hero was a strong women leading the way. Which provides us with totally bad ass female characters. While there was some romance - including some LGBQT+ rep - it wasn't the main focus of the story. The journey and growth of our young initiates was. Reed had some great character development from her beginning trauma at a young age to where she ends up. She makes for a great heroine and one you want to root for and empathize with. Lyonnene could be a bit much but she too had her merits. Especially the bond between the girls and the underlying loyalty in spite of a few missteps on both sides.

Also the world building was great. The only critique I would have is wanting to know more about the Veil and how it functions. The pacing may have been a bit slow in places but it was still an engaging read that has me intrigued to see what book 2 in the duology has in store.

Heroes. Fate. Strong women. In the first book in Kendare Blake’s newest series, the main character Reed is orphaned early in life, found by a couple of warriors. She is taken to their home where this elite order lives. They are Aristene - the Heromakers. Reed’s ultimate desire is to become an Aristene, to be a true part of this sisterhood. She is trained for years as she grows up, and then it is time for her to pass her hero trial - she will be granted a hero to lead to glory, and once she accomplishes that she will be able to become a true Aristene. Blake sets up the high stakes for our girl and gives her readers a heroine to cheer for. As Reed enters her trial, it becomes clear that there are things at work around her that she is unaware of, and what unfolds is surprising and captivating.

I liked Reed and her journey. I wanted to like her hero, and for the most part I did, but I felt like he could have been fleshed out a little more. The side characters are fun and add to the story; I think my surprise favorite was Sar, the Ithernan, a friend of Reed’s hero. If you’ve read and enjoyed Blake’s Three Dark Crowns series, then buckle up for another fun fantasy trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Children’s Books and Quill Tree Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 stars

Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1) by Kendare Blake, 480 pages. Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins), 2023. $20.
Language: PG13 (11 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The Aristenes are powerful, nearly immortal women who help mortals become heroes in order to win glory for their goddess. As a child, Reed was found and saved by Aster, an Aristene, and Reed has been training to become one herself ever since. Now Reed (16yo) will have to prove herself worthy of becoming one of them by leading her first hero into glory.
Reed’s story is a tragedy from the beginning, making readers desperate for anything good to make up for it. Through the highs and the lows, readers celebrate and cry with Reed as she goes to war beside her hero. Blake makes readers think about what glory is and hints at the lurking underside of glory that comes at a difficult price. The conclusion is satisfying, but Reed’s story isn’t finished.
Skin colors mentioned are varied. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, and partial nudity. The violence rating is for blood, murder, and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

"Behind every great hero is an Aristene."

Aka, behind every great man... is an even better woman.

The premise of this story was really promising; badass women being the real reason behind how heroes end up immortalized in stories for their feats. I just wish the read was as strong. I really had to work at getting through the first 30% but still didn't feel interested until the very end. I understand that there is set up and world building for a series in play, but I also think the target audience is likely to have less motivation to work through the drag than I did. Things also felt really inconsistent: character development, the rules around the trial, plot points etc. The horses were a big plus for me though lol

Unfortunately, I think my mind was made up early into this read and then nothing even tempted me to change my mind.

2.5 rounded to 3/5

A young woman in training to become an immortal warrior must lead a hero to glory... but what she doesn't expect is the forbidden love that awaits her and the price of glory. Reed was a young girl when her entire family was slaughtered, but she was taken in by two immortal warriors who saw that she was touched by the goddess of glory. She was taken in to train to become an Aristene, an order of mythical female warriors who help guide heroes to become immortalized legends, they are Heromakers. Reed has been training and counting down the days until her trial is over and she can become a sister of the order. Yet when her trial begins and she meets her chosen hero, a arrogant but handsome prince who wants something other than glory, her heart. Reed has to find a way to bring glory to her hero, but the price she'll have to pay will be between what her heart wants and what her future holds. This is the first book in a duology but the way the first book ends you could just leave it at that. The book has a bit of an odd pacing because it starts off really slow and then picks up around the 60% mark and the ending is kind of : eh. I am intrigued by the Aristene order and the relationship between Reed and her two mentors, their relationship and interactions were the best part of the book. I didn't care for the romance and honestly didn't mind the third act breakup after everything. I am interested in seeing how the second book ends the series and what happens to Reed after how this book ended. This book is a great read for fans of hero adventures with a bit of star crossed lovers and war/hero journeys.

*Spoiler: Reed and Hestion fall for each other but she ends up giving up her role in the order to be with him and she defies the glory she saw for him because she saw that if he fights against the evil ruler he would die, so instead during the battle she gives the weapon to his brother who then kills the ruler and is killed in turn. Hestion knows she defied the fate and that she got his brother killed and breaks off their relationship. Reed then returns to the order and decides to go through with the ritual (that she has to kill herself to be reborn as an immortal warrior). *

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I have never been a horse girl and this one might've hit harder for me if I had, but I did still enjoy it. I loved Reed's story and her fight between duty and her heart. The ending was bittersweet and I'm going to need the next one right quick because I need that sort of angst in my life!

I am such a fan of strong female protagonists setting out on quests to prove themselves fierce warriors and worthy of greatness. This book introduces us to Reed, a determined orphan whose family has been slaughtered, but her resilience to survive makes her a lucrative candidate for the Aristene warriors. This group of nearly immortal warrior women can be interpreted similar to that of the Amazonian women of Themyscira where Wonder Woman emerges. The Aristene are brave, loyal, and have a bit of magic but they also have to earn their place in the ranks of their clan through a hero's trial and joining forces with another hero to complete a quest worthy of their goddess. Though slow at some points, I enjoyed getting to know Reed, Hestion, Lyonene, and many of the other characters. I, personally feel as though the author tried to take on a bit too much as she tried to weave in a hero's tale, conflicts with friends, conflicts with self, conflicts with mentors, a waged war, and nudges towards a love interest. Nevertheless, I was fully entertained throughout this novel and hope we may get more adventures of the Aristene Warriors in the future.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Champion of Fate is a story where if you love the idea of an elite force of women warriors with almost immortal abilities - think Old Guard vibes - but also are fascinated by characters who pull the strings off to the side - like Witcher - this is for you. Trained to help heroes, Reed is a fiery and passionate new initiate. A series opener, Champion of Fate takes a bit to get into the midst of the action and the synopsis, but when it does I was so obsessed. There's this subtle sense of something grander, larger, and slightly sinister going on which I hope is further developed in the sequel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kendare Blake for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Champion of Fate coming out September 19, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Aristene are a group of mythical female warriors. Though heroes might be immortalized in legends, it’s the Aristene who stir their paths to victory. They are known as Heromakers.

Raised by the order after being orphaned, Reed grew up hearing about her future sisters-in-arms and the amazing stories of their brave quests. She’s desperately waiting until her initiation, and now one final test stands in her way: shepherding her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and her place in the order is secured. Fail, and she’ll be cast out with nothing.

But Reed didn’t realize she would be saddled with Hestion, her hero who is both infuriating and fascinating. When their strategic alliance turns into something more, it forces Reed to question the price of becoming an Aristene. As battle approaches and fate stands in the shadows, Reed must make an impossibly hard choice: her hero or her order.

I’ve read other books by the author and I really enjoy her writing. I always want to check out her books. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres. It was a little slow building the fantasy world, but things picked up more once the plot got rolling. I think Reed was a really interesting character. The orphaned heroine can be a little overdone in the Fantasy genre, but I thought Reed was an interesting character. I enjoyed the ups and downs with Reed and Hestion. I was hoping for a different ending. Maybe it’ll be different in the second book.

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.